Studying abroad with CAPA was an incredible experience. CAPA arranged living situations, transportation and internship placements, which made the transition abroad much less stressful. They led multiple events to introduce students to Australian culture and staff members were always helpful. If I could do it all over again, I would in a heartbeat!

Due to my internship schedule, I had plenty of free time to wander around Sydney to check out galleries (Art Gallery of New South Wales), museums, beaches, delicious cafes, nightclubs/pubs, beautiful parks, hiking trails, and my favorite, Aussie wildlife. I would highly recommend checking out the Taronga Zoo and/or Featherdale Wildlife Park.

I was also lucky enough to be able to take a trip up to Cairns where I got to snorkel the Great Barrier Reef and tour the Daintree Rainforest.

However, Australia is quite expensive and it can be really difficult to do and see all of the things you want. Especially when it comes to traveling around Australia, flights are often around $300, so you do need to budget trips in advance if that is important to you.

If I could describe my experience in Sydney in 3 words, those words would be Informative, relaxing, fun, insightful, lovely, awesome…Ok I know that was definitely more than 3 words but it’s just sooo hard to put a limit to the description of my Journey. Coming to Sydney I was more focused on gaining experience in the workplace than “exploring” the city like most students did (not that I didn’t want to enjoy the city, but my internship was my main priority). I was hoping that all the knowledge I acquired from my financial related courses taken at Purdue would transpire the tasks I performed while interning and they certainly did. After completing my internship, I have no doubts in my mind that Financial Counseling and Planning is the route I want to take as a career. I am thankful for my awesome supervisor! I will most likely never forget about her due to the fact that we went skydiving together (highlight of my trip!). Some of my best memories in Sydney also include the blue mountains trip, hunter valley, and all the attractions I got to visit. I am thankful for my coworkers for allowing me to be part of their end of financial year lunch and farewell lunch they had for me. That truly showed how much they care about their interns, which I appreciated. I am also grateful for our instructors, and all the knowledge I gained from them. I often do not come across instructors as passionate as Varina and Andrew about their job. Last but not least, I would like to thank CAPA for giving me the opportunity to be part of this program, and making my experience worthwhile, and rewarding. I am pleased to have gotten to know some of the ladies from CAPA personally ( you know who you are lol) I am definitely planning on coming back to Sydney one day, during summertime of course! I will make sure that I keep in touch with all of these awesome people!

This experience taught me to get out of my comfort zone and live spontaneously! It was a blast. I became much more sociable after this trip and better at doing things on a whim. DEFINITELY stay with a host family. Mine treated me like family and allowed me to have a great time abroad - plus they made AMAZING food. :)

I don't know how to describe Australia. You have to experience it yourself. The CAPA Staff are very professional and helpful and do everything they can to make you feel at home and comfortable. I found CAPA to be encouraging and helpful. My internship placement was also wonderful, it was my favorite part of the Study Abroad because of who I worked with.

This was the best experience of my life. The internship placement was perfect and suited me well. I feel like I learned so much about another city, another culture and a lot about myself. The apartments that we were placed in were beyond perfect and were in a great location close to the airport, beaches, and the downtown part of the city where the Opera House and Harbor Bridge located. My day to day experiences looked like: waking up and off to the internship or class in North Sydney, spend all day out and come home to make dinner. I had three day weekends which allowed for ample beach time and traveling around Australia and even New Zealand.

Studying abroad in Sydney was the most incredible experience of my life. I was so blessed with all of the opportunities that I had while I was there! I was able to experience the beauty of the country and the Australian culture. While I was there, I took surfing lessons, climbed the Sydney Harbour Bridge, saw a show in the Opera House, walked along the coast, saw whales, had an internship in a school, attended Hillsong Church, and so much more! The opportunities are endless! I grew so much as a person because it opened my eyes to another culture and further developed me into an independent person. One of the greatest accomplishments was that I was able to maneuver throughout the huge city of Sydney using various modes of transportation. This greatly boosted my confidence! I loved it so much! I want to go back!!

This semester abroad with CAPA was the best decision that I have ever made. I would encourage everyone to seize this opportunity because it has changed my life and I am positive it would change your life as well. The cultural diversity that I was exposed to and the positive perspective I have left with has been one of the many valued changes I have undergone. I was able to accomplish more than I thought was imaginable. I went skydiving, attending Hillsong Church, climbed the Sydney Harbor Bridge, and watched a performance in the Opera House. I was able to conquer public transportation and learn about the different lifestyles of the people in Sydney. Day to Day it was difficult to take public transportation from my internship to the campus because it was very time consuming and annoying but it is what most of the people in the city use. My internship was tremendously beneficial to my future career and my life. CAPA was very helpful and cooperative in any needs or accommodations. They are so very friendly and we all loved to come visit the office! This experience has benefitted me in numerous ways and I was able to develop professionally, mentally, and spiritually. Simply, the best three months of my life.

CAPA changed my life. The staff made my life way too easy, from arranging our living situation to finding our internships for us, CAPA did it all. Sydney was an incredible city filled with positive people, outrageous nightlife, and plenty to do at every second. I met lifetime friends and felt completely safe, especially considering how far I was from home. Traveling with other Americans made the experience easier to adjust to, and it felt good knowing that 60 other people were going through exactly what I was going through. You have to make an effort to meet natives, but it's all part of stepping outside of your comfort zone. Having an internship made the experience what it was: unforgettable. It gave me the chance to fully integrate into the Australian culture and lifestyle. Bottom line: GO CAPA!!!!!