Life Changing Experience! Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The Australian university system is slightly different from the United States but after I adjusted the classes were not too bad.

On-site administration of your program

The TEAN staff is nothing short of incredible. The in-country staff were always available and very helpful if we ever had any questions on how to get around, where to go for things, or any general questions while we were abroad. The staff did their best to make us feel at home so we could make the most of our time in Australia.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

TEAN offers three housing options for students to live in and I chose the "Premier Housing" and it was amazing! The building was very modern and the apartments had everything we needed for our semester abroad, including a weekly cleaning service. The building was in the heart of Broadbeach surrounded by a ton of restaurants, shopping centers, and the grocery store which made buying groceries so easy. The bus station was a short 10 minute walk away which made it simple to get around the area and do some sight seeing. The best part however is that the beach was right across the street and we even had a view of the beach from our apartment, so safe to say that beach days were frequent.

I did not have an on campus meal plan because of my housing selection but that was never an issue. There were plenty of restaurants to choose from and the grocery store across the street so I could utilize the full kitchen in the apartment.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

TEAN has multiple FREE cultural events that are planned throughout the semester for anyone who want to participate. These events for my semester were some of the highlights of the trip so I highly recommend taking advantage of these. Additionally there were several coffee breaks where we could chat with our residents advisor to discuss any issues we were having, or just talk about how our travels were going across Australia, and again these were all free events. Overall TEAN did an awesome job helping us adjust to the aussie lifestyle and always made sure that we were supported throughout our semester.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

While I did not have to use this healthcare thankfully, TEAN did all the work for us and made sure that everyone was covered while overseas in case of an emergency. When we arrived we also received a complete list of doctors’ offices, hours, and contact information should we need to access those for any reason.

The broadbeach area was extremely safe and I felt completely comfortable walking around in the early hours by myself. The buses also run late so if you are uncomfortable taking a cab or using uber, that is also an option.

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

I would say that expenses varied for everyone during the trip. There were students who would eat out every night which was more expensive (the average meal in Australia is about $20 or more) but also those who would make their own food and save money. I found for myself that around $50-$70 a week for food was enough. The bus would max out for rides after your 9th one of the week, so depending how far you travel the bus costs were around $10-15 a week. Travel the biggest expense and a trip can be planned for various amounts depending on what you want to do and where you want to go. Even if you cannot leave the Gold Coast though you don't have to worry, there are so many amazing places to see in the local area that you will still never want to leave! Overall I would budget around $4,000-$5,000 USD while you are abroad.

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• Friendliness of the TEAN staff
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The Avid Adventurer