Once in a lifetime, amazing opportunity! Past Review
By Gillian (D'Youville College) - abroad from 01/18/2017 to 04/21/2017 with
CEA CAPA Education Abroad: Sydney, Australia
I learned travel skills, cultural competency, how to live on my own, how to deal with homesickness, how to make new friends, and most importantly pushed myself outside my comfort zone several times.
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. |
very manageable classes. most of my "academic" time was spent on my internship. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Everyone with CAPA and my school quick to answer questions and guide us. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The apartment I lived in was great as far as space and location go, however I did not feel that I was very compatible with my roommates. |
| * Food: |
the food in Sydney was so yummy. CAPA provided a lot of snacks and many events which included feeding up delicious food. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
my internship helped a lot to meet locals! My friends and i also went to community events which enables us to meet people who were local. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I never felt unafe |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
Going to Sydney allowed me to become more independent. As a commuter, I had never really been away from home prior to this experience. I was able to push myself outside of my comfort zone and make incredible memories while gaining experience for my resume! |
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) |
high cost of living in sydney |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $125 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | plan ahead, eat at home, bargain shop |
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? | how much fun I would have and not to worry about the little details as much |
