Lindsay C. attended Macquarie University in Fall 2011 and in the Spring of 2012.

What were your favorite and least favorite foods?
Lindsay: Favorite - meat pies, wedges with sweet chili sauce and sour cream.

Did you travel a lot?
Lindsay: Mostly to places I had been to before - New Zealand and the Great Barrier Reef.

What did you do during your free time?
Lindsay: Went into the city with friends, partied with friends.

What were your favorite and least favorite things to do while abroad?
Lindsay: Favorite - parties with friends and other internationals in the apartment building.  Least favorite - study for exams.

What difference did you find with regards to academics?
Lindsay: It is much harder to do well in Australia.  You put your all into an assignment and 99% of the class won't get above a 75.
[With all ISEP classes it only matters that you get an equivalent of a US "C" or above to transfer in your classes.  None of the grades will count toward your GPA.  Also, in Australia a "D" on a paper means "distinction" so be sure to know the grading system of the country you are going to].

What advice would you give to other students traveling abroad?
Lindsay: 1.  Put yourself out there and meet new people, or you are in for a lonely , homesick time.  Try to remember that they are away from home as well, and you can lean on each other.  2.  Get to know the other internationals - when you are back in the States you'll have people around the world to visit!  3.  Really try to appreciate every day you have while abroad.  It's okay to be homesick, but don't let it spoil the fun you could be having because you will miss it every day once you get home.

How would you summarize your overall experience?
Lindsay: 1.  Amazing.  I've learned so much about myself and grown so much this past year, and am so proud of myself for taking such a huge adventure.  I've made friends from around the US and the world - Slovakia, France, England, South America, Mexico, Norway, Canada, etc. and my next trip will definitely be to France to visit my flatmate.  I miss Australia every day that I am gone!  I so often would find myself in such a beautiful setting - on a boat watching the sun set over the opera house and harbour bridge, or swimming over the beautiful coral formations of the Great Barrier reef, and all I could think of how blessed and lucky I was to live this life and have this amazing opportunities.  I would not trade this past year for the world.  It was about so much more than just getting courses done for college and to quote Qantas, "I still call Australia home."