Australia- The Trip of a Lifetime Past Review
By Madeleine A (The College of William and Mary) - abroad from 02/06/2012 to 06/18/2012 with
James Cook University - Townsville: Townsville - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
I gained a lot of knowledge about how the world views my field (Marine Biology/Conservation Biology) and about issues that are not normally seen in the US. I also learned the Australian vocabulary and mannerisms.
Review Photos
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 classes had very few assignments that made up your grade and the average grades were much lower than what American students would receive at their home university. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Arcadia has amazing in-country staff |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I lived in George Roberts Hall on campus at JCU. The rooms were apartment style (3 or 4 single bedrooms sharing a common room that had a microwave and electric kettle). It was an amazing choice and I would highly recommend living there. |
| * Food: |
The dining hall at George Roberts was a college dining hall. Nothing too exciting. Although they made vegetarian meals every day and if you have a dietary requirement such as gluten free they would also make gluten free meals specifically for you. |
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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? |
I did not use health services while studying abroad |
| * Safety: |
The university provided security escort services if you wanted them. The campus was very safe however so they were not necessary most of the time. |
| 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 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
Meals were included in the housing agreement and so food for 3 meals a day was always available |
| * Was housing included in your program cost? | No |
| * Was food included in your program cost? | No |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 10-50$ depending on if I went out to a fancy dinner or had to do some grocery shopping for snacks |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
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? | They pretty much only have liquid deodorant in Australia Cosmetic supplies are much more expensive there Everything is much more expensive there |
