Living at Dunmore Lang College in Sydney Past Review
By James D (Global Studies, Providence College) for
Arcadia: Sydney - Macquarie University
Best time of my life. Don't know how else to put it.
Personal Information
| The term and year this program took place: | Fall 2009 |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
I'm a bit biased, but obviously I much prefer Providence's academic system to Macquarie's. I hated not knowing where I stood with my grades at any given point in the semester, and I hated relying on one paper and one examination to determine my entire final mark. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Orientation was amazing, program advisers are just great people. Made the transition easy. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Dunmore Lang College. Approximately 200-220 residents, about one third non-english speaking asian students, one-third native Aussies, and one-third english-speaking international students. Wouldn't have lived anywhere else. Great people, great environment. <br /><br /> It would have been nice to live closer to downtown Sydney (Macquarie is in North Ryde, about 40 minutes north of Sydney). The campus is beautiful. DLC is more fun than I've ever had in my life. Rooms are small but singles so that's okay. Meals aren't great but it's about what you'd expect from a cafeteria, there's something for everyone. All the staff is friendly, helpful, and very accommodating and understanding of student life. Facilities are above average quality, cable television and internet available. Free weekly linen change, late meals available, free bi-weekly basic housekeeping services. |
| * Food: |
It's a general dining hall. There's something for everyone, but the food never really blows you away. The staff is great and does the best with what they have. They're open to suggestions and criticism. Gluten free and vegetarian meals available at all times. Personalised late meals available if you can't make the scheduled meal times. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Best time of my life. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I always felt safe in Sydney. Not really sure about the health/medical stuff available because I never got sick or hurt. Basically no medication is sold over the counter though. Tough to get a hold of even aspirin if you need it. |
| 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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| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Beer is very, very expensive compared to the states. $40 minimum for a case of 24 bottles, up to $70 for better quality beers. Airfare around the country is relatively cheap, and hostels are abundant everywhere you go, but make sure you set aside money to travel at the end of the semester if you want to because you will absolutely fly through money. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you take classes 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? | You MUST be outgoing and willing to do things you've never done or never thought you would do. You must be open to meeting new people, accepting of other ideas and world views, and able to adapt to rapidly changing environmental circumstances, like moving a lot around a country or continent. |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Art & Culture |
| Course Department: | ANTH 277 |
| Instructor: | Malcolm Haddon |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | Extremely challenging, especially since I had no prior instruction in anthropology (I was able to pass off DWC as an equivalent of ANTH 142, the prerequisite course). Grading as follows: 40% contemporary art exhibition review, 1500 words; 40% take-home final examination, four questions 200 words each; 20% tutorial participation and one tutorial presentation, in which you lead the class in the discussion of the week's readings. Worst part is it transfers back to PC as a fine arts core equivalent. The class was worth 4 Aussie credits, or 5 American credits (the same as a semester of DWC). Far too difficult for a requirement of such little importance. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | I foolishly took DEM127, which transfers only as a free elective to Providence College. If can, take classes pass/fail, and if you can, only take classes that don't matter to your major. It makes things much easier academically and you can focus the majority of your time on living your life in a foreign country instead of focusing on study. |
Comments
Providence College students may not take any courses abroad Pass/Fail. All courses on study abroad must be taken for a letter grade in order to receive credit. However, students may elect to retroactively change one of their semester grades to Pass/Fail after they return to PC.
Anonymous January 11, 2010
