The Kiwi Experience Past Review
By Ellie Peoples (Furman University) - abroad from 06/21/2017 to 11/09/2018 with
The Education Abroad Network (TEAN): Brisbane - University of Queensland
I learned what was important to me and how to prioritize better things in my life. I learned how to not be as hard on myself and enjoy life more and worry less about things that I can not control
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. |
Was not that challenging but I found classes to be fun and engaging and a good way to interact with local students. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
TEAN had an awesome Orientation in Queenstown, NZ where I really felt like they addressed the academic expectations of the country and some cultural |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I had a gorgeous view overlooking the city of Wellington and I was only a 10 minute walk from Victoria's main campus |
| * Food: |
N/A in terms of the University but the city of Wellington has some awesome places to eat downtown and is cafe central!! All the coffee you could ever want. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I had a lot of interactions with other international students but mostly had to seek out Kiwi students and friendships from class. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I did not have to use any health care for my experience. |
| * Safety: |
Incredibly safe. I felt comfortable walking back from downtown by myself at dark alone as a woman. No where else in the world would I ever feel that comfortable doing that. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
TEAN really was a great resource but also let me facilitate my own personal abroad experience |
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) |
$100 US a week for food and then other things such as activities and drinks vary |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $100 US |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Budget your big trips first. Spring break was two weeks so that is where i spent the bulk of my money in Australia. Domestic flights are pretty cheap to come by on jetstar but international flights across the ditch require some budget planning |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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 honestly felt as prepared as possible. There are always going to be new learning curves that you can not prepare or know for and that is the beauty of studying abroad! |
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.' |
