Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Loved it Past Review

By (Environmental Studies and Geography, Middlebury College) - abroad from 08/28/2013 to 12/05/2013 with

SIT Study Abroad: Australia - Sustainability and Environmental Action

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I loved my time abroad, I made amazing life long friends on the program, developed my passion for environmental work, learned a lot about myself and what I want to do with my future, saw some beautiful places, and got to live on the beach for a month.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 6 months+

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The work is not that rigorous and there isn't a lot of it, but it is meaningful. It is definitely a different type of academic work that requires more personal reflection. The grading is strict in the sense that you need to follow exact directions but not necessarily in quality of work. The class days can be long, full days of sitting in the classroom, but they are balanced out with full, free days with no class. All of the class material is really interesting, there are some great workshops and you learn a lot about sustainability.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

The communication between the program and students as not that great because it was often through sporadic email contact.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

The housing was awesome. We stayed in really nice places and had a variety of different options from apartments, hostels, and homestays to camping.

* Food:

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I felt well integrated with the local Australian culture and was able to make relationships with many local Australians, however I did spend the majority of my time with the other American students. That wasn't a bad thing at all but the experience also wasn't a full immersion.

* 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

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)

SIT gives you a stipend that is very reasonable, but Australia is an expensive country.

Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Cook your own food instead of going out to eat

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? No

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Host Family
  • Apartment
  • Hostel
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
  • Host Family
* 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?
  • Travel
  • Classmates
  • Independence
* What could be improved?
  • Program communication with students
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? I wouldn't say there's anything in particular I wish I knew before going on the program, but having an open mind really helped me enjoy the entire experience.

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 Avid Adventurer
The wardrobe you packed was better suited for a semester of camping than club hopping. Outdoorsy, you might forgo a crazy night out for an early all-day adventure. You'd rather take in the rich culture of an old town than the metropolis of a modern city, but for you getting off the grid is ideal.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:

SEAS
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Comments: I loved this class because it was my first time doing experiential learning. I really enjoyed going on hikes, hearing from some notable speakers, and traveling around Australia. The material covered was interesting and applicable to environmental action.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Research Methods and Ethics
Course Department:
Instructor:
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Comments: This class was a basic overview of research methods to prepare for the independent study project. It did not go in depth on research techniques but prepared everyone enough to do their research projects.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

ISP
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Comments: The ISP is a really great opportunity to pursue ANYTHING you are interested in and immerse yourself in it for 5 weeks. I worked on a farm and really enjoyed all the work I did. It was a great way for me to get practical experience of working on a farm. The assessment for the ISP is a 20-40 page paper, but I found that I was interested in what I was writing on, so it was not very challenging.
Credit Transfer Issues: