Semester of Adventure and Maturing Past Review
By Niki K (Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services, Other, Butler University) - abroad from 07/13/2014 to 11/23/2014 with
IFSA: Sydney - University of Sydney
DEFINITELY WORTHWHILE. Grew so much as an individual, felt so alive being able to explore constantly, loved being in a big city but also close to beautiful nature and parks and the ocean, loved living in an international housing building because I now have friends in literally every country that I still talk to and can't wait to visit in the future. I still talk to literally all of my friends.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
classes were hard but also didn't spend as much time studying as i normally would |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
FIONA IS THE BEST |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Urbanest is sooo beautiful, clean, safe, and has fun activities so everyone in the building ends up becoming great friends. Great place to meet other foreigners. |
| * Food: |
Cooked my own but loved what I made. Also loved all the Thai restaurants in the vicinity. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Befriended Australians and ended up hanging out at their actual homes and meeting their friends. It was so great and something most of my friends didn't get the opportunity to do. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I never had any healthcare needs so I was fine. |
| * Safety: |
I felt really safe… Someone told me later that there was a brothel across the street but I never saw any sketchy activity and the area seemed nice. |
| 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) |
Parents paid for it |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | Probably a lot |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | We just bought the necessities and so I don't have any regrets… I know some people would spend a lot of money on alcohol which was not worth it at all because they ended up blowing a lot of money. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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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? | Pack less. Australia has some great clothing stores and you will definitely buy thing you don't need. Also best advice I'd give to someone is to have a bucket list… the worst thing is to go somewhere and then come back and realize you were five miles away from fulfilling one of your dreams. |
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 Nearly Native or Trail BlazerCraving the most authentic experience possible, perhaps you lived with a host family or really got in good with the locals. You may have felt confined by your program requirements and group excursions. Instead, you'd have preferred to plan your own trips, even skipping class to conduct your own 'field work.' |
