Best 4 months of my life Past Review
By A student (Business Administration, Management and Operations., Providence College) - abroad from 02/17/2013 to 07/01/2013 with
IFSA: Sydney - Macquarie University
Australia is an incredible place. Definitely worthwhile and I will come back as soon as I can
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | None |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
I planned it out and took easy classes over here so that I could focus on traveling and enjoying myself. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Very helpful people. They always kept in touch with us to make sure everything was going well and also planned free events for us to attend. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I lived in the village. While it was not as nice as it looked in the pictures, it was a great experience. I got to live with 5 other people from around the US. |
| * Food: |
For the sake of saving money I had to buy the cheapest food I could and make my own meals. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Culture is great here. Everyone is so laid back and nice. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Never had a problem with my health over here but from what I heard, the healthcare was mediocre here. |
| * Safety: |
Sydney is a very friendly city. King's Cross is the only real concern when you go to bars on the weekends. |
| 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) |
I'm broke. It is absurdly expensive over here. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $500 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Nope. You're screwed. No matter how much you think it is going to cost you, it will be more. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
Language is English |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Fluent |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Fluent |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | High school |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | 10+ |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | English |
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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| 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? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | I would be broke |
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 UrbaniteA 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. |
