WorldStrides Reviews

I loved my study abroad program through AustraLearn.

The program itself was set up to make sure we, as students, were ready not only for the academic differences between American and Australian universities, but also for living in Australia.

We had "orientation" at the Great Barrier Reef. There we had the chance to explore Cairns and the GBR, learn to look right when crossing the street, and other cultural tidbits from people who have lived/are living in Australia.

UNSW itself was great. The classes were set up in a large class then a "tute" which had either the actual lecturer or tutor with a smaller number of students. This helped because I was not used to large class sizes; so I went to the first large class and then brought my questions to the tute where I knew I would get more personalized attention.

I lived off-campus in Coogee. It was definitely an amazing experience. Although I didn't feel as connected to as many Australians as my friends who lived on campus did, I still managed to meet and befriend a lot of people from Coogee and from UNSW. You just have to put yourself out there- Australians are super friendly.

Things: I loved about living off-campus in Coogee:

1. AustraLearn set up my housing
2. A great house with great people
3. Being a 1 minute walk to the beach
4. I felt like I was living in Australia- went grocery shopping, out to eat in my neighborhood, got to know my neighbors, had to take out my own trash, etc.
5. Just a short bus ride away from Sydney's CBD and the nightlife there

I really loved studying abroad in Sydney. I do wish someone had told me how expensive everything was (especially food and alcohol) but I feel that my money was very well spent. I traveled throughout Australia (as well as Fiji and Asia), met incredible people, and really felt like I became a part of Australia rather than just a traveler. I would definitely recommend this program.

The University of Waikato is an extremely diverse school with students from all over the world. Living on campus was both convenient and played a large role in the number of friends I was able to meet. Nearly every other international student also lived on campus and we formed a large network of friends. Also, living on campus made it easy to meet kiwis that I normally would not have met. During the week I would normally go to my classes, work out at the campus gym (and take one of the many AWESOME work out classes offered), and see all of my friends every single day. Typically 1 or 2 nights a week we would go into the bars in town or take a friday off to travel. Hamilton is probably the best location on the north Island. It is close enough to Auckland (1.5 hours) that it is possible to take day trips there, only 45 minutes from Raglan which has amazing surfing and black sand beaches, and centrally located to every other destination on the North Island (no more than 5 or 6 hours drive). While Hamilton is a 45 minute plane ride or an 8 hour drive + ferry ride from the South Island, we took our 2 week fall break to go to the south island. It was AMAZING. New Zealand is the most beautiful country in the world and truly impossible to describe. You have to see it with your own eyes.

Unequivocally the greatest experience. EuroLearn provided a 4 day orientation in London that proved boring and valuable. After that there was a three week orientation at Swansea that was only international students. That was cool getting to know the Americans before everybody got there. I still see some of them time to time. Swansea has epic nightlife on Wind Street and the Kingsway. Three hour train from London, then a 90min flight to almost anywhere in Europe. Get the young person's rail card for sure, it pays for itself quickly. Be sure to check out the Welsh National Museums as well as the local ones. They are a great foundation to construction your own definition of "welshness", which is something that escapes most people...even the Welsh!

I loved JCU-Townsville! It was such an incredible experience, I still keep in touch with all my aussie friends a year and half later. Live on campus for sure, Uni Hall is the BEST! O WEEK is a blast, just embrace it all! Travel as much as possible, take in ever experience go to crystal creek, castle hill, the strand, the river, the sunday market and the friday night market, go to cheap tuesdays down town and just have a blast!!

...was to study abroad in Sydney, Australia. Although it has been three years, it feels like yesterday that I was boarding the plane and headed halfway around the world.

Ever since I was young I have had a desire to go to Australia. My cousin happened to study abroad at the University of Sydney, and after doing research I realized that was the place for me. Normally not a city girl, Sydney is one of the two cities I would ever live in (the other being Christchurch, New Zealand). AustraLearn made the application process so smooth - I still remember where I was when I got the phone call that said I was accepted into the program. When I tell people I remember every single moment of my journey, I am one hundred percent serious.

I highly recommend to everyone studying abroad to take advantage of the orientation week. It's the first time you get to relax and take in this fantastic chapter of your life. I met two of my best friends this week!

I was lucky enough to find friends that were more into traveling than going out to bars (since we were legal in Australia). One of my best friends and I decided to buy a three month train ticket that allowed for unlimited trips between Brisbane and Melbourne. What a perfect choice we made!! While most people in our program traveled north to the islands for spring break, we went south and ventured to Kangaroo Island (one of my favorite places to ever exist in the world). Additional trips included Fraser Island, a surfing weekend, Melbourne, Adelaide, driving along the Great Ocean Road, Katoomba and hiking in the Blue Mountains, skydiving in North Wollongong, I could go on for hours (literally).

My classes were wonderful - the professors were incredible and wanted us to experience the country as best we could. I opted to take classes that were designed for study abroad students, meaning we got to go on field trips (think rugby match, swimming competitions, plays - Billy Elliot was FANTASTIC, and a tour of the Opera House). Sydney University is a gorgeous school, and I miss seeing jacaranda trees and magpies on my walks to class.

The Australian people are some of the nicest I have ever met. Always willing to help or talk, they're kind and generous; there is nothing negative to say about the country or its people.

One thing I recommend to everyone is to do their research. My friends at I would park ourselves at Gloria Jeans and try to find the coolest places to go and things to do while we could. Also...don't be afraid to ask questions!! Most people would love to help you out! After debating where to go one day with our train passes, my friend and I ended up going right down to Sydney Central and asking the gentleman at the counter what we should do for the day (we ended up going to a beach in Newcastle). Another time we took the bus to Circular Quay and walked back to the SUV - hitting every travel agency we spotted trying to find our spring break trip. Why do what everyone else is doing when you could go somewhere completely new?!

I never once got homesick. Sure, I talked to my family once a week. I didn't stay holed up in my room video-chatting or going onto social networking sites. GO OUT AND EXPLORE!! I took over 6,000 pictures in Australia alone. I have a box in my room that has every memento from my trip (including the wrapper from the first Tim Tam I've ever had! Excessive? Probably. But I can't seem to throw anything away that has some tie to Australia).

I highly recommend the YHA Hostels for traveling. They're so clean and you feel completely safe in them. The people there are always more than happy to help you out.

After my study at the University of Sydney ended, I took a two and a half week trip to New Zealand with three of the friends I met (two from orientation). I bungee jumped (twice), sailed in the Bay of Islands, took a vintage car drive around Christchurch, dolphin watched in Akaroa, and cruised in Milford Sound. My five month journey concluded all too fast.

It has been one of my top priorities since I've returned to share my experiences with others who are interested in studying abroad. My five-month adventure was absolutely flawless and I want nothing more than the same for others who are thinking about going (GO!).

So basically...if someone were to only read the final sentence of this review, I'd say this:

There will never be a day that I do not think about my trip. I tell everyone - "I could leave wherever, whenever, dressed however, and be at the airport in twenty minutes to go back. No question."

When picking a school through AustraLearn, Newcastle seemed like the best choice for me because it wasn't in the city, yet was close to the CBD (Central Business District) AND it was surrounded by beaches. Any of five beaches was just a train ride away. I was drawn in for it's beauty and enjoyed it more so for the people. I would strongly recommend on-campus housing. I lived in Evatt House, which was a mix of Australian's and international students. Living with Australian's and not just other people from the same country not only helped me get around Newy easier, but it gave me a first hand account of the warmth and easy-going nature of the Australian people. I got more than just the typical "tourist" view of Newcastle and beyond. I developed such great relationships with the people on Evatt and still keep in contact with my Aussie friends after 2 years. AustraLearn was an extremely valuable contact throughout my program and after. The academics were vastly different from what I was used to (my college at home was only 1,600 kids) but challenged me nonetheless. My abroad experience changed my future goals, as I am now hoping to pursue a job in international education. I plan to go back to Australia some day soon; whether to work or play or both.

Australearn helped set up an amazing program for me from start to finish. The University of Sydney is set right in downtown Sydney. Don't let that fool you though because the campus is big and beautiful and you do not even feel like you are in a big city until you look up and see the skyscrapers in the CBD. The nightlife in Sydney is world-class and there is always something to do. Not taking away from USyd's academics though, the university is world-class as well. Also, Sydney is centrally located on the east coast so you are only a plane ride from anything and everything fun in Oceania.

I studied abroad at the University of the South Pacific in Suva, Fiji. The experience was like no other. Many of my friends have studied in Europe which is fine if you want to spend a lot of time with other Americans and learning about much of the stuff that you already know. Fiji is something that no one knows about. Its something that will challenge your life. It was frustrating at times living on "Fiji" time if you want things to happen right away i would stay away from Fiji. But one of the best things in my opinion was moving at a slower pace. You are forced to take time and smell the flowers(of which there are many and are stunningly beautiful). The entire experience pushed me out of my comfort zone and made me examine how I live my life and how I want to live my life.

My time in Costa Rica was amazing!! I worked hard (their school system can be kinda intense) but 3 1/2 day weekends on the Caribbean are amazing!!! It was harder re-adjusting to America when I got back than it was getting used to Costa Rica. Pura Vida is a way of life.

Packing: (SEP-DEC) Clothing – San Jose is damp, Caribbean is humid. Generally pack for AZ winter (sweater in the am, tank top after noon). jeans are good most nights, but cargos/breathable fabrics are better. Bring comfy shoes for walking!!!! Umbrella and waterproof purse/backpack are the best investments EVER. Sun screen and Bug Spray only needed outside of San Jose. Bring Peanut butter. It’s super expensive there, so bring some. You’ll miss it. Trust me.

Safety: Petty theft is a problem in Latin America, but nothing much worse than that. You probably don’t look Tico/Tica… so just be AWARE and be smart… Taxis are expensive BUT DO IT!! People I knew got robbed after dark! Get friends together and split it. Be cautious – roads are ridiculous and J-Walking is common law.
Food: Try the food!!!! Seriously!!! Pan integral with guyabana jelly. And ceviche – with enough hot sauce and mayo to turn it pink. So. Good. Gallo Pinto and Arroz con Pollo are obvious traditional favorites.

The Homestay Experience: It's fantastic. My "Mama Tica" was a wonderful woman (and an even better chef!), I really felt like a part of the family while I was there. She went out of her way to help me, and always had suggestions for things to do out on the town. I've studied Spanish for a long time, so I didn't struggle with that too much, but she worked with the other student who stayed with us(who had less Spanish) really well too.

Travel Advice: You’ll have enough time on busses to do homework (So don’t worry about it! ¡Pura Vida, Mae! :P) In addition to the ISA trips, be sure to hit the following: (1) Puerto Viejo, Limon on the Caribbean side for surfing and snorkeling – chill little surfer town (2) Playa Hermosa for shorter trips. It’s the closest NICE beach to San José. Just south of Jacó, which is really popular for some reason I don’t understand – it has painful rock beaches and dangerous surfing… (3) Montezuma for absolutely beautiful nature!! Waterfalls, forest – it’s surreal. (4) Chirrpó for a really cool & challenging hike – it’s one of the highest (if not THE highest) mountain in CR… (5) Also, try to hit one of the community-based ecotourism groups while you’re there. Ecotourism is HUGE in Costa Rica and this is the purest form! (I did field research on efficacy of ecotourism groups while I was there.)

General Advice: Yes, you’ll miss people back home, but don’t let it get in the way. Skype is FANTASTIC, but you shouldn’t be hooked up 24/7. That being said - live it up! Learn as much as you can, try as many things as you can, make as many friends as you can… Don’t pass up an opportunity; you might not get to go back.

International Studies Abroad does a wonderful job with every aspect of your study abroad experience. I was very surprised with how helpful they are. Not only are the staff in your study abroad country, but the staff in the Austin headquarters are always available and eager to help.

The program does a great job with placing students in excellent homes. I absolutely adore my host mother. She only speaks French but she is works with me on the language barrier is very manageable. She is also a wonderful cook. I also get along really well with my ISA roommate. ISA really takes into consideration what your profile says.

ISA does a great job with working with the Universities in France. I go to the Catholic University in Paris and I have had no problems.The academics are enough of a challenge but I do not feel like I am drowning in work either.

Now, to the important stuff; excursions. ISA makes sure you have a good time. I have gone to Normandy, Mont Saint Michele, an apple cider house, a football(soccer) game, Versailles and the Opera! We still have a trip to the Loire Valley next week. On top of all that I am living in Paris and have ample opportunities for fun. ISA gave each of us a pass to the Louvre and I am able to get in for free any time I want.

The best part of ISA is that I have never felt alone. Everyone experiences home-sickness but I always know there will be someone to talk to. If anything happens to me I have full faith in ISA.I know that they have my best interest at heart.