IFSA-Butler at the University of Tasmania

Starting with its most attractive features, Tasmania is a dream come true for the outdoorsman. The island is at no loss for natural wonders and provides enough camping, hiking, biking, etc to occupy the crunchiest of souls. Rock climbing was especially prevalent, and I enjoyed bolted climbing routes a quarter mile from my off campus house.

I highly recommend signing up for several University-sponsored activity clubs. It's nearly impossible not to since UTAS hosts a day exclusively devoted to various clubs soliciting new signups complete with alcoholic incentives. Don't be afraid to join a club you aren't sure about because they are more than accommodating to beginners. Club participants and managers are some of the friendliest I've met (all student-run) and activities are an ideal resource for new Australian friends and passage into various social scenes.

Housing was an interesting one. The options are off campus housing or on campus dorms. I opted to live off campus and fend for myself. The dorms have a meal plan though all of my visits to the caf reassured my decision to go it alone. Be warned - the dorms are British boarding school style and will require some hazing in return for social acceptance. It's definitely all in the spirit of fun but I had a tough time taking cross-dressing orders from Aussies who were mostly a year or two my junior. In comparison, off campus housing is at worst a short bike ride away (mine was about 1 mile) and provides a much better sense of independence. Off campus housing will, however, make it a little harder to meet new people so you'll have to put yourself out there if off campus is your choice.

The social scene in Hobart was laid back to say the least. Nights out are exclusively bars most of which have a townie, live music feel. This is great those that want to kick back with a few beers, but if the city dance party is your spot, you've gone too far south.

It's greatest downfall, Tasmania is a bit of a chore geographically since it's an island. The airport is tiny and offers few destinations (may only have been Melbourne if I remember correctly) so most travelling into mainland Australia requires an extra plan flight. Since few Americans make the journey down under, it would have been nice to have alternate and more cost-effective means of travel. Leaving after just two trips to the mainland I felt I had missed some significantly noteworthy parts of the continent.

Travel was also hindered by academics which I found pretty demanding coming from an already demanding College and hearing the antics of friends on other programs. I didn't necessarily expect special treatment from the UTAS staff, but was a little surprised to see that hardly anyone at the college recognized that I was a study abroad student at all, not a Tasmanian vying for a competitive career in marine biology.

With reference to Butler's involvement, if near total independence is something you're looking for, then Hobart might be the program for you. If you're looking for a more structured experience, then Butler leaves a bit to be desired. There were a couple of Butler-sponsored trips, and though I personally enjoyed the test of independent living, I can see how some might need more support than the cell phone number of a Butler rep living somewhere on the island.

Though an amazing part of the world, Tasmania, and Hobart in particular has a tough time measuring up to the vast other sites of mainland Australia. I chose the program mainly because it started and ended in better accordance to my typical summer schedule, but probably would have been happy to have the extra month into July to do some more exploring.

Despite its downfalls, I'm happy I went to Tasmania and have no doubt I had an experience unlike any other friends studying in other places. That said, I can't justify its remoteness when recommending to anyone that isn't actively avoiding metropolitan lifestyle.

To anyone travelling in Australia I would highly recommend a visit to Hobart for at least a few days. Unless you're looking for an all-outdoors experience, it probably isn't the place to spend an entire semester.