In this episode of the Choosing Your Uni podcast, we dive headfirst into the world of university rankings. Joining Rob Malicki is Chris Strods, a Senior Insights Specialist from QS – the global organisation behind one of the most trusted university ranking systems. Together, they unpack how rankings work, what they measure, and how you can use them to make smarter choices about where to study.

But it’s not just about the numbers. Chris shares his own uni journey, from studying computer science and social sciences at RMIT to becoming an expert in higher education insights. With relatable stories, including his nostalgic (and hilarious) tale of a long-lost library book, Chris breaks down the realities of how rankings fit into the bigger picture of choosing a university.

Learn why rankings are a great starting point but shouldn’t be your only guide, and discover how QS’s subject and sustainability rankings can help you zero in on what truly matters – whether it’s academic excellence, campus life, or finding a uni that aligns with your values.

This podcast is brought to you by ⁠⁠Choosing Your Uni⁠⁠ - our mission is to make choosing a subject area, and an institution, fun, easy and stress-free.

Our AI-powered platform unearths fields of study and institutions that match your interests and goals, with detailed information helping you to dig into career options, day-in-the-life scenarios, Open Days, extracurricular options, support services and much much more. No more endless Google searches, ⁠⁠Choosing Your Uni⁠⁠ is your one-stop-shop for navigating the journey to university.

Since 2017, our independent, unbiased content has been viewed millions of times on ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠, and we’ve supported tens of thousands of students to make the right decision on which degree, and institution, is best suited to them.

You can contact us via email at ⁠⁠[email protected].

I’m back on campus at the University of Sydney, keen to chat with more students about what it’s like to study there. Walking around Open Day, on a perfect Sydney afternoon, the campus is pumping. And that’s when I meet Courtney Jade.

Courtney Jade is not only a current student, and we talk a lot about her experience, but has also taken advantage of one of the most exciting opportunities that uni has to offer: student exchange!

As it happens, USyd has one of the biggest “study abroad” programs in Australia, with hundreds of opportunities for USyd students to explore the world – whether it’s on a short program, a semester-long exchange, or other experiences like volunteering or internships.

UTS has some serious advantages when it comes to creating a unique university experience. It's right on the fringe of the CBD with exceptional transport links, boasts some world leading faculties and facilities, and has positioned itself very much as a "real world"

In this conversation, I'm sitting down with Lewin, a current

But things are very different now.

He’s worked out what field of study suits him best, gained

In this conversation we get into the detail of what it’s

Some of the things we discuss are:

- Pathways to UTS through programs like UTS College

- The unique student experience at UTS, including the supportive learning environment and smaller class sizes in pathway programs

- Benefits of UTS’s convenient city location, near public transport and cultural spots like Chinatown and Sydney’s beaches

- Exploring UTS’s standout facilities, like the Hive Lab and the renowned Building 2 library

- Opportunities to study science with hands-on experiences, including field trips and lab work

- Making friends and building a network through various campus clubs and societies

- Tips for creating a personal study space on campus and using quiet spots like the library and outdoor areas

- Taking a gap year to explore interests and gain perspective before starting university

- How the design and vibe of UTS’s campus make it a “sticky” environment where students want to spend time outside of class

- Inspiration from UTS lecturers and opportunities to work alongside professionals in fields like environmental science

For well over a decade I’ve watched as UTS has marched forward as an institution, continuously getting better and better… it was great to hear that my impression from the outside is close to the truth of the student experience.

This podcast is brought to you by choosingyouruni.com – our free, AI-powered platform can help you narrow down your interests and identify fields of study that match you best. Our tool, UniMatch by CYU, takes your personal preferences and goals and makes hyper-tailored suggestions as to which university, and degree, might suit you best. It’s the easy and stress-free way to open some

With end-of-high-school exams looming, we're going for a short episode of the Choosing Your Uni podcast.

Over the years, I've been fortunately enough to interview hundreds of university students (and I've met thousands of them!)

One of my favourite questions to ask is "What advice do you have for students about to do their end of school exams?"

So for today's episode, I've curated some of the best answers that I've heard over the years. This is 5 minutes of goodness.

We'll be keeping episodes short over the next few weeks too. Good luck to everyone... you've got this!

This podcast is brought to you by ⁠⁠⁠⁠Choosing Your Uni⁠⁠⁠⁠ - our mission is to make choosing a subject area, and an institution, fun, easy and stress-free.

Our AI-powered platform unearths fields of study and institutions that match your interests and goals, with detailed information helping you to dig into career options, day-in-the-life scenarios, Open Days, extracurricular options, support services and much much more. No more endless Google searches, ⁠⁠⁠Choosing Your Uni⁠⁠⁠ is your one-stop-shop for navigating the journey to university.

Since 2017, our independent, unbiased content has been viewed millions of times on ⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠, and we've supported tens of thousands of students to make the right decision on which degree, and institution, is best suited to them.

You can contact us via email at ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]

The Australian Catholic University (ACU) isn't necessarily one of Australia's "famous" universities. But that doesn't mean that it doesn't have some extraordinary areas of strength that will really suit some students!

ACU is considered to be one of Australia's few "Multi-State" institutions, with several campuses in Sydney, plus campuses in Melbourne, Canberra, Brisbane, Ballarat, Townsville and, excitingly, in Rome!

(Okay, acknowledged: Rome is in Italy, not in Australia).

This wide footprint opens up some unique opportunities for students at ACU, which we talk about in this episode. We also dive into areas of strength for the institution, and what sorts of students are really well suited to studying there.

Perhaps an important point of clarity is that you don't need to be Catholic in order to study at ACU, and many students studying there are not. It's an institution that instead talks a lot about being grounded in its values... and certainly many students will find ACU the perfect alternative to some of the huge metropolitan campuses.

This podcast is brought to you by ⁠⁠⁠Choosing Your Uni⁠⁠⁠ - our mission is to make choosing a subject area, and an institution, fun, easy and stress-free.

Our AI-powered platform unearths fields of study and institutions that match your interests and goals, with detailed information helping you to dig into career options, day-in-the-life scenarios, Open Days, extracurricular options, support services and much much more. No more endless Google searches, ⁠⁠⁠Choosing Your Uni⁠⁠⁠ is your one-stop-shop for navigating the journey to university.

Since 2017, our independent, unbiased content has been viewed millions of times on ⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠, and we've supported tens of thousands of students to make the right decision on which degree, and institution, is best suited to them.

You can contact us via email at ⁠⁠⁠[email protected]

UNSW is one of Australia's top universities and is considered "world class" in many subject areas. But what does that actually mean?

In this episode of the Choosing Your Uni podcast, Rob Malicki gets deep into the details with two awesome current students who have VERY different stories about their journey to studying at UNSW.

Kyla (Law/Commerce) knew from early in high school that UNSW was the place for her. In contrast, Neal (Science/Engineering) didn't really know what he wanted to do after high school, let alone where to study it.

We talk about a whole range of things: from student life, to classes, to extracurricular opportunities and so much more. There's information on transport, clubs, sport, food and, most importantly, what it's REALLY like to study at UNSW.

This podcast is brought to you by ⁠⁠Choosing Your Uni⁠⁠ - our mission is to make choosing a subject area, and an institution, fun, easy and stress-free.

Our AI-powered platform unearths fields of study and institutions that match your interests and goals, with detailed information helping you to dig into career options, day-in-the-life scenarios, Open Days, extracurricular options, support services and much much more. No more endless Google searches, ⁠⁠Choosing Your Uni⁠⁠ is your one-stop-shop for navigating the journey to university.

Since 2017, our independent, unbiased content has been viewed millions of times on ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠, and we've supported tens of thousands of students to make the right decision on which degree, and institution, is best suited to them.

You can contact us via email at ⁠⁠[email protected]

Why should you choose to study at the University of Sydney?

Sure, it has an excellent reputation and ranks strongly, but what else makes it really stand out... what makes it truly unique?

In this exclusive conversation, Rob Malicki from Choosing Your Uni sits down for a deep dive conversation with Shane Griffin, the Associate Vice President of USyd. Together, they dig into some of the hidden gems, surprising facts and lesser-known opportunities that truly elevate the USyd experience.

This podcast is brought to you by ⁠Choosing Your Uni⁠ - our mission is to make choosing a subject area, and an institution, fun, easy and stress-free.

Our AI-powered platform unearths fields of study and institutions that match your interests and goals, with detailed information helping you to dig into career options, day-in-the-life scenarios, Open Days, extracurricular options, support services and much much more. No more endless Google searches, ⁠Choosing Your Uni⁠ is your one-stop-shop for navigating the journey to university.

Since 2017, our independent, unbiased content has been viewed millions of times on ⁠YouTube⁠, and we've supported tens of thousands of students to make the right decision on which degree, and institution, is best suited to them.

You can contact us via email at ⁠[email protected]

This episode is the first of our podcasts that dives deep into the universities in Sydney. Our goal with this series is to talk with current students and staff to unearth what makes each of the universities in Sydney special and what sort of students would thrive studying there.

Our series begins north of Sydney harbour in Macquarie Park.

Picture this:

It's a perfect, blue-sky Sydney day and the Macquarie University campus is buzzing as thousands of Open Day attendees circulate through colourful stalls and across the courtyard. Music is pumping and the energy is palpable.

We're looking for some current students who can tell us what it's really like to study here, and at the top of a ramp that leads down into Macquarie incredible central student courtyard space, we find them.

Jesse and Nitya have spent years studying at Macquarie and are glowing about their experiences here. This is a great conversation where they reveal insights on student life, academic study areas, extracurricular opportunities, and much more.

For the longest time Macquarie was known as "Australia's Innovative University", and it really shows across so many aspects of the institution: from its infrastructure to its global opportunities, its research output to its industry linkages.

We hope you enjoy this conversation with Jesse and Nitya!

A brief declaration of interest! Macquarie University is the alma mater of several of the Choosing Your Uni team, so is a place close to our hearts. Just wanted to put that up front!

This podcast is brought to you by Choosing Your Uni - our mission is to make choosing a subject area, and an institution, fun, easy and stress-free.

Our AI-powered platform unearths fields of study and institutions that match your interests and goals, with detailed information helping you to dig into career options, day-in-the-life scenarios, Open Days, extracurricular options, support services and much much more. No more endless Google searches, Choosing Your Uni is your one-stop-shop for navigating the journey to university.

Since 2017, our independent, unbiased content has been viewed millions of times on YouTube, and we've supported tens of thousands of students to make the right decision on which degree, and institution, is best suited to them.

You can contact us via email at [email protected]

There's a lot of pressure on young people when it comes to end of high school exams and the ATAR.

But what if I were to tell you that the ATAR wasn't the only way into uni. Wouldn't you feel under just a little bit less pressure.

It turns out that there are many pathways to university: from early entry schemes to mature-age entry (all this usually means is you've had a bit of a break between school and uni), college pathway programs, bridging courses and vocational ed pathways.

In this episode of the Choosing Your Uni podcast, Rob Malicki sits down with Peter Harris, the Chief Officer for Future Students at UTS College. We dive into a whole bunch of details about the various pathways to uni, some of the advantages of these alternative entry options, and also talk about what studying in "college pathway" program (like UTS College) looks like.

This podcast is brought to you by ⁠Choosing Your Uni⁠ - our mission is to make choosing a subject area, and an institution, fun, easy and stress-free.

Our AI-powered platform unearths fields of study and institutions that match your interests and goals, with detailed information helping you to dig into career options, day-in-the-life scenarios, Open Days, extracurricular options, support services and much much more. No more endless Google searches, ⁠Choosing Your Uni⁠ is your one-stop-shop for navigating the journey to university.

Since 2017, our independent, unbiased content has been viewed millions of times on ⁠YouTube⁠, and we've supported tens of thousands of students to make the right decision on which degree, and institution, is best suited to them.

You can contact us via email at ⁠[email protected]

G'day and welcome to the Choosing Your Uni podcast, a new podcast dedicated to exploring and unpacking

I'm your host, Rob Malicki, and I've spent the better part

Off the back of a successful pilot podcast series that

Each week you'll hear plenty of great stories from current and former students about their journey to, and through

But most importantly, I want you to know that you're not

For more information on the podcast, visit

I'm looking forward to chatting with you each week, and to