A time of personal growth, amazing friendships, and tons traveling! Past Review
By Alex H (Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, The University of Texas at Austin) - abroad from 02/23/2015 to 06/24/2015 with
University of Melbourne: Melbourne - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
Definitely worthwhile. I gained and learned an independence like I never could being even 3 hours away from my parents. I gained knowledge about differences in culture and how interesting and important it is to know about people different from yourself.
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. |
Classes were more essay based than my home university, the workload was less than expected too |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Administration was helpful in signing up for classes, but I did not have much exposure to them besides the first week of classes and signing up |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I used semesterinaustralia.com and I really enjoyed where I stayed in downtown Melbourne. It was a 20 minute walk to campus and my view was phenomenal. |
| * Food: |
Australian food and culture is amazing period. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I joined a club and this helped a lot with feeling integrated. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
n/a |
| * Safety: |
The city was very safe. I did not have any fear or problems when walking around at night. |
| 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) |
Australia is expensive in general. Be prepared to pay more for housing, groceries, etc. |
| 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? | Get a travel card to help with currency exchange fees. I also recommend making your own food most of the week to avoid paying for expensive meals. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
Direct Enrollment/Exchange
| * Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? | Exchange |
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? | Plan your trips for the end of your trip because you are not going to want to leave right after school. You may even take trips with your new friends. |
