Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

The Wonderful Land of Oz: I'd go back in a heartbeat! Past Review

By (Marketing., University of Wisconsin - LaCrosse) for

La Trobe University: Melbourne - Direct Enrollment & Exchange

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
Hands down worth it! I learned so much about myself, became more independent and confident in myself, and you really learn to be flexible. With traveling around the country I came across a few instances where I just needed to roll with the punches and everything worked out. I met some of the most amazing people while I was there and would not have had the chance to otherwise. The majority of my time was spent with other international students, not many Americans or local Aussies. You get to learn soo much about different cultures and ways of the world, very interesting. It all makes me want to travel even more! And now I have a few people to visit along the way :)

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.

School seemed much easier there, their top level classes talked about things we covered in our intro marketing classes

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

Once you got there you were pretty much thrown into the mix and not treated any differently than a regular, local student.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Mix of international and local students. The local students I lived with were pretty cliquey but other locals, internationals, and the international people on my floor were a ton of fun. With the way the dorms were set up you run into people all the time, you're not excluded to who you live with.

* Food:

We had to provide and make our own food

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Go to as many school sponsored activities as possible, especially in the beginning, its a great way to meet people.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

There had been previous incidents around campus where women had been assaulted while running late at night but we were all adequately informed and didn't go out alone after dark (pretty normal to walk in numbers after dark on any campus). Thankfully I didnt have any health issues while I was there but we did have a hospital next to campus that was easily accessible.

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

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)

Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Plan out what main trips you want to go to, its going to be a lot more expensive than you originally think.

Language

How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? None

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Dorm
* Who did you live with?

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  • Other
* Who did you take classes with?

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A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • Social aspect- meeting so many new people from all over
* What could be improved?
  • Communication at the host university and updates. We had to register for classes by hand and walk around to different departments on campus.
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? Live it up! Chances are you won't have an opportunity to do something like this again. Do what you want, worry about the money later. I'm in a bit of debt because of all of the trips and different things I did while I was there but I don't regret it one bit.