What A Time To Be Alive Past Review
By Maria DesRochers (University of Tampa) - abroad from 01/04/2016 to 04/30/2016 with
The Education Abroad Network (TEAN): Gold Coast - Bond University
Gold Coast will always hold a special place in my heart. The campus is gorgeous and the professors are so great!
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
What a time to be alive! This semester was the greatest four months of my life! Between the people, the interesting knowledge I gained in classes, and the experiences I was able to have, Gold Coast will always hold a special place in my heart. The campus is gorgeous and the professors are so great! The campus is conveniently close to the rest of the city and has a great public transportation system. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Every professor I had was always willing to work with you. The way the school is set up is you have a lecture and tutorial. Since the classes are so small, you also get to have a closer connection with your professor and classmates. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I lived in an on-campus single and loved it! It was super convenient because I didn't have to cook my own meals or worry about paying extra fees. I had just the necessities for my room and I really enjoyed that. It forced me to be outside, soaking up the Australian sun. |
| * Food: |
The food will never compare to your mom's home cooking but it's like any other on-campus cafeteria. The chips (french fries) are really good. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Toward the end of the semester, I felt like I was a resident of Gold Coast. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I did not use abroad healthcare. |
| * Safety: |
I felt very safe at all times in Gold Coast. I traveled with another friend on buses and trams late at night and felt safe. There's also often security guards roaming campus at night so that also helped. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
TEAN |
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) |
It's easy to make it on a budget if you want to. Depending on where you live and if you have a meal plan, it's as easy as you want it to be. I spent about $100 AU each week on food, beverages, and travel costs. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $100 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Yes! Use groupon any time you can! A friend and I would use groupon for restaurants near campus and would find great deals. Instead of buying clothes, buy experiences. |
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? |
