The best experience of my life! July 13, 2026
By sophia b (Brandeis University) - abroad from 02/17/2026 to 06/27/2026 with
IFSA: Melbourne - University of Melbourne
I learned how to become a better problem solver and not get stressed out when plans changed
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
IFSA fired our student experience coordinator (SEC) on a Friday afternoon before our first week of classes. When other members of the program and I reached out for answers and support, we all received the same copy-and-paste email response. We no longer had anyone in IFSA to contact in Melbourne; everyone else in the company was in Sydney, and this remained the case for the rest of our program. When we were given a replacement SEC, we quickly found out that he had spent even less time in Melbourne than we had. I did not feel like he was supportive. I overheard him making sexist remarks about women on runs with the guys in our program, and he forgot to make sure I had food options I could safely eat on our overnight trip (I have Celiac Disease). Overall, I was very disappointed in IFSA's lack of support. To get rid of our only point of contact in Melbourne, and really Australia as a whole, the weekend before we started classes was thoughtless and made me feel unsupported by the program. For the amount of money I spent on this program. They should have offered more support. Additionally, some of our activities were cancelled because we did not have an SEC to take us, and, in turn, I missed out on experiences I had been looking forward to and already paid for. I am very disappointed in IFSA Australia and Sandy Fagan's leadership. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Easy to access public healthcare without a PCP |
| * Safety: |
Felt incredibly safe exploring the city day and night |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
While I am disappointed in the lack of support provided by my program, I liked the small cohort size and their orientation program. I just wish we had been given more support from someone nearby. |
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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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? | Nothing |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Romanticism, Feminism, Revolution |
| Course Department: | English |
| Instructor: | Peter Otto |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | Excellent professor and tutors, academically challenging but not difficult |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Playing with Paper: Collage and Connection |
| Course Department: | Education |
| Instructor: | Marnee Watkins and Gina Grant |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | Amazing course, wonderful once-in-a-lifetime learning experience |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
