The Education Abroad Network (TEAN): Study in Gold Coast, Australia

TEAN made studying abroad so easy and fun, I couldn't have seen it going any better. They know how to provide enough structure and support while allowing you to make the experience what you choose. I lived in an amazing apartment right on the beach while being close to amazing surfing, hiking, and restaurants. I also was able to travel all around Australia in addition to making it to Thailand and New Zealand, all must see places while being in the part of the world. Any questions or concerns I had I knew I could go to the TEAN staff and they would help me with whatever I needed. This experience encouraged me to be more independent and adventurous, pushing me out of my comfort zone and allowing me to really live my life here to the fullest. I truly loved the Gold Coast and my entire abroad experience.

Going abroad was easily the best decision I have made in my life. Deciding on a program was tough but once I discovered TEAN through my university, the rest of the process was simple. One of the main reasons I decided to choose Griffith University in the Gold Coast was because of its unique campus look and also the variety of courses it offers. While I was living in Gold Coast, I was able to visit many of its scenic hikes and close by beaches including Coolangatta and Byron Bay. My biggest tip to students interested in studying abroad would be to go with your gut and do what you want to do. There were many times that I hesitated on doing something because no one else was doing it, but being abroad is a time for you to be independent and search for things you are interested in. I was fortunate enough to also take the community internship course that Griffith University offers which easily set me up with an organization suited to my field of study. Having an internship abroad was an opportunity that many students do not get to experience, so if you have the chance to do it, go for it! I would also advise students to start budgeting their money as soon as they arrive in their host city. I thought it was going to be easy but after booking trips and spending money on food and drinks, I realized that budgeting was going to become my main priority in order to have enough money for the rest of my time abroad. If you do have time, I would suggest traveling to Thailand and the south island of New Zealand. I was able to visit both of those places and cannot wait to go back to them. The experience I had and the people I met along my journey will never be forgotten and I really hope that other students get to enjoy the same experience as I did.

The Education Abroad Network is a great program to work with when considering study abroad options! The moment I applied for the Australian program TEAN had someone in constant contact with me to help plan out every detail and requirement needed for me to leave to Australia and return home safely. They also provided an amazing weeklong orientation in Cairns that really helped me adjust from being so far away from home. In addition, they provided awesome housing in a beautiful location, helped me plan classes to ensure I wouldn’t be behind when I returned home, planned additional trips such as a week long trip to Melbourne, and always had someone available for us to be in contact with for any questions or issues. TEAN really helped make my experience abroad an incredible one and if I could I would do it all over again!

Studying abroad was something I always had my mind set on. I can positively say that I was not disappointed. From preparing for my departure to getting settled in Australia, the TEAN staff were very welcoming and helpful. I adjusted very quickly to a new country and experienced the best four months of my life.

TEAN really helped me to get a feel of what the true Australia was like. They organized our program to attend rugby games, surf, visit iconic areas, and more. On top of that, Australians are very friendly, and building friendships with them only made the transition to this new lifestyle smoother.

Australia is a very adventurous country. There is so much to do from hiking to surfing or just lounging at their gorgeous beaches. You will never get bored since there is always somewhere new to explore. I was very lucky to get the chance to go abroad and I made the right decision to choose the Gold Coast.

I had never traveled before my semester abroad in Australia, 10,000 miles away from home. The TEAN staff not only prepped me and kept in touch the entire time I was going through the application process but once I was admitted and organizing everything as well. They have a step by step process to ease the stress on the student that works wonders. After getting to my location the TEAN staff on the ground was amazingly fun and helpful. We had a lot of freedom, but there was also structure and support if we needed it. I cannot believe how lucky I was to have chosen easily the best program for study abroad in Australia. I made a lot of American friends at my university who were in different programs and they were all envious of all the things TEAN provided us with such as the week long orientation full of once in a lifetime activities. I would not change a thing about my experience through TEAN.

From the moment I touched down in my destination city, this program was everything I could've dreamed of. TEAN staff made sure everything was taken care of, whether it was rides to the airport or making sure we knew where the grocery store was. I may be a little biased, but I think the Gold Coast is one of the friendliest cities in Australia. The beaches are something from a travel blog, there's always something exciting going on, with mountains and a rainforest and beaches all within an hour's drive, you really couldn't ask for more. TEAN helps to make sure you're taking full advantage of it all as well- within the first two months, they'd already set us up with a surf lesson (turns out I wasn't born a pro surfer, but it was still a blast), taken us to scuba dive on the great barrier reef, visited a wildlife sanctuary to pet kangaroos, and taken us to a rugby game to learn about the local sports. I can honestly say the time I spent on the Gold Coast was truly golden, and I would do it all over in a heartbeat.

Considering studying abroad? My advice is to just do it. Forget about the doubts and how much it costs; do what you can to make it work. Why? Because it will be the time of your life. Studying abroad through TEAN provides you with so many experiences in the country you will call home for the next four months. I've never met anyone who says they regret studying abroad. As matter of fact, I've only heard positive things. Being a TEAN alumni now after my time in Australia, I can honestly tell you that it's an unforgettable experience. You will love every second of it. You will see beautiful places, meet wonderful people, and become knowledgable of a whole new world. Not only do you learn so much about Australia, but you discover so much about yourself.

There's nothing like the Gold Coast especially when you go through TEAN. My time in Australia was an adventure of a lifetime. I began my trip where my orientation was, which was Sydney. When I found that out I was so excited. If there's one place to go in Australia, it has to be Sydney. During my time there, we toured the Opera House, got to walk through the beautiful Botanical Gardens, hike the famous Sydney Habour Bridge, and ate at the most delicious restaurants in the city. From there I headed to my home for the next four months, the Gold Coast. The Gold Coast is a buzzing city, home to Surfer's Paradise. There is an endless amount to do here. From learning how to surf, to exploring the inlands, to shopping at the best boutiques and markets in the country, to swimming the most amazing beaches, to cuddling with koalas and kangaroos, to many many more adventures of a lifetime and I had the opportunity to have lived in the center of all of this through TEAN's beach housing. Living here was basically a dream come true. I was only a 20 minute bus ride away from my school, Bond University, and also Burleigh, which ended up being one of the my beautiful places I've ever been to! Picking The Education Abroad Network as my program to study abroad through was one of the best decisions I've ever made in life, and I would do it all over again in a heart beat !

Bond University is an amazing school that seems to be primarily known for business, but it offers so much more. Not only does it offer a whole host of different degree programs, but Bond also offers a great network for its students in regards to academic support, extracurricular activities, internship opportunities, and many other aspects that make it such a fantastic school. The courses were challenging, but the professors were more than competent and really showed genuine interest in making sure that their students succeeded.

I wanted to have as much money to travel as possible, so I spent as little as I could on food while studying abroad in Australia. Most mornings I would eat oatmeal, most lunches I would eat PB&J's or leftovers, and for dinner I would often eat rice, chicken, and vegetables. Of course I switched it up often and tried cooking new things, but I found this to be a relatively healthy and cost-effective way to eat without spending too much time or money grocery shopping.

I learned a great deal about the subjects that I took courses in and Australia as a whole from my experiences abroad, but most importantly I began to learn more about myself. Away from my parents for an extended period of time, I made decisions independently of anyone else, and the decisions that I made helped me to figure out who I am as a person. The incredible beauty of Australia and all of the memories that I made there made this trip absolutely worthwhile, and something that I will always cherish and look back happily at.

Everyday I become more upset that I didn't extend my trip. My time with TEAN in Australia were the greatest 16 weeks of my life. The program was always there whenever I had questions about school, a trip, or anything else for that matter. One of the best parts of the program was the Australian orientation. We were able to spend a week full of culture, food, and walking in Sydney with an actual Australian tour guide. We got acclimated with our surroundings and our new friends.

Another great plus of TEAN is that they offer a post trip (I think to ease you back into real life) to Fiji. Let me tell you, it was the most relaxing week of my life. 12/10 would recommend.

Whether you're traveling to Australia to explore the Great Barrier Reef, learn how to surf, hug a koala, or any of the other amazing experiences that Australia has to offer, the Gold Coast is one of the most gorgeous places to live. A quick flight away from Cairns, Melbourne, and Sydney, you will have no problem traveling to some of your most dreamed of destinations. The Gold Coast is home to Surfer's Paradise, a modern shopping area and beach town by day, and a clubbing scene at night. A quick bus ride from Bond University will bring you here, unless you live off campus in Broadbeach, which will put you at walking distance to Surfer's Paradise. You can also take a short bus ride from both Bond and Broadbeach to Burleigh, which has a breathtaking beach along with a hiking area that offers some of the most beautiful views I have ever seen (Burleigh Heads Lookout). Another amazing and gorgeous place to check out is Coolangatta, which is about a 45 minute bus ride from Broadbeach, but totally worth it. Whatever you are looking for on your adventure to Australia, you will be sure to find it in the Gold Coast!

Choosing to fly to the opposite side of the world and into a different hemisphere is a decision that takes a lot of trust. That trust was something I had achieved right away for The Education Abroad Network, also known as TEAN. TEAN is an affiliated program that works closely with my home University which gave me the experience to fly out to the Gold Coast. After the paper work and acceptance into the program some assume that TEAN would not be as present in the abroad experience. However, that is quite the opposite! TEAN sets up excursions, orientations, adventures, cruise dinners and local meet ups all the time. As an abroad network they truly take the time to make sure their students are put first and are in the best hands. They provide their students with endless resources and ideas to further engage in an incredible experience.

Living on the beach for four months was quite literally a dream and one I would replay over and over again. Thanks to TEAN I was able to travel abroad and grow as a person!

Before I actually decided to study abroad in Australia, I was doing research on the different companies and kept stumbling upon The Education Abroad Network. One day I simply decided to just start applying on their website and see where it went from there. Only a few short days after starting the application, I received a phone call from someone at TEAN to discuss my options and any questions I had. And from that moment on, I decided I was definitely studying abroad through them. Looking back, there is no other company I would have rather gone abroad to Australia with. The Education Abroad Network did everything they possibly could to make sure things ran smoothly, and were there every step of the way.

I knew going to Australia was out of my comfort zone, but TEAN did everything to make me feel comfortable. Our initial orientation week in Sydney was the perfect opener to the country. We were given tours of the city, went to all the touristy areas, and even went to go see our first kangaroos. And our final night together before we continued to the Gold Coast was complete by a sunset dinner cruise in the harbor, acting as the perfect finishing touch to a great week. From there I felt ready to explore the rest of Australia, especially knowing people from TEAN were there in case I had any questions or just wanted to chat. Once I got to the Gold Coast and Bond University, I felt at home. It was the perfect location for me. Only 20 minutes from the beach, what could be better. It was the absolute best experience of my life, life-changing, and if I could do it all over again I would do it the exact same way. If you are considering study abroad, do it, no questions asked.

The best decision I ever made was to study abroad in Australia (Gold Coast) with The Education Abroad Network. First of all, Australia is amazing because of the great weather, beaches, and adventure activities. You will never be bored and TEAN sets up great activities for students to further ensure that. TEAN arranged an awesome week-long orientation in Sydney before classes started where we got to go on a tour of the city, climb the Sydney Tower, visit a zoo, and we even got to go jet boating! Throughout the semester TEAN arranged for us to attend a Rugby game and a trip to a wildlife sanctuary where we could hold koalas. The TEAN staff is very good about making themselves available to students if one were to have any questions or concerns about housing, school, or things to do when abroad. The abroad office at Bond Uni was also a great resource to students. The campus is beautiful and TEAN offers great housing options for those that want to live on or off campus.

Aussie was the best trip ever! I am 100% sure everyone who went on this trip has come back home saying this. When do you every get to see Kangaroos around like deer are back home? When do you get to hold a koala bear? Once you get to Aussie the traveling is so cheap! The culture lifestyle is the best ever. You never feel rushed, I swear you just really get the time to enjoy nature and what it all has to offer.

My favorite experience that I had abroad was for sure traveling the Whitsundays. I was able to spend a whole weekend on the boat with people from all over. I also got to snorkel and dive all around the Great Barrier Reef which is life changing in itself. The water is so blue! The pictures that I took did not even do it justice as everyone deserves to see it with their own eyes. I am not kidding when I say you look above the water and it looks like it should be in a movie then when you look in the water it is like Finding Nemo right under you. It gives me goose bumps evening thinking about the trip. If I could go back and relive one trip it would for sure be that!

Aussie not only was a great education experience but something much more. I am able to bring those ways back to America and still keep the Aussie vibes around me. I know someone day very soon I would love to go back.

Cheers!