Program Reviews

I never wanted to leave Dunedin! TEAN was an incredible resource and did a fabulous job getting us all acquainted and comfortable in our new homes. I had the greatest time of my life on this program! I absolutely loved being able to take courses with both international students and native New Zealanders, and thought the resources available (especially the international students' office) were phenomenal. The "flatting" experience was one of the highlights of my whole semester -- getting to live with other international students was an amazing experience, and my fellow flatmates become some of my closest friends I made while abroad. There was no shortage of delicious food (and yummy flat whites!), which made it easy to find fun things to do with friends. Of course, I couldn't forget about the outdoor activities -- I'm a HUGE outdoors enthusiast, so Dunedin was heaven on earth to me. TEAN made it easy to find hikes and other activities to do, as well as took us to see some really beautiful places on our orientation. I felt so grateful to have these beautiful outdoor spaces made so accessible to us. Overall, my time abroad was a life-changing experience, and I would recommend this program to anyone!

Going abroad with TEAN to Wollongong was without a doubt one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life. The university was phenomenal and the city of Wollongong has become my second home it was such a beautiful city snuggled between the mountains and the ocean. It is the perfect area for any one who is an adventurer/outdoorsy person at heart. TEAN was such a great program, their orientation brought us to the rainforest and the great barrier reef as well as teaching us about the country. If you are interested at all about traveling to a city where adventure does not sleep go to UOW with TEAN.

My experience working with staff at the TEAN program was nothing short of awesome. Everyone at this organization is so well-versed in what they do and know such specific things about each program that their ability to help students is top-notch. Studying abroad is a pretty big decision and absolutely stressful when the process first begins. However, TEAN was so helpful and answered every single question I could muster up, and managed to get me excited about this amazing experience I was about to have. I would have to say my favorite thing was having an on-sight TEAN advisor. My advisor was actually born and raised in New Zealand and attending graduate school so she was super helpful when it came to travel advice in the area, any questions I ever had about the way their universities worked there, and even just what hikes she liked or coffee shop she recommended. I haven't stopped thinking about my semester abroad since I've come home, and it's been about a year now since I started the application process. I made life-long friends, which I was honestly super nervous about at first, but it was so easy. Every single student going through TEAN that I met at orientation was so excited to be there and so adventurous and accepting; we were all in the same boat, trying to meet people and have fun, so it was so easy to make friends. My friends that I met at Lincoln University are absolutely, without a doubt, life-long friends now. Living in an international section was probably the best decision I made because I got to meet people from literally all around the world. I was traveling the incredible and beautiful country of New Zealand with American, Norweigian, Dutch, German, Swedish, and Brazilian friends. Who could have even imagines that? It was so surreal, and I wish I could relive every single second of my semester in New Zealand. I always felt like I had a safety net with in-person help from TEAN as well as over the phone and online as well. They were always there in the background which was amazing, and I was still able to explore and travel and be adventurous without being held back. Overall, I would 110% recommend this program to anyone looking to get out there and adventure a little bit; you won't regret choosing this program!!

Although everything about traveling abroad was unique from the food to the culture, something unique to my experience definitely has to be the friends that I’ve made. I was lucky to have met people that I clicked with immediately and got along with really well, they made my time abroad enjoyable and memorable. I still keep in touch with most of them and hope to see them again soon!
One memory that sticks out in particular is when we went to the DMZ as part of the TEAN orientation. It was undoubtedly one of the most remarkable excursions during my time in Korea. Being able to look out in the distance at such a place I’ve read so much about was surreal.

A word of advice to future participants: don’t pack as much! I didn’t listen to this advice thinking I needed everything I packed but I really didn’t. Packing half as much as you think you need is the way to go. As for how studying abroad impacted my life after my time abroad, I was able to make significant progress in learning Korean by immersing myself in the culture and the language for 5 months. I’m grateful to TEAN for giving me the opportunity to experience my heritage at the roots and for easily the most memorable semester of my undergraduate career.

Choosing The Education Abroad Network was one of the best decisions I ever made. With TEAN I never felt lost during the application process because they helped me every step of the way. From organizing my visa, flight plans, school credit transfers, and even packing advice they were just a quick email or phone call away. Through TEAN I also got to experience a homestay where I lived with a Thai family and truly immersed myself in Thai culture. We also had Thai buddies throughout the semester that took us around Chiang Mai and taught us about their traditions. There is never a dull moment in Chiang Mai since there is so much to explore! What I loved the most about Chiang Mai was that it had both scenic and cultural beauty. On the weekends, you can travel or hang out in the city and visit various museums, temples, markets, local restaurants, and hiking and outdoor activities. Our first few days in Thailand were spent at the Elephant Nature Park and the beautiful temple Wat Phra That Doi Suthep. Everyone in the program was so friendly and welcoming. The professors at Chiang Mai University were also very involved in making sure we got the most out of our time in Chiang Mai in and out of the classroom. They took us on a lot of field trips to different temples and art museums. TEAN also took us to the Golden Triangle as a school trip where we visited tea plantations and opium museums. They also took us to Krabi on our Spring Break where we got to go snorkeling and have dinner on the beach. Through TEAN I was able to make a lot of friends and have many once in a lifetime experiences which I could not imagine getting in any other program. I hope to go back someday to create more lasting memories!

This past summer I went to Chiang Mai, Thailand with The Education Abroad Network as one of their summer interns. They connected me with the organization Arts Relief International. I was one of their teaching artists as well as an office assistant. Getting to work abroad was one of the most amazing, challenging, and life changing experiences I have ever had. The TEAN staff did a great job facilitating the internship and connecting me with the group that was the best fit for me. The internship taught me a lot about myself, what I value in a working environment and as a human being. I got to work with a diverse group of people both in the Arts Relief International office and during our arts based workshops. One of my favorite moments from this summer is that I got to lead a physical theater workshop with the Healing Family Foundation, which is a group of mentally disabled adults. We did exercises related to movement and decorated animal masks and moved as our animals that we created. It was so much fun and I was thrilled to do something relevant to my future career. I will be forever grateful I had this opportunity and I won't soon forget it!

This summer I interned abroad in Sydney, Australia. It was the most amazing and eye opening experience of my life. My experience was unique because I spent two months exploring Sydney in addition to building my resume with my internship. My internship was in the healthcare field, at two different Sydney Children's Hospitals through the Starlight Children's Foundation. I worked in their "express rooms", where I did activities with the kids such as arts & crafts or played video games. I as well went on wards with the captains for the patients who were bedridden. It was an amazing and an eye opening experience. I learned so much from my internship that will help me throughout finishing school and my future career. My excursions in Sydney ranged from having a surfing lesson at Bondi beach to taking a yoga class at Bondi Icebergs Club to attending a Rugby game. TEAN is more than helpful with giving suggestions about what to do throughout Sydney, as well as giving advice on where to travel throughout Australia. They planned two great excursions and were always available if I had any questions about my internship.

Going abroad was easily the best decision I have made in my life. Deciding on a program was tough but once I discovered TEAN through my university, the rest of the process was simple. One of the main reasons I decided to choose Griffith University in the Gold Coast was because of its unique campus look and also the variety of courses it offers. While I was living in Gold Coast, I was able to visit many of its scenic hikes and close by beaches including Coolangatta and Byron Bay. My biggest tip to students interested in studying abroad would be to go with your gut and do what you want to do. There were many times that I hesitated on doing something because no one else was doing it, but being abroad is a time for you to be independent and search for things you are interested in. I was fortunate enough to also take the community internship course that Griffith University offers which easily set me up with an organization suited to my field of study. Having an internship abroad was an opportunity that many students do not get to experience, so if you have the chance to do it, go for it! I would also advise students to start budgeting their money as soon as they arrive in their host city. I thought it was going to be easy but after booking trips and spending money on food and drinks, I realized that budgeting was going to become my main priority in order to have enough money for the rest of my time abroad. If you do have time, I would suggest traveling to Thailand and the south island of New Zealand. I was able to visit both of those places and cannot wait to go back to them. The experience I had and the people I met along my journey will never be forgotten and I really hope that other students get to enjoy the same experience as I did.

Studying abroad in Thailand was one of the best decisions I've ever made! I went to Chiang Mai for three weeks over the summer with TEAN and wish I could have stayed longer! I had such a blast and was able to because of TEAN. I was helped every step of the way with this program from applying to packing and heading across the world. I traveled alone to the destination but quickly made through friends because of my TEAN group. Everyone was so kind and always happy to go out and do things together. I became really close with my group and look forward to keeping in touch with these fellow American students in the future! Chiang Mai was the perfect destination for me. It provides a fun and lively city along with plenty of outdoor adventure. My favorite experience was getting to spend time with elephants at a sanctuary near Chiang Mai. After experiencing these wonderful three weeks I feel more confident in my own abilities and skills and also much more informed of Thai culture and art thanks to the Art History class I took. Tips that I would give to future study abroad applicants, no matter the destination, is to fully embrace where you are and don't be afraid to put yourself out there. I was nervous to be so far from home but quickly adapted when I remembered just how lucky I was to be there and how comfortable I felt thanks to the support of TEAN.

The Education Abroad Network is a great program to work with when considering study abroad options! The moment I applied for the Australian program TEAN had someone in constant contact with me to help plan out every detail and requirement needed for me to leave to Australia and return home safely. They also provided an amazing weeklong orientation in Cairns that really helped me adjust from being so far away from home. In addition, they provided awesome housing in a beautiful location, helped me plan classes to ensure I wouldn’t be behind when I returned home, planned additional trips such as a week long trip to Melbourne, and always had someone available for us to be in contact with for any questions or issues. TEAN really helped make my experience abroad an incredible one and if I could I would do it all over again!