Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Home is where the koalas are Past Review

By (Speech and Hearing, Ithaca College) - abroad from 02/21/2015 to 06/28/2015 with

IES Abroad: Sydney Direct Enrollment - University Of Sydney

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
It was more than worthwhile! I gained amazing friends and learned to live by myself in a brand new city

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 0-2 weeks

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

The advisers were absolutely incredible and went above and beyond!

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

It was amazing that living arrangements were already provided by IES, however the Sydney University Village was not the cleanest when we arrived. They do have great events and free food nights for villagers though.

* Food:

There was no meal plan involved, but the food, especially cafe, scene in Sydney is great!

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

Sydney feels very safe and advice is easily accessible from IES city advisers. The travel tracker program helps advisers keep us safe when traveling independently.

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? Yes

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)

Sydney itself is a very expensive city but if you budget right and make easy meals at home you can save more money for trips and personal spending.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? No

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Apartment
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
  • 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 advisers
  • The subsidized trips
  • Studying at a university
* What could be improved?
  • The grade conversion scale
  • Cleanliness of apartments
  • More real info of costs in host city prior to departure
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? I wish I knew how many other small trips and places I would want to go to besides Sydney while abroad, and would have saved more money.

Reasons For Studying Abroad

To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you.
The Outright Urbanite
A social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country.