Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Best time of my life minus the school part ;) Past Review

By (The University of Texas at Austin) - abroad from 07/22/2013 to 11/22/2013 with

The University of Queensland: Brisbane - Direct Enrollment & Exchange

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
make sure you take the right classes!

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 2 weeks - 1 month

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Beautiful campus! great university.. I just had trouble with selecting courses and quickly realized that I made the wrong decisions.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

Outside of the first orientation week it was very difficult to find anyone to help out with exchange student issues.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I lived off campus in a share house. It was in the suburbs and I took the bus to campus every day that was about a 25min ride. It is completely normal for UQ students to commute to campus via bus, train, and/or ferry.

* Food:

well I come from Austin, Texas where we have amazing food.. So it's kind of hard to give many stars here... It was decent, kind of expensive. One tip is to go to the weekly/bi-monthly markets that are around the city to stock up on produce and stuff because it is much cheaper and fresher than in the grocery stores.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

loved the aussies. They were always really welcoming and fun, chill people to get to know.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I didn't have much experience with health issues. I went to the clinic on campus once to get birth control and my over seas health care covered the visit so seemed legit.

* Safety:

I never felt unsafe in Brisbane. If you get lost on the transportation just ask someone and they were usually very helpful in guiding you in the right direction.

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? Yes

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)

Groceries are expensive, and alcohol is VERY expensive. The rent I paid was equivalent to what students pay here in Austin.

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? 200
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? forget about drinking beer. boxed wine will become your new best friend.. and go to the markets to buy groceries.

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? Exchange

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Other
  • Host Family
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
  • Americans
  • International Students
  • Host Family
  • Other
* 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? 10+

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • The city
  • beautiful campus
  • Australia!
* What could be improved?
  • Advising
  • Pre-approving classes to transfer
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? not to count on your classes being able to transfer. only take pre-approved classes.

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:

PHYS1002
Course Department: Physics
Instructor:
Instruction Language: English
Comments: labs, homeworks, lab reports, exams... don't take this class if you want to have any free time to travel or anything..
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

CHEM2052- Chemical Biology
Course Department: Chemistry
Instructor:
Instruction Language: English
Comments: not super vigorous coursework, but still have to study...
Credit Transfer Issues: YES. this course did not transfer back for the biochemistry course I needed for my degree plan (CH369) and I didn't find out until halfway through the semester..