Past Review
By Marissa B (Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering., Rice University) for
IFSA: Brisbane - University of Queensland
I gained a lot of personal growth and a couple of good friends. I thought it was very worthwhile.
Personal Information
| The term and year this program took place: | Spring 2008 |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
I took engineering classes that were fairly easy because I only had to receive a C. If I had had to get a higher score the classes would have been a little more difficult. I thought that most of my professors were excellent and the quality of education was equal to what I get at my home university. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
I was placed in a living situation that was very hard for me and more expensive than most of the living situations. Our regional contact made herself very available and the outings we did were excellent. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Single room apartment in the middle of downtown Brisbane <br /><br /> I had to pay more for groceries and I lived a 40 min ferry ride from school. |
| * Food: |
I made my own food. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The social and cultural events that we were taken to were extremely fun and the best part of the program. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Brisbane is a very safe city and I didn't have any health issues. |
| 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) |
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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | I can't completely remember but it was a lot more than I expected. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | travel to class, the extreme inflation |
Language
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
Australia is english speaking. |
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? | Make sure you stress where you live. Probably living on campus is the best plan. |
