Each day was a new adventure. Bond Uni has an awesome system for relaying current events; whether it is an academic or social event, there is something to do whenever you please. The orientation programs got me off to an amazing start to my journey. From snorkeling to road-tripping to relaxing nights in my villa, Australia was more than I could have asked for. Initially, getting around and adjusting to daily life was difficult. It wasn't long before I was doing well in school and having an unbelievable time on the Gold Coast.
What would you improve about this program?
Transportation. The most difficult part of being at Bond Uni was getting around without a car. Carrying a weeks worth of groceries to and from a bus station was no fun - definitely manageable though!
Globalinks created the perfect itinerary for me, especially going to Cairns.
Wollongong is a metropolitan town, close to Sydney and beautiful Jervis Bay, Berry and Gerroa/Gerringong. As I am based at the Shoalhaven campus in Nowra, I only spend 1 day a week at the Wollongong campus. The Shoalhaven campus is small but offers free parking and kangaroos! The Wollongong campus has excellent amenities (food, UniBar, sporting facilities) and a wide range of clubs/societies to join. There are many resources for International students, including planned outings and adventures to take part in to help you make friends and explore Australia. The town itself is easy to navigate with many ethnic restaurants, night clubs and of course North Gong Beach.
Studying at University of Kingston London was the best experience of my life. GlobaLinks guided me through it and made me feel so comfortable when I was completely going out of my comfort zone. We stayed at a hotel in London for three days and got to know the other students. The leaders helped us with culture shock and explained how the schooling was compared to America's schooling. The program helped us set up our classes at Kingston University and made sure everything was right. My living situation was also great and I can thank GlobaLinks for that. I lived in a dorm with 10 other flatmates right by campus. I give the whole experience an A+. Going to a different country by yourself is a big deal and GlobaLinks helped me through it every step of the way. I cannot thank them enough!
Briellec
Female
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program
Coral Bay
Mar 1, 2013
This was one of the best experiences of my life. I loved that we were able to do hands on field work, Instead of learning in a classroom. I really got a feel for what I would be doing if I chose to become a marine biologist.
Not only did I get a lot out of the program acedemic wise, but I also made life long friends in the process. I was not expecting to become so close to the people I had just recently met, but it blew me away how much we all had bonded in such a short amount of time.
Participating in this program gave me the courage to stick around when it was over, and try to make it in Australia on my own. It was a wonderful stepping stone for me- allowing me to make connections and sort out my new adventure ahead of time. It was the best decision I ever made.
This was seriously one of the greatest experiences in my almost 21 years of life. I made some of the greatest friends I have ever met, went some of the best places, and saw some of the most beautiful sights ever. The experience through Global Links was absolutely phenomenal and I am so happy I chose to go on their program. The first week of the entire trip with GL may have been my favorite week of the entire 5 months I spent in New Zealand. It helped me find best friends and made me comfortable being in a new place. the GL staff was absolutely amazing. Paul, Tyme, and Craig made the experience so fun and so memorable. This will not be something I forget ever, or will ever take back for anything in the world. Everyone should try Global Links, and everyone should go to New Zealand!
What would you improve about this program?
I literally have been sitting here for ten minutes and can't think of anything I would change specifically about Global Links. Maybe mid-semester make a camping weekend that is planned for all the schools to come together again for a weekend!
GlobaLinks has been a great help in facilitating my move to the University of Sydney. The staff provided me with all the services I required, from offering advice on particular universities to helping me find a great place to live.
Sydney is a wonderful place to study. The university itself is excellent, and the Sydney has much to offer an ambitious tourist. It is altogether beautiful and lovely here. The people are friendly. The transportation is affordable and very reliable. It truly is an ideal place for anyone interested in serious study, and some great fun on the side.
What would you improve about this program?
The program is very good. Perhaps one small area of improvement would be to have a wider range of possible housing options for students to consider.
Staying in Christchurch was a great base location for travelling as it was close to the airport and many popular locations (Fox/Franz Joseph glacier, Queenstown, Otago, etc.) The inner city itself is completely fenced off after the earthquakes a few years ago though and that area used to be the hub of club life and other entertainment. There are still a few bars around town that are easy to get to by bus, which leaves right from campus. I would still recommend staying in Christchurch even with the construction because it was very interesting to see the effects of such a horrible natural disaster and there were many classes offered to learn about it and the New Zealand environment. If you visit or stay in Christchurch a must see are the Container stores. They are in the center of the city right near the fenced off area. After the earthquake many stores moved their merchandise temporarily to large shipping containers. They have become a permanent fixture in the community though and are beautifully renovated with hard wood floors and multiple windows.
The apartments I stayed in were clean, new and the large compared to my on campus housing at home. The people were all very friendly and helpful with any questions I had. There is also a few grocery stores in walking distance which is nice because I do not recommend getting the meal plan, I hardly used it and the food was not that great. You have to stay in the study abroad housing, so it is a little difficult to meet the locals, but classes and going out at night helps that.
What would you improve about this program?
Really the only problem I had with Christchurch was that there was not much to do in the city, but I cant change that. If I had to change something, I would have stayed there a year instead of just 5 months!
Awesome, incredible, unreal... I can keep going on and on about my time at Newcastle but every word would be a praise about my experience. I lived in off campus student housing three minutes from the beach. Whenever we could, my house mates were enjoying the sun playing soccer, surfing, or just laying around. Campus was a jungle, literally. The wild Cockatoos took a while to get used to but they just became part of going to class. Traveling to Sydney was easy and something we did often. Really can't say enough about how great Newcastle was.
This experience was a once in a life time. Through this experience I was able to truly gain a better appreciation for my own culture while learning about the Australian culture. The classes were challenging but fun. Most of my classes were in the morning therefore I was free most afternoons. The one aspect I like about the classes was that after you were taught the material you were able to use what you learned in the class. The housing was also wonderful. I was not use to having a single room but in Australia that is the only types of rooms that they had. The college was like a community in it self. One of the difficulties was that many of the upperclassman were not accepting of the internationals because we left in six months. One of my highlights was that I played on a sport team while I was there. It was rewarding to see how sports differ from one culture to the next.
What would you improve about this program?
One negative thought I had was that once you were at the college and had been there for a while, there were no program activities. All of the program participants started together and became close but then there were no group gatherings throughout the semester. This would have been nice to have to see how all the participants' experiences were going.
There is no way that there is any better study abroad trip out there than this one. I came into the program with ridiculously high expectations and it still managed to exceed them all. We experienced so many all-access tours of many aspects of Australian sport, including tours of Rod Laver Arena, the Melbourne Cricket Grounds, tickets to both an AFL game and a rugby game, and a week at the Australian Institute of Sport where we spent time with the Olympic athletes. Along with the sporting aspect of the trip, we had a lot of free time to explore and do what we wanted! A lot of us took advantage of this and went to the zoo, held koalas, explored downtown, and went to the beach. We also took group trips that included a day snorkeling and sea kayaking on the Great Barrier Reef, white water rafting, and a tour of a crocodile farm.
Another great part of the trip was the group of people that went. About 30 kids all went from the US and Canada and we made some really strong friendships. We all had a blast together and got to know each other really well.
Overall, I would take this trip again in a heartbeat. Leaving Australia broke my heart, but I made a million awesome memories, learned a lot about Australian sport, and got to explore the most beautiful country in the world.
