Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Sydney: An Experience of a Lifetime Past Review

By (Ohio Northern University) - abroad from 05/24/2017 to 06/17/2017 with

ISA Study Abroad in Sydney, Australia

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I learned a lot about the indigenous populations and their struggles that they still go through today. Australians take an extremely different value to being indigenous than Americans. Getting out of my comfort zone is the key to being successful in most aspects of life.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 0-2 weeks

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The professor was still in her Doctoral program, she was terribly boring and read strictly from her slides - which was awful. However, there was a lot of helpful and good information that came from this class.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Urbanest was an awesome residence halls. The only thing that wasn't nice about it was paying for internet during my time there. It was expensive for how much data was given.

* Food:

I loved the food in Sydney. It was relatively inexpensive for being in a major city and was delicious. The food offered in Sydney isn't typically found in the United States with the same freshness (i.e. the seafood offered).

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? Yes

I loved everything about my program (except the flight, but what can you do). The friends I made are life-long, the knowledge I gained will help me with my collegiate and professional careers, and Sydney was a perfect metropolis.

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)

Sydney is just a very expensive city to live on an American student's budget

Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Pool money together with whomever you're living with and buy groceries once or twice a week. Try limiting going out to eat maybe once a day or every other day.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? No

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Apartment
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
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?
  • My roommates
  • The cleanliness and safety
* What could be improved?
  • More / better programs
  • Getting the other programs together and interact more
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? Save and bring more money. Don't be afraid to get out of your comfort zone.

Reasons For Studying Abroad

To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you.
The Academic or Linguist
You went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you!