100% Recommend! Past Review
By Isabel (Saint John Fisher College) - abroad from 02/13/2017 to 06/22/2018 with
AIFS: Perth, Fiji - Murdoch University
I learned how to step outside my comfort zone, take a few risks, and try new things. I also gained independence, and most importantly some friendships that will last a lifetime. It's been over a year since I left for Australia, and I still talk to my friends from study abroad everyday!
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 harder compared to those at my home college, but still manageable and just took a few weeks to get the hang of. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The on site administration was awesome. My resident director from AIFS was extremely nice and approachable, and answered any questions I had while in Perth. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
While the apartments were older, they were still clean and everything in them worked fine. They were also in a great location right by the bus stop, Admin office, and mailboxes. |
| * Food: |
I bought food at the grocery store and cooked all of my own meals. I ate on campus occasionally, and that was good too. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Australia is very similar to the US, so I felt very comfortable. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I did not personally have any experiences with healthcare, but I know some of my friends had problems with the insurance. |
| * Safety: |
I felt very safe during my entire time abroad whether it be on campus or out in the city. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
AIFS was extremely supportive and helpful throughout my entire study abroad journey. Before I departed for Australia, the staff at AIFS would answer any questions or concerns I had very quickly. While in Australia, the resident director was great as well, and planned a lot of fun activities for us to do. I also loved how just about everything was included in the cost for AIFS, and AIFS took care of all my housing before arriving. |
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) |
While everything was typically more expensive in Australia than in the US, I don't think it was too hard to stay on budget. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Budget for unexpected living expenses such as Wifi, which cost me about $50 a month. |
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? | I wish I had known about some of the unexpected costs such as Wifi, and in general how much more expensive it is in Australia vs the US. |
