IES Abroad Sydney Direct Enrollment

Studying in Sydney, Australia via the IES Program was the best decision I've ever made. The staff stationed in Sydney were wonderful and the city couldn't have been more perfect. The trips we went on as a group were affordable and heaps of fun! It really allowed me to get cultural immersion easily and in a fun way. I would highly recommend this location and program to anyone wanting to study abroad. Happy Travels! :)

Living a full 24 hours away from home can be terrifying. Ultimately, you will be flying into the unknown, forced to really put yourself out there, learn new things and make new friends all at once. With the help of IES, this process becomes not only smooth but also extremely enjoyable. IES works tirelessly to ensure that you are living safely and comfortably, succeeding in your classes, and forming lifelong friendships. IES organizes a variety of day activities and even weeklong trips to the Great Barrier Reef in order to guarantee that you reach your full potential during your time abroad. Along with the help of IES comes the help of living in the great city of Sydney. Between beaches, restaurants, and clubs, boredom becomes almost impossible. You will never grow tired of exploring the various neighborhoods and famous sites of Sydney all while experiencing new things and assimilating to Australian culture.

Studying abroad can be scary and difficult but also very exciting! IES most definitely helped me as I prepared for, arrived, stayed, and left from Australia with the greatest ease. Being skeptical at first of the cost and copious amounts of emails, I am so thankful I stuck with them!
The website clearly explains what needs to be done and when so that you can leave your home country for all pre departure information. I would have never known where to even start with all of my paperwork without them- plus, it was awesome that I could chat with an IES ambassador at my home college before I went to feel out with program I wanted to do and what I was getting myself into before I started the process.
I am pretty sure that the Sydney IES staff, Kristen and Matt, are the best people in the world! Over the course of the semester, they provided us with an orientation and various fun and exciting activities in and around Sydney. They also looked after our health, were there to always talk to, and were simply people I knew I could count on.
I would never trade this amazing experience for anything, and IES made it possible! Thanks, IES!

Prior to living in Sydney, I had never navigated public transportation before. On my first day, I took the bus to KMart to gather necessary supplies. After coming out of the shop with 3 large shopping bags and a laundry basket, I realized I had no idea what bus I needed to take back, which made finding the bus stop difficult. I asked multiple people where the bus stop was but still was confused about which bus to take. I resorted in calling a taxi which I now realized took me the long way home and charged me extra. I guess you need a few hiccups before you can get the system down! By the end of the semester I knew the public transit system like the back of my hand.

Studying abroad in Sydney was one of the best decisions I've made. It's impossible to describe my five month experience in a review, but upon my return to the states, I have recommended studying abroad to everyone. I arrived back in the US a different person than when I left, and the changes I went through while abroad shaped me so fully in a very short period of time. Outside of Sydney, I was able to travel to Cairns, Brisbane, Melbourne, New Zealand, Thailand, and Bali. Australia is an amazing destination because there is so much to see within the country, and it is close to lots of outside destinations.

IES was very accommodating and helpful, especially concerning direct enrollment at UNSW - they made the process very easy. The trips and excursions IES offers throughout the semester were great, and really allowed us to explore areas outside of the city and near our schools. The mid semester trip to Cairns was a great experience that IES was able to provide for us. Australia is a beautiful country with lots of sites to see and amazing people to meet - I will definitely be returning soon.

For the Fall of 2014 I was fortunate enough to spend my semester at The University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia. UNSW is very diverse environment that allowed me to grow both academically and socially. UNSW is a research university so many of the professors and facilitator are at the top of their fields and have made major contributions to their respective fields; because of this classes were engaging and challenged me to produce a higher quality of work. While I was able to grow inside that classroom I was also challenged to find my spot in the large UNSW community. Going to Australia I did not know anyone in my program which allowed me to really push myself socially and make a whole new group of friends. During my stay at UNSW I lived in Phillip Baxter College, of the Kensigton Colleges. Baxter College was made up of about eighty percent Australian students and twenty percent exchange students, which allowed me to have a very diverse group of friends from all around the world.

(I have written about my experience in the box below). Yet some more day to day life activities of mine while I was in Australia included going to school, going to the beach, taking the bus from Bondi beach to the heart of Sydney. I do recommend living off campus if you are attending UNSW. Cooge beach is awesome and so is Bondi. Living off campus allowed me to experience more of what Sydney had to offer and meet many locals.

Going to Australia was one of the best decisions I made in my college career. Between the sunshine, great food, awesome trips, and amazing experiences I never felt like I was bored. Attending the University of Sydney was very different compared to my home school but in a good way. I go to a small school and Sydney has 44,000 people, so it was definitely a change. In addition, I was able to travel to Seal Rock, Melbourne, Cairns, and Thailand while I was abroad. These trips helped me learn more about myself and the world around me.