A semester that made me believe that everyone should study abroad.

My typical week in Melbourne was only three days of class a week and four-day weekends. I took all general electives for my major so my semester was very relaxed and much easier compared to my previous semesters at my home university. Classes at RMIT are typically one lecture and one tutorial, both are much longer in duration than classes in the US, but you don't have three lectures a week. I took a biology class which had a lab every week and I felt that was comparable to lab classes at US universities. Work outside of class was also very reduced compared to school in the US. There was no weekly homework assignments; the only required work I had to do outside of class was to prepare two lab reports and one research paper. If you want to do well in your classes though, you do need to spend some time doing assigned reading because most classes have a weekly quiz, midterms and a final exam.

Most weeks I needed to go grocery shopping which was very convenient considering the location of my apartment in the city. My apartment was within the CBD and so I was close (within short walking distance) to everything I needed during the semester. I also went out to eat at least once a week; Melbourne has a huge variety of restaurants so there is something for everyone an almost any budget.

Melbourne's nightlife has an almost overwhelming amount of options when you first get there. There are a huge number of bars and clubs in the city and public transportation is very easy to use if you want to get out to the suburbs. One of my favorite parts of Melbourne's bar scene was that there are several bars that are on building rooftops which give you a great view of the city. The city is very safe and never once did I feel like I was in a "sketchy" place.

Melbourne also has a lot of options for day trips both within the city and outside it. There are a few national parks and the Great Ocean road which I believe anyone who studies in Melbourne needs to visit. There are also several parks in the city if you just want to go out and relax outdoors, which you can almost any day you like because the weather is usually great. I also went to St. Kilda Beach a few times. It's a nice beach, usually not too crowded, and at night you can go there and see penguins that nest in the harbor which is really cool.

My semester in Melbourne was an all around great experience and I believe that going through the semester with The Education Abroad Network only enhanced that experience. Apart from the help I got from them for my pre-semester preparation, they also offered lots of excellent opportunities to get out an experience life as the locals do. If it wasn't for the cultural events they offer, I'm not sure I would have broken out of my daily routine to experience some of them. They are also very helpful for any problems that arise during the semester. I had a problem with the financial department at RMIT and all I had to do was notify my TEAN resident director and the problem was fixed that day.

In short, I highly recommend this program to anyone because I went in reluctant about study abroad and I've come away from it a huge supporter and wish I had time to go again.