I Found Nemo and So Much More... Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Courses were very intense and the adjustment between American-style assignments and Australian-style assignments was difficult at times. Study abroad office and professors were very helpful and field trips were great.

On-site administration of your program

GlobaLinks was very informative and helpful during our orientation in Cairns and our on-site rep in Townsville was very good at reaching out to the group and coordinating events.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

University Hall was a classic dorm setup (long halls, mixed gender hallways) and the fact that it was all singles was very nice and quite different from American universities. Rooms in Uni Hall have no air conditioning (though the Uni Hall townhouses do, but they cost more), but each room has a high-powered ceiling fan and a balcony which I found was more than adequate for keeping cool except maybe for the first few weeks of February when it was about 100+°F (~37°C). Overall I had a very good experience with Uni Hall and found that the level of camaraderie was great. The only real issues I had with Uni Hall is that I found my RA was a bit stand-offish and did not make herself as available to her hallmates as an American university's RA would have. There was also a bit of hazing during O-week which made me a bit uncomfortable, but after that week the upperclassmen were just fine.

The dining hall food was pretty mediocre and lacked variety, which actually made me miss dining hall food from home, but alas, there was always PB&J. There were sometimes issues with vegetarians getting their meals taken by non-vegetarians because the vegetarian options were sometimes more appealing, and gluten-free dietary restrictions were a little tricky. I had a habit of going for Vegemite toast and ice cream in lieu of other dinner options...so beware of the carbs and fat.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I felt pretty well-integrated with Aussie culture towards the end of my stay in Townsville, but the fact that most Americans tended to stick together made us stand out like sore thumbs. Compared to when I first got to Australia, however, I felt very comfortable navigating any city setting and using public transportation by the end of my stay and felt very much at home in Queensland.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I experienced several accidents/injuries while at JCU, and two out of three of my medical visits were unsatisfactory compared to my home university's health care system. JCU does not have a health care center directly on campus, but the hospital is just down the road (within walking distance) and most study abroad students were referred to the UniHealth clinic attached to the hospital. My abroad insurance covered the cost of my emergency room and scheduled clinic visits. One of my scheduled UniHealth visits was for a very painful heel injury, which, after two weeks of having increasingly intense pain, I had to wait an additional week to get an appointment to be seen. Once I was seen, I had to get an xray done at another facility in a neighboring town and rent crutches from a pharmacy in another town (neither of these were covered by the insurance). This was very stressful given my inability to walk and my unfamiliarity with the public transportation system at the time. As a rule of thumb, UniHealth is generally booked two weeks in advance and if you're lucky you might get an earlier appointment as a result of a cancellation. I also had to make a trip to the emergency room due to the fact that I still could not book an appointment with UniHealth less than two weeks in advance despite an intensifying bacterial infection in my knee resulting from a cut on my leg. The wait in the emergency room was long (same as any ER in the United States), but the doctor and med student who saw me were very helpful in getting me the antibiotics I needed quickly. Birth control is relatively easy to get prescribed if you have an existing prescription, but this is not covered by the insurance either (though I found it was cheaper than most American birth control costs).

I felt mostly safe in Townsville, especially during the day and on campus. Downtown (where most of the bars and clubs are on Flinders Street) gets a bit sketchy at night, but I felt like there was usually good police presence in case of any conflict. I would not advise staying out in downtown Townsville past 4am unless you are in a large group.

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

I definitely spent more in Australia than I would have on a regular basis in Maine. Going out is a lot more expensive (drinks and taxis are way more expensive, try to take the bus and drink before going out if you can) and the accessibility of travel was always very attractive. I tried to keep my spending under $50/week, but it was difficult at times depending on what activities you're doing. Weekends that I traveled to places like Brisbane or Sydney it was not uncommon to spend upwards of $100 in a weekend.

Select all that apply

• Dorm

Select all that apply

• Local Students
• Americans
• International Students

Select all that apply

• Local Students
• Americans
• International Students

• Camaraderie with Americans from all over the country
• Feeling at home in Australia
• Meeting people from all over the world

• Medical services associated with JCU
• Dining hall food variety & quality
• General warning for potential hazing traditions