My Semester on the Gold Coast, Australia Past Review
By Samantha O (PSYCHOLOGY., University of Maine at Orono) for
USAC Australia: Gold Coast and Brisbane - Undergraduate and Graduate Courses
I think about it everyday, and miss it all the time. I feel like I have my life here and then my "study abroad life". There's nothing I regret about taking a semester away from everywhere and everyone I've ever know. Going overseas definitely gave me the travel bug and I'm excited to keep exploring new places - and one day return to Australia!
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
It was about the same workload/difficulty as the University of Maine. It was weird getting used to having class only once a week per subject, with all that free time expected to be devoted towards studying. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The people in the study abroad office at Griffith were somewhat rude, none of my friends had good experiences with them either. I didn't consult with the study abroad office on more than a couple occasions. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The Village at Griffith was unbelievably expensive for the little that it gave you. It was good for about the first week or so just to meet people, but after that I wished I lived more in the city and could commute. It was about a 20 minute drive to the city of the Gold Coast. |
| * Food: |
Food was more expensive than home. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Trip were offered through the Village, as well as other programs that were made aware to students. There was a free bus from the Village to the city once a week for social activities. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I felt very safe while living in the Gold Coast. I never had any health issues while there but we were given an insurance card shortly after arriving. |
| 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? | usually at home, I spend about $50 a week on expenses (mostly groceries); in Australia that was about doubled. Laundry, bus, cab, food all adds up really fast! |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Save money where you can, don't be too frugal in the beginning when you think you have a lot to last you the semester. The extra money saved for trips are definitely worth it!! |
Language
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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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 did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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