My Home Away From Home Past Review
By Kaylie A (PSYCHOLOGY., University of Dayton) - abroad from 08/29/2012 to 12/15/2012 with
The Education Abroad Network (TEAN): Gold Coast - Bond University
People who have studied abroad come back and say they've been forever changed. But the truth is, it's hard to put that change into words or perspective for those who haven't had the experience of completely throwing themselves into another world countless miles away from familiarity. I learned to trust myself on things more and never stop feeding my insatiable need to explore new surroundings. I learned that this world is a lot bigger and more adventurous than my big, hometown city of Chicago. I learned that although people can come from all walks of life and have different interests, they can still form an impermeable bond while experiencing such magnificent nature and beauty of a place. To say these four months were worthwhile would be the understatement of the century; these four mouths kick-started me starting to live my life the way it ought to be lived--in a carefree, independent, and ambition-driven way.
Review Photos
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | None |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Their education system prides itself in independent learning. A lot of the classes are structured to only include two or three grades for the whole semester. So, although pressure is great on those assignments, the professors are more than willing to work with the international students to make sure they can succeed. All of my classes provided resources and links to lecture notes online, which allowed me to cross-reference my own notes. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Living on campus allowed me to be immersed within the Australian University culture--eating at the cafeteria, working out in the gym, sharing the common rooms with Australians, etc. It made me feel more like an Australian student rather than an international one. |
| * Food: |
It was close to American food in some respects but definitely be prepared for some surprises you've never seen before -- like kangaroo! The portion size is smaller than America, and more expensive as well. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Living on campus helped with the integration. I saw the Australians interact and quickly adapted to their "no worries" mentality and zest for life. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Informative e-mails about the healthcare system and hospital visits and/or doctor visits were sent out by our resident director and worldwide insurance pamphlets (along with card) were available upon arrival to the University. Luckily, I never had to use any of it though! |
| * Safety: |
Security office was open all night on the campus. I think as with any city though, Gold Coast has parts that are more crime-prevalent than others. I was never subjected to crime, nor anyone I know, but I think everyone still needs to use their right judgment. However, I never once felt unsafe anywhere. |
| 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) |
When my additional weekend trips aren't included, I barely spent any money. Since I lived on campus, I was given a meal plan and therefore didn't have to worry about buying my food for every day. This cuts down expenses immensely. Personal expenses can be managed easily if you know what you want and don't want to spend money on--for me, travel was more important to me than buying clothing or additional food outside the cafeteria. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | It varied whether I was going away for the weekend or not but if it was an average week spent on the Gold Coast, I would spend $20. But if I was away for the weekend, including airfare and accommodation, I could spend $400. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Decide what you want your money to go to--traveling, going out, food, souvenirs, clothes, etc. If you decide that early on, you can allocate certain funds to certain things. It helps knowing if you don't want to go over a certain budget while there; it creates a sense of accomplishment when you look back and see how much you did on a budget. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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| 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? |
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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? | How fast time flies in Australia, seriously. |
