A semester down under is the best adventure in my life. Past Review
By anastasia.sthilaire (Bentley University) - abroad from 09/03/2012 to 12/16/2012 with
Bond University: Gold Coast - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
I learned how another country differs from my own, whether its through the government, the food, the transportation, the schooling, etc. All of this creates a learning experience, and either helps me appreciate the comforts of my home country more, or opens my eyes to new options that I would like to see changed here at home. The whole experience is very worthwhile.
Review Photos
Personal Information
How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Courses could be very challenging, as there was a lot of independent work in the course load. And this was with only taking four classes instead of the standard 5. |
* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
All of the classed and administration at the school were very good. Everyone was very helpful, patient, and willing to answer questions or deal with problems whenever I needed something. It could be as small as dealing with a few ants in the common room to figuring out closing procedures at the end of the semester. |
* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Housing was a standard freshman dorm room. Everyone had single bedrooms in a wing, with a shared common room and bathroom to each hall. There were other, somewhat better options on campus. Bentley puts all of the Bentley exchange students right near each other (at least this is how is was when I was there) which was okay, but I preferred to be a bit more separated to feel more immersed. |
* Food: |
Food in the cafeteria, which you have to eat on the meal plan, is so-so. There menu only changes once or twice in the whole semester, so there isn't a lot of variety, But I did have a few choice meals that I enjoyed eating over and over, as the quality of the food wasn't bad. |
* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I only rank this in the middle because I never had to deal with health care during the program. I only had a minor cold and took care of it myself. |
* Safety: |
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If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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Finances
* 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) |
Things in general are very expensive in Australia compared to home, food included. It makes some things pretty expensive. But you learn to just go without somethings for the semester. |
Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | Averaging out all personal costs, not including travelling on trips, was about $100/ week. |
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Grocery shop at Coles in the shopping centres, don't go to the IGA express in Market Square. It's sooo much cheaper at Coles. |
Language
* Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
Other Program Information
* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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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 how much travelling people were planning to do while here. Some people went away almost every weekend. My classes were fairly challenging, and I didn't have the finances to travel much with other people. It left me limited to local things, which is fine. But it can be challenging to miss out on so many adventures as well. Save lots of money, and save room in your schedule for some easy classes. |
Individual Course Reviews
Course Name/Rating: |
Australian Pop Culture |
Course Department: | Humanities and Social Sciences |
Instructor: | Jane Hunt |
Instruction Language: | English |
Comments: | The class can be very mundane, and the subject title can be deceiving. Most think of popular culture as movies, music, fashion and other common trends of Australian youths right now. Instead, the course focuses more on what I think of as Australian stereotypes, such as the outback, the bush, the beach, etc. It can be interesting a little, but the course seems to take up a lot of time and there are several large projects to do. Possibly take another course if you have the option. |
Credit Transfer Issues: |