Below are testimonials from real students who have studied in Australia. Learn about classes, life, culture and travel in Australia from students like you!
Click the links below to read each student's story.
Krystal Tomlin on why she chose to study in Australia.
I like to say that I didn’t choose Australia, Australia chose me! Originally I thought I wanted to go to Italy, but I was so very wrong. Australia was somewhere that I probably wouldn’t have an opportunity to go to within my lifetime. Somewhere that I couldn’t just save a little and go on a Christmas break, somewhere out of the ordinary, where they speak English (because no language classes were available to me at the time), somewhere VERY far away!
Krystal Tomlin, a family, youth and community sciences major at the University of Florida who studied abroad in 2007 at Charles Darwin University in Darwin.
Erin Baldwin on Aboriginal culture in Australia.
I was staying with an Aboriginal family, every single day was a new eye-opening experience in itself! The time that I spent with them exposed me to Australia’s ancient history and culture. The opportunity to learn from them gave me great insight into the country and its diverse people. It was an adventurous and deeply meaningful experience provided by a fun-loving group of people. That is Australia, in my mind!
Erin Baldwin a communications major at the College of St. Benedict who studied abroad in 2005 at the University of Notre Dame in Perth.
Staci Hagen on traveling to Australia's neighboring countries.
I grew up in one of the furthest places away from the ocean in the United States- Iowa. There came a point when I decided to study in Australia when I had to choose which university in the country. As 98 percent of the population lives on the coast, I knew I couldn't go wrong if I wanted to live by the sea. When booking my flight I was asked, "Would you like to fly via New Zealand or Fiji?" You can bet your little pinky that I said YES in a wholehearted fashion! So I flew over the big pond to Fiji for two weeks, basking in the sun and salt water, kayaking in beautiful turquoise water. The journey continued, and only six hours later I touched down in my home for the next six months - Geelong, Australia. The whole package was amazing - friends, school, the best sushi and laksa, living right next to some of the top surf in the world, and I went on trips that I never imagined possible. Since Australia is so close to Asia, I was able to visit Singapore and Thailand on only a four-hour flight from Darwin! Between living on the coast and visiting places in the south pacific and Asia, I had my salt water fix for the moment.
Staci Hagen a political science and spanish major at Iowa State University who studied abroad in 2006 at Deakin University in Geelong.
Drew Sample on classes and teaching style in Australia.
Academics were a big reason for me to go to Australia. As a religious studies major, it’s a little bit difficult to find courses abroad that would apply to my major. Since you can take a full range of courses in Australia it was one of the few places that I found that allowed me to take courses that counted towards my degree. Once I got there though, the different structure of courses was a big surprise for me. Classes in Australia are much more based on writing and independent research rather than a series of smaller assignments due throughout the semester. Courses also involve a lot more discussion on readings in small tutorial groups. Though it was a bit of a shock at first, I actually much preferred this style of instruction and evaluation and thought that I retained a great deal more in my Australian courses than in many of the courses I took in the US.
Drew Sample, a religious studies major at Indiana University who studied abroad in 2007 at the University of Adelaide in Adelaide.
Karlee Vilsack on traveling within Australia.
It was even better than what I had expected. Being able to take the train everywhere and relaxing with new friends were the highlights of my trip and the moments I will never forget. I also enjoyed traveling around the country and getting to see the other areas outside of where I lived.
During our Easter break I went on a road tip to Kangaroo Island (near Adelaide) with five other exchange students from all over the world. It was a good group of people who were all there for the same thing- just to relax and have fun. We got to know each other really well during the trip and became good friends. We still call and email each other. To me, this is what study abroad is all about; meeting others from different areas of the world and embracing different cultures together.
Karlee Vilsack a business major at Loyola Marymount University who studied abroad in 2007 at Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne.
Megan Tuura on classes and field trips in Australia.
I was surprised with the quality of the education. I had had a perception that studying abroad required very little academic effort, but I was able to take challenging, but fun courses that still allowed for a good balance of academics and social lifestyle. My courses also incorporated many field trips into the curriculum, which prompted me to travel and learn about Australia and its resources. I took a class trip to Mallacoota, Victoria, where I learned about the geology of the southeastern coast of Australia. Here, I was introduced to all of my classmates for the semester, all of whom were so helpful to me with my studies and became my closest friends. They went the extra mile to make me feel comfortable in a new country and taught me the importance of balancing social and academic life.
Megan Tuura, a geology major at the University of Michigan who studied abroad in 2007 at the University of Melbourne in Melbourne.
Brian Hackney on how studying in Australia impacted his future and career path.
Studying in Australia has made a huge impact on my professional and academic careers. When I returned home from Australia, I applied to work at the Australian Embassy in Washington, DC. I spent the summer working there as a congressional liaison intern. It was a great experience and a springboard for my future opportunities. The summer after I graduated college, I returned to Australia as an intern for the US State Department. I worked at the US Consulate in Sydney and the Embassy in Canberra for three months. It was great to be back in Australia and see all the places I saw when I studied there. Studying abroad somewhere for so long, you become very acclimated to the culture and I was able to fit right back in. It felt like I'd never left. After moving to Los Angeles for grad school, I got an internship at the Australian Consulate. It fits in well with my interest in international policy and trade and I've focused mostly on the Asia-Pacific region.
Brian Hackney a government and politics major at the University of Maryland who studied abroad in 2004 at the University of Sydney in Sydney.