Past Review
By catherine p (PSYCHOLOGY., Wellesley College) for
IFSA: Sydney - University of Sydney
Yes, i gained a lot from this experience. I learned a lot about myself, the culture there and people. It was wonderful to be in another country.
Personal Information
| If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: | University of Sydney AUS |
| 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. |
I tried a new course and it was challenging but good to have something different. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
I was very dissatisfied with the on site program advisors. They weren't helpful and I found them to be very unknowledgable, and not involved while I was in AUS. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I lived in an all women's dorm. I really disliked it and found it was extremely boring and unsociable. I had to make huge efforts to be social and meet interesting people. I would not recommend living there to anyone. The only positive aspect of that dorm is that it was with all Australians and only a few Americans. <br /><br /> |
| * Food: |
Three meals were provided every day. However, the food staff was extremely hostile and rude, and took away from my experience in my living quarters. I believe that people who work there should be friendly and encourage a home-like environment for the students, but it was extremely uncomfortable. In addition, the dining hall was only open for about 2 hours and closed until the next meal. This made it difficult for students who had classes during these meal times and had to rush back to their dorm and potentially miss a meal. I suggest that snacks, like fruit and bread be left out in between meals. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
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| * Safety: |
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| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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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? | about $2500 (my amount is probably less than most American students because meals were provided in my dorm, so i didnt have to spend that much money on meals) |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | dont buy the clothes there: bad quality, bad fashion and overpriced. transportation is a bit expensive and frequent (lots of buses to city and cabs are expensive!!) food is expensive because it is all imported. espeically candy cell phones - pay as you go can be so expensive! INTERNET!! - SUPER EXPENSIVE! very limited internet compared to america!!!!! |
Language
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
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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