WorldStrides Reviews

With Australearn help applying for studying abroad, finding accommodation, and classes was very easy. I would definitely recommend the culture and adventure program. This was a great way to learn about the Maori Culture and visit several places around New Zealand. Also, they had great leaders who were there to answer any of the questions you have about the country.

Overall, I had a great time in Chengdu! I love the city and the people I met during the program really made the trip amazing. I would go back to China in a heartbeat, maybe a few different cities, but I can see myself spending more time learning the language possibly working there.

Best parts about this program:
The friends I made (cheesy I know, but they are amazing people).
The food! Oh my god, Sichuan food and Chinese food in general is the greatest in the world, and I am severely craving ShanDong jian bing!
Lui Ming. I hope he continues to teach the program in further years. He was the professor for some of the cultural classes, and he was the most honest and honorable professor.
Night life. The campus is ridiculously close to bar street, and little bar street so it makes the weekends super fun - definitely stop and get street skewers and play with a monkey on your way back.
Our Mandarin professor. Honestly dont know her name, we had a rough start, but by the end of the program that class was my favorite!
Cost of living. You can live like a king in China for really cheap! Im pretty sure on the of guys that went actually only spent like $400 while he was over there. (I may have broken the bank a little bit more haha)
The 'Tibetan' village trip. Absolutely a great time!

Worst parts about this program:
Some of the random lectures, i.e. environmental issues, international business. These were long, circular lectures. Most of us walked away from these wondering why we sat through it. Most had NOTHING to do with China.
Dawn, the university rep. She wasnt the nicest person in the world and didnt always tell us everything. She also might have copped an attitude with us a few times.
The misleading information given to us when we signed up. You dont stay in a university dorm, you stay in a hotel on campus. You dont go to a Tibetan village, you go to a BaiMa village, etc.
The weather. Okay this isnt really the worst thing about the program, but I definitely wasnt the most prepared for Chengdu weather. It rained A LOT, and it was super humid. I am not used to humidity at all so it took quite a while to get used to.

About the Tibetan village trip: This was one of the best nights I had during the entire trip. Sucked that we spent something like 11 hours getting there (7 hours driving, then the rest was lunch and stops because there was construction cramping our style and causing rock slides in the road) but only 14 hours, including sleep time, at the actual village. We danced with locals and had a goat roast and overall it was a great time. Unfortunately, we did not go to a Tibetan village. We went to a BaiMa village. They are not Tibetan. I don't know why AsiaLearn advertises it as Tibetan, and I don't know why the university representative led us to believe they were Tibetan until so close to the actual trip. Sometimes they can be grouped with ethnic Tibetans because they are a minority group but they do not even practice Tibetan Buddhism, but rather BaiMa. A person in my group even asked our Tibetan studies professor if they were Tibetan and he just said, "They don't think so."

I think everyone that did this summer program was let down. We felt a lot of the activities were falsely advertised. A couple of quick examples: One weekend the University representative explained the weekend would include a trip to the Leshan Giant Buddha, then an hour drive to Mount Emei, where we would stay on the mountain in a monastery and wake up the next day at 4am to watch monks chanting. After we would continue up the mountain to the giat golden Buddha. Unfortunately, we were misled. We stayed in Emei Shan City, which is not on the mountain at all, we stayed at a local hotel then walked to the monastery at 4am, where we all felt very intrusive walking around while the monks prepared the chant. We stayed for only about 20 min...

I dont want to discourage anyone from doing this, I just want them to know that the program was a little different than what we were led to believe. I had a great time. The city is a lot of fun and Chinese are really welcoming of Americans. Chinese students always want to hang out and practice their English and older people get a kick out of it if you arent Chinese. As far as safety goes, China is safest country I have been to. Cab drivers are extremely honest, and actually everyone is extremely honest when it comes to money. That doesnt mean people wont try and over charge you for a souvenir, but it does mean they will always give you your change. At night, I felt just as safe as during the daylight.

China is an amazing country that is rich in history and culture. It is beautiful in its own way and I would love to go back and travel more. Especially since that means I can eat more of my favorite foods like Beijing duck.

I studied at UQ in Brisbane with TEAN and lived in St. Lucia in an apartment they provided with 3 other roommates. Brisbane was great! There's a million little towns within this city each offering different unique qualities for all personalities to to explore! UQ is a great school with the impression of classic prestigious buildings on a gorgeous plot of land that instantly impresses you! There's a wide variety of classes available and I definitely suggest taking something specific to Australia whether it be the generic "all study abroad student" history course or something more specific that applies to your interest. For me having this insight on some of the history and makings of Australia helped me understand how it became what it is today! The CityCat ferry is a unique and awesome mode of transportation and a MUST for anyone staying in Brisbane to try out! Brisbane is often looked down on as a smaller, less urban city of Australia but personally I loved everything it had to offer! And its location is ideal for weekend (or weekday!) trips to the gold or sunshine coasts which are so easy to get to by train for only like $4 AUD! Make friends at the amazing TEAN orientations and pre-semester trips (definitely sign up for one it's beyond worth it!) so you have a place to crash and you'll be set! Biggest issue in Brisbane is getting to all the little alcoves and making sure you get to see everything it has to offer! One MUST DO activity is getting up Mt Coot-tha and seeing the amazing view of Brisbane and it's suburbs! TEAN does a good job at organizing everything before you show up so you don't have to worry about enrolling at Uni or getting the credits transferred back!

When I left my hometown to experience a new culture and country I never felt scared or worried about how I would settle once I arrived. The AustraLearn Program made me feel at home before I even left the States. By having a group flight leave to Australia from Los Angeles, I immediately met students from all over the country who were ready for the adventure like me. I was able to share my thoughts, dreams, and goals with the people who were feeling the same way.

Of course when you first think of Australia, the first things that pop into most peoples minds are kangaroos, the Great Barrier Reef, and adventure. The support staff was there 110% and I was able to understand exactly what I was going to expect during my first week at Orientation in Cairns, Queensland. With the help of AustraLearn, I was able to do all the typical tourist “Aussie” things within my first 5 days of being there! By having orientation in a different place than our planned city, I was able to experience a different part of Australia that I would have had to travel to on a different date. The first week was full of adventure including a day trip to snorkel/dive the Great Barrier Reef, pet Kangaroos, view the Rainforest at Rainforest Station, and I even was able to give back to the land by spending an afternoon replenishing trees in the tropics.

Once the week of Orientation was said and done, we were finally flown to our new homes for the semester. I instantly fell in love with my new apartment in an area in Brisbane known as South Bank. I lived with a few American students from my program, which made the transition to life in Australia much easier. I was a half a block away from all the city transportation which made my journey to school quite easy every day. The 109 Bus took a 15 min ride right into the University of Queensland, the most beautiful campus in all seasons.

My schooling was different than the American system but I loved it just the same. The campus is quite large but the Great Court is absolutely stunning. When I arrived on campus I immediately felt at home. There was always something to do and there are so many student run groups that no matter what your hobby is, UQ will welcome you with open arms. My biggest regret of studying abroad? Not doing it for a full year. When my time was up, I wasn’t ready to leave. The city, the schooling, the people. They were fantastic and I wouldn’t change a thing.

I worked with David Grove through AsiaLearn. I was treated with so much respect, and he helped me with every little detail and problem I had. I am glad I choose them.

The classes at UoA are not much different than my home uni. I have 2 difficult ones and 2 easier ones. Support can be hard to find due to the number of students, but if you put in the effort you can get help. The living situation could be better. They could try to room you with more likeminded people. I have one horrible roommate that I don't get along with. Outside of school, NZ is really fun and its easy to find adventures and transport. If you want a real adventure you kind of have to get out of the city though. Auckland has enough cool stuff to do that can keep you busy for a week but the real fun is in the country.

My only complaints would have to be the bug bites are super itchy (be sure to have calamine lotion!), and the fact that there are 2 dryers on a floor and they don't work well. That's easily solve if you bring hangers and just hang things around your room. The R.A.s are very friendly and helpful. I recommend trying to do homework in the lobby or lounge area of your floor where you can work in groups, get things done faster, meet a lot of great people, and hang out with said individuals. It's a great way to make friends!

Class moves fast, but the professors aren't dictators. They're actually really nice, and they're often not too much older than the class, so they can relate to their students well. We have a great time in class and their teaching techniques really make it enjoyable. Cafeteria food is awesome, especially the Ethnic Food line! Joining a circle is another great way to make friends, stay active, and practicing your speaking/listening skills (one of my favorites was salsa circle :D)

What an amazing experience! It was especially convenient that the program was only 8 weeks during the summer, because if it had been longer I don't know if I would of had the chance to go abroad. I that with a grain of salt however, as I will truly miss all of the people I met through the program.

While I don't feel the program was incredibly difficult, I still learned a lot, and because I wasn't kept busy with homework 24/7 I had many opportunities to travel, meet new people, and truly experience life in Japan.

I lived on campus which was nice for class, but made it tough to get into the city of Beppu. There is a direct bus which is timely, but it got to be a little expensive. Also if you go during June, don't forget an umbrella. They don't call it the rainy season for nothin'.

Overall I had an amazing experience, and I recommend this program for anyone of any language ability to try this program.

The Education Abroad Network's Study Abroad Program in Chiang Mai, Thailand was by the far the most amazing experience I've ever had.

I would recommend this program to absolutely anyone. Everyone studies abroad in Italy, Australia, Spain. Those countries are cool and will always be there to visit. But when it comes to studying abroad, you want to pick somewhere totally different, where you are actually going to get a cultural exchange. Thailand is absolutely the best for this. It has so many images. You will have SO much fun, DEFINITELY be able to live on a budget, and it will change your life!! The staff is beyond great, extremely approachable, you will be in for the funnest, best cultural and academic experience and still be able to squeeze in some fun. Whether it be bamboo rafting, hiking, elephant riding, Thai massages, Thailand is the place to RELAX but also to gain a new perspective of the world!

TEAN is the best program you can choose for Thailand. It's extremely affordable, extremely helpful, and will help you with anything it is you need. Since the minute you get off that plane, TEAN is there for you. And I would recommend it to just about anyone.

Attending the Challenge New Zealand course was what I hoped would be a life-changing experience, and it certainly was. My health had gone downhill and I wasn't really sure where I was going in life and going to New Zealand changed all of that. As a group, we climbed to the top of Mount Tongariro, and that was the highlight of the trip for me. It pushed my body to limits I had no idea even existed (I thought for sure, because of my health problems, that my body was going to crumble and I was never going to make it to the top). I learned so much about myself and how much I was truly capable of doing and since then I have been accepted to an amazing school, moved into my own apartment and am realizing how much life has to offer. Anyone, of any age, could most definitely benefit from this program. New Zealand is a gorgeous country full of learning experiences.