Sydney Uni, Australia and New Zealand - Exciting, Different, and Worth Going Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Classes at Sydney Uni are fairly good overall. Lectures for many courses are recorded and accessible online, which is pretty strong incentive not to actually show up to class. This is nice because it gives you some flexibility for travel. Final exams are worth about 50% of each final grade, and there's generally minimal work until then (maybe just an essay or two). Grading scale is quite different in Australia, with letter grades replaced by fail, pass, credit, distinction, and high distinction. In general it's harder to get an equivalent percent in Australia (anything above 85% is very good in most legitimate classes), but at least for my home college this was taken into account when converting GPA. Classes generally take place in larger lecture halls, but often break up into smaller tutorials once a week. There are a handful of fun classes tailored for study abroad students.

On-site administration of your program

Everything was always taken care of in the end, but things seemed a little last-minute, especially in terms of signing up for classes. You sort of show up to orientation with no idea whether or not you got into the classes you want. However, everything is very flexible in terms of changing your schedule around, at least for the first few days.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I stayed at Urbanest, which was like a apartment complex/dorm tailored for Sydney Uni students. It was near campus (about a 10 minute-walk) and full of primarily study abroad students. There was a nice social component and a gym, laundry room, movie room, etc. Overall, it was a little expensive but they offered special deals for study abroad students and a lease that matched up well with the spring semester, so it was not a bad option.

There's no meal plan unless you receive one through on of the residential "colleges." Grocery stores in Sydney have a very similar selection to those in the US, so those who would primarily cook for themselves should be okay. There are tons of awesome take-out restaurants in Sydney - Asian and Turkish food are especially prevalent. Food can get a little expensive, especially if you go out to eat a lot.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Australian culture, at least in Sydney, is fairly similar to that of the average large US city. There's more of an Asian and English influence, and of course Australia has its own unique vibe, but culture shock was minimal and the adjustment was fairly quick. Because of the similarities it didn't really feel like a special cultural experience as much as programs in other countries might, but at least it was easy to integrate to the local culture.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

NA

Sydney seemed fairly clean and safe, especially near the University and in the spots that we would go to often. A few weeks after we left there was a scary hostage situation, but I never felt unsafe. Still, it's best not to wander around too much at night, especially in certain neighborhoods.

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

It really depends on how often you eat out, go to clubs/bars/etc, and travel. Restaurants can be pricey but the grocery stores are reasonable. Traveling is not super expensive if you fly using budget airlines and stay in hostels or camp, but you'll be tempted to go a lot or places which will add up (totally worth it). Between taxis, cover charges and expensive drinks, going out is fairly pricey as well.

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