Happiness Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The way the courses were taught were very similar to the ones in the US but the grading scale was different. Most of my classes had the very standard exams (midterms and finals), but in order to even get 50%, you need to do really well. Its not like American universities where you get a passing grade for doing the minimum. An A here is considered a C there. My uni especially was huge on group projects and the only school in Australia that does trimesters

On-site administration of your program

We had a few resources in our new home that were easily accessible and gave us the opportunity to attend a few coffee shops with everyone in our program to catch up and attend a Rugby game which was great!

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I lived in a hotel, literally, with three of my closest friends in an apartment style room on the 24th floor and it was AMAZING. The quality of the apartment was something I didnt think I would ever live in as a twenty year old, with a great view of the city of Broadbeach. I was a block away from the beach and in the heart of the downtown Broadbeach area that had access to restaurants, bars and the local bus stops.

The food was mediocre. Everything in Australia is extremely expensive so I chose not to eat out unless I was in traveling in which case I had to, but I cooked a lot and even shopping for groceries was extremely expensive.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I felt extremely integrated with the local culture. I lived in a place that is similar to Miami, Florida and I walked the same streets and went to the same beach/bars that the locals did. Everyone speaks English there and is majority Caucasian so I looked as if I belonged in the local community.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I cant think of a time when I was abroad that I didnt feel safe. Not that I would go out anywhere that was more than a 5 minute walk away from my apartment, but I would be at my friends apartment down the street and would walk home by myself late at night and never once did I feel like something could happen to me. The police station was also right across the street from my building which made me feel extremely safe. Don't be afraid to go anywhere during the day by yourself because you're in a foreign place. Just be aware of surroundings, thats the important thing.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

As I mentioned, everything in Australia is EXTREMELY expensive. A coffee is 6 dollars, a beer is 9 (at least), a dress is 60, which I quickly figured out. To be honest, I didn't have that much money going into Australia because I didnt know how expensive everything was going to be but i did not hold back once. I dont regret a single coffee I bought because I was only there once! Travel as much as you can, go out as much as you can, do whatever you want while you're there as long as you're aware that you will have to make money from square one when you come home. I quickly started serving at a local restaurant and am honestly impressed with how quickly I was able to start feeling comfortable spending money again, so have fun and dont worry about the expenses while you're there too much :)

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• Bus system