Australia Or Bust! Past Review
By Brianna K (Psychology, N/A) for
The Education Abroad Network (TEAN): Sydney - University of New South Wales
I think my experience helped to shape my interests more in travel than anything. I liked living in another culture, even if it was similar the United States. It still had enough differences that it was an adjustment. I had a good time meeting locals as well as international students. It made me want to study abroad again maybe for Graduate school.
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 grading system was much more difficult because it was harder to get an A abroad. I worked just as hard as I do at American universities and could receive the same types of grades. There were also less tests to the tests were much longer and more difficult. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
They were really helpful and the program was large so they had a lot of people to keep track of. They provided cheap trips for us and I thought that was great. Our first week there, they spoiled us by having us stay in a nice apartment building in Sydney and on a harbour cruise. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
There was a bar underneath our dorm which could get really loud. I would've liked to have stayed in an apartment or something but they were expensive. |
| * Food: |
The food was really good on campus but things weren't open very late or on weekends so we always had to spend money elsewhere. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I think my favorite trips were the ones to Sydney where we got to take in the melting pot of culture there. We also got the chance to go to Mardi Gras there which was a fun experience, definitely nothing I'd ever seen before. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I felt safe most of the time. I know that the program would've helped us if there had been any medical problems. I didn't use the healthcare system there but we were covered because we were students and they have universal healthcare. There were no prevalent health issues and no vaccines were needed. |
| 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) |
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Language
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Spend your money wisely. Go on trips when you can and save money for these types of outings. Lots of people wasted money on alcohol and bars with the locals. I think this was a mistake and I would recommend everyone get as much traveling in as they can. You never know when you'll get to go back. |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Screenwriting 1 |
| Course Department: | FITV11-110 |
| Instructor: | Media Studies Staff |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | It was fun but really difficult. The class was large but our lab sizes were small. We only used the lecture and lab halls and didn't meet much outside of those places. The professor was knowledgeable and knew a lot about the topics |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
