Study Abroad at James Cook University, Australia

I had an amazing time both studying and living on campus while attending JCU. The people at the university were very welcoming and made the transition easier on me. Also, as a marine biology major I was able to take advantage of some amazing course opportunities and dive club trips that I could not do anywhere else in the world. I was also fortunate enough to make friends not just from Australia but all over the world due to JCU's large study abroad program. I loved my time at JCU and have been looking to get back ever since!

Studying abroad at JCU was the best experience of my life not only academically but allowing me to meet people from all around the world. This experience has allowed me to meet people from all different backgrounds and cultures and has given me best friends from all around the world. This program has truly had such an impact on my life and I can’t wait to return and hopefully one day come back to get my masters ! I wish everyone could experience such an amazing program at least once in their life !

JCU is a phenomenal place to study abroad. As a Marine Science major, I was drawn here for the proximity to the Great Barrier Reef. Sure enough I was able to go on a couple dive trips off Magnetic Island and another snorkeling trip as part of a field trip in the coral reef ecology class offered. The transit system is incredibly easy to use and takes you anywhere from downtown to the mall for essentials. The people I met were incredibly welcoming and I felt like I belonged almost immediately. I stayed at Uni Hall and really enjoyed the events they put on. It is very easy to meet and make friends with people all over. The experiences I got studying abroad are some of the most memorable of my life!

JCU Cairns is located just north of the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef, and south of the oldest rainforest in the world. It is less than a 15 minute bike ride to the beach too. While it is much smaller than the Townsville campus, it is much more personable. I knew my professors well and they knew all of their students; I even got to talk with world experts in biology/ecology just by asking for a chat. We got hands on in ecology and biodiversity from such a richly diverse area of the world. The campus is green and lush, with many species of wildlife to be seen. It is far enough away from downtown Cairns that it is peaceful, but close enough to have a night on the town. I met truly life-long friends, and will always remember my time there fondly. Its was a great way to experience the FNQ of Australia, while still getting a quality education. I too way too many photos, and don’t regret a thing.

I was the only person from my university and region of the United States to go to this university abroad. I was in a completely new environment and knew no one and I have never felt more included at a university. The students were inclusive and inviting, and we’re always down to go do something. On my first day there, my airline lost my luggage (a rare occurrence let me tell you). I had been traveling for 23 hours, slept for about 6 and all I had with me was the clothes on my back and a backpack. It took the airline an extra 6 hours to get my stuff back. In that time I was waiting the rumor spread down the dorm that I had nothing and people invited me to the mall to help me get stuff, they offered what they could and helped me pass the time. My experience at JCU only got better from there. With these people we traveled up and down the coast, went scuba diving, held a koala, went to Bali, and explore Townsville. By the end of my semester it felt like a second home. Once you come here, you’ll never want to leave.

I was not excited about having to study abroad but after attending JCU, I would happily do it all over again! I chose this school because they have great kinesiology options that allowed me to stay on track to graduate on time. I loved the format of classes and the opportunity to get to know my classmates and collaborate. The study abroad program here is well established and makes you feel right at home. I made so many lifelong friends from the states and from Australia whom I still keep up with!

The reason that I went to study abroad in Townsville, Australia was to follow the path of my older sister who studied abroad there four years ago. Her stories of the people, classes, and weather all easily convinced me to study abroad there. However, while I felt that my experience was far different from hers, it was even better than I imagined. I got to start my trip off in Sydney exploring the city, getting used to the time change and taking some excursions to the blue mountains and aboriginal sites where we could learn about the culture of indigenous australians. Then, going to James Cook University, we were picked up by students at the airport who were able to tell us all about our dorm and we even saw some wild wallabies on our way onto campus. I learned a lot in my classes, which were all centered around Australian culture, health and climate but even the learning style was something that I had to get used to. One of my favorite parts about studying abroad would be working at the culture fest that was hosted on James Cook University's campus. While for volunteering I was only asked to direct traffic, I was able to get a free pass to go through the culture fest which included singers and performers from multiple different cultures as well as food, jewelry, and clothes being sold which I took full advantage of. James Cook University also put on international Cafes for international students where they would have different people come in and talk and different prizes. At one of them I even won tickets to go see the women's basketball game. The school hosted 'free lunch fridays' where they once offered kangaroo sausage as we got to watch a snake handler show us some of the most dangerous snakes in Australia. Pictures of my memories from Townsville are now plastered on the walls of my room and I still keep in contact with the people from my dorm. It was an amazing experience and I would do anything to be able to do it again.