The most wonderful and life changing experience I have ever had. Past Review
By Alexander Mines (University of Miami) - abroad from 02/12/2018 to 07/01/2018 with
The Education Abroad Network (TEAN): Sydney - University of Sydney
I gained cultural knowledge and understanding. Although there is no language barrier, there is still difference in culture. It was very worthwhile because I took that with me and am using it in the United States. It is simply to be more relaxed.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
My educational experience with the University of Sydney was wonderful. It was not too rigorous and not too intense, but just right. The courses, or units of study, as the university calls them, were based on experiential learning which is what I prefer and what we lack in the United States. The teachers were incredible and very supportive. The library and resources within the library were very easily accessible. |
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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? |
I lived in Urbanest Central which I believe was the most convenient. I lived near the Central train station, the broadway and central shopping centres, the University of Sydney, Glebe, Newtown, Opera House, Bondi Beach... I can go on forever. I lived with seven amazing roommates. We had a common room within the apartment that we spent a lot of our time in. The amenities were great too. They had ping pong, a gym, TV's, were always playing good music in the courtyard and the staff were very helpful. |
| * Food: |
The food was fantastic, especially the fresh fish. If you are a seafood fan then Sydney is the place to go. I lived down the street (10 minute walk) from a fresh fish market and it was amazing. I shopped at Coles and all of their food was fresh and a reasonable price. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I felt very integrated. TEAN Abroad does a great job by offering trips to other cities within Australia to really integrate you into the culture. Although there is no language barrier, there is still a huge difference in culture and I found that it was very special to learn about it. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Personally, I did not have any health issues during the program but a roommate of mine did and the host city's healthcare was very quick and helpful. I did not need vaccines specifically for this program. |
| * Safety: |
I would say I felt safe the entire time. Australia is a very safe place. Uber is safe, bars are safe and the bouncers make sure of it. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
Everything about it was amazing. The trips, tours and dinners they offered were all really great. The staff are all really caring and helpful. The living accommodation was also great. The people I lived with were all wonderful, it was basically a perfect match. |
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) |
It was very easy to live on a student budget, if you plan out the way you spend it and what you spend it on. A few trips are doable and public transportation isn't super expensive. Sunday's are free or at most 3 dollars maximum to Manly Beach on the ferry. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | I am not so sure. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Yes, plan earlier to the trips you may take. Try to stay in hostels rather than hotels, they're much cheaper. Food-wise, look for sales on foods and go to Aldi's which is cheaper than Coles. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Advanced |
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? | 10+ |
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 traveled to other places within Australia, specifically the West near Perth and Kimberley. I also should have gone on more trips that TEAN set up for us though including Melbourne and the Opera House Tour. |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Introduction to Digital Music Tequniques |
| Course Department: | Music Department |
| Instructor: | Damien Barbeler |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | Yes, it was a very challenging class and it was challenging because it was very time consuming and contained almost infinite knowledge. There were no needed field trips. The teacher was beyond knowledgable, he was a musical genius. He was very well-prepared. He knew everything there is to know about producing, writing and recording music. I feel that I was participating a lot due to the fact that all my other classmates were in the same boat, we were all at an entry level of learning how to make music. We had projects due once a month. No exams. The homework was to work on the projects and learn basic producing skills, it was all really interesting. The first one was to follow the basic structure of a song and create your own using loops. Then we had to correct ourselves as the second project after learning more throughout classes. Third project was to choose our own adventure which was the hardest but most fun. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | None. |
