A Spectacular Semester in Sydney May 30, 2023
By A student (Ecology, Evolution Biology, Middlebury College) - abroad from 01/01/2023 to 05/12/2023 with
Arcadia: Sydney - University of New South Wales
I learned how to live on my own in a big city. I learned to trust myself/my judgements. I made great friends and visited so many cool parts of the city/country. Definitely worthwhile!
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
While I needed to put in a decent amount of effort, classes were slightly easier than Middlebury. Including the way that Arcadia transfers the grades from Aussie standards to Middlebury, it was easy to get an A. Some classes were less interesting, with huge lecture halls and no connection with or help from the professor. Others were smaller and more tightly knit with excellent teaching and communication. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The Arcadia crew in Sydney were very organized, friendly, and helpful. They helped us get settled in the first few days very nicely, took us on several cool excursions, and checked in with us throughout the semester to see how we were doing. They made the process of registering for classes/applying for visa/etc. much easier and manageable. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I lived in the Barker St Apartments which were super clean, super nice - lots of space and nice people. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Aussies are incredible - so friendly, welcoming, and open. Try to join UNSW clubs or integrate with the community as much as you can to meet people from other countries and not just the US. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I rarely if ever felt unsafe or uncomfortable, even moving around the city along at night as a woman. There's not really any "bad" neighbors of Sydney just don't be stupid! |
| 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) |
Sydney is expensive |
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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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? | Join UNSW clubs/activities sooner to make more international friends. Push yourself out of your comfort zone to meet non-Americans. |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Ocean to Estuarine Ecosystems |
| Course Department: | Biology |
| Instructor: | |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | IF YOURE A BIOLOGY PERSON TAKE IT! So so interesting and there's a super cool 5 day field trip doing field work up at a lake. The professor is awesome and it's a lot of information but definitely worth it. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
