A Kominar Chronicle: In the beginning…

Contact

Email:

zach@kominar.com

Public Comments:

Leave a message for me below.

21 responses so far

21 Responses to “Contact”

Cathy Prekupecon 03 Mar 2006 at 6:31 am 1

Hi Zack - thanks for your initial feedback regarding your program there and various accommodations - since then our son Greg has paid a deposit at Varsity Shores and some of his tuition at Bond so I guess it is a done deal - he will begin his JD Law Program in September - I am sure your paths will eventually cross - lots of luck with your continued program > how are you finding second semester?? > did you get your student visa on-line, via mail or in person in Ottawa?? > also did you fly Qantas or ? and were you able to bring all that you needed over on the plane or did your parents ship you stuff once you settled in?? > with the demands of school, are you able to work part time? > thanks for continuing to share your expertise and first-hand info…

Regards,

Cathy Prekupec

P.S. Nice looking fish and girlfriend!!!
zackon 03 Mar 2006 at 7:17 pm 2

Hi Cathy,

Nice to hear from you again. I did indeed register for my student visa online. I’ve included the link for you: “http://www.immi.gov.au/e_visa/students.htm”

I did fly Qantas and had quite an experience. You can recount my tales in the archive section of the webpage!

As for my belongings, I was generally well-set when I got to my room. A few bathroom necessities later I was ready to study. My parents later sent me a package containing some memories of Canada.

In order to keep up my studies I have opted not to work part-time during school. However, it is feasible and many students do it.
Jason Fieldon 12 Mar 2006 at 3:01 am 3

Hey Zack,

My name is Jason and I’m one of Will Chaban’s roommates back in good ol’ Guelph, ON. I’ve recently decided to investigate the possibility of studying law at Bond. I was first enticed by KOM consultants, and Will promptly informed me that you were currently doing precisely what I am researching. I was wondering if you could give me an overview of what it was like for you (at your convenience of course) in terms of applying, the costs, what it’s like, what it takes to get in, etc etc etc. I am extremely interested!

Thanks!

-Jason
zackon 16 Mar 2006 at 4:58 pm 4

Hi Jason,

I just created a resource page on this very topic for like-minded individuals. I know how frustrating it can be not being able to visit the school you’ll be attending. So many questions!

Anyhow, feel free to ask any specific questions and check out Thinking of Bond for now.
marciaon 29 Mar 2006 at 11:59 pm 5

i want to post a haiku still, inspired by last night.

in heart, soul, and feet
even in austrailia
we all love THE BEAT!
Meg Nuttallon 20 Jun 2006 at 1:19 pm 6

Miss you! Hope that the doll-version of me still has a prominent place in your living room..
MWAH

Megs
sarah newtonon 22 Jun 2006 at 11:50 am 7

zack!

remember me?! it’s been so long!!I found a link to here from Tony’s blog! I had no idea you were in Australia! I will be there in January for teacher’s college- at Edith Cowan Uni in perth. So it was very encouraging for me to see what a great time you’re having! hope you’re doing well

sarah newton
Carolineon 01 Feb 2007 at 10:40 am 8

Hi! I was just searching for information on Varsity Shores, because I am looking to live there next fall when I study abroad and go to Bond. I just wanted to get your take on the complex, and ask if you like living there. I also wanted to ask if it was furnished, and how much it costs to get internet in the town home. I’m just curious about little things. From what I see in your pictures, the place looks very nice and in a good location. Get back to me whenever you get the chance, and you can give me the scoop on the place. Tell me whatever you want. Thanks so much!

Caroline
zackon 11 Feb 2007 at 11:21 pm 9

Hi Caroline,

The complex is pretty nice, a friend from Canada came to visit me and was suitably impressed with my lifestyle at the Shores. The two pools are simple but nice and the units themselves are generally well kept.

I paid around $160-180/wk for a furnished top level suite(had my own study/bath too). However, the shores has recently raised their rates by $20/wk I think. The location is extremely close to Bond and many students live there. They have 3-5 bedroom houses to rent and in the past have been renting by room, although that may have changed.

As a side note, I would caution you to be wary of the management and be clear on your expectations of them. Due to the high turnover and per room renting students get dinged with cleaning fees every semester and this can often cause outrageous arguments.

As for Internet rates that’s dependent on what sort of a service you sign up for. You can expect to be in a lock in contract of at least one year down here. An average install fee is around $100 and further to that monthly averages around ~$10-$20/PP in an 4-5 person house setup.
Hi Zack!on 03 Mar 2007 at 1:06 pm 10

I’ve been looking at your blog since I’ve decided to apply to Bond’s JD program. I’ve just received my an admission offer (yipee!) and was wondering if you’re at all worried about trying to practice back in Canada? Are you planning on practicing in Australia? How will you be getting around residency when it comes to apply for jobs? Or are you already an Australian citizen as well? Are you planning on being a licensed barrister/solicitor in Au first before coming back to Canada? If you don’t mind me asking, how soon did you start looking for places to stay? Were you able to seek out financial aid (OSAP etc) to help with tuition? Sorry bout all the questions Thanks for taking the time to read through this post
zackon 08 Mar 2007 at 3:35 pm 11

Hi Tiffany,

Congratulations on your admission offer to Bond, I remember how excited I was to tell all my family and friends that I was finally going to law school!

Regarding your questions:
- In my 5th semester, I’m in the midst of applying to graduate positions in Australia. Since I know that I want to work primarily in IT/IP law I’ve been able to narrow down my search quite significantly. I’m in talks with one firm and expect to hear back from at least a few more in the coming week or two. Graduate applications for many Queensland firms closed this past Monday, hence me expecting to hear soon.

- I’m not really worried about practicing back in Canada. I’ve charted my course of action as getting accredited and gaining relevant experience in Australia for the time being and should I decide to practice back in Canada, it would be easier for me to transfer as a practicing solicitor(personally).

More information on transferring your degree will be relayed to you when you get to Bond. Unfortunately I can’t point you to a specific webpage at this moment, but the Bond University Canadian Law Students Assoc is working on such a resource to field (as best we can) these types of questions. Very quickly, it will likely cost you another $7,000 after it’s all done, and requires taking another ~7-9 test or so. This process takes about another year AFTER you finish your degree at Bond, so prepare accordingly. This is one of the reasons why I’ve preferred to start my legal career in Australia, quicker turn-around time.

- As for ‘getting around residency’ I have two options available to me. Because of my relationship with Nadine, I can apply for a de facto spouse visa which will let me stay in the country (Drawbacks: Expensive ~$2000, and time-consuming). Alternatively, I’m hoping to get a Employer sponsored Temporary Resident Visa which will allow me to work in the country for up to 4 years. After that an application can be made for permanent residency should I choose. However, you are quite right that some firms are very discriminatory when it comes to “Residency Status”. Minter Ellison, will simply refuse to process your online application if you do not have residency. Other firms have been less heavy-handed and don’t seem to mind as much. My approach has been to be as prepared as I can be regarding VISA information, it’s MY responsibility to inform the firm of potential courses of action. I’ve prepared an information sheet regarding the matter to hand to firms in my interview. I don’t think that their HR department wants the extra burden of researching how to hire foreign students.

- I am planning on being a licensed solicitor in AU before coming back to Canada. (No idea how long I will stay in Aus). “Planning” being the operative word, we’ll see how it all pans out in the coming months I guess.

- As for places to stay, First semester I stayed in the Bond’s North Tower residence. It was the easiest and most reliable method for me to book reasonable accommodations whilst overseas. After that I moved into Varsity Shores, and have since moved even closer to Bond at “The Retreat” (http://www.thereserve.com.au/). You’ll find that many of your friends will be living in the Shores or across the street at University Place(The student ghetto).

- As for OSAP; I haven’t tried myself, but I don’t think that you will get very far. This is very personalized,bias,anecdotal advice but I don’t think that OSAP sees paying for foreign schools highly. That being said, it has been a difficult time financing my degree. I was supported by a line of credit from the bank and much assistance from family. Thankfully, I’m almost done and can start paying my family back and paying the line of credit down.

Hopefully this answered your questions!
samon 05 Apr 2007 at 6:12 pm 12

hey zack,
planning to move into one of the five bedroom villa’s wondering if you’ve been in one of them? I’m going to be on the bottom floor (private room with ensuite) just looking at the floorplan off their website..is the bathroom and laundry one? or is there a door in between? because i imagine it’s a shared laundry right?
thanks
zackon 06 Apr 2007 at 9:50 am 13

Hi Sam,

I’ve lived in a 5 bedroom villa. Your room should have a door to the bathroom. And just before the entrance to your entrance door there will be another door to the laundry room which isn’t connected to your room. Yes, you will be sharing laundry with the rest of the house. However, when I lived in the top floor suite it had its own laundry too.
Emilyon 06 Jul 2007 at 7:08 am 14

Hi,

I will be attending Bond for the 073 semester for about 2 years (I am working on my Masters degree) and I was wondering if there were any openings in Varsity Shores. I had studied abroad at Bond for the 061 semester, and really fell in love with Varsity Shores and was hoping to be able to live there this time around. I was not sure where to send this email, or if there is an application process that needs to be followed? If you could let me know that would be wonderful. My email is emily.kotecki@snc.edu.

Cheers!
Colinon 13 Aug 2007 at 5:27 am 15

Hey Zach!

Your blog has been very helpful. I just submitted my application to Bond for this May (I’ll graduate in April from a Canadian institution).

I have some questions about the classes themselves: What are the class sizes like? How many hours/week are you in class/tutorials? Did you find, on average, the classes more/less difficult than those in Canada?

Thanks very much!

-Colin
zackon 20 Aug 2007 at 12:55 pm 16

Hi Colin,

Class Sizes - Can vary, in the first semesters there are a lot of students in a lecture. Depending on the class 50~100 maybe? However, tutorials are usually capped to about 10-12 people, and this is where the real problem-solving happens.

Hours - A typical class will have 2-3 hours of lecture scheduled a week and 1 hour worth of tutorial time.

Difficulty - I’ve heard from friends who’ve done semesters abroad that Bond’s weekly tutorial method is much more engaging than other (Canadian) universities. I couldn’t compare myself, but I do believe that Bond’s program offers significant advantages over other institutions.
Maxon 18 Sep 2007 at 8:28 pm 17

Hey Zack,
I´m from Germany and a future Bond student. My application for the uni went well and all I need now is a nice and cheap accommodation where I can stay during my studies(beginning in Jan 08). Can you tell me how I can get one of those nice looking appartments at Varsity Shores? Any internet site where I can apply except “the accommodation people”? It should be an shared appartment cause I don´t wanna live alone. You seem to have some experience in terms of Bond and accommodation, this is the reason I contacted you.
Hope I didn´t annoy you with all my questions.

Thanks in advance! Take care! cheers
Bruceon 06 Nov 2007 at 5:10 am 18

Zack;

I heard from Richard Gorrie that you were all done. And you’re back in Canada??!!

If you are passing by…do stop in.

Cheers,

Bruce
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Anirudhon 29 Aug 2008 at 12:40 pm 20

Hi Zack’
I ‘m Anirudh an Indian, I wish to get admission in full time MBA in Canada. I am low on cash so I want to enroll into a college which requires less tution fees .Please tell me if there is some other way some scholarship or some way to earn during the course to finance the course.Please advise.
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