Gold Coast Australia: Experiencing Abroad on the Beach! Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Compared to Bryant University, the workload is nothing. For each class you'll have a mid-term type exam, a paper and then a final and that is pretty much it. Each one of them are assigned weeks prior to the due date so if you want to travel, just get them done and you'll be golden. The grading is different in Australia, as the highest distinction you can achieve is an HD (equivalent to an A), next is a Distinction, then Credit, Pass and Fail. It is pretty difficult to fail, as passing is only 50 marks. It is easy to make your schedule with say, Mondays and Fridays off so you can have long weekends to travel. I would definitely recommend that because you always want more time anywhere you visit as every place is amazing. Steer away, unless you love philosophy, from Love Eros and Truth. It might sound like an interesting class, but that was honestly my only difficult one. Other than that, classes, workload and the university overall is not overwhelmingly difficult, but you still learn a lot!

On-site administration of your program

Arcadia University provides a Program Admin for your particular area of the country. Our go-to was Marion Findlay (Mazz as we call her) and she was incredibly helpful, kind and always there for any problem we had, or even if we just wanted to talk. During orientation they taught us all about Australian culture and things to watch out for, as well as things to take advantage of. The program was a pretty good size, only 8 attended Griffith Gold Coast, but over 80 that semester along the east coast. Expectations were met, minus the first day of arrival at Griffith Village where we were dropped off and were not told where anything was. It was a feeling of abandonment, but we soon realized that this is what we wanted with our experience here - to find our own way.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Housing was not quite what we expected. It was a 5-bedroom apartment with 2 bathrooms, a kitchen and common area. The floors were cement, walls were cement, so in the winter it was pretty cold. There was no oven, which we didn't even think of as we were signing up (only a microwave) and only one fridge for 5 strangers. Fortunately, I didn't have to buy any dishes or pots/pans because one of my roommates who arrived first did that (although Arcadia told us that they would provide cutlery as well as sheets/bedding). Bedding was provided, but it did not seem new or clean, so most of us went out and bought our own stuff. I believe you were able to choose whether or not you wanted to find your own housing or have Arcadia do it for you - I would chose my own if I did it again. Living in the village was great to meet people and its only a 5 minute walk to campus, but since it was cheaper living somewhere else and a lot nicer (with air conditioning), I would have moved. There was a grocery store within walking distance (10 minutes) or a bus ride, but nightlife was a bus or cab ride away (again why I would live elsewhere). To get to the bus, its about a 10-15 minute walk across campus, not bad unless it's raining. It was great to have friends with a car, but renting one for the day was easy too (to travel locally).

Food was good, pretty close to what you find at home - besides kebabs, they'll change your life. Best place is Theo's Kebabs in Surfer's Paradise by Beergarden. You usually make your own food at home just because everything is more expensive in Australia. It's nice to go out to eat every once in a while, or for a date. Surfer's is where you'll find all the restaurants. Urban Burger is by the village though, and those are some amazing burgers. O'malley's by the beach is awesome for drinks after a day at the beach. The restaurant attached to Billy's Beach house is $7 fish and chips, which is great. Pancakes in paradise is delicious even after a long night out. You'll find your favorite places.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Trips done through the program are great to go on. You get a ride somewhere (you'll appreciate that) and someone can show you where to go. I went on a hiking day-trip to Mount Tambourine which included a wine tasting, picnic lunch and some shopping in a local town. It was a great day, just like the North Stradbroke Island trip was amazing. Definitely one of the best weekends that was planned by Arcadia. Almost any city you go to will have outdoor markets - the Rocks in Sydney, South Bank in Brisbane, etc. There's a festival in Surfer's that was like that too, we just happened upon it one day. There were bands playing, fireworks at night and all kinds of fun things. Australians are really friendly, I believe, but they see Americans/International students come and go all the time so just try to make an effort to be friends with them - they'll show you all kinds of cool places to go. Currumbin Rock Pools was awesome as well as Burleigh Heads and the surfing competitions at Coolangatta.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

The city was pretty safe. I never saw anything that scared me. At night cops are walking around because Australians tend to get really drunk and sometimes like to fight each other for fun - don't worry about that. We would all walk around the village at night with no problem - security was always on duty. One time I cut my hand with a knife pretty bad and the night manager at the office fixed me up and sent me on my way. The heath care center at school was alright too - a couple of my friends, along with myself, got a cold at some point (everyone does) and they just gave us antibiotics. It was different from home, just that they didn't really tell me what was wrong and I was in there for only a few minutes. But anytime you need it, you can call the heath center, make an appointment and it's all free (OHSC covers it I believe).

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

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• Apartment

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• Americans
• International Students