Australia: Helped Me Grow as a Person Past Review

By Tina T (Marketing, Suffolk University) for

Macquarie University: Sydney - Direct Enrollment & Exchange

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?

I learned a lot about myself and my innermost qualities and that definitely helped me grow as a person. It changed the way I view America. I have always been culturally aware, because I am a first generation American, whose parents came from Greece.

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 workload was fair. The grading system was definitely very different to ours in the United States, however it was fair as well. The teach methods were very different than my home university because in Australia we had lectures and tutorials, whereas at home we have everything in one class period (a couple times a week usually) and no huge class sized lectures. I loved the fact that I learned so much about the rest of the world! Learning in America, kind of shelters you. But in Australia, I learned about issues and current events in countries I had never even heard of.
* Host Country Program Administration On-site administration of your program	Everything was fine and good! I had no issues in any of these aspects.
* Housing: How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?	North Ryde in Sydney was where I lived, in an on-campus apartment, 5 - 10 minute walk from school. However, the only thing around us walking distance was one bar and one shopping mall and nothing else! Very residential area, it would have definitely been better if I had a car, because taxi's are way too expensive and the train to the city gets tiredsome because it takes 45-1 hour +.
* Food:	The food wasn't really that great.
* Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture?
* Health Care: How well were health issues addressed during the program?
* Safety:	I didn't have any safety issues. I always felt safe as far as I can remember.
If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program?	No

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)