TEAN Absolutely Rocks! Past Review
By Janelle K (Communications, University of Rhode Island) - abroad from 01/01/2014 to 04/18/2014 with
The Education Abroad Network (TEAN): Gold Coast - Bond University
I learned how to live on my own and enjoy life way outside of your comfort zone. It was 100% worthwhile, I would not change a thing about my experience and would definitely go again.
Review Photos
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Classes were much different than American classes. TEAN explained in detail how to compare the two and made it extremely easy to follow along in the grading scheme in Australia to make sure you're doing well. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Bond was extremely helpful in making their international students feel at home and comfortable with the school system. All of the teachers were helpful in converting American assignments into the Australian style. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I lived in the beach housing that was only offered from TEAN and it was amazing. I got to live in a 4.5 star hotel for 4 months and felt like royalty. It was very easy to commute to school while living and enjoying Broadbeach. |
| * Food: |
TEAN showed us in our orientation all of the different types of food in Australia, like kangaroo meat and vegemite. They did not force us to eat them but gave us the option. They were helpful in easing us into the culture change of food. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Bond provides many events to gather together the students of Bond. This made it very easy to socialize with the local Australian students even while living with all Americans. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I actually did have a health care issue while I was there. I was having heart palpitations so Bond's health services sent me to the emergency room. Normally that bill would have been a good grand, but with TEAN's insurance preparation before departure they explain everything you have to do in order to not get charged inappropriately. I merely received an email after my hospital visit asking to provide proof and a report of why I was there and it never came up again. |
| * Safety: |
Broadbeach was extremely safe. I never once felt uncomfortable walking home by myself at 4 am, if that ever even came up. All of the locals were very friendly and my housing had good security between a security guard, keys, and elevator passes. |
| 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) |
As long as you know that Australia is more expensive than America and plan how much you want to spend on each thing, such as travel, food, shopping, etc you will be fine. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | I would say $150-$200 per week on food and other expenses (I love to shop) |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Plan at least a year ahead and work and SAVE. |
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? | I wish I knew about the scholarships URI offered for TEAN. |
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 Outright UrbaniteA social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country. |
