"OZZY OZZY OZZY! OY OY OY!" Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Australia is career oriented in their university system, so they only take courses in their major and graduate in three years. This means classes are much more intense than they are at my home university and much more technical. As a photo major, I was taking four photo classes in Australia, all of which were exceptionally more technical than I was accustomed to and more difficult. This however really benefited me upon returning to my home university.

On-site administration of your program

I went through AustrLearn, which really helped quite a bit in the paperwork and orientation bit of going abroad. From there I was placed in the university of my choice and if I had problems I talked to my school or contact the program if I needed to.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I lived in an apartment (student accomadation) in the heart of Brisbane, immediately next to my school, the city, public transportation, clubs, food, the river, and anything else I could want. It was an incredible location. I lived at the Urbanest in South Bank with four other girls, three of which were American and another who was Colombian. The rest of our building was from every country imaginable and we became a family while abroad. It was the best living situation I ever could've been in or hoped for.

Food in Australia is EXPENSIVE. Actually everything is, but we pretty much never ate out because of how pricey it is. Australia isn't known for their cooking either, so it was better to cook something cheap like pasta at home.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

The international students in my area all became exceptionally close to each other, kind of our own family, and the friendships and connections I made through that were incredible. I learned so much about other cultures because there were students from every country. It was very diverse and eye-opening.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Australian police and emergency room services are not reliable. It took over an hour after we called the cops one time for them to show, and my friends who went to the emergency room would be waiting for hours with out any help. Most of them gave up waiting and went other routes to get what they needed. Don't get in trouble in Australia. Brisbane, however, was a very safe city so there wasn't really much to worry about.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

Select all that apply

• Apartment

Select all that apply

• International Students
• Americans