Incredible country but would not recommend the school Past Review

By (University of Maine - Orono) - abroad from 02/22/2016 to 06/20/2016 with

Deakin University - Warrnambool: Direct Enrollment & Exchange

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I made friends who I will hopefully keep in contact with in the future. I got to explore and enjoy a beautiful country, and learned that even though the school wasn't what i expected there were still plenty of opportunities to make the most out of my trip.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 2 weeks - 1 month

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Didn't feel challenged in any of my classes. The field trips were incredible but there was only one for each class, even though they claimed to offer much more time in the field.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

Had a lot of problems with administration on campus. While I was there there was talk of the campus being shut down because of low enrollment. This seemed to make the administration even less helpful to the few students that were there.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

We had one issue with a male housemate who was 26 and living in the house of mostly female students. He had several issues at university events and after a group of us complained, he was finally removed. Other then that the house was slightly run dow, but I loved everyone else that I lived with!

* Food:

We had one kitchen that we shared between eleven of us so that was a challenge at times. The local grocery store was only about a ten minute bus ride, and I cooked all my meals as a meal plan wasn't available on this campus.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

The house I was living in was almost entirely american exchange students. I loved everyone I lived with, but as I was studying abroad in Australia it would have been nice to live in the building with all the local students so I could actually get to know them better and learn more about them and their culture!

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I had to visit a doctor to get my american prescription filled by an Australian doctor. Since the US doesn't have medicare we were given BUPA overseas health care insurance. This was great for just emergency treatment, however, for just a simple appointment it was $40 and then my prescription was going got be $400 so I had to get a doctors permission so that it could be shipped from the US. The program wasn't very helpful in explaining how the system worked, however, there was plenty of information online and helplines available 24/7 for students.

* Safety:

I lived in a very small rural town. I never felt unsafe in town and for the most part i felt safe around campus as well. There were short stay accommodations on campus near my housing structure. There were occasions were the short stay guests apparently gave students walking by at night a hard time. I never walked alone at night and didn't run into any problems. Security was available 24/7 by phone and were super friendly!

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? No

I loved the country and the friends I made, however, I didn't enjoy the school component as much as I thought I would, and the staff weren't very helpful to the international students!

Finances

* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

Australia is pretty expensive. The exchange rate helped but food and personal items cost more then they would typically cost in America.

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? about $100
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? just plan ahead and realize that you might have limited places to shop so some everyday items might be more expensive!

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? No

Direct Enrollment/Exchange

* Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? Exchange

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Dorm
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
  • Americans
  • International Students
About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with?

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • the students i meet
  • field trips
  • location near the beach
* What could be improved?
  • communication with international students
  • housing facilities
  • how classes are run
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? that there really wasn't a field portion to any of the classes. Had I known this before I probably would have chosen another program!

Reasons For Studying Abroad

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The Avid Adventurer
The wardrobe you packed was better suited for a semester of camping than club hopping. Outdoorsy, you might forgo a crazy night out for an early all-day adventure. You'd rather take in the rich culture of an old town than the metropolis of a modern city, but for you getting off the grid is ideal.