Australia: An Alternate-Universe Version of America Past Review
By Jocelyn B (ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE/LETTERS., St. Mary's College of Maryland) for
James Cook University - Townsville: Townsville - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
I enjoyed the cultural experience more than the academic experience, but it was a lot of fun and I feel like I learned a lot from all of it.
Review Photos
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. |
I definitely did not feel as challenged at JCU as I am at my home university. The students overall did not seem as motivated or as intelligent as I am accustomed to. I also didn't feel that there was a community feel at JCU, possibly due to the large size of the campus population, and consequentially I did not feel close to other classmates or most of the professors. It seemed odd that some assignments were not graded by the professors themselves, but rather by someone else at an office. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
There was a very helpful International Education office that I visited from time to time. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I rented a room in a share house with other students (local, Americans, and from other countries). I loved the house and my landlords were spectacular. I did occasionally need to buy some cookware, but bedding was provided and most cookware items were too. It was an approximate 10 minute bike ride in one direction to campus, and a 10 minute ride in the other direction to shopping. We were also located near several bus stops that could take us into town or elsewhere. The landlords treated us essentially as family and went out of their way to help us adapt to living there. |
| * Food: |
Bananas are really expensive, so don't expect to buy those often. Learn to buy things based on price per kilogram (not pound). Take advantage of the fresh food found at farmers' markets! Restaurants are really expensive too. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
During orientation, there was a nice bus tour around the city that I enjoyed. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I didn't need any vaccines, but there was lots of awareness campaigns for dengue fever, Ross River virus, etc. (telling us how to avoid mosquitoes and such because they carry the viruses). |
| 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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Direct Enrollment/Exchange
| * Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? | Direct Enrollment |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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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? | Expect the unexpected! For instance, while biking to the grocery store, my partner was hit by a car, and he then had to focus time, energy, and money on resolving that. It was not something we were expecting and I wish we had thought to learn more about insurance. |
