Australia is amazing Past Review

By A student (Middlebury College) - abroad from 02/29/2016 to 06/28/2016 with

The University of New South Wales: Sydney - Direct Enrollment & Exchange

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?

Learned how different other countries are from the US (even a country like Australia, which many people think is very similar). How different education is in other countries. Definitely worthwile.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program?	0-2 weeks

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.	Harder than I thought it would be. Not quite as academically rigorous as Middlebury, but still difficult, especially with assignments being worth a lot more, not as much hand-holding, etc.
* Host Country Program Administration On-site administration of your program
* Housing: How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?
* Food:
* Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture?
* Health Care: How well were health issues addressed during the program?
* Safety:
If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program?	No I would go on a program and not do direct enrolment

Finances

* 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)	Australia/ Sydney is super expensive!!!
Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week?	300
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants?	Driving on the left side!! Just do it and practice early when you get here. I didn't start driving here until the last month and I could have saved SO much money on flights if I had just tried to drive earlier. The left side scared me so I didn't do it at first, but its really not hard at all once you get the hang of things!

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component?	No

Direct Enrollment/Exchange

* Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university?	Direct Enrollment

Other Program Information

* Where did you live? Select all that apply	Apartment
* Who did you live with? Select all that apply	Local Students Americans International Students
* Who did you take classes with? Select all that apply	Local Students Americans International Students
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?	classes location
* What could be improved?	more guidance more reminders
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program?	Do a program don't direct enrol!

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 Urbanite A 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.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:	Modern US History
Course Department:	Arts
Instructor:
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	This was one of the most rewarding classes I took abroad. Learning about US history through the lens of another country that is similar enough to the US (but obviously still very different) was so illuminating. I learned more about the US and US history in this class than I did in 14 years of education at home.
Credit Transfer Issues:

Course Name/Rating:	The Marine Environment
Course Department:
Instructor:
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	This class was mostly other abroad students, but we went on a lot of cool and interesting field trips which helped to learn more about the area. Taught by a bunch of different lecturers each week. Assesments were quizzes, field trip reports, and 2 exams.
Credit Transfer Issues:

Course Name/Rating:	Environment and Society
Course Department:	Arts
Instructor:
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	This class was challenging and explored environment through the lens of humanities. Had one main lecturer but also a lot of visiting lecturers from other fields. This class had tutorials that required a lot of participation. We had 2 big essays in this class and a final group project/ presentation.
Credit Transfer Issues:

Course Name/Rating:	Sport Law and Society in Australia
Course Department:
Instructor:	Dr Anthony Hughes
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	This class was awesome! So interesting to learn about the history and politics of the development of sport in Australia. Also just a lot of information on the culture of Australia in general. The Professor was AMAZING! He was such a great lecturer and so knowledgeable. Participated probably more than I would have at home because it was such an exciting class and everyone was excited to learn about the weekly topics. In this course, we had 2 papers, had to give a 25 min presentation in a tutorial, and a debate.
Credit Transfer Issues: