Australia

Tyler Daniels
Mu in Perth at Edith Cowan University, Spring Semester 2007

"My name is Tyler Daniels, and I am currently a senior at MU. I am an English major (minor in FIlm Studies), and I was fortunate enough to study abroad in beautiful Perth, Australia. The program was during my Winter '07 semester, and while I was in Australia, I was able to take some classes in Literature, Film, and History at Edith Cowan University. It was a great experience from day one! The people were very friendly, and my professors were tremendously helpful in broadening my educational pursuits. While I was in the land Down Under, I made sure to explore the natural wildlife and immerse myself in the culture. This is a picture of me with a quokka; a small, rare marsupial found only on a couple of islands on the coast of Southwest Australia! This program was one of the most exciting times of my life, and I would reccomend it to anyone! You can email me at tad4h5@missouri.edu."

Lindsey Bierschenk
Arcadia University (Partner Program) in Sydney at the University of Sydney, Spring Semester 2005

"My dream to travel and live in Australia was finally realized in the Spring Semester of 2005 when I studied abroad in Sydney. It was difficult for me to choose a program and city to study abroad in, but I was very happy with my final decision. I went through MU's partner program Arcadia, who was very organized, supportive, and had a great orientation and side trips planned for us throughout the semester. I chose to live in Sydney because I was planning on travelling and Sydney is near to many different places. Having never been out of the country or to a city larger than St. Louis, I was a bit intimidated when I decided to study abroad in Sydney, whose population is 4 million, and attend the University of Sydney, with 46,000 students. At such a large University, there were plenty of classes available for all majors, including mine (biology), however, I chose to take electives so I could really enjoy my study abroad experience. I enrolled in a women's study course, Australian politics, and a religion in Australia course, all of which I enjoyed. I only had classes two days a week, so I had plenty of time to sightsee and travel.

"I was so glad I chose Sydney because there was always something to do. I lived in Unilodge, a hotel with a great location. There was a mall just across the street, it was a five minute walk to campus, and a 20 minute walk to Darling Harbour. I lived mostly with other Americans, but it wasn't difficult to meet Australians in class or out at night. The nightlife was great. Beaches were just a short bus or train ride away. On school break, I took a two-week trip to New Zealand's south island and travelled the whole island. That was definitely a highlight of my entire study abroad experience. I was able to see the most stunning sights in both Australia and New Zealand. Melbourne was great to visit, and I highly recommend going on the Great Ocean Road tour. Try to make the most of your time abroad and go to historical sights, museums, and Aussie sporting events. There are all different types of food to choose from, so experiment! Try an Aussie meat pie, some vegemite, and fall in love with Tim Tam cookies. Don't be afraid to try new things and meet new people. Remember, you are only there for a limited amount of time, so make the most of it! The atmosphere in Australia is so laid back, and the people are so kind. This experience really put things into perspective for me, as I learned a lot about other countries, lifestyles, and myself. This experience has changed my life, and I will never forget it. If you have any questions, I would be more than happy to answer them. You can email me at lmb5a1@mizzou.edu."

Heidi Williams, Claire Genthe, Andrea Tappmeyer, Amy Rees, & Nichole Witte
MU in Perth at Edith Cowan University, Academic Year 2002-03,
Fall Semester 2002

Amy Rees: "Studying abroad in Perth was a dream come true! Imagine waking up every morning and seeing kangaroos hopping around campus or going to a wildlife park where you can hold koalas... Australia's laid-back personality will give you a whole new perspective on enjoying life. I lived with people from France, Iceland, Australia, Thailand, and Mauritius, so you also have the opportunity to learn about cultures from all over the world. I'm a Finance major with a Psychology minor, and the classes I took were of extremely good quality... not to mention the Massage class I took just for fun! While still able to enjoy numerous trips (I traveled the southwest and New Zealand), Perth is the ideal place to experience the stereotypical Australian lifestyle. If you have questions, feel free to email me at reesie6@yahoo.com."

Andrea Tappmeyer: "Studying Abroad in Australia has been the best experience of my life so far. Australia and the people who live there have such an easy going , laid back attitude that it puts things in perspective and makes it hard to get stressed out or not have a GREAT time. I never imagined a place as beautiful as Western Australia existed ; the Indian Ocean is so incredibly crystal clear you can see right to the bottom at most parts. I had the opportunity to get certified in SCUBA diving and was able to dive in some of the most beautiful spots in the world. There is so much to see and do that I am already looking forward to going back.

I lived in the student village -- the campus housing -- and had a blast. I met some really great people from all over the world and have made many life - long friends. Many weekends a group of us would rent a car and take trips up or down the coast and go exploring. I had classes three days of the week, which was very nice. I learned a lot about Australian culture through my classes and loved the opportunities to discuss my American culture and viewpoints with my classmates and teachers during discussions. I was even able to take a massage class and an adventure recreation class, where we were taken on bike rides along the ocean and through national forests.

All in all, I think Australia is a wonderful place to study abroad. Perth especially holds all of the characteristics of traditional Australia : kangaroos hopping around outside my flat, fun-loving Australians, wonderful beaches, and so much more. Studying abroad in Australia has definitely been the best decision I have made so far in life. If you have any questions about studying in Perth or Australia in general, please feel free to e-mail me: amt346@mizzou.edu."

"We also studied at Edith Cowan University in Perth and would be happy to answer any questions you might have about the program, so feel free to e-mail us: Claire Genthe: hmw5ea@mizzou.edu, Nichole Witte nmw6c5@mizzou.edu."

Ellen Williams
MU in Melbourne at Monash University, Fall Semester 2002

"Studying Abroad in Australia was the best five months of my life. Melbourne lives up to its reputation as the most livable city in the world. It is incredibly beautiful and has a great nightlife. I am a Physical Therapy major at Mizzou, but I didn't take any of those classes at Monash. I did, however, take some fun classes including Photography and Experiencing the Australian Landscape, which was my favorite. It consisted of going on two four-day camping trips to national parks (Grampians and Wilson's Promontory) a few hours from Melbourne. It was a great way to get away from the city to see the natural beauty of Australia (as in the photo). I had classes just two days a week which made traveling incredibly easy. Some of my favorite trips included going to Tasmania, Perth, Fitzroy Island, Gold Coast, Canberra (the capital), New Zealand twice and Sydney four times! On those trips, I was able to do so many things I had never done before such as diving, surfing, rafting, horseback riding, sea kayaking, snorkeling, river boarding and skydiving! Although those were all great experiences, the best part of my trip and the most memorable was meeting wonderful people from around the world. I can't wait to go back! If you have any questions about studying at Monash University, please feel free to e-mail me at emw83e@mizzou.edu"

Janine Groccia
MU in Perth at Edith Cowan University, Spring Semester 2002

"When I was trying to decide where I wanted to study abroad, I wanted my experience to be something unique. I couldn't decide between Europe and Australia. When I thought about it, how many people travel around Europe and how many people get the chance to travel around Australia? It seemed like such an opportunity to go somewhere I most likely would not have been able to go if not for study abroad.

I went to Edith Cowan University in Perth. There are about 5 different campuses throughout Western Australia. If you want to live near the beach or by the city there are different campuses near by. However, I didn't want to live on campus, and I was able to get an amazing apartment. I could walk into the city or to school, which was good since I had to rely on public transportation. I lived with another girl from MU, a girl from Virginia, and a guy from Sweden. Within my complex, I had friends from Ireland, Australia and many other countries. I am an education major, so I wasn't able to take my major specific classes there, but I finished up General Ed. classes. The classes only met once a week for three hours, so that left a lot of time for traveling around Western Australia to places like Rottnest Island and Margaret River. Along with traveling, I spent a lot of my free time hanging around at one of the many beautiful beaches. Some of my favorite places were Sydney and Fiji. Bali is really close to Perth, and a lot of people take advantage of that. I went to the Fiji Islands off the East Coast instead. Fiji is truly an amazing place. My advice is to get involved in the Aussie traditions such as going to a Footie game or a Sunday Session. These are the things that make this country so unique. This was one of the best experiences and if you have any questions, I'd be happy to answer them. E-mail: jmgf80@mizzou.edu"

Tyson Hunt
MU in Perth at Edith Cowan University, Spring Semester 2001

"My decision to study abroad was the greatest decision I have ever made and followed through with. It was like all of a sudden I realized how much there was to see and do in the world, and how little I had actually seen and done. I chose to go to Australia because it was about as far away as I could get from home, and the culture fascinated me. Australia seemed so mysterious before I went. I always wanted to visit the land 'down unda' and knew that this was probably a once in a lifetime opportunity. I had originally thought of studying in Europe somewhere, but knew the probability of my traveling to Europe in the future was much greater than my traveling to Australia. However, after living in Australia for 6 months, I now know I will return to the big island before my life is over.

I chose to study in Perth for many reasons. A big reason was that studying there allows you the opportunity to live in your own apartment, and with the exchange rate as good as it was, it was very feasible to live on the beach. I had many friends who lived across the street from the most beautiful beaches and water I have ever seen. I lived with my roommate (at the time) in a condo about 5 minutes from the beach and 5 minutes from the central business district. Also, Perth is geographically the most isolated city in the world, which really had an effect on the lifestyle and attitudes of the residents of Perth. They (and Aussies in general) are the most laid back, easy-going people I have ever been around. The feeling of being so isolated gives the people and city a sense of closeness, similar to Columbia, but on a much greater scale because there are approximately 2 million people in Perth. Also, in Perth I didn't run into nearly as many American tourists as I would have had I chosen to study in Sydney or Melbourne. Nothing against Americans-I just wanted a whole new experience with new, different people. And I got it.

I am a Marketing major and was able to fulfill several requirements while abroad. The schooling was quite different; many of the business classes were scheduled for 3 hour seminars, but I lucked out and had really cool professors that never held us for the full 3 hours. Plus the classes were not nearly as stressful as some of the classes here at MU. And taking courses pass/fail really helped to ease the stresses of school work.

My goals for this trip were to learn how to surf, to travel, to experience as much as I could and to meet and make friends with people from all parts of the globe who would remain life-long 'mates.' Mission accomplished.

I was able to travel quite a bit. I flew up to Malaysia for a week and stayed on Penang Island. That trip is beyond words really. 'Unbelievable' is as close to explaining it as I can get. And Southeast Asia is so close to Perth it would've been a shame not to go and experience a bit of Asian culture. I also flew to the northeastern coastal city of Cairns (pronounced Cans) to check out the Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree National Rainforest (which is the oldest living rainforest in the world). Cairns is by far the coolest place I have ever been to. On the way back to Perth my flight stopped at Ayer's rock, which is the world's largest monolith and sacred to the Aboriginal people of Australia. I slept on beaches, relaxed next to clear blue waters on Rottnest island, went road-trippin' with friends, surfed early morning sets, played guitar under the southern cross at night, jumped out of a perfectly good airplane and lived completely independently away from the comforts of home. And I loved every minute of it. It's really difficult to explain and describe what an impact this whole experience has had on my life, so I won't even try. But once you go, you'll understand what I mean. If you are even barely considering studying abroad, whether it's in Canada or Jordan or Europe or India or Australia or Ireland or Mexico or any of the amazing places to see and experience in this world, just go, that's the best advice I can give. Just go.

Feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions or would like to know more about studying abroad in Australia. Email: skurfer98@hotmail.com."

Kyle Major
MU in Melbourne at Monash University, Spring Semester 2000 - Fall Semester 2000

"I am a Biochemistry major and took classes in the sciences, in music, and in Russian. The level of instruction was excellent. I was able to see a lot of the country, including the East Coast, the Great Barrier Reef, Uluru (Ayer's Rock) and Tasmania. My fondest memories, however, are of the friends I made and the times I had with them. Whether it was going to see a football match, exploring the nightlife, or trekking along the Great Ocean Road, there was always something to do. Even seemingly mundane activities were often exciting and taught me something about Australia. And while going to an English-speaking country didn't teach me a foreign language, it made it simple to immerse myself in the host culture. I feel as though I did that to the fullest extent. I love talking about my experiences and welcome questions by e-mail. E-mail: coranglais@hotmail.com."