Australia: The different school life Past Review
By Nicholas P (Finance and Financial Management Services., St. Cloud State University) for
ISA Study Abroad in Brisbane, Australia
yes, it was a really enjoyable experience where I got to know a lot of unique and different people.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The educational experience was unique to me, because the classes had one lecture for about 2-3 hours along with a hour of tutorial with a teachers assistant. Lots of students wouldn't go to tutorials, it was scheduled for 20 and usually only 1-5 people showed up sometimes I was the only one. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
They had support services and accessibility but they really didn't have a major presence. The people I would go to for questions like the ones listed above would have been the locals that I was living around. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I couldn't have choosen a better place to live during my time aboard. By living in the dorms I was able to live really close to the locals and really get to know them and see the differences between the US culture and that of Australia. |
| * Food: |
I thought the food was alright, all the food was fairly healthy and it gave me an idea of what Australian would eat during a daily week and see how it was different than what I am use to. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
scuba diving the great barrier reef and just seeing the great barrier reef |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
The country and the area I was at were extremely safe and I never worried about my safety well I was there. |
| 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? | 50, I had a food taken care at the beginning of the semester so it was already paided for by the time I got there. The 50 is for snacks and going out on the town. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Spread the money out over the entire trip and look for deals when looking to travel |
Language
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Fluent |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | I took a third year course which was were I was at with my home university |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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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 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? | Be willing to go out of your comfort zones and be willing to meet new people |
