Awesome Past Review
By Dena A (Brandeis University) - abroad from 02/13/2012 to 06/23/2012 with
IFSA: Melbourne - University of Melbourne
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 |
|
* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
|
* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
|
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? |
|
* What could be improved? |
|
* 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. |