Australia, not always no worries, but just some Past Review
By Casey S (Voice and Opera., Hope College) for
IES Abroad: Sydney Direct Enrollment - University Of Sydney
Yes! This was something that I had always wanted to do, and I was finally able to do it in my last semester. It was a good experience for me to leave Hope (which I loved), and go to a BIG school, with bigger classes to make me appreciated Hope even more. It was also nice to just receive a totally different schooling experience from what I was used to.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
I really had to step up with the caliber of my work due to that fact that the grading scale was so different, as well as the fact that more is expected from a student academically than in the United States. I was surprised to find that work that would have received an A on at Hope was now scoring me somewhere within the B range at Sydney Uni. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
It was really safe, and it was an apartment building of people who all went to Sydney University. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
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| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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Finances
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* 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) |
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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | Expect to spend at least $100 on food (which should last about a week- week and a half. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Buy only what you need. Alcohol is much more expensive in Australia than the states (about $40 more expensive), as well as food. I once saw one lean cuisine meal for $8.00. |
Language
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | A student that is really laid back would really benefit to this program. Also, a student that wants to go abroad, but not to a foreign speaking country would also do well. |
