Sydney, Australia - I wish I could go back right now! Past Review

By Thomas C (Industrial Engineering., Texas A&M - College Station) for

The Education Abroad Network (TEAN): Sydney - University of New South Wales

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?

The experience was amazing. Just writing this review makes me want to go back! It was easily one of the best experiences of my life. 5 stars to the program. I chose TEAN because they said the housing was amazing. Whenever I told an Australian where I lived, they couldn't believe it. That's how nice it was. I was 15 minutes from the most popular beach in Australia, and 15 minutes from Downtown Sydney so I had the best of both worlds. I lived right above the transportation hub, so I was able to get around to far more places than other study abroad students I knew. This helped me to explore more and experience more so I got way more out of my time in Australia. The resident director was very friendly and always would answer questions if they came up. I don't know how I could improve my experience to be honest...besides doing if for a couple extra years or months!

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program?	2 weeks - 1 month

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.	Workload was not too different from my load in the US, but their homework is not checked or graded so I had a hard time keeping up with it. I was happy I could find classes that transferred back for my major. It was very surprising since I was taking upper level engineering courses. The education experience is great, although more time is spent learning and experiencing the culture or the country.
* Host Country Program Administration On-site administration of your program	They were able to help me out and get the exact classes I wanted when I got over there. Aside from that, it was smooth sailing; I had no problems.
* Housing: How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?	The main reason I chose TEAN is because of the housing, and it didn't disappoint.
* Food:	I was able to eat well over in Ausralia. I had kangaroo and crocodile very often. I also ate brazilian food a few times with Brazilians I met. Don't worry, they also have McDonalds and Burger King if you cannot live without it.
* Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture?	I loved going all around the Sydney area. I was able to call Sydney home for 5 months, and I feel I experienced almost everything Sydney has to offer while I was over there.
* Health Care: How well were health issues addressed during the program?
* Safety:	People say Australia is dangerous because of the wildlife, but I felt fine while over there.
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)