WorldStrides Reviews

When I set out to find the perfect study abroad program, I had no idea that I would end up in Chiang Mai Thailand. I found The Education Abroad Network through my Study Abroad office and fell in love with the program. Five months in the cultural capital of Thailand, a Thai-orientation in Bangkok before classes start, three week-long excursions to the villages and ancient kingdoms of Thailand, all for half the price of any program in Europe! From application to my first international flight landing in Bangkok, I was guided every step of the way by the lovely staff of the Education Abroad Network who became family to us.

Although Thailand was my first time out of the US, I am convinced it is one of the most beautiful countries in the world! The mountainous landscape, beaches, and remote villages were breathtaking. Our classes greatly enhanced our experience in such a foreign country and helped us understand the culture on a deeper level. I was anxious about taking a Thai language class, but it turned out to be one of the funest classes! We were able to communicate with locals and order our own food.

When we weren’t in class we were exploring waterfalls, temples, and markets in the “Old City” with our Thai roommates and friends from all over the world. Chiang Mai is rich in culture and the people are so beautiful and welcoming. The local Education Abroad Network staff became our Thai family that took us on trips and volunteering at orphanages and teaching English at Monk schools. Having such a supportive staff with the Education Abroad Network comforted both my parents and I. Education Abroad Network is an amazing program, weather your looking to study in Asia or like me never imagined it! Also, Spring semester is when Songkran, the Thai New Year is held. Be there!

My experience with AustraLearn's program at Victoria University of Wellington was simply amazing. I had unbelievable support from the staff at AustraLearn, the housing staff at Stafford House and from my professors and fellow students! My roommates were spectacular and incredibly nice and welcoming. Actually that can be said about everyone I met in New Zealand. They are very wonderful people and are more than willing to make sure you have a great experience. The capital city, Wellington, is the greatest little city on the planet. It has everything you need within reach and has amazing public transportation systems. Seriously, the bus system is fantastic, and if you need to get somewhere right away, cabs are always around. Waking up for class in the morning and walking up to campus was quick and convenient. The campus can be tricky to navigate, but once you locate your buildings for class, exploring is a blast. Finding little study nooks and hidden gardens makes the campus especially wonderful. With coffee shops and restaurants on every corner, you will never have to go far for an amazing meal, or just a quick snack. When you walk around the city, you wont want to blink. Interesting architecture, street art, and fun people are everywhere, especially on Cuba street. If you are a fan of nightlife, Wellington is your place. Visit Courtney Place for a great club experience, some house music and dubstep, or go to a calm relaxing sitting room bar like "The Library." Wellington even has a great beach and great wharf activities on the waterfront. All in all, Wellington is a place I called home right away, because it felt that way immediately, and I can't wait to go back!

Before I arrived in Australia, my Austra Learn counselor was extremely helpful and qualified, sending out reminders, keeping in check with due dates, and assisting me with any and all questions that I had in the process. I would highly recommend this program provider to anyone interested in a study abroad experience in Australia. After settling in for a good number of weeks, I have become comfortable with attending classes, working a job at a local pub, hanging out with friends I've met here, and enjoying the exploration of the cities around me. I can't compare this experience to anything else in my life thus far. It is completely refreshing, unique, and remarkable in so many respects. I feel very lucky to have a full set of teachers who are inspiring and cooperative, and a campus that's accommodating and friendly. I would recommend this experience to anyone who is adventurous and looking for new perspective.

In the heart of Korea, Seoul, there is life and youth in the air. With many cheap transportation available from early in the morning to midnight, there is always a time to explore. Even though Seoul has many famous places, my favorite place is MyeongDong.

Couple of friends and I made plans to go on a date to MyeongDong on the weekends. First, we encountered the crowded streets full of people and street vendors. The street vendors sold variety of items from umbrella, food, shoes, clothes, and so on. Also from individual stores to brand-named stores, the streets were many things to do and look at. There was places like the karaokes, where we sang our favorite K-pop songs for an hour or so, and places like the sticker picture stores, where we made cute and funny poses to capture our fun day into a sticker. Then, after all the shopping, singing, and picture taking, we went on to find a place to eat. From traditional Korean food to fusion and foods from other countries, there was a long list to choose from. However, even with the long list, we all agreed to eat the famous Korean street food called duk-bo-ki; a Korean dish made from rice cake and red pepper paste. It was delicious with the sweet and spicy flavors from the sauce and the chewy and soft textures from the rice cake.

I can never forget that date, because of all the things we have done in such a short amount of time. We sang, we shopped, and we ate. It was a full course event of nonstop fun. I really enjoyed my stay in Korea.

The decision to study abroad in Australia was an easy one for me. I have always wanted to travel the world and immerse myself other cultures. Luckily, I was able to achieve this through AustraLearn's study abroad program at the University of Queensland.

Extremely nervous at the start of my trip, I gathered my bags and headed out on my flight to Los Angeles. My nerves calmed as I entered the LAX International terminal and met the other AustraLearn students that I would spend the next five months with. The atmosphere was great - everyone was so excited to start this adventure.

Once we arrived in Australia, we had a five day AustraLearn orientation in Cairns filled with tourist attractions (Seeing Koalas and Kangaroos, diving on the Great Barrier Reef, exploring rainforests) and helpful lecture sessions on how to be live the Australian life.

Following a quick and busy five days, it was off to Brisbane, my new home. Immediately, I fell in love with my new city. My housing arrangements set up by AustraLearn were incredible. Steps away from the Street Beach, public transportation, shops, restaurants, nightlife, and most importantly, a 15 minutes bus ride away from my new school, The University of Queensland.

Although the schooling system at UQ was different than in America, it was easy to adjust. I ended up taking several science classes that offered various field trips, (Fraser Island, Brisbane Forest Park, The Australia Zoo) allowing me to travel and see destinations I might have otherwise missed. Basically, the university of Queensland exceeded my expectations. From the numerous libraries at your disposal, to the ace teaching staff, to the numerous student organizations, there was always something to do and someone new to meet.

Studying abroad in Australia was the decision I ever made. Hopefully one day I can make it back to what I consider my second home.

I love my semester abroad. My school is challenging because the way things are done are different than back home and the material is challenging as well. There are a ton of things to do - my dorm hall has several events each week and there are interhall events as well. Transportation is easy and cheap; you can go to the coast every weekend if you wanted. Would definitely come back.

Study abroad was the best experience of my life. With TEAN’s specific focus and its knowledgeable staff, it is no wonder students have the time of their life. TEAN prides itself on answering prospective students’ questions as well as getting to know its applicants. When arriving in Australia, multiple TEAN representatives went around to the students to put a face to the name and to make sure everything was to their expectations.

In addition to TEAN’s personal touch, the organization also provides orientation, housing, and optional mid-semester trips. The orientation I experienced was priceless. Studying abroad in Australia, TEAN took its students to Sydney to stay in a breathtaking hotel with about ninety floors. TEAN’s tour guide was a native to Sydney, so he was able to give us the secrets to the city in addition to the well-known facts. During orientation, we went on a walking tour, petted koalas and kangaroos at the zoo, climbed the Sydney Harbour Bridge, and ate dinner on a harbour cruise, along with much more. The entire orientation, all the students could not stop smiling.

Adapting to a new country and culture can be difficult. Having housing already taken care of, was a large burden off many students shoulders. The accommodations available were more than satisfactory and were located in excellent places. Once we were all moved in, our housing representative would frequently keep in contact with us to make sure that everything met our needs and to inform us of the upcoming events occurring in our area.

I personally have been extremely satisfied with TEAN. TEAN has excellent relations with many different places, making study abroad experiences very personal and unique. Their sensitivity to students needs as well as their wealth of knowledge, made me feel confident that if I needed anything, TEAN could help me out. I enjoyed my trip so much that I am actually applying for my Master’s Degree back in Brisbane at University of Queensland through TEAN. Based on my trip, I would recommend TEAN to anyone considering to study abroad in those areas.

Fiji will challenge your every expectation. Living here is similar to living in a dream world where everything is turned upside down but only in the best of ways. Here in Fiji you want to do chores and get food at the local fresh fruit markets.

Classes are fun and sometimes even silly when the teachers make jokes about their subjects during class. When writing papers keep in mind that some teachers may want essays to be written in British english.

Public transportation is defiantly the way to go in Fiji. Buses can take you all over the island of Viti Levu (meaning Big Island) even to resorts that you can visit on weekends. The buses either play movies or music during the ride.

All resorts can be quite cheap for students especially if you talk to the study abroad office. I would recommend going with a group of friends no matter where you go because that makes the experience a million times more fun!

The best food you can eat in fiji is locally made food. Lovo is a traditional meal that is cooked in the ground. If you get a chance try to help cook one its an experience you'll cherish forever. Kokoda is a fish dish usually served in a coconut shell and is my favorite dish. Also keep in mind that there are many indians in fiji as well and Indian food in fiji is amazingly delicious! Indian food has the best deserts in town and the best indian deserts are surved in carts on the streets.

If you are lucky enough to take place in a kava ceremony (which is likely when you are in fiji) then there are some things that are necessary to know. The first dish of kava given to you should be taken or it will be seen as an insult. Then there are two ways to take kava either high tide or low tide. Always do your best to take kava in one go. When my friend first tried kava she tried to refuse her second cup and the guy just looked at her and handed it to her anyway saying: Please.

Fijians are a very social bunch and they fill the night clubs on the weekends. When you are out there is fijian way to share drinks. We call it Take (pronounced Ta-Kee). One person will get a jug of either Tribe (delicious) or fiji gold or fiji bitter and a glass. They will pour the glass and hand it to their friends one at a time. This goes on until the jug is gone.

When you go shopping for souvenirs make sure that you make it clear you are a student at USP. You will get great deals!

One thing I wish I brought with me is cheese. This is one thing that you cannot get cheaply in Fiji and the one thing everyone here misses! For instance you can get a block of chee

All in all I cannot imagine studying in a more amazing place. Being here is surreal. After a month I decided to stay for as long as I possibly could. Come to Fiji and find your adventure!

As a research university, UQ offers some pretty neat topics. I chose UQ to be a part of the world-leading hypersonics research and it's been a great experience! The people of Queensland are very welcoming and lovely, always there to offer assistance if you're lost or just to say hi! Outside of school, there are enough activities to keep you busy for quite some time! My program was 10 months and I'm already dreading leaving and wondering why I chose such a quick program. In my time here, I've been to the Great Barrier Reef, Whitsunday Islands, Surfers Paradise, Sunshine Coast, Lamington National Forest...saw some glow worms, plenty of kangaroo, and can't get enough of the koalas. Don't be afraid of the spiders - they eat the pesky gnats ;) I'd suggest this place to anyone looking to further studies, especially in UQ's research backgrounds! Cheers! And thank you, Australearn, for making my first study-abroad program so easy :)

When I decided I wanted to apply to veterinary schools abroad rather than at home I knew I had a big task in front of me. I did a lot of research into schools that were accredited in the US (a very small group)and ended up settling on Murdoch University in Perth Australia. Having studied abroad for a year in Sweden while doing my undergraduate degree, I knew I wanted to spend my veterinary school years in a location I would really enjoy. In my research I found the program Australearn and decided to use them to facilitate my application to Murdoch. I'm very glad I made that decision. They weren't just a website full of application tools, which would have been helpful enough. I got a lot of personal, one-on-one help from the staff via both email and phone calls. They made sure I had all my application materials, collated them all together, and sent them off to Australia for me. Best of all, they didn't charge me anything for all the help they gave me.

Finding out I got into Murdoch was one of the best days of my life. Anyone applying to veterinary school knows how incredibly hard it is to get in and how much work you have to go through to be a competitive candidate. Australearn was very helpful in getting me prepared for the trip over. I've been here almost two months now and I love it. I'm going to be here for five years so my experience is different then those who are looking for just a semester abroad. I've been impressed with the friendliness of the people, the academic rigor of the school, and the help I've gotten from all the staff at Murdoch. Moving overseas for so many years is a daunting task but at every step I knew I'd have someone to ask for help, whether they were at Australearn or at Murdoch.

As for life here in Perth, it's pretty great. Perth is a lovely small city and Murdoch is set just south of it. It's a quiet place and if I had perhaps one complaint it would be that the night life and social scene is a little less extensive than I'm used to. There are on-campus events for new students that create opportunities to meet people and it's easy to meet people in classes (everyone is super friendly so far). Just a few miles away is Fremantle which has all the trappings of a relaxed beach suburb and is apparently a good place to learn to surf. We're in the middle of winter now but it's still sunny and warm every day and yet the locals still complain about the weather. I'd like to take them all to New York in December so they can see how amazingly good they have it. Many items here are substantially more expensive than they were in the states, especially food. The upshot is that if you decide to get a part time job, the minimum wage is very high (work at McDonalds? $17/hour!). Unlike a lot of universities in Australia, Murdoch does have dorm-style housing on campus. I ended up deciding to live in a house near campus instead with some other university students, but the dorms are comfortable and are filled with a mix of international and local students. Public transportation is ok but not great. The trains are very nice but only go to limited areas while the buses can be a challenge if you rely on them to get everywhere. Luckily there are plenty of rental units around Murdoch in walking or biking distance to class, and lots of bike trails.

The academics are challenging but manageable. I'm happy to say that the rigor is on the level of what I experienced in the US as an undergraduate but the support system of the university is more extensive. Every class has a "tutorial" every week which is somewhat similar to getting help during office hours from your professor if you're at an American university. But it's built in so it's easier to keep up with the work. The veterinary school is a tight knit group and there is a farm on campus so everything you need is within walking distance.

So for those of you looking into getting a degree of any kind in Australia rather than at home, I would recommend Murdoch. It's been a big change for me but I really like it here and I can see myself getting very attached to this lovely country.