I chose the TEAN Sports Psychology program because it offered me the opportunity to see Australia, which is a place I have always wanted to visit. Not only did it grant me the chance to see Australia, but it made sure I was able to make the most out of my experience by seeing some of the most popular things in each city that I stayed in, as well as being immersed in the sports culture which related to my major.
Alumni Spotlight: Nick Robinson
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Nick is a current University of Central Florida Student studying Exercise and Sport Science. He traveled abroad to Australia's Gold Coast to take a course on Sport Psychology.
Why did you choose this program?
What did your program provider (or university) assist you with, and what did you have to organize on your own?
My university went over my transfer credits with me and made sure I had all the proper paperwork completed for my trip to count towards my degree. They also assisted me with the preparation and advice for studying abroad. UCF put me in touch with TEAN and had me meet with a representative so I could ask any questions I had about the study abroad trip.
What is one piece of advice you'd give to someone going on your program?
Some advice I would give to someone going on my program would be to take advantage of your time abroad. Make friends within the group, spend money on experiences, get enough rest, come overprepared with money but pack light with belongings. When abroad try to immerse yourself in the culture by going out and doing something you haven't done before.
What does an average day/week look like as a participant of this program?
An average day for this program would be to get up in the morning and get the day started by eating breakfast. After this, we would usually have a class for about 2 hours in the hotel we were staying at in a conference room. From there we would be let out for lunch and have the rest of the day for either free time or to go somewhere as a group to see something that would relate to the course. For example, going to tour a sports institute, go surfing, go to the beach, or go to a sports game.
Going into your experience abroad, what was your biggest fear, and how did you overcome it? How did your views on the issue change?
My biggest fear while abroad was whether or not the group as a whole would get along and if I would become close with them. This ended up working out perfectly because my group was only about 10 people which made it really easy to get to know everyone. We ended up doing most things together as a group and grew very close as the trip went on.
Should you try to get to know your professor when on the trip abroad?
My answer to this is definitely yes. The chances are your professor on the trip is a very down to earth person if they are taking their time to make sure your trip goes smoothly. They have a lot of care and dedication to making sure students on the trip have a good time, get the most out of learning, and are usually pretty adventurous themselves.