Free Yourself Past Review
By Cameron G (Mechanical Engineering w/ Acoustics Concentration, University of Hartford) - abroad from 07/11/2014 to 11/23/2014 with
AIFS: Perth, Fiji - Murdoch University
It's hard to sum up what has been gained or learned over a 6 month period into just a few sentences. I've tried to do it to my friends and family and it just doesn't work. All I can say is it's worth every second and dollar, and it will change you.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Murdoch University has a very different educational system than my Home University, and I loved it. The classes are slightly more intensive but you take 3-4 classes at a time, not 6-7 like at my home university. This makes it easier to focus on a specific subject. Classes broken up into Lectures, Tutorials, and Labs and the lectures are always put online. This makes balancing your class work much easier. Programs are very hands on, applied to the real world, and very enjoyable. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The study abroad administration was always very nice and available to meet and talk. They were always setting up activities for us and following up with individual students. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * Food: |
There is no dining hall or meal plan available on campus, so AIFS provided us with a debit card that got refilled monthly that we could use to buy food (or whatever else you wanted). It forced me to start cooking and the fresh food in Western Australia is amazing. I had a delicious home cooked meal every night. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Australian culture is a lot like American culture where in it is just a hodgepodge of many other cultures. This made easy to connect with people of all descent. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I had no personal health issues but the program took care of our health insurance and Australia has a free health care system which I'm sure would have been easy to use if needed. |
| * Safety: |
Perth is a very safe and clean place. It is easy to get around and you will rarely find any serious violence. People like to get drunk and fight in certain parts of town, but if you avoid the club strips, you're usually fine. Gun control is very intense there. |
| 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) |
Perth is one of the most expensive cities in the world. Food will cost you a lot of money if you like to eat well. Alcohol and tobacco are also heavily taxed. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 400 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Try not to buy too much beer. It may be really good, but at $10 per, its not really worth it. |
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? |
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? | Nothing. Can't change anything that's behind me. It all worked out the way it did. |
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.' |
