Settling in Abroad in Sydney, Australia

By: Hannah Keefe

Hi, my name is Hannah Keefe and I studied at CIEE Sydney for my first block. I have loved this program and the ability to stay in multiple different places in 1 semester! I chose Sydney for the beaches and to experience a completely different part of the world. In my time here I feel like I have accomplished so much. While taking 2 classes, I have been able to really get to know the city of Sydney and travel around Australia. Some of my favorite experiences here include seeing the Great Barrier Reef, hiking in the blue mountains, surfing, and seeing all of Sydney's iconic landmarks. The way the classes are set up here makes it easy to travel on the weekends as long as you are still getting your assignments in, which has really helped my friends and I immerse ourselves in Australian culture.

From my experience, Australia is a beautiful country and I am so glad to have had the opportunity to call it my home for six weeks. My housing during my time in Sydney was apartment style, and while I had my own room, there were many other CIEE students in my building as well which was very convenient! The staff at CIEE Sydney are here for students and really want every succeed and get the most out of their time here, whatever the means to each person. The opportunities provided through the programs, like day trips, were some of my favorite days as I got to meet more people in the program and have and do an excursion I might not have done on my own! It was really nice that these were included in tuition, and I could pick and choose which ones I wanted to participate in. Overall, I have had a great experience studying in Sydney with CIEE and would definitely recommend the open campus program to anyone interested in studying at multiple locations through their semester abroad!

EXPLORE SYDNEY