Eye Opening Experience, wish I budget more money! Past Review
By A student (PSYCHOLOGY., University of Hartford) - abroad from 08/28/2012 to 12/15/2012 with
ISA Study Abroad in Gold Coast, Australia
When in a foreign country, your really on your own. Learn to be dependent, have time-management skills, budget, budget, budget and explore!!!!
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Very demanding curriculum. Different grading scale compared to the U.S. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Non-existant once settled onto campus. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Would of been convenient to fill out a survey, instead of being stuck with older foreigners and living in filth most of the time. Very disappointing. |
| * Food: |
Expensive, ate on a budget. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
More foreigners than locals. Overall great social atmosphere. *Definite party school* |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
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| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
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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) |
Food was expensive, recommend living on campus and investing in meal-plan. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $300+ |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Budget wisely, do not consider financial aid or refund checks as source of income!!!! |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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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? | How expensive the trip would have been. If I knew beforehand, it would greatly influence my decision to stay within the U.S. or to travel elsewhere! |
