IES Abroad Sydney DE – University of New South Wales

My time in Sydney with IES Abroad was a memory I'll keep for the rest of my life. Although it had its hard moments (don't underestimate how much homesickness or a hard class can hit you), there were so many amazing experiences I got to have, like seeing quokkas in person or building a group of friends from all over the world. It was a great opportunity to expand my horizons and learn who I am as a person halfway across the world from the same people and places I've always known.

My study abroad experience in Sydney, Australia with IES Abroad was nothing short of transformative. From the moment I arrived, I was welcomed into a vibrant, multicultural city that offered endless opportunities for both academic growth and personal exploration. One of the standout aspects of my experience was the incredible support from IES Abroad. The on-site staff were always available to help, whether it was navigating the academic system, offering travel tips, or organizing cultural events. The IES-organized excursions, like trips to the Blue Mountains and surf lessons at Bondi Beach, were not only fun but also helped me bond with fellow students and immerse myself in Australian culture. Academically, studying in Sydney was an enriching experience. My courses were engaging and complemented by hands-on learning opportunities, such as field trips and guest speakers. I was able to deepen my understanding of global issues while exploring Australia’s unique ecosystem, history, and culture. Outside the classroom, I made unforgettable memories exploring Sydney. Whether it was watching a sunrise at the Sydney Opera House, hiking coastal trails, or discovering hidden cafes, the city had so much to offer. I made lifelong friends along the way by saying yes to new experiences, inviting classmates to explore the city together, and stepping outside my comfort zone. One of the highlights of my trip was a spontaneous weekend getaway that introduced me to my closest friends, reminding me that sometimes the best connections happen unexpectedly. Overall, IES Abroad made it easy to navigate the challenges of living in a new country, and Sydney became a second home. I cannot recommend this program enough for students looking for a balance between academics, adventure, and cultural immersion. My time in Sydney has given me lifelong memories, friendships, and a new perspective on the world.

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My experience studying internationally with IES Abroad in Sydney, Australia was incredibly eye-opening. I studied at the University of New South Wales in Kensington, which is conveniently located about twenty minutes from world famous Coogee Beach. I loved studying at this university because my school back in the US is super rural, so it was a huge change of scene that helped me accustom to school in a whole new atmosphere alongside an incredibly diverse student body. During my time in Sydney, I met students from all over the world and really gained some great relationships through IES's program. Some of my highlights at UNSW were studying politics and philosophy from an Australian perspective and traveling to nearby cultural heritage sites. This really supplemented my class on Indigenous People and Policy especially. Exploring my global citizenship inspired me to discover my love for distance-running. IES sponsored us to run the Sydney Half-Marathon, so that was an incredible personal feat that I will always be thankful for. I also won a free skydiving trip! In addition, I loved studying in the law library, since I want to be a lawyer, and making friends with legal students from Australia. Overall, the program was run very efficiently, provided me with opportunity for both professional and personal growth, and has inspired me to make exploring my global citizenship a continuity.

Everyone I have ever met who studied abroad told me, "it was the best decision of my life." Literally, everyone. Because so many people say this, it kind of goes over your head. Well let me tell you, studying abroad was the best decision of my life. No matter where you go, or what you do, you will take part in a life changing experience. There is no other time in your life when you an opportunity like this will present itself. 10/10.

Studying abroad is incredibly rewarding, specifically if done in Sydney, Australia. Deciding to study abroad was the best decision I have ever made. I truly believe it is the best thing you can do for yourself. I learned more about myself than I ever could have thought, and really grew as a person in general. I gained additional knowledge of the world and became more confident in myself. Being independent for so long and so far away from home enabled me to fully immerse myself in the Sydney culture. The experiences I had are unforgettable.

Studying abroad really did change my life. As I left the country for the first time, I had an amazing time living in a new culture. I was challenged to live on my own and make new friends once again after thinking I had figured everything there was out at my home University. I now enjoy taking pictures and traveling much more than I had prior to my experience and I look forward to making mini vacations and traveling the United States more.

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Studying abroad in Sydney was one of the best decisions I have made. It's impossible to describe my five month experience in a review, but upon my return to the states, I have recommended studying abroad to everyone. I arrived back in the US a different person than when I left, and the changes I went through while abroad shaped me so fully in a very short period of time. Outside of Sydney, I was able to go to Cairns, Brisbane, Melbourne, New Zealand, Thailand, and Bali. Australia is an amazing destination because there is so much to see within the country, and it is close to lots of outside destinations. IES was very accommodating and helpful, especially concerning direct enrollment at UNSW- they made the process very easy. The trips and excursions IES offers throughout the semester were great, and really allowed us to explore areas outside of the city and near our schools. The mid semester trip to Cairns was a great experience, and IES provided us with a great trip. Australia is a beautiful country with lots of sites to see and amazing people to meet - I will definitely be returning soon.

For the Fall of 2014 I was fortunate enough to spend my semester at The University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia. UNSW is very diverse environment that allowed me to grow both academically and socially. UNSW is a research university so many of the professors and facilitator are at the top of their fields and have made major contributions to their respective fields; because of this classes were engaging and challenged me to produce a higher quality of work. While I was able to grow inside that classroom I was also challenged to find my spot in the large UNSW community. Going to Australia I did not know anyone in my program which allowed me to really push myself socially and make a whole new group of friends. During my stay at UNSW I lived in Phillip Baxter College, of the Kensigton Colleges. Baxter College was made up of about eighty percent Australian students and twenty percent exchange students, which allowed me to have a very diverse group of friends from all around the world. Overall I left Australia and UNSW with a more worldly perspective and many friends and memories that I will be able to hang on to for the rest of my life.

“You will never be completely at home again, because part of your heart always will be elsewhere. That is the price you pay for the richness of loving and knowing people in more than one place.” –Miriam Adeney After returning home and reflecting on my time abroad in Australia, I have realized how much I have learned about myself. I know this may sound cliché, but I have been exposed to so many different cultures and ways of life. By immersing myself into a foreign culture and meeting people from all over the world, I have learned more than I ever could inside a classroom. I left America as a dependent student and returned home 4 months later as an independent woman with a different perspective from when I had left. Not to say that my academics in the classroom were of no value, because I did learn a great deal of knowledge about Australian history and culture. However, I place far more value on the relationships I formed with my professors and classmates rather than the content taught in each lecture. Both locals and other exchange students taught me so much about their own unique culture. I had friends from over 10 different countries, all of which contributed something different to my experience. The friendships I made throughout my stay is what made saying goodbye so difficult. I never imagined people with such different backgrounds could come together and create such a strong bond. No matter how different we may seem at a glance, we all have more in common than we realize. As Miriam Adeney claims, my heart will forever be in more than one place after meeting such incredible people. Something that I noticed during my time abroad and would like to stress is the cultural difference from one nationality to another. We all have very different approaches to education, social relationships, religion and many more everyday things. However, I learned that no one culture is right or wrong, but instead, each culture is simply unique from the rest. By accepting and respecting these differences, we can eliminate the judgments made toward cultures that are different from our own and get rid of the egocentric attitude we have about our own culture. Academically, this trip has helped me improve my cultural awareness, which is beneficial to improving my career goals of becoming a physical therapist because down the road, I will encounter patients from many different ethnic backgrounds. I have become far more appreciative and understanding towards other cultures’ approach to life. My goal was to become more independent, and it is safe to say I have fulfilled that goal. The minute I was dropped off by IES onto the UNSW campus, I was on my own. I had no choice but to find my way around, meet new people, and embrace the opportunity I had in front of me, an opportunity most people will never have. I found that the best way to do this was to be myself, and keep an open mind to everything and everyone. It ranged from simple things like figuring out public transportation, to more difficult things like planning a trip to Thailand, all of which challenged my dependence. From a professional standpoint, this independence has given me the confidence I need to become successful in my field of study. The scholarship I received was a blessing to me. I can list a hundred different ways in which it supported my experience, but instead, I want to focus on what I believe to be the most important; my 2 week trip to Thailand. Although I studied in Australia, and learned a great deal about their culture, I found it rather similar to America, and considered it my home away from home. I wanted something extremely different. I wanted to step outside my comfort zone and explore a place that I never imagined. I wanted to feel uncomfortable, and see the world from a whole new perspective, which is why I chose Thailand. I learned more about Buddhism and their religion from this trip than I ever would have in a semester long lecture-style religion class. Overall, this trip gave me a greater appreciation for all of the things I have, because after travelling to a developing country, it made me realize how many things we all take for granted, like clean water and a warm bed. I was fortunate enough to explore beyond my study abroad home. This trip was used to make my life richer through travel. Before going, I always heard how amazing studying abroad was. But to actually have the opportunity is something I will always be grateful for. I will forever carry that experience and all of the knowledge I gained with me wherever my future plans may lead. When people ask about my adventure, I always find it so hard to come up with something to say that sums up 4 entire months. And that’s just it; there really is nothing I can say that describes my experience in its entirety without leaving something out. It is something only I will fully appreciate. I wish everyone had the opportunity to go abroad because it taught me so much about myself, and those around me. It taught me things that cannot be taught through lecture, but rather can only be learned through travel.

During the 2014 spring semester, I traveled to Sydney, Australia to study at the University of New South Wales for four months. My home school - Ithaca College - has very strong ties with IES Abroad, so it was an easy decision to study abroad with this prestigious program. When I was preparing to go overseas, I attended several IES information sessions and was able to meet my IES advisor. Though the various approval processes were lengthy and the paperwork daunting, IES representatives guided me along the way and handled most of the accommodations. Once arriving in Australia, they greeted me at the airport and and held a weeklong orientation, so that me and my 60 fellow travelers could meet and settle into our new environment. When I wasn’t occupied with Uni life, I had an incredible time seeing literally everything there is to see in Sydney (i.e. landmarks, museums, sporting events, etc.). I was fortunate enough to travel up and down the east coast of the country, visiting places like Brisbane, Canberra, and Melbourne. Throughout the semester, our awesome IES program coordinator scheduled a handful of events to introduce us to the Aussie culture and locale. The highlight of my entire trip was attending the IES-led mid-semester break trip to Cairns, where we snorkeled the Great Barrier Reef. It was truly an unforgettable experience. Upon my return to the US, IES dealt with the final task of sending my international transcript to my home school, and now I am proud to call myself an IES Abroad Ambassador!

IES Abroad was a fantastic organization that caters to every student’s needs prior to departure and upon arrival. Our program director was kind, helpful, and fun to be around. Every day was a new adventure living in Sydney, whether it was exploring the city, hiking the rugged coastline, or earning a scuba diving certification. The people, culture, and environment were truly amazing. The experience helped me grow in to a more well-rounded and confident individual. Studying abroad with IES truly enabled me to challenge myself and become the best version of who I am.

My study Abroad experience for the Spring semester in 2014 still seems unbelievable. As someone who lives in New York and who has never left the country before, going to Australia was the largest first step I could have possibly chosen for a trip abroad. I was definitely nervous but my high level of excitement drowned out all superficial negative feelings. Before I knew it, after a lot of preperation financially and academically, I was taking off in a plane to get to Sydney, Australia. Luckily, IES made the preperation process very easy so by the time I was leaving the United States of America, I was stress-free and ready to experience a whole new land and culture. Even on day one, IES and the University of New South Wales started to make the transition process easier and manageable with orientation programs and information sessions. I felt immediately welcomed by the staff of IES, faculty of the University, and the people of Australia. Australia at any given time has as many as one third of the population consisting of international people, so I did not feel out of place and the Australians who I made friends with immediately opened up and included me. Everyone seemed so nice and accepting that I felt like I made a second home. I did not find it too hard to balance my soical life and academics while abroad. I took the same course load as I would back home but I had less time commitments because I was not working or committed to the demands of Greek Life. I was able to explore the city or go to the beach almost everyday and still get all schoolwork needed done. Apart from getting all of the life experiences I possibly could, a big goal of mine while abroad was to network and advance my career opportunities. After all, having international experience and mentors could never hurt anyone! Because of my plan to get a MBA before pursuing medical school, I made sure to meet with the faculty of the Sydney Business School, get a tour, and talk about my plans and myself. I made a great decision in doing this and I learned a lot about potentially attending their school for graduate school. To me, this networking was the most valuable aspect of my trip. Sure I was able to travel, experience the social life of a new culture, make amazing friends and build personal experiences, but this extra step I took has given me a chance to come back. Currently that plan is in the works and I am very strongly considering going back for busniess school. Maybe even after that I could stay for even longer, if not forever. Only time will tell! My only regret for my time abroad is that there was not more of it. I did get to explore Sydney, travel to Melbourne, Brisbane, and Cairns, swim and dive in the Great Barrier Reef, and even go camping in the Outback and exploring the Daintree Rainforest, but there is so much of Australia that I did not get to see, or did not get to see for long enough. The Outback and Great Barrier Reef were both breathtaking and are two wonders that I will have to go back to one day. I also would have loved to travel to countries and cities close by to Australia, but time ran out too fast. Bali, Fuji, and Thailand all would have been amazing to travel to if I had the opportunity. All I can say is that if anyone ever goes abroad, make the most of it in every way you can!

Studying abroad through IES was amazing. Our midsemester break trip to the Great Barrier Reef was the highlight of my entire semester. IES also helped me arrange housing in one of the UNSW Residential Colleges, which was an ideal experience as I lived with Australians who were friendly, welcoming, and extremely fun. Sydney is a beautiful city. I loved my semester abroad so much that I ended up extending my stay to a full year.