Awesome Past Review

By (Child and Family Studies, Berea College) - abroad from 02/03/2012 to 06/17/2013 with

ISA Study Abroad in Townsville, Australia

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I gained a better understanding for my own culture as well as making life long friendships. This trip was worthwhile. I feel I now have a better sense of independence from studying abroad.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? None

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Very educational. I learned a great deal from these classes. The instructors were willing to help when a problem arose.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

Very helpful. If I had a question they were able to give me an answer. They were even able to help me try to find a job.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Great! They had a cleaning staff that came in and cleaned your common area and your room as well. They vacuumed the carpets for you.

* Food:

The food could have been better. They served the same food from week to week. Therefore everybody knew what was for dinner.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I played a sport so I felt that I was in with the culture. It would have been nice to socialize with the upper class students. They tended to not socialize with the internationals because we would be living in 6 months.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I did not actually use the health system but there were not any overall problems with healthcare at this college.

* Safety:

Just like any city, you did not want to go anywhere by yourself at night. Other than that it was okay. There was public transportation and it was safe but I usually never went anywhere by my self.

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)

The only things that I had to pay for were books and laundry therefore it was not that hard. I was already on a budget so I had to make a small amount of money work.

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? 50
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Plan the trips that you want to take. Also ask friends for items that you need as opposed to buying everything.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? No

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Dorm
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
  • Americans
  • International Students
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
  • Americans
  • 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?
  • housing
  • friendships
  • social events
* What could be improved?
  • food
  • group gatherings with the people in the program
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? How the school system worked. There class setup was different than that of the United States

Reasons For Studying Abroad

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The Avid Adventurer
The wardrobe you packed was better suited for a semester of camping than club hopping. Outdoorsy, you might forgo a crazy night out for an early all-day adventure. You'd rather take in the rich culture of an old town than the metropolis of a modern city, but for you getting off the grid is ideal.