The Best Four Months of My Life Past Review
By Emily W (Child Development, Colby-Sawyer College) - abroad from 01/02/2018 to 04/25/2018 with
The Education Abroad Network (TEAN): Gold Coast - Bond University
My experience abroad helped me in so many ways. It helped me be more confident with who I am, and taught me how to and the best ways travel to different places, it helped me branch out and make new friends, and most importantly it taught me that there is a big world beyond my small town. Going abroad is an experience like no others, you learn new things everyday by being immersed in a hole different culture. Taking the 22 hour felt was defiantly worthwhile!
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Difficulty in courses range at Bond. Some of the courses I had were way harder than others. However, all of my professors were extremely helpful and it was nice having a smaller class size. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Always helpful and kind! By the end everyone felt like family! |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I lived in the dorms (building 9/ the AC) and i was very surprised how nice the facilities were. I had my own bathroom in my room and shared a balcony with a great view of campus with my two neighbors. Bond offers a cleaning service once a week for free, so my room was always clean and the building always felt safe. |
| * Food: |
Lakeside, the main dining hall on campus, offers a lot of varieties of food. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Bond always has security wandering the campus. Even late at night I always felt safe walking by to my dorm. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
When researching which program I should use to study abroad to Australia I looked at many different programs. I am so happy that I decided to choose TEAN. Before I applied I contacted a few of their representatives and they were extremely helpful. I also talked to students who studied abroad with them in the past and had no bad things to say. After my own experience with using this program I can honestly say that I was amazed with how helpful, organized, and dedicated their program and staff are. They truly made my experience unforgettable. Their orientation helped me become acquainted with other abroad students before school started. Also the staff made suggestions on which clubs we should join and the best places to go around the Gold Coast. Their helpful positive attitude and being able to meet others helped me feel more at home with the huge change. They set up different activities throughout the semester that I would have never had the opportunity to do without them. TEAN truly helped make my four months studying abroad the best four months of my life. Anyone traveling abroad should go through TEAN if they have the opportunity to do so. |
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) |
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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | Being on campus, I was fortunate to have a meal plan and not worry about spending money on food. However, going out can get expensive. However, many clubs and bars offer free admonition to Bond Students. Most of my money went to bus fees! |
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? | The only thing I wish I knew now that I didn't know at the beginning of the program was how much I would miss it! I would tell myself to cherish every moment and take more pictures. |
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 AdventurerThe 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. |
