Caught the Travel Bug Past Review
By A student (Biology, General., Trinity University) - abroad from 02/18/2012 to 06/30/2012 with
IES Abroad: Sydney Direct Enrollment - University Of Sydney
I think I definitely caught a travel bug, because now all I want to do is go places. I also really enjoyed interacting with the people. Learning about there history, both postive and negative, was eye-opening, because the similarities with our own history made me question things that I'd gotten so used to I'd kinda stopped thinking about, like issues of racism.
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. |
My classes were interesting, but I didn't love the university in general - coming from a small home university, I was somewhat overwhelmed at first by how large Sydney Uni is. The classes were challenging, especially because there was less 'hand-holding' and fewer assignments, so as students we were much more responsible for keeping on top of things. But overall I think I learned a lot. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Our program coordinator was awesome, and arranged quite a few fun trips for us. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I enjoyed the area of town that we lived in and the facilities were nice. The only thing I would change is that I would have liked to live with more Australian students, instead of primarily American or other international students. |
| * Food: |
There were so many food options within walking distance, I think that's one of the things I miss the most! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Since I lived mostly with other American students, I feel like that's who I primarily interacted with, which was kind of sad. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I used the university health system once, and considering that I didn't make an appointment, I got to see a doctor pretty quickly. It wasn't much different to using health services at home, and I didn't need any additional vaccines or anything. |
| * Safety: |
I never felt unsafe in Sydney, even when walking alone at night. The bus system is pretty dependable, and taxis were easy to catch if you needed one. We never had any security problems at my apartment, even though we never locked our door. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
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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 pretty expensive, unfortunately. |
| * Was housing included in your program cost? | Yes |
| * Was food included in your program cost? | No |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $200, maybe? |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | If you want to eat out, find places to frequent that have lunch specials or dinner specials. And stay away from the touristy areas of town, both for food and any other shopping. Markets are a great place to go for cheap souveniers, clothing, and produce. Also, FYI, alcohol is really expensive. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
Other Program Information
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* 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? | A lot of students who go to Sydney go for the partying and nightlife, which isn't really my thing. I didn't think about this before going, and while I really liked Sydney, that's basically all that would go on on weekends, which got kind of old. I wish I'd considered the New Zealand program, since I kinda fell in love with New Zealand when I visited, and according to the ex-program coordinator I talked to, most of the students who go there are more outdoorsy, and interested in hiking, etc. |
Reasons For Studying Abroad
| To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you. |
The Avid AdventurerThe wardrobe you packed was better suited for a semester of camping than club hopping. Outdoorsy, you might forgo a crazy night out for an early all-day adventure. You'd rather take in the rich culture of an old town than the metropolis of a modern city, but for you getting off the grid is ideal. |
