UNSW & Coogee

I loved my study abroad program through AustraLearn.

The program itself was set up to make sure we, as students, were ready not only for the academic differences between American and Australian universities, but also for living in Australia.

We had "orientation" at the Great Barrier Reef. There we had the chance to explore Cairns and the GBR, learn to look right when crossing the street, and other cultural tidbits from people who have lived/are living in Australia.

UNSW itself was great. The classes were set up in a large class then a "tute" which had either the actual lecturer or tutor with a smaller number of students. This helped because I was not used to large class sizes; so I went to the first large class and then brought my questions to the tute where I knew I would get more personalized attention.

I lived off-campus in Coogee. It was definitely an amazing experience. Although I didn't feel as connected to as many Australians as my friends who lived on campus did, I still managed to meet and befriend a lot of people from Coogee and from UNSW. You just have to put yourself out there- Australians are super friendly.

Things: I loved about living off-campus in Coogee:

1. AustraLearn set up my housing
2. A great house with great people
3. Being a 1 minute walk to the beach
4. I felt like I was living in Australia- went grocery shopping, out to eat in my neighborhood, got to know my neighbors, had to take out my own trash, etc.
5. Just a short bus ride away from Sydney's CBD and the nightlife there

I really loved studying abroad in Sydney. I do wish someone had told me how expensive everything was (especially food and alcohol) but I feel that my money was very well spent. I traveled throughout Australia (as well as Fiji and Asia), met incredible people, and really felt like I became a part of Australia rather than just a traveler. I would definitely recommend this program.