IFSA University of Sydney Partnership

I applied to this program at the last minute after making an impulsive decision to study abroad in Australia with my friend. I'm so thankful I went with my gut and chose to study abroad in Sydney through IFSA. Everyone I was in contact with there through the whole application process and arriving in Sydney was extremely helpful and cared about giving the students an amazing experience. While in Sydney, I always felt like there was support from IFSA staff available at any time, yet they allowed you to experience your study abroad in your own unique way. I can't emphasize enough how much I loved Sydney and how happy I was there- I'd move back in a heartbeat. I'm so grateful IFSA was able to facilitate such an incredible study abroad experience for me!

If I was asked to list my feelings before studying abroad to Sydney, Australia with IFSA, nervous, anxious, and scared would never had appeared. I was excited and prepared to embark on my journey abroad! IFSA had really prepared me before departure with their numerous newsletters that helped me get a feel for what the culture was like and how to navigate daily living like public transportation and healthcare. Even though I was 9,195 miles/14,800 km from home, I felt like I had a family--more importantly, a support system--the entire time. Whenever I had money problems, the IFSA directors were so caring and understanding of my situation and they helped me get back on my feet. They cared about inclusion and diversity which, for an low-income Asian woman, meant the world to me. Because they didn't want anyone to miss out on the amazing experiences and adventures Australia had to offer, they helped me find affordable ways to experience everything whether music, food, culture, and nature. From free concerts to taking full advantage of club events, they gave tips and tricks that made my experience unforgettable. Country Life Weekend was an unforgettable weekend in Bathurst where we could hold baby lambs and get a break from the big city. They also gave free us tickets to see a play and the Australian Ballet in the Sydney Opera House, who can beat that! Armed with the support of IFSA and a great group of friends, those feelings of nervousness that many students have after leaving home to live in another country for a semester easily dissipated. Of course I got homesick at times but at the end of the day, I was going to go home so I thought, might as well make the most of my time now! I would highly recommend this program to anyone--and have been doing so as an IFSA Ambassador--because they studying abroad so enjoyable and exciting!

I studied at USyd during fall 2019 and I am SO glad I did. Even though I was extremely nervous at first about going to a new place by myself, all the advice and facilitation provided by IFSA made the process a lot more daunting. The individual advisor assigned to me was very accommodating, especially with deadlines, and provided detailed answers to all my questions. I got a lot more logistical support from IFSA during pre-departure than I did even from my home school. Once in Sydney, having the program as touchstone was really helpful and helped my anxiety about all of the unknowns a lot. I was able to make other American friends in the program which was great because I had a group of people to do all of the touristy exploration I wanted to do. In my opinion, Sydney itself is the perfect city. I lived just a few blocks away from a train station and could get anywhere very easily, including any of the beaches, which I went to nearly every weekend. I got so used to being recognized by the owner of the neighbourhood coffee shop on days I went in to get my morning flat white. While studying at the University of Sydney, I was able to take courses introduced me to more interdisciplinary modes of thinking that I am now applying to my senior essay back home. Though the class sizes are much larger than I am used to, weekly tutorial sections helped develop discussion further and also gave me the opportunity to meet local students. The only downside was I did not push myself enough to join clubs or organizations with the university, which would have allowed me to make closer Australian friends. I'm graduating next year and have started to consider applying to jobs in Sydney, just to see what could happen.

IFSA was so instrumental in helping me enjoy my abroad experience. The program set up multiple events that helped me meet new people within the program and get comfortable in our new setting. They were also there every step of the way to help us get adjusted to being at a new university, being in a new city, etc. One thing I loved about IFSA as well was the housing. I absolutely loved my roommates; we all had similar goals for abroad, and they all ended up becoming my closest friends. Overall, I highly recommend IFSA if you are looking for a high quality education paired with a great experience socially.

University of Sydney is an amazing university with extremely high quality academics and the perfect location (in the heart of the city but not too far from the beach and beautiful national and state parks), and IFSA gave me the tools to make the most of my experience. Their assistance with direct enrollment allowed me to take amazing classes that I don't have at my home university (one learning about Australian wildlife by going to the zoo and getting behind-the-scene tours of their conservation programs), their research/internship program put me on an amazing ornithology research project, their pre-planned programs gave my opportunities to learn more about Australian culture, and their amazing staff made me feel safe, supported, and gave me the resources and insight to plan my own exciting trips and experiences in and around Sydney. I cannot recommend this program more. Everyone at IFSA is so nice and so supportive, but gives you as much independence as you want while abroad so that you can really customize your experience and make it yours. I had an experience unique from everyone else on my program, but it was absolutely perfect for me.

Studying abroad with IFSA at the University of Sydney has been one of the highlights of my college career. The program was amazing, I loved my classes, and I made really great friends while I studied abroad. One of the reasons that IFSA was so great was because it provided me with so many people to contact throughout the study abroad process, which made me feel supported at every step. In addition, this support didn't feel overbearing, so I was also able to get the sense of independence that I wanted, but have someone to reach out to when I had questions about things like making a doctors appointment in Australia.

My favorite aspect of studying abroad was taking a class titled 'Sport and learning in Australian culture' at the university of Sydney. I learned a lot about Australia, its people, it 's culture and it's history through this class. I also had the opportunity to make great friends and have unique experiences like watching the Rugby World Cub and attending AFL games.

My study abroad experience absolutely changed my life -- especially because of IFSA, the program I went through. Ever since coming back home I have recommended IFSA to every single person I know who is thinking about going abroad. IFSA gave me the full support to be not only comfortable 10,000 miles away from home but able to step out of my comfort zone and grow as a person in the most incredible city in the world - Sydney. I loved learning and being abroad so much that my life has truly truly changed paths because of it -- I am now after graduation going to teach in China for two years in the Peace Corps -- I strongly believe in international education.

I had the most amazing time studying abroad at the University of Sydney! The IFSA-Butler personnel were incredible. I built incredible relationships with the staff that were on the ground in Sydney; they made it a point to get to know all of us really well and provided events for us to get to know them, along with our fellow abroad students, better. I felt that I could go to them with anything from questions about where to buy groceries to more serious matters about issues with school or issues that may have occurred back home in the states. Even after we got into a routine and settled into life in Sydney, they still made it a point to invite us to lunch or meet up for events. I love the University of Sydney as well, it provided me an incredible abroad experience. I come fro ma small liberal arts in the states, so going to a big university that was home to over 50,000 students was a huge change, but my professors did a great job of making sure I adjusted well and were available if I had any issues or questions. It was a huge school and it is easy to get lost, but there are so many opportunities to find your niche, even if there for only a semester; I made great friends while there, both natives and fellow abroad students. The campus is gorgeous; it is truly something out of this world. The people are so incredibly friendly, there is always something to do in the Newtown, CBD, and surrounding areas on any given day (week day or weekend), and it is one off the easiest cities to navigate (by car, foot, and public transportation). I could not have been more pleased with my abroad experience. I made incredible friends, learned to be more independent, stepped outside of my comfort zone numerous times, created unforgettable memories, traveled the world, saw and experienced things I never imagined I ever would, and survived 5 months on the complete other side of the world in my own, loving every second of it. I could not have picked a better school to attend, group to go with (IFSA-Butler was amazing), or city to spend my time abroad. It was the adventure of a lifetime and I would not have changed a second of it for the world.

I had a wonderful time with IFSA Butler, they did a great job preparing students for the abroad experience as well as facilitating us when in Sydney. I really enjoyed the level of dedication they put into our wellbeing and happiness abroad. They made it easy to get housing and meet people in and out of the program, but also allowed us to do our own thing if we wanted to. I think having a great facilitating program gave me the support and push I needed to have success and a great time abroad.

Sydney is fun. I surfed a lot. Butler organized housing and trips and stayed out of my way. It was great.