Want to study abroad, where should I go? (serious)

jvinci · 06-07-2007, 01:20 PM

I've been thinking hard about it, and I really want to study abroad my junior year of college. I'm still not 100% sure whether to go for a 6 months or a year, but right now i'm leaning towards the full year.

I just wanted to know if anyone else here has done it, and where they have gone. Where do you reccomend?

I want an english speaking country for sure, so i was thinking either England or Australia. Here are the options i have (if you happen to know any of the schools).

England: University of Bradford; University of Bristol; University of Hull; Kingston University; University of Sheffield; and University of Wales, Swansea.

Australia: Griffith University; Macquarie University; Queensland University of Technology; University of Queensland; University of Western Sydney; and Victoria University

If anyone knows any info on these places, i would greatly appreciate it. Also, good info about anywhere else would be nice too. I'll rep you with what i got if the info is solid. This program is through the CSU system in california, just incase you know another school that the CSU supports across the seas.

wincjw · 06-07-2007, 01:27 PM

My girlfriend went to university in Kingston, so i was often there visiting her. There were always quite a few Americans on the uni buses (presumably from study abroad programs like yours) Basically its a really nice town, lots of good shops, good nightlife, good student population and only a twenty minute train journey from the centre of London. Dunno about the rest, but its definately one to consider..

Blap Blaow · 06-07-2007, 01:29 PM

what are you studying?

jvinci · 06-07-2007, 01:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wincjw

My girlfriend went to university in Kingston, so i was often there visiting her. There were always quite a few Americans on the uni buses (presumably from study abroad programs like yours) Basically its a really nice town, lots of good shops, good nightlife, good student population and only a twenty minute train journey from the centre of London. Dunno about the rest, but its definately one to consider..

really? that sounds cool. is it a small town? do you know if the actual college is nice/reputable? lol. what did you do for fun there?

(just pooling for more info)

wakeboardone · 06-07-2007, 01:31 PM

I studied abroad at Curtin University in Perth, Western Australia. I had the time of my life while I was there for that semester. Great people at the school and in the city/area. Nice beaches and nightlife too

jvinci · 06-07-2007, 01:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blap Blaow

what are you studying?

probably a medical field of some sort. I havent decided if i want to go out and try to be a doctor or not. So right now, i'm lookin to just major in something like biology. or maybe even cross over into psychology....

but my plans could always change

muirsy88 · 06-07-2007, 01:32 PM

Did a semester in Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur) and it was unreal man. All the classes were in English although you could take a handful of second language classes. Not to mention, we topped it all off with a nice trip to Thailand to celebrate the end of school.

jvinci · 06-07-2007, 01:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wakeboardone

I studied abroad at Curtin University in Perth, Western Australia. I had the time of my life while I was there for that semester. Great people at the school and in the city/area. Nice beaches and nightlife too

ive heard people always wish that they had stayed for the whole year. is that how you feel?

power_withn · 06-07-2007, 01:33 PM

WE ALL WANT TO STUDY ABROAD IN THE MISC

jvinci · 06-07-2007, 01:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by muirsy88

Did a semester in Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur) and it was unreal man. All the classes were in English although you could take a handful of second language classes. Not to mention, we topped it all off with a nice trip to Thailand to celebrate the end of school.

woh, i don't know if i would be up to a trip like malaysia... what's there to do there?

kay_kakes · 06-07-2007, 01:39 PM

I'd definately go for somewhere in England. Most of the classes can transfer to csu credit. I'm wanting to go for a whole year when I'm a junior. They have a great communicatiosn department in Leeds. The tuition is the same there as at CSU, but you do have to pay for room/board, transportation, flight, insurance, food, etc. It will get really expensive; around 10k. Check out more info here:

http://www.csus.edu/oge/Study_General_Info.htm

Oh and PS: You are hot. I wanna be on you.

kay_kakes · 06-07-2007, 01:40 PM

FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITIES

Students accepted to the program will pay the usual California State University, Sacramento fees, remain eligible for financial aid (except work/study), if otherwise qualified, and receive resident credit just as if they were attending classes at this university. (Please note that equivalency of courses falls under the jurisdiction of the academic department.) LMU has agreed to waive non-resident tuition, approximately 8,200 pounds (over $15,500) per year, making this a particularly attractive opportunity for participants. Students will pay for their travel to and from Leeds, room and board, books, and incidentals. In addition, each student must have the required insurance during his or her stay in England. Expenses for a semester in Leeds are estimated at the following: usual undergraduate fees - $1,640 (graduates would pay the graduate fee), airfare - $900, insurance - $200, housing and living costs (19 weeks) - $7,200. Total $9,940. The estimated expenses for an academic year are about $18,980. This estimate is given for planning purposes only and is subject to changes from currency fluctuation, inflation, and fee changes. Keep in mind that the cost to obtain a passport and a student visa is not included in this estimate.

muirsy88 · 06-07-2007, 01:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JBalla16

woh, i don't know if i would be up to a trip like malaysia... what's there to do there?

Haha tons of stuff man - it's a huge city - 2mil people. Very modern, great night life etc etc...and VERY clean.

Good times can be had there for sure. Not sure if it's available through your school though

jvinci · 06-07-2007, 01:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by muirsy88

Haha tons of stuff man - it's a huge city - 2mil people. Very modern, great night life etc etc...and VERY clean.

Good times can be had there for sure. Not sure if it's available through your school though

dang that sounds intense. i'll have to look and see if my school offers that.

wakeboardone · 06-07-2007, 01:49 PM

yeah, i would've loved a whole year (assuming I could afford to stay longer, my bar tabs were getting pretty high)

wincjw · 06-07-2007, 01:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JBalla16

really? that sounds cool. is it a small town? do you know if the actual college is nice/reputable? lol. what did you do for fun there?

(just pooling for more info)

Its an avarage size town, but really its just another suburb of London, cause its so close. From what i saw of it the uni looks really nice and modern. For its size its town centre is really good, people come from all over to shop there. For fun theres the basics..cinema, bowling, shopping, restaurants. Also there are some really nice pubs all along the river and some good clubs. Tbh though its so easy to get into London, where everything is happening theres never a shortage of things to do. There are quite a lot of hotties there too. That said id be really tempted by the weather etc of Australia if i was you..

Blap Blaow · 06-07-2007, 01:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JBalla16

probably a medical field of some sort. I havent decided if i want to go out and try to be a doctor or not. So right now, i'm lookin to just major in something like biology. or maybe even cross over into psychology....

but my plans could always change

Kingston is technically London (although out of the centre) so you get all the benefits of living in THE big smoke. If I were being elitist I'd say it isn't the greatest ranked university in the UK (89/109 in 2007).

Swansea and Bristol are nice historical cities with a healthy student population and support. Probably Hull too, but I've never been there.

Sheffield is a good university but a horrible city.

jvinci · 06-07-2007, 06:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blap Blaow

Kingston is technically London (although out of the centre) so you get all the benefits of living in THE big smoke. If I were being elitist I'd say it isn't the greatest ranked university in the UK (89/109 in 2007).

Swansea and Bristol are nice historical cities with a healthy student population and support. Probably Hull too, but I've never been there.

Sheffield is a good university but a horrible city.

wow, thanks for that great link and info. Going to a good reputable college is still very important to me. its not just the fun things.

Repped!

jvinci · 06-10-2007, 01:48 AM

bump

kay_kakes · 06-10-2007, 02:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JBalla16

bump

I swear you must be posting noodz cuz ur rep power is too high. My nephew is humming to myself and I just ate a goddamn South Beach Diet bar.

dts1789 · 06-10-2007, 03:28 AM

Come out to Australia

I was supposed to be going to Queensland University of Technology (QUT) this year but i decided to take a year off.
Great uni.

University of QLD is HUGE, main campus is awesome.

I don't know a whole lot about Griffith though, but all 3 uni's are within 5 min of eachother basically

Environ · 06-10-2007, 03:45 AM

Do you even know what you want to study?

Laws · 06-10-2007, 03:51 AM

i'm going to Bristol University this fall to read economics.

its ranked around top 5-8 in the country so i think i did okay.

like already said, its quite an old historic university with a very good reputation. the others in your list dont really compare to be honest.

its in south west of england so pretty decent weather and nice friendly people. (also, it was rated as the uni with the best looking chicks recently

- that AND a strong acadmic record, what more could you ask for?? ). the place is a nice mix between a busy vibrant city and a uni town. not too far from london, about 3 and half hours drive. the only downside i found of the place is that theres a few hills around lool but it came out tops for me in lots of fields when i was deciding on which university to go to.

i would STRONGLY advise you not to go to Bradford or Shefileld - to put it simply, they are **** holes, in terms of the uni, and the city. dont know much about Hull, but Kingston is a notoriously bad area of london (almost ghettoised, lots of crime, ect - perhaps some one else can fill you in on the extent of it)

CLK-GTR · 06-10-2007, 03:59 AM

Re: the English universities, ill give you a quick break down:

University of Bradford - DO NOT DO IT. bradford is hell on earth, home to nothing but muslim ghettos and convicted terrorists. you will hate it, i guarantee it

University of Bristol - one of the country's top universities. Best uni on this list academically by quite a way, and easily the one i'd choose. I know alot of people who went to Bristol and they loved it. Its a nice city with a good social life. The only possible downside is the people who go there are mostly public schooled and have a reputation for being abit stuck up but i personally dont see that [because i went to public school too

]

University of Hull - ive heard good reports from Hull but im not sure why. There's absolutely nothing there but a big bridge. Personally, i wouldnt go there if you paid me

Kingston University - i wouldnt bother. its a nice area but when you can consider bristol and sheffield, academically it doesnt hold a candle to them. it might say its in london but its actually miles away from the centre

University of Sheffield - ive spent alot of time visiting friends at sheffield uni so i know it well; this is the only place that can really get anywhere near Bristol academically but its still not as good; its trump card is the social life. Sheffield is a great city to live in, lots of good clubs and always busy with students etc. If i wasnt going to Bristol id definitely go here.

University of Wales, Swansea: i had the displeasure of spending a week here on a school field trip. Ill start with its plus point, singular. Its literally right on the beach. Now for the rest. The city isnt a BAD place per se, its the people that give it such a small town mentality that's really not becoming of its size. Expect lots of inbred locals drinking in the streets and lots of fights. The uni itself is a mile or so from the city and is the most run down university ive ever seen in this country. Dont do it to yourself

Laws · 06-10-2007, 04:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CLK-GTR

The only possible downside is the people who go there are mostly public schooled and have a reputation for being abit stuck up but i personally dont see that [because i went to public school too

]

haha that was one of the reasons why i chose it, dont want to be surrounded by a bunch of commoners and ruffians. (no stuck up)

King of the Misc · 06-10-2007, 04:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JBalla16

Australia: Griffith University; Macquarie University; Queensland University of Technology; University of Queensland; University of Western Sydney; and Victoria University

If anyone knows any info on these places, i would greatly appreciate it. Also, good info about anywhere else would be nice too. I'll rep you with what i got if the info is solid. This program is through the CSU system in california, just incase you know another school that the CSU supports across the seas.

If you come to aust, go to griffith. Gold coast will be heaps of fun, you'll love it there

mo87 · 06-10-2007, 04:23 AM

Australia: Griffith University; Macquarie University; Queensland University of Technology; University of Queensland; University of Western Sydney; and Victoria University

what about Melbourne University its #1 in australia and #19 in the world

iBswole · 06-10-2007, 05:16 AM

Sydney or the Gold Coast - If your free during spring (beaches, night life, cooler ppl - meet a massive population of exchange students)
or
Sweden if you go in the FALL.

hands down the best places to go to. makesure you take a tonne of Gen Eds here so you get some breathing time to look around the place.

iBswole · 06-10-2007, 05:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mo87

Australia: Griffith University; Macquarie University; Queensland University of Technology; University of Queensland; University of Western Sydney; and Victoria University

what about Melbourne University its #1 in australia and #19 in the world

UMELB doesn't have **** on the university's in Sydney.

Btw choose melb if you want to 'enjoy' week long gloomy weather, hail storms, rain, more rain, avg temps around 3-5 degrees, snobbish ppl and a dead atmosphere. I hope the campus life is slightly better (but if you must choose UMELB or MONASH)

andrewmul · 06-10-2007, 05:23 AM

What program is it you are going to study abroad through?

I would recommend coming to belfast in northern ireland. Queens university is one of the best universities in the uk.

The nightlife is brilliant. Its a friednly city, lots of students, lots of international students. I know a few american girls who are over here studying and they absoloutely love it and dont want to go back to america.