WorldStrides Reviews

TEAN provides you with so much support before you leave. Their staff will help you everyday and respond to you almost hourly by email. They give you an amazing time in Sydney that you will not even believe. They provide you with high end service and most importantly they respect you and really talk to you and treat you like adults. Even coming back they still help me everyday with transferring my credits and any other problems I have. Once you get to your uni they still help you with cultural events that are really fun like pro footy games or surf lessons. Every event they schedule you want to go to but are not forced.

There is no link yet for the Universtity of Newcastle, because I was the first one to attend that University through the TEAN program. But Newcastle is just north of Sydney, and I feel like I got the best of both worlds! The University of Newcastle is a gorgeous campus with bridges, streams, and a jungle-like atmosphere. The Beaches in Newcastle are amazing, and the community is very friendly and welcoming. I had an absolute blast experiencing the food, culture, and local activities, and also visiting Sydney to get the "big city" feel on a regular basis!

I stayed in the beach housing, which included ocean views and a short walk to the beach, as well as rooms cleaned and linen's changed. The local nightlife was great and Broad Beach had more than enough options for shopping and dining. Living off campus gave me a great experience to adapt to life in a different country. I commuted to Bond on public transportation. The bus system can get you anywhere you need to go! I loved the way that classe were set up with tutorials and lectures, as well as the fact that Bond runs on the same schedule as American schools. TEAN helped me throughout every process before I even left the US. When I got in Australia, I was greeted by friendly faces. My resident director was available for talking and she was particularly helpful when I was feeling homesick. She was also a great resource to let me know when special events were happening in the Gold Coast, as well as helped plan trips for us such as getting tickets for a rugby tournament and surfing lessons. My semester in the Gold Coast was one I will never forget!!

I really enjoyed my program through Education Abroad Network. The program advisors really made sure that we were comfortable in our new environment and experienced many benefits from this city. We took excursions to visit Buddhist temples, participate in a home stay in Hill tribes in Northern Thailand where we farmed with the people, helped the children practice their English and learn about the different struggles that the minority Thais have. We even met Burmese political prisoners in Mae Sot (border of Thailand and Burma), went to a refugee camp and met other Non-governmental organization. This program really cares about its students and they want you to immerse yourself in the culture and learn new things about the country and its traditions. Payap University was a great school and we even received the privilege to live with Thai students to we shared our language, culture and beliefs with our roommates. The price is worth the experience! Thailand was a place I would definitely travel to again.

Where can I start? I had wanted to go to Australia for years and was finally there. Arriving in Sydney was the perfect way to start with TEAN setting up everything for us to do over the next few days including going to a wildlife park, dinner where we ate Kangaroo, a tour of Sydney, climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge, going on the Coastal Walk, and taking part in the TEAN Amazing Race.

Then after these few days it was off to Gold Coast where I stayed at Griffith University Village in a five person apartment with 2 Australians and 2 Americans, 1 who was also part of TEAN. The Village is a great way to meet Australian students, but it's also a way to meet students from all over the world. Another great thing about it is the location. It's about a 5-10 minute walk to class and a 20 minute bus ride down to the beaches and Surfers Paradise.

One week after arriving in Gold Coast I began classes, all of which were almost entirely Australian students. It was pretty easy to make friends with them, as long as you took the initiative. Each of these classes were so different than those at home, I only had a midterm, a paper, and a final for grades. It's a little overwhelming at first with everything counting so much but I found as long as you go to the class and sort of keep up with the work you're almost guaranteed to fine.

There are so many great things about Gold Coast like the beaches, nightlife, as well as being centrally located on the east coast making it easy to travel to different cities.

These 4+ months were the best of my life during which I was able to go all over Australia. I became scuba certified in Gold Coast before going on a live aboard trip on the Great Barrier Reef from Cairns, traveled to different National Parks around the Gold Coast, and drove across The Outback during spring break with some friends where we climbed Uluru just to name a few.

Thanks to TEAN, I had an absolutely amazing study abroad experience! I lived in an apartment inCoogee Beach, which is a suburb of Sydney. Coogee is a really cool town and has some nice bars and restaurants. It was a quick walk/bus ride to UNSW and a short bus ride into the city. It was an ideal location.

One of the things I like best about TEAN is the orientation. What better way to get acclimated to a new environment than to go on a scavenger hunt, try new foods, scale the harbor bridge, and cruise through the harbor? It was a great way to get to know the city (including the transportation systems) as well as the other people in the program. Not many other programs provide this opportunity.

The TEAN staff also made studying abroad that much better. From the moment I began planning my trip, TEAN staff helped me acquire course syllabi and figure out my financial situation. Once I was actually in Australia, TEAN staff members were excited to teach and orient me, and were happy to provide advice and assistance throughout the entire semester.

When asked why I chose to study abroad, I would initially respond with a rather generic answer such as, “to broaden my horizons”, or “to see another part of the world”. Little did I know that I would in fact grow in so many ways. Through my semester in Thailand with TEAN, I was able to fully immerse myself in, what I have come to regard as one of the most breathtaking and heartbreaking parts of the world. I was humbled by an explosion of life and different customs that previously I had never dreamed of witnessing. I was able to learn more about myself, while growing in knowledge throughout my experience.
TEAN provided ample opportunities for us to immerse ourselves in the culture and truly make the most out of our experience. From the time we arrived in Bangkok for our orientation to when we finally departed, TEAN staff were supporting us throughout our adventure, ensuring a smooth transition into the culture. Not only did the in-country staff provide weekly coffee visits and monthly dinners as a way to check in, they supplied us with excursion options and opportunities to volunteer at local organizations. I am forever grateful for my experience with TEAN.
Not only has my passion for traveling greatly deepened, but my semester abroad has opened my eyes to another side of the world that I will never be able to forget.

Great times in Thailand with a huge thanks to TEAN! I just got back from my semester abroad in Chiang Mai, Thailand at Payap University through The Education Abroad Network. TEAN took care of it's students and gave all of us the chance to get the most out of our experience abroad.
I got to live in a dormitory with a local Thai roommate. Thai currency has a great exchange rate for the Dollar, and things in Thailand are already extremely cheap; which makes it an excellent place to stay in budget and get the most out of your experience. I got to make great friends not only from Thailand, but from across America as well.
Without a doubt, I recommend anyone interested to highly consider TEAN as your choice to go abroad. Make sure you go to their webpage, look through all their study abroad options, contact TEAN alumni or actual TEAN directors with questions, and you will for sure start thinking The Education Abroad Network is the way to go abroad. And with that, I say thank you to The Education Abroad Network for the an amazing time that I will never forget!

New Zealand is the most incredible country in the world and you will never experience so much in such a small place! Every weekend was spent traveling the country and doing anything from white water rafting to skydiving to hiking. You are really far from home, but you quickly come to find that it doesn't matter. The country is such a paradise that the only thing you will regret is having to leave. TEAN especially made the experience memorable.

TEAN is extremely helpful in making sure you are prepared for the study abroad experience. They offer incredible trips and really fun events throughout the semester. The pre-semester orientation takes place in Fiji on a beautiful island. So from the start you are in a situation where you become close friends with everybody in your program. You get to spend time with some natives of Fiji and learn their culture a bit.

When you arrive in New Zealand, TEAN representatives are awaiting to pick you up. They make sure you have the most comfortable accommodations throughout the weeks prior to move-in and they make sure there is never a dull moment. Throughout the semester TEAN remains in contact and provides meet-ups and various fun events (We got to see an All Blacks vs Australia rugby match!!). They also give great information on upcoming events and promotions.

TEAN gives you the freedom to be yourself and experience the country as you see fit. They give you the choice to be a part of the events during the semester. I don't know that I would have felt so prepared for five months abroad had it not been for the comfort of having TEAN guide me through the processes.

The country itself is spectacular and you absolute must take advantage of all it has to offer. Never say no to an adventure!! The only downside is that its often quite pricey so bring some money!

I was very nervous about leaving home, let alone my country, for 4 months. The Education Abroad Network was very sufficent at answering any questions I had and making me feel confident and less nervous about leaving home for so long.
Once I got to the Gold Coast, they still kept in very good contact with me and helped me to calm my nerves when I was nervous about something.