Purely Positive Experience! Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

One of the things I loved most about studying abroad through TEAN is that I was completely immersed in the Australian academic experience. Instead of only taking classes with mostly American students and teachers (which is what I'm used to at home) I was surrounded by such a diverse group of people in all of my classes. I learned a great deal about Australia, was challenged by different educational practices, and was overall able to experience a system so unique from university in America. Although some people view going to a new school (let alone in a new country) quite scary, I truly believe that attending a school full of Australian students and academics was a critical component of my life-changing experience abroad.

On-site administration of your program

Going abroad to a country unfathomably far away from home, there are an endless amount of logistics to be handled that often seem to overwhelming to do yourself. However, from the moment I landed in Sydney, I never truly felt overwhelmed with handling the logistical component of my abroad experience. From the start, TEAN made sure each and every individual on the program was accounted for and felt comfortable and no questions ever went unanswered. The TEAN staff members located near my university were so willing to help with anything throughout the entire semester, whether it was trying to coordinate something with my university or helping plan a trip I wanted to go on.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

TEAN provides a variety of great housing options while studying abroad. Whether you are someone who is more private or you are looking to live with a bunch of roommates, TEAN does a great job placing you in housing that you will truly be happy at during your semester-long experience. For myself, I lived in Urbanest, which is a great student apartment building that has multiple locations throughout the city of Sydney, and has a wide variety of apartment setups for all differing interests.

I LOVE food, so when going abroad, I knew I had to pick a place where the food was more than good. After 5 months of living in Sydney, I can confidently say I chose the right place in terms of food. Every restaurant I went to never disappointed my expectations and there was such a wide variety throughout the entire city. In terms of where I lived near my university, Chinatown wasn't too far away, so there were an overhwelming amount of fantastic Asian restaurants that I always enjoyed.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

The University itself provides students with a ton of great resources and organizations that you can get involved in, even as an abroad student. There was a club fair at the beginning of the semester where you could talk to students about all of the different options you could join, which was a great thing to be exposed to so early in the semester. As well, my apartment building hosted a wide variety of activities and events for residents, which was always a great way to people living close by.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Before arriving to Sydney, TEAN organized our abroad healthcare that would last the duration of our semester-long stay. Fortunately, I never had to have any experience with the health care program. However, from what I heard from my friends' experiences, having a medical issue taken care of while in Sydney was quite effortless, and I never heard of anyone having difficulties getting access to the great medical care that they needed.

I am definitely a more conscious person and do care a lot about my safety. With that being said, I rarely, if at ever, felt unsafe on my campus/near my apartment and within the city of Sydney as a whole. Of course you still need to be careful and aware of your surroundings, given that you are in a foreign country, but the months I spent in Sydney felt like some of the safest ones of my life.

I have never experienced a better 5 months of my life than when I was studying abroad in Sydney. Not only was I exposed to some of the most picturesque settings in the world, but I was surrounded by people who made the experience so positive. TEAN provided me with so much guidance along the way and made sure that whatever I decided to do with my time in Australia, that I did I wanted to do while having the best time possible.

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

I was pretty aware of the money I was spending during my time abroad, so I would rate it a 5, having quite an easy time at reducing any uneccessary costs.

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• Apartment

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• Americans

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• Local Students
• Americans
• International Students

• Guidance/Planning from TEAN staff
• Being immersed into the Australian culture

• Make the program longer! (I was way too sad to have to come home)