WorldStrides Reviews

One of the best decisions of my life thus far seems to be my study abroad experience in Gold Coast, Australia. I attended Griffith University and lived in off campus apartments that overlooked the beach and beautiful coast line.

Upon my return home, many asked what my favorite part about studying abroad and to be honest, I could not pick one thing that was my absolute favorite. I did so many things, saw so many places and met so many amazing people.

I decided to choose the Education Abroad Network to travel abroad with from the beginning. They seemed to have the most amount of activities and support for the best dollar value. Overall, yes the trip was expensive, but I wouldn't have changed any bit of it.

Our program started with a 5 day orientation to Sydney, Australia. Here we climbed the Sydney Harbour Bridge, fed kangaroos and ate dinner aboard a cruise ship along the Sydney Harbour. We watched fireworks after dinner and soaked in the evening breeze.

Next, we were offered a trip to Cairns and of course, I decided to experience the trip. We flew from Sydney to Cairns for 5 more days of fun. We went white water rafting, bungee jumping and scuba dived along the Great Barrier Reef. I was only in Australia for less than two weeks and I had already seen one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the world. I had no idea what was in store for the next 4.5 months.

We finally ended up in Gold Coast, Australia and moved into our on campus apartments. The bus ride to class about 30 minutes, but I enjoyed the time to myself to listen to the music or read while listening to locals talk about their everyday lives. I took 4 classes, all of which had over 50% of Australians in them. I had two group projects where I had to work with locals and got to know each of them personally. It was great to be welcomed into their Uni (what they call a University there).

My apartment was completely furnished, including kitchen ware and linens. It was two bedroom, two bath and I shared a room with one of my roommates. We lived around travelers from all over and sometimes locals. The living was absolutely 5 star.

While there, we travled as much as possible. We rented a car and road tripped to a place called Byron Bay and Nimbin. Then we planned a week trip to Melbourne and Alice Springs, where yet again we saw another Natural Wonder of the World, Uluru. Everything we saw and did was amazing.

There were plenty of things I could not experience simply because I ran out of time! I continually ask myself, when can I go back?

The Education Abroad Network was great through every experience abroad. They were never more than a phone call or text message away. One particular experience happened when I arrived in Sydney. My luggage was lost and I was on the verge of a nervous break down. My director took my paper work from the airport and took care of everything. I didn't have to sign one form, or talk to one representative. He had my luggage waiting for me at our hotel when it arrived in Australia. It was such a relief knowing he was there to help me during a time of high stress.

Overall, my experience was a chance of a lifetime and I wouldn't have changed a thing. If you have questions, please feel free to contact me! I love talking about my time abroad and if you go, you will too!

Alright well I do not even know were to start..I might cry writing this. This was an experience of a lifetime. I will never forget all the memories I made during my semester abroad.

First off, Bond University was so incredibly beautiful. The classes were extremely interesting and the professors were so friendly and nice. Living in the beach housing was a dream. It is about a 20 minute bus ride from Uni but a two minute walk from the beach. Everyone who worked at the Meriton were courteous and accommodating. It was a real treat. Broad Beach was such a nice town.

The Beach Hotel Bar directly next door to the Meriton had live music all the time, happy hour from 4-6. We would go to the beach all day then go there at 4 for an early pre game. Monday nights were low key, across the street at the casino was always an option. A few kids I knew won like $1500 so you never know. Tuesday nights were the nights to go to Bond. It'll be all Bond Uni kids so it was fun to meet everyone outside of class. CBD was the bar to be at. There's also a bar inside the casino called Prince Albert's thats a blast on tuesdays. There it was mostly locals which was fun to meet.

Wednesday Nights were another low key night. Usually we would just rest up for the weekend. Thursday Nights Bond had a ton of parties/ pub crawls the start at the bar on campus called Don's Tavern. If somethings going on there, definitely buy tickets and go. If there's nothing, clubs in surfers, or broad beach. Friday and Saturday night go to clubs in surfers (the drink, bedroom, beer garden, sin city, Melbas, Cocktail and dreams, shooters, ruby tramp. Or in broad beach thats literally a 1 minute walk from the meriton.. East night club was a blast for ladies night, and platinum night club was packed on Saturdays. There are usually Bond Uni events at platinum so there's not cover for students and free drinks. Sunday Surprisingly one of the biggest drinking days of the week. Go to Fish-O's in surfers during the day.. there are always a ton of DJs, the place is huge, and its right in the harbor which is really pretty.

By the way.. the Kebab stand below East is the most delicious thing I have ever eaten. I literally crave them all the time and had two a day way to many times. It was open late which is very convenient. Doner kebab with hot chile and garlic sauces is the way to go.

We went on a trip to the Whitsunday Islands (the sand is 99% silicon, and you sail throughout them. We went scuba diving in the Great Barrier Reef! Finally, we went to New Zealand to Queenstown. It was only a $20 plane ticket to stop over so a group of us went. Definitely the greatest "vacation" inside a vacation i've ever been on. Queenstown is the coolest town I've ever been to... absolutely beautiful. Thats were we went bungy jumping, it was the second largest in the world called the Nevis Bungy. You can do so many things there. Queenstown is like an adrenaline junky town with people from all over the world coming in a out.. seriously from everywhere. People come and find jobs to work for like months at a time then travel somewhere else. Fergburger is open till like 5am and there are always lines, but the best burger I've ever had and I think it is voted best burger in the country! Definitely go to franz joseph or fox glacier and climb it. We got rained out but I know people who went were not disappointed.

Last but not least we went to Sydney for our orientation. Sydney is amazing. You stay in the World Tower on like the 86th floor which is the tallest building in Sydney. The apartments are like 1.3 million dollar places.. they are unbelievable. Don's miss any of the activities you do in Sydney.. like the zoo, tour, and absailing (repelling), and the dinner cruise on the Harbor Bridge. The good places to go are like bondi beach, manly beach, and Circular Quey. The Sydney Gestival was there when we were which is insane!! There were tons of stages, performances, DJs, everything for a whole night.

One of my favorite things I did was go to the Currumbin Rain Forest. It was a natural, open habitat for animals. I held a Koala and sat with kangaroos in the grass! Brisbane was also a cool city and close. The Robina rail was really cheap for students and you can use your transit bus pass. It only takes like an hour to the city or you can go directly to the airport.

Byron Bay was were Bond did a sky diving event. Once in a lifetime opportunity. Byron Bay is a pretty neat town it was a good day trip.

We also made it to Melbourne, it was colder there so a change of weather and an artsy city.

I'm sure this review was all over the place but I wrote what came to mind as I thought back on my experience.

Good luck mates,
Your Tour Guide Leslie

There were definitely pros and cons to attending this program.

Cons:
• It was a little far from the center of Sydney, but there was excellent transportation
• Housing- Not a lot a Australians live in the Village. I went in hoping to live with people from other countries, but lived with Americans. They also completely ignored everyones housing requests, ie I asked to live with all girls, they put me in a house with two guys. Also the maintenance isn't good at all. However the housing is spacious and once you get over that it isn't the most glamorous of housing it really is a super fun place to live.

Pros:
• Great public transportation. With a train station on campus and busses going everywhere getting around is easy!
• Social scene. It's pretty easy to get involved on campus and meet people. I met my best Australian friends through the clubs on campus.
• Lifelong bonds. I can honestly say I got the closest I have ever been to my friends while abroad. Going through an experience like that together really bonds people and I know that I now have made lifelong friends.
• The city of Sydney! The city itself is massive, there is always something new to do or somewhere new to explore. The city is simply amazing.
• Airfare is cheap within the country! As amazing as Sydney is, you should make sure to travel while in the country. With convenient transportation to and from the airport and cheap airfare prices Sydney is a great place to study at if you want ot be able to travel too.

During my Junior year at Colorado State University, I was fortunate enough to take a break from the chilly January temperatures in Fort Collins, Colorado and venture halfway across the world to the Gold Coast of Queensland, Australia.

Shortly after the new year I took a long, but much awaited plane ride across the international date line to a whole different world. Through the Education Abroad Network I immediately bonded with other students in my program starting in the airport in San Fransisco. Once we arrived in Sydney for orientation the bonding and excitement had more than just began. Orientation in the beautiful city of Sydney included guided walking tours around the city, visiting an animal park with native Australian animals, a trip to the Blue Mountains, and a dinner cruise around Sydney Harbor including amazing views of the harbor bridge and opera house.

Although orientation was a great way to be welcomed into the country, I was excited to get to my housing accommodations on the Gold Coast. Upon arrival in Broadbeach I was introduced to the Meriton Hotel where I would be living for the next 4 months. It was better than I could have imagined: 2 blocks from the beach and living in a four star hotel that was completely furnished and boasted an amazing indoor/outdoor pool, full time front desk service, as well as a gym. Living in the Meriton required a 25 minute bus ride to the Bond University campus but was in close proximity to the beach, two shopping malls, grocery stores, restaurants, etc.

The Bond campus is absolutely breathtaking with beautiful planters, glorious fountains, and school facilities that would amaze anyone. The semester I spent at Bond was something I will never forget. From the school organized parties, to my warm and welcoming professors, as well as my Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday school schedule that made traveling during my semester abroad much easier.

I would recommend studying at Bond through The Education Abroad Network to anyone.

My summer in Beppu was an unforgettable experience. The program is only 8 weeks long, but it was more than enough time to learn the beautiful language, befriend students and locals, and experience a new culture.

The program emphasizes intensive Japanese language classes with twelve 95 minute class sessions each week. Although this sounds daunting, it was actually quite feasible. Class levels are split into four groups depending on your language proficiency, and the individual class sizes are small enough that the teachers can assess your progress better. The teachers themselves are amazing. We spent as much time laughing as we did learning.

Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University (APU) is unique because it is composed of so many international students. Sometimes it may seem difficult to practice the language skills you are learning, but the program does assign you an APU buddy to provide support and a friend with whom you can practice. There are also your dorm-mates! We lived in the dorm buildings, which made it very convenient to get to classes. If you hang around the lounge, there's always someone new to meet.

And as with any university, you're more guaranteed to make friends when you become involved in the student organizations, or 'circles.' Don't be afraid to check them out in the beginning!

It is also possible to practice Japanese within downtown Beppu as you shop or explore the night scene. The locals are quite accustomed to foreigners thanks to the university, and everyone I met was welcoming and so polite even when I accidentally annihilated their language. Going downtown takes about 30-40 minutes by bus, and trips can become expensive. Buy the triple tickets to save money!

Most of my language skills were put to practice just to eat though. Food can be purchased at the university cafeteria, where you can select from Japanese, Western, or the current week's ethnic selection; the co-op, which functions like a convenience store; nearby supermarkets if you'd prefer cooking your own meals (there are kitchens in the dorms); and of course, restaurants. Japanese ramen- not the instant you survive on in college- is delicious and addicting. And cheap!

Aside from language study, the program will provide cultural experiences as well. We had a weekend trip in Nagasaki, learned about calligraphy and the tea ceremony, and spent a weekend in the rural community with a host family. I enjoyed every minute of these activities. Your appreciation of the people, their history, and their lively culture grows exponentially each time.

If I could do anything differently, it would have been to check the weather conditions. The program pamphlet will warn you that June is the rainy season, and it wasn't kidding. Bring a sturdy umbrella! And remember that this is island weather: it will be hot and humid. Pack accordingly!

In the end, I wish I had more than 8 weeks. I would go back in a heartbeat.

Coral Bay Marine Biology is a summer shortcourse lasting three weeks where youo spend one week in class for lectures and the next two weeks at a field camp. You get tons of hands on experience at the field camp, meet the locals, absorb the culture and lifestyle of Western Australia, and see the most amazing wildlife. A typical day while on-site in Coral Bay includes a trip to the research station, then head out to spend all day snorkeling the fringing reef doing research and collecting samples. Either way, you are on the water all day enjoying the sunshine and the views!!! Instructors were always close by if students had questions but allowed the students to discover and learn on their own. Also, instructors really tried to get to know all the participants and spent all the free time with the groups of students too! By the end of the course, expect to have a very tight-knit group of people. If you are into the outdoors, then Coral Bay is the course for you because this program allows you to get the full outback experience. Sleeping in tents, salt water showers, continually in and out of the water, eating/cooking outside, lots of walking from site to site, and moonlighting on the beach are all part of this awesome experience. Don't forget about seeing all kinds of amazing fish, sea turtles, dolphins, reef sharks, whales, manta rays, sting rays, jellyfish, starfish, tiger sharks, dugongs, coral, kangaroos, wallabies and koalas to name a few! Be prepared to learn a lot; everything from the widespread effects of global warming to the discovery of what "goon" really is.

Studying abroad was the best decision I’ve made; the experiences I’ve had have been life changing. They have been by far the best experience in my entire life. These encounters would not have occurred if it weren’t for The Education Abroad Network (TEAN). From the beginning when I was first planning my trip all the way till the end when I was transferring my classes back TEAN has provided me with great assistance to make the transformation smooth and easy. TEAN was willing to work with me when I choose to study abroad a little later than everyone else. Many programs wouldn’t work with me since I was past their deadlines but TEAN told me if I was willing to get everything in as soon as possible they would be willing to work with me as well. TEAN treats everyone as a person, not as a number. They look at everyone’s situation and are willing to help each and every person out because they know how wonderful studying abroad truly is.

To start my abroad experience I took the TEAN pre-trip to Fiji. This pre-trip provided us with the opportunity to get to know everyone studying in New Zealand. So many programs just had orientation with all students from one city so they didn’t get to meet people studying in different places. This provided us with long-lasting friendships that continued as our experience progressed. We were able to meet up with people as we traveled to and from cities. This provided us with good recommendations from people in the area and even couches and floors to sleep on!

After getting to New Zealand TEAN continued to care for me and make sure everyone was adjusting well and enjoying their experience. They did a great job of continuing to keep in touch and offering activities and advice for people seeking them. Once I left the wonderful country of NZ TEAN didn’t just stop there. They are continuing to make sure that my classes have returned back in Marietta College just fine.

I can’t thank TEAN enough for providing me with the opportunity to study abroad.

Things I found from AustraLearn.

• The first week orientation in Cairns was awesome.
• AustraLearn overcharges you for housing. Housing prices are also very expensive as it is, but you can avoid all these prices if you come to the school through an exchange program instead.
• If you live in Sydney University Village, expect to meet mostly Americans, the Australian students mostly live in on campus villages or elsewhere.
• Once you get to Australia and into the school, you don't really need the study abroad program. In fact you have little to no contact with them again.

That being said Sydney is a beautiful city, and the university is amazing. This is a great experience and a lot of fun. But I would suggest that this same experience would have been possible for a lot less money out of the pocket.

The Sporting Industry program through University of Canberra took us all over the country; Melbourne to Canberra to Cairns. It allowed us to see large amounts of Australia and participate in activities that we wouldn't be able to do on our own. My favorite example of this would was our time spent at the Australian Institute of Sport where we got to hang out and learn from the elite athletes. The program offered both and educational and recreational side to it and provided the best of both worlds. I learned a lot for my research project, about the sporting industry and was still about to experience all the tourist highlights (white water rafting, snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef, etc...)

Great university. Easy to access many different areas on the south island. Friendly people. Most people only take 3 classes, but I took 4. The workload, especially mine with no classes on Friday's, allows weekend trips and being able to take part in many different campus activities. The mentor program helps with finding someone that knows the area. The hardest part was being homesick. But it's worth it. Definitely recommend it!