Australia : Reviews (Newcastle)
The following program review responses have been selected for publication by Study Abroad & Global Engagement
Rate Your Study Abroad Program!
Spring 2012 Participant
My favorite part of the program were the people I met and the places I was able to travel to.
Fall 2013 Participant
The people I met and the trips I went on around Australia and the region with them. Queensland, Victoria, New Zealand, all great by themselves, but made even better by having great people to travel with.
Spring 2013 Participant
The location of the program was ideal. Being in Australia, there is a lot to do and see. The location was just a train ride from Sydney, cheap flights from popular destinations, and a very, very short walk to the beach. The location made the program much more enjoyable.
Spring 2015 Participant
I really enjoyed living in the International House, because not only did I completely immerse myself in Australian culture, but I was also exposed to different cultures from all over the world on a smaller scale.
Fall 2016 Participant
My favorite part about this program was all the people I met while I was living on campus and how helpful they were.
Cameron Dupont,
Fall 2017 Participant
My favorite part of studying abroad in Australia at the University of Newcastle was my living setup and cultural experience. I lived on-campus in the International House and had an absolute blast learning and experiencing the Australian culture in the beautiful city of Newcastle (and different places around Australia) and made lots of life long friends!
Fall 2017 Participant
The best part of the program in Newcastle, Australia was the incredible landscape of the area. There were unlimited opportunities for travel and exploration with the friends I made there.
Zachary Allen McGrath,
Fall 2017 Participant
My favorite part of studying abroad was meeting new people. It seemed as if every week I was meeting someone new from a different part of the world. Being able to meet so many new people and hear about their experiences, life, and culture made me want to travel even more and experience the world as much as possible.
Fall 2017 Participant
My favorite part of this program was venturing into a place that was completely unknown to me. Being surrounded by different accents, climate, nature, mannerisms, new people soon to become friends, and a new city to explore was exhilarating and challenging in a very good way.
Lindsey Ahrens,
Spring 2017 Participant
My favorite part of my program was meeting people from all over the world by not only going to a different university, but by traveling alone and meeting people along the way. I was able to hear their incredible memories and make some pretty amazing memories of my own. Bungee jumping was pretty cool too.
Spring 2017 Participant
My favorite part of the program was being in a completely different environment from what I'm used to. It was the change I needed from my usual comfort zone at KU. I was able to experience more in the past 5 months than I have in the past few years at KU.
Benjamin J Gillig,
Fall 2018 Participant
The people in Australia were all very kind and accommodating to foreign students. It was also very easy to get around the city of Newcastle and Australia in general.
Olivia P Hansen,
Fall 2018 Participant
My favorite part of this program was the opportunities that were made present and the friendships made along the way.
Allison Marie Dobie,
Spring 2018 Participant
My favorite part of my time in Newcastle was getting to have genuine connections with people in Australia. Getting to know another culture and finding a new way of looking at the world is definitely worth the extra work that studying abroad can be.
Madison Leah Irwin,
Spring 2018 Participant
I loved the freedom to travel wherever I wanted and I got to meet people along the way who made the experience much more worthwhile.
Spring 2020 Participant
The best thing about studying in Newcastle was getting to meet new people, not only from Australia but also other students from around the world studying abroad as well. Every person I met was open and friendly and made me feel welcome.
Spring 2012 Participant
It really makes you get out of your comfort zone, which I needed. You are pushed to try new things and talk to different people. Being somewhere where you can't just go home when things get hard really teaches you a lot. Best time ever.
Spring 2012 Participant
The people I got to meet along the way were the most rewarding.
Erica Ann Hernly,
Spring 2014 Participant
I found the knowledge that a different University and staff could provide to be the most rewarding part of this program. Especially with such a drastically different view on Architecture and the environment that we were designing projects around. We also connected a lot with other students in the Architecture program from the University; because they'd been there for two years, they helped us figure out things like where to buy supplies and getting around campus. They were incredibly helpful our first month or so at the University.
Claire Elizabeth Ryan,
Spring 2016 Participant
Staying on campus in student housing allowed me to make so many good friends, Australian and international from around the globe.
Zachary Allen McGrath,
Fall 2017 Participant
Traveling on my own in my opinion was the most rewarding. Putting myself in a situation where I had no one to rely on but myself gave me more confidence in my ability to be able to figure things out, no matter the situation. When you find yourself somewhere by yourself, you learn how to make friends and get by.
Lindsey Ahrens,
Spring 2017 Participant
Being able to experience several other cultures and travel while still going to school was the most rewarding part of my program.
Spring 2017 Participant
The most rewarding part was getting to learn from some very distinguished professors. Not only did they teach general topics, but they gave examples of how what you're learning can be applied to real life and within a real career.
Olivia P Hansen,
Fall 2018 Participant
I found the community of studying abroad most rewarding, you never feel alone as you always have someone (whether abroad or at KU) that has your best interests in mind.
Allison Marie Dobie,
Spring 2018 Participant
Study abroad provides you a deeper experience than simply traveling to another country for a week, it gave me friendships and memories that I can always look back on. Not only did I meet friends from Australia that I can always come back to, but I also met friends from England, Belgium, Germany, and Canada.
Spring 2019 Participant
The element of the program I found the most rewarding was the freedom. KU allowed me to navigate the study abroad process easily but gave me the freedom to experience everything on my own. My KU advisor gave me many resources and lots of useful information so that when I arrived in Australia I was well prepared to acclimate myself to my surroundings. I had the freedom to make my own decisions, such as where I lived, traveled, what classes I took, and how I would integrate myself into the Australian lifestyle.
Spring 2020 Participant
It was incredible to learn from brilliant professors who are passionate about their subject and as a result, make the courses interesting and applicable to a future occupation.
Spring 2012 Participant
Find a place to live before you arrive in your country!! It was so nice to be able to have a place to live right when I got to my town in Australia.
Quinn M Harrold,
Fall 2016 Participant
Put yourself out there, go with the flow, and be adventurous.
Fall 2016 Participant
I learned that you can't be afraid to try new things and meet new people. Socializing is a great thing and will expose you to many new things, as well as experiences.
Hannah Rose Proffitt,
Fall 2017 Participant
There are things that we don't have in America that other countries have, and in order to find out what these things are, it is important to get involved with the culture so you can discover them.
Fall 2017 Participant
Something I learned on this program that would be helpful to future students would be to say yes to every travel opportunity that comes your way because this country is absolutely beautiful and there is so much to see.
Spring 2017 Participant
I learned that you need to be open to absolutely anything if you want to gain experience in life. Even though something may not be within your comfort zone or interest you at the time, it is almost always worth trying out.
Hunter Hogan Brown,
Fall 2018 Participant
Be prepared to travel a lot, buy an opal card, save your money early on!
Benjamin J Gillig,
Fall 2018 Participant
Pack as light as possible. Say yes to as many opportunities as you can. Be open to change and keep an open mind.
Spring 2019 Participant
Just do it. If you have the opportunity to study abroad, don't pass it up. This experience was life-changing. I became so independent and confident during my semester of study abroad, as well as made long-lasting friendships and precious memories. It might be scary and out of your comfort zone, but try every new experience that is presented to you, taste all the new foods you've never tried, and immerse yourself in the local community. Keep a journal of your daily activities and experiences because you will forget all of the little details, something you will want to remember for the rest of your life.