Program Reviews

I just got back from my semester in Sydney, and I am already reminiscing on my experience and planning my visit back! One thing that I loved about Sydney (and Australia in general) is how there is something for everyone. As someone who loves to do a little bit of everything, Sydney was the perfect location for me! It offered the city, beach, mountains, and everything in between within under 2 hours. As someone who loves to get active and be outdoors, I felt that Sydney was the perfect place for me to explore. The public transportation was also amazing and very easy to navigate which was super helpful as a student. My housing accommodation was a 15 minute walk to campus, and otherwise very central to everything! It was so nice to be a 3 minute walk to the shopping center and have the ability to grab groceries to/from any of my daily endeavors. The city of Sydney was safe, clean, and I experienced nothing but positive interactions with locals. Even though Australia is an English speaking country, I found Sydney to be very international, and because it is so much closer to Asia than the United States, I was exposed to a lot of new foods and people which was super cool! Aside from all of these amazing aspects of my abroad experience, the only downside would be the education differences I experienced at the University of Sydney. This was not so much "bad" as it was different. I definitely had to adjust to the academic system in Australia and it took a little getting used to for me to feel more confident in my academics. My roommates and I all were definitely a little bit shocked when we weren't receiving the high grades we were used to receiving at our home universities, and it was challenging at times to balance having a memorable time abroad with also focusing on academics. As someone who cares deeply about doing well in school, this was the only difficult adjustment for me while I was abroad, however I was still able to do very well and my professors were very accommodating and understanding when I expressed concerns. I would absolutely recommend this program to anyone who has been considering Australia for any reason! In my opinion, it is so worthwhile to be able to study abroad here because it is so far away and harder to travel to for only a couple of weeks- it was so awesome to stay for 5 whole months! It was also great to be stationed on the other side of the world and made traveling to other countries (New Zealand, Fiji, South East Asia, etc) a lot more attainable than from the U.S. I am truly so grateful for my time abroad and will cherish the memories I have forever!

Dee was an amazing programme director. We went on so many great adventures and saw the most beautiful places. If you are a big nature enthusiast I definitely recommend going to Dunedin. Don't forget your umbrella or raincoat! The locals know the best places around and will offer up great advice on where to go. Some of my favorites around Dunedin was the Otago museum, especially the void room and butterfly exhibit. The botanical gardens has an aviary with all kinds of birds, and a herb garden where you can sample herbs.

Since high school, my dream has been to study abroad, specifically in Seoul, South Korea. I started watching Korean dramas in 2017, and ever since then, I have been fascinated by the culture, food, and language. What was once just a dream became a reality. I believe it's important to educate oneself about different cultures. Instead of relying solely on media portrayals of a country, it's important to seek opportunities to experience it firsthand to form unbiased opinions. I feel that I've learned a lot about Korean culture through this approach.
One of my favorite experiences was festival week at the university I was attending. They invited artists and groups like Day 6 and Jay Park, well-known Korean artists. It was amazing to see how every department came together and participated in the cheering event where students spent hours chanting the university name.

Would I recommend this to other students?
Absolutely, I think it's a great experience because you get to explore and make memories by learning about a new culture and meeting new people with different perspectives and backgrounds. You also become more self-reliant as you are able to live in a whole new country without your friends and family, so you get to discover yourself and gain knowledge that will positively change your life forever.

It was so much fun! Gold Coast has a great social scene and there are many activities for students living on campus to socialize and make friends. I would recommend making sure your go card (public transportation) always has money on it and to connect it to your student card as people do check and you can get in trouble for it! I also recommend brining less clothes than you think you’ll need as there is lots of shopping in the area! We all had trouble finding places to donate all the stuff we couldn’t bring home

The Uni of Otago was the perfect place in New Zealand to experience a study abroad semester, especially with my passion for the environment. There is so many activities you can do: beaches galore, the Royal Albatross Center, the OPERA, and Lanarch Castle are just some of the ones I recommend. Dee was an amazing resident director, always there to help and act as a mom figure! The classes were challenging but synced with NZ concepts and I learned so much and got to push myself. The people of New Zealand are the most friendly, always there to help you. The culture and hospitality made me feel right at home even at first moments of arrival in my host city. My kiwi host was lovely and a friend to be there to guide me through this experience. Overall, my experience abroad was the most amazing thing I could have experienced in my undergraduate career. I met so many diverse people, ate local foods, traveled the country, and learned so much from my classes and professors. I truly found a new home in another country, and I am so keen to go visit asap!!!

From the orientation at the Great Barrier Reef to the nonstop laughs in the dorms, I truly had the best time on the Gold Coast with TEAN. Writing this review makes me want to book another flight back. My two onsight trip leaders were great resources and very helpful when it came to acclimating to an entirely different country. Australia is an amazing country, but I believe it's the people who make the place. This program came with the best people and let me meet the greatest people. Go start your adventure!

I recently completed my internship in South Korea, and I have to say it was life-changing. I think one of the most unique parts of my internship would be my coworkers. I was able to practice real conversational Korean with my coworkers and make connections throughout the company. I would recommend looking into the internship programs if you are an upgrade. Not only is it something good for your resume, but you also get a chance to explore somewhere you've always dreamed up. My biggest advice would be to take the chance and see where it takes you!

I chose to study abroad through TEAN in Seoul, South Korea as a student at Korea University. During the 2022-2023 semester, living in Seoul became my new home. At first, I was alone, but as I took learning the language more seriously, and was comfortable adapting to the culture change, I was able to make lots of friends. Making friends with the natives boosted my experiences. I was able to visit local cafes, restaurants, and pop-up shops around Seoul. Also, it is hard not to indulge and spend all of your money. After living in Seoul for a year, I did not feel so much like a foreigner anymore. I was extremely grateful for the help through TEAN by making my trip and transition to arriving in Seoul both semesters easy. I also participated in the Seoul, Winter Program and hosted through TEAN during 2023-2024 at Korea University again. If it were not for choosing to study abroad, I believe I would not have developed my new goal of returning to my host university, Korea University, as a graduate student after graduating with my undergraduate.

I would definitely go through TEAN for my study abroad experience. The onsite staff were very useful and a much needed support system when adjusting to a new environment. Many of time the staff helped me with translating as my Korean is not very good. The excursions which are included in the program price which made planning very easy. I did not need to figure out stuff like tickets. Most of the popular attractions were a part of this program, there was not an excursion that was uninteresting. This program also planned a trip to Busan which was amazing. Other exchange students at my university, not apart of TEAN, were a bit jealous as they could not join this experience because they were not with TEAN. TEAN also guarantees university housing so this minimized stress. Overall, I think studying abroad without this program would have been a lot more difficult and not as exciting due to the support and community of TEAN.

I went to South Korea for Fall Semester which encompassed the Late Summer, Fall, and the Winter Seasons, and it was my favorite memory and makes me want to go back A.S.A.P!
Going to the country without prior knowledge of the language I was able to learn through the classes I had taken at Korea University and immerse myself quick enough that I did not struggle as much as one would think. I love food, and it was so easy to get a quick bite to eat or have a nice sit down meal with friends and colleagues, during my first week a meal was set-up through the program where everyone in the program was able to have a sit-down nice meal where we learned each other's names and ate great Korean Fried Chicken!