I want to go back to Australia! Past Review
By Caitlin H (Psychology/Pre-Med, Tulane University) for
University of Sydney: Sydney - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
DEFINITELY. It's awesome to be having completely new and exciting experiences every day. I can't wait to travel more
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The international office was extremely helpful and able to answer any questions we had. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Arranged housing through 'Semester in Australia'. Very easy and the staff was very reachable and accomodating. |
| * Food: |
Food was delicious. Prices are slightly higher, but you don't tip at all so it evens out. While we made food at home most of the time, meals were delicious when we went out to eat. @ Home (Thai food) was one of our favorite spots. Ralph's Cafe on campus (its inside the Arena gym) was really good, we ate their all the time for lunch or just hung out for breaks in between classes. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Keep an eye out for festivals, because there are a ton. We were out of town during most though. The markets are fun to go to-recommend Paddington and Glebe markets. Beaches are awesome, Coogee and Bondi are the main touristy ones but Bondi is just up the coast from several other good ones as well. Bars and clubs are awesome-there are too many good ones to make it to them all. Lots of Americans go to Scruffy Murphys on Tuesdays. not sure why but its really fun and cheap drinks. Wednesdays were big at the university, look for 'college' (kinda like frats/sororities) parties and the Camperdown Hotel (aka HQ) and the Alfred Hotel (aka the gross) were where the university kids went. Definitely a good way to meet Australians. Kings Cross area is huge on the weekends, definitely don't go til at least 11. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Didn't have any problems with either |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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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) |
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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | Too much. Alcohol is extremely expensive, and going out to eat adds up. At the beginning I was blowing $100/week on groceries, got that down to about $50/week by the end of my time in Sydney. Went out on average 4x/week and spent an additional $50-100 on that. And then public transportation, with my internship and going to the beach, I spent about $20 dollars on that per week. That was also me budgeting, some other people spent a lot more |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Girls-makeup is extremely expensive so bring enough for all seasons you'll be there with you. Alcohol is the other main expense: Cheapest case of beer around $30 and cheapest handle around $22 dollars, most study abroad people stick to boxed wine (the call in goon) |
Language
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Fluent |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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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
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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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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | There's really nothing negative I can say about my experience. I loved Sydney, the people were friendly, the classes were interesting, the nightlife was awesome, the beaches are beautiful, and the atmosphere in general is laid back. Basically, I can't wait to go back and wish I could have stayed for a whole year. |
