Program Reviews

I took some of my most rigorous, practical courses at UNSW, yet still had more free time than ever: the proximity to the beach, the beauty of the area, and the amount of friendship and community within the dorm/college made this an unforgettable and highly meaningful experience. Living with local and international students opposed to in an apartment allowed me to meet so many amazing people, and I believe this is a MUST when given the study abroad experience.

I absolutely loved my experience at UNSW. The classes I took here taught me a lot and challenged me intellectually. The other students at the University were very kind and eager to learn as well. I would definitely recommend this to anyone! Outside of the academics, the culture was also very great at the University. The students also love to have fun and show the study abroad kids around Sydney. The facilities are also great. I stayed in Goldstein and I loved it. It was very nice and new.

"I hope Rio de Janeiro to forgive me but my heart belongs to Sydney from now on." I said that on 28th February 2014, in my speech on the last day of the UEEC at the UNSW Institute of Languages. And that was absolutely true. Rio is known as the Wounderful City, but this title should be held by Sydney. In Sydney I met people from all over the world. People that I can call as friends nowadays. Safe, Beautiful and Exciting, both Sydney and UNSW made me fall in love by them. How not to miss you guys?
But now, it is not only a piece of the world that is placed in Australia but also a piece of myself. A very large and significant piece.
The world should be more similar to Australia.
Miss you, Straya!
But not for long.
See you soon any day!
Cheers, UNSW.

I aways dreamed about going study overseas, more than that, aways dreamed of going to Australia, so my expectation for this sudyabroad experience were very high, however it didn't come close to what I really experienced in that year.
It was my firt experience in a foreing country and my english wasn't very good when I got there so I was expecting to have some difficulty in addapt to this new place.
I landed in Sydney in december 31, as it was New years eve, all the hostels were fully booked, however as I had never traveled before, I thought tha by going to the city looking for hostels would be a nice idea. O got to the city by 00:30 of January first, walked til 3:30 from hostel to hostel looking for a place but could not get it. Then I decided to take a taxi back to the airport, sleep there and go looking for a place on the next day. While I was in the line waiting for the taxi, I met two english lads who were very nice and as the taxi took a while to arrive, we talked a lot and when the car arrived, the guys invited me to sleep in their place. As a Brazilian I was very affraid of going, as it would be a very dangerous thing to do here, however I was open for meeting people and living new experiences, so I accepeted and went with then. When I got to their place they ofered me beer, we had a nice talk and I slept there, woke up the next day and went to a hostels.
This first experience I had in Australia have I the things that I experencied in my year there: Safety, friendly and easy going people, helpfull people and amazing times.

The university prides itself on being culturally diverse and very inclusive. Not once did I ever feel out of place. The people are generally very friendly and welcoming to international students as a whole. Coming to UNSW has been by far the best decision I have ever made. I have met some of the closest friends at UNSW and I have learn to grow out of my comfort zone by partaking in the many clubs and societies that the university offers. I joined the UNSW law and medical Revue (Sketch Comedy/Theatre) as well as the Model UN club and Food lovers society among others. Sydney is a wonderful place to be. It caters to every taste and preference. The only downside is the cost of transportation, which can be really expensive.

There are so many resources available to students at UNSW. The professors are very good and the study abroad office is incredibly helpful at all times.
The Academic English course at the Institute of Languages is well structured and has some very good teachers.
The university is located in a good neighborhood, close to the beach, many shops around.
Overall I had a great experience studying at UNSW.

My Study Abroad Experience for the Spring semester in 2014 still seems unbelievable. As someone who lives in New York and who has never left the country before, going to Australia was the largest first step I could have possibly have chosen for a trip abroad. I was definitely nervous but my high level of excitement drowned out all of the superficial negative feelings I had. Luckily, IES made my preparation for housing, meal plans, transportation, and documentation easy to complete and get straightened out. I know a lot of people that studied at UNSW who did not go through a "middle-man" company, but I am very glad I did.
Even on day one, IES and UNSW both started to make my transition process smooth and manageable with orientation programs and information sessions. I felt immediately included by all the staff, faculty, and other Australian students. I really did feel like I made a second home.
The academics I would not say were easier, but because I had a lot more free time since I wasn't working part time or involved in as much like I am back at my home university, I felt less stressed and had much more time for my studies when I needed it. It was also a much less competitive culture in Australia academically. In America, grades are either hidden or bragged about amongst peers, but I did not find that sort of elitist mentality here. Everyone was willing to help each other and were genuinely interested in how their friends were doing.
I also took the opportunity while abroad to do as much networking as possible, and long story short I made a lot of connections within the Sydney Business School. I toured it, met with faculty, and still keep in touch with them should I ever decide to apply for their MBA program. I like keeping my options open with what and where I want to go in my life, and studying abroad gives you an opportunity to literally broaden your horizons with possibilities of where you will end up one day.
Of course I had to take advantage of being all the away across the world so I traveled as much as I could. Apart from exploring Sydney, I visited Melbourne, Cairns, Brisbane, The Great Barrier Reef, The Outback, the Daintree Rainforest, and the rural areas of Australia. Travelling is relatively cheap in Australia so it was very feasible to do a lot of it throughout my semester there.
I still miss the days where I would wake up, take the 20 minute walk to the beach, come back in the afternoon for class, go out to dinner with new friends, explore the night life later, and then do it all over again the next day. I really find this experience the most valuable of my whole life, and I would recommend it to anyone and everyone.

Studying in Australia was an experience of a lifetime, and UNSW did nothing but enhance my time there. My time spent in Sydney and UNSW has given me lifetime memories.

The location of the school, the facilities, and the people there are what make UNSW such a great place.

The 5 months I spent in Sydney and at UNSW were the most fun I have ever had!!!

I cant articulate sufficiently how you simply must study at UNSW. Like I wish I could type harder and you could visually see how excited I am about this school. I had such an incredible experience that I decided I couldn't leave and now I'm starting a Masters in International Relations in order to delay going back home.

First: The Support
-I called the International Office prepared to listen to automated answering and wait forever to speak to a human. I was wrong! 2 rings later, wonderful Kate answered and immediately started helping me. As a US Army veteran I was particularly concerned with the tuition coverage paperwork but she put me in contact with all the right people and thats when I knew I would be alright. Her and Michelle, the director are Queens divine and bend over backwards to make sure you are squared away.

Second: The Classes and Campus
-The campus is gorgeous with a beautiful lawn in front of the library. Its constantly littered with groups of students laughing and studying. The professors are top quality and will push you to your academic potential.

Third: The City
OH LAWD. I cant even start. Beaches on one side, harbour bridge and the opera house on the other. Surry hills pubs, bondi junction shopping, kings cross clubs, the coogee to bondi coastal walk, moonlight cinemas, the list is endless. The bus system is straight legit, you hardly ever have to wait longer than 10 mins and the buses go everywhere! Thats not even getting into the rest of Australia, the eastern coast, the great barrier reef, Ayers rock (uhluru), skydiving, hang gliding, wine vineyards, hot air balloon rides. OH you gotta do a party boat. Best memories ever!

Fourth: The Weather: Its hot and luxuriously gorgeous NOV-MAR, and sort of cold from JUN-SEP. Sunny like at least 20 days a month. Its a bit like heaven basically.

CAUTION: THE EXPENSES!
Most expensive city in history. Come with lots of money if you want to have a social/fun life. Most meals are between 12-15 dollars, housings in about 900-1100 for a decent room not shared with 8 others. Just bring lots of money.

DO IT! You want the best memories of your life? Then get started!
Also, for you US Veterans, Im using my GI Bill here and its AWESOME!

I studied at UNSW for a semester and I can honestly say that it was the best semester of my uni-degree.

It is a very international university which is good because you never feel like you're the outsider coming from far away. However, at the same time it would have been nice to engage more with the local people and have more Australians in my classes instead of it mainly being other international students.

The academic standard did feel somewhat lower compared to what I'm used to coming from Europe, but I am assuming it is due to the very flexible system Australians have where it seems they can pretty much combine any undergradute with a masters while I have done my the entire degree within the same field. So just be aware of that when choosing subjects. Also the education system is very different from what is know in Europe.. in the social sciences we had a lof of assignments through out the semester and then no exams. Something very new to me.

The social vibe is really great at UNSW. There are a lot of clubs to join and a great deal of parties where you can engage with the locals ;) Everything you need is on campus from hairdresser to a supermarket.
And the city of Sydney and the opera house is only a bus ride away!

Overall I did really like it and it was definitely the right thing for me and not something I regret at all. Sydney is an amazing city and UNSW is a great place to study.