Awesome Past Review

By (Brandeis University) - abroad from 02/13/2012 to 06/23/2012 with

IFSA: Melbourne - University of Melbourne

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
Became more independent, self-sufficient, confident, etc. Plus it was super fun, Australians are incredibly friendly!

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Choosing classes was fairly stressful as it had to be done the first week abroad. The classes themselves were fairly good, I enjoyed the small tutorial class sizes. Overall grades are based almost solely on midterm and final.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

Loved the IFSA-Butler coordinator and events; always had someone to turn to if I had a question!

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

* Food:

I lived at University College, food was pretty comparable to campus food in the states.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Definitely live at a college if you want to become friends with Australians!

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

Never felt unsafe.

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? Yes

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)

Everything is Australia is VERY expensive; expect to surpass your budget.

* Was housing included in your program cost? No
* Was food included in your program cost? No
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Have some kind of budget for yourself...

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? No

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Dorm
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
  • Americans
  • International Students
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
  • Americans
  • International Students
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?
  • Living at college!
  • Beautiful country
* What could be improved?
  • Wish I had more travel advice
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? Again, wish I had more advice as to where to travel and when.