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featured countries

Study Abroad with CIEE in Argentina
Study in Argentina

Study Abroad with CIEE in Botswana
Study in Botswana

Study Abroad with CIEE in China
Study in China

Study Abroad with CIEE in Costa Rica
Study in Costa Rica

Study Abroad with CIEE in Czech Republic Study in the Czech Republic

Study Abroad with CIEE in France
Study in France

Study Abroad with CIEE in India
Study in India

Study Abroad with CIEE in Italy
Study in Italy

Study Abroad with CIEE in Jordan
Study in Jordan

Study Abroad with CIEE in the Netherlands Study in the Netherlands

Study Abroad with CIEE in Thailand
Study in Thailand

Study Abroad with CIEE in the United Kingdom Study in the United Kingdom

featured disciplines

Study Arabic Abroad with CIEE
Study Arabic

Study Architecture Abroad with CIEE
Study Architecture

Study Business Abroad with CIEE
Study Business

Study Communications Abroad with CIEE Study Communications

Study Public Health Abroad with CIEE
Study Public Health

Study Russian Abroad with CIEE
Study Russian

Study Sustainability Abroad with CIEE
Study Sustainability

Student Experience

I really wanted to express how completely satisfied I am with the CIEE program here in Wollongong. The CIEE staff (Tonia Gray and Juliet Richardson) are incredible and have truly embraced each and every one of us in the program. In addition, the opportunities that CIEE has offered us are unparalleled. Just a few examples of the events CIEE offered us to participate in this semester were…

  • A three-day excursion to Murramarang National Park with beachside accommodation, full day Indigenous teachings on Mt. Gulaga from our guide Warren, reflection exercises, and coastal bushwalk. After much history, we were allowed to enter a hallowed Aboriginal ground, this particular tribe''''s equivalent of the Garden of Eden, a truly spectacular, rare, and unique experience!
  • Excursion to Minnamurra Rainforest (one of the highlights of my experience here), with lunch at an upscale local restaurant overlooking Seven Mile Beach and afternoon at Nowra Wildlife Park
  • Choir of Hard Knocks performance at Sydney Opera House followed by a full dinner at Pancakes on the Rocks – a truly moving and memorable night out
  • Sydney Swans Aussie Rules Football Game at the 100,000 seat Telstra Stadium, Sydney Olympic Park

CIEE has been exemplary, had I not gone through this particular program, my experience here would feel somewhat incomplete. I feel very fortunate for the opportunities CIEE has afforded me. The excursions that they have offered will be some of my most memorable experiences from my semester abroad.

— Adam Finkle, Siena College

Photos


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Student Stories

Ernest Hemingway said that “you can’t escape yourself simply by moving from one place to the next,” and that’s true... but you can certainly find yourself. I know, because I did.

I can’t explain why I have always wanted to come to Australia. I suppose I wanted to see what my capabilities were. I had been saving up to travel the country after I graduated, but when I stumbled across a brochure for the program in Wollongong, New South Wales at my study abroad fair, I knew this was the way to go.

The University of Wollongong had the classes I needed for my nutrition degree that would directly transfer, a beautiful surrounding area, and was ranked Australia’s “University of the Year” for the second time in a row. I read through the details, ran home, called my mom and said, “Guess what–I am going to Australia.” Before I knew it I was in Australia and a whole new world was laid out in front of me.

The CIEE staff made every effort to make my transition smooth, showing us around the city and offering support and help whenever we needed it. They encouraged us to nestle right into the community, which was easy because living on campus gives you endless possibilities to get involved.

Since I have arrived in Australia I have tested and broken my limits over and over again. If someone had asked me a year ago if I thought I could bungee jump 150 feet above a rainforest in Cairns, climb a mountain by moonlight, or dive into the ocean near the Great Barrier Reef in a country known for its sharks, I would have laughed in their face, but I did all that here, and more.

Australia offers experiences that you simply cannot find anywhere else in the world, from climbing the Sydney Harbor Bridge, to watching dolphins while lying on the whitest sands in the southern hemisphere, to staring in absolute awe at Ayers Rock. This country gives you every opportunity to challenge yourself.

I feel stronger and more confident now, which is a sensation that will stay with me for the rest of my life. All of a sudden calculus doesn’t seem quite so daunting...if I can swim with sharks, I can do anything.

— Sarah Lyons, University of Arizona

Housing & Meals

Housing and some meals are included in the program fee. CIEE manages accommodation, in either local apartments or private house for students outside of the university to allow for added off-campus programming and to enhance the overall learning community within the CIEE program outside of campus life. Accommodation is located in 20-30 minute walking distance of campus. Students have a single room with a shared kitchen facility. Students will receive a food stipend to purchase or prepare their own meals. However, students should budget extra funds for meals.

Students choosing the U.S. academic year program beginning in July are responsible for their own housing during the summer recess (December to mid-February). Students choosing the U.S. calendar year program beginning in February are responsible for their own housing during the recess in July.

Internet

Students have access to email and the Internet at the University of Wollongong. They receive limited access gratis, but must pay for use over the allotted amount. Students also have access to the Internet at their housing,and CIEE contributes towards this extra cost. Wireless access is widely available on campus, and students are encouraged to bring their personal laptops.

Updates from Abroad

Are you curious about how students spend their time abroad at a CIEE Study Center? There are so many exciting activities that we thought study abroad advisors - and you - would love to learn about, that we asked our Resident Directors to describe CIEE orientation, field trips, courses, and more. The information they send back is the best way to learn about on-site activities first-hand.

Click on the links below and see what you could be experiencing next semester!

Mid-Semester, Spring 2008
Mid-Semester, Fall 2008
End of Semester, Fall 2008
Orientation, Spring 2009
Mid-Semester, Spring 2009
End of Semester, Spring 2009
Newsletter 1, Fall 2009
Newsletter 2, Fall 2009
Newsletter 1, Spring 2010
Newsletter 2, Spring 2010

Orientation

Online Pre-Departure and On-Site Orientations
Students begin their study abroad experience in Wollongong before leaving home—by participating in a CIEE Online Pre-Departure Orientation. Meeting with students online, the Resident Director shares information about the program and site, highlighting issues that alumni have said are important, and giving students time to ask questions before leaving home. The online orientation allows students to connect with others in the group, reflect on what they want to get out of the program, and learn what others in the group would like to accomplish. The CIEE goal for the pre-departure orientation is simple: to help students understand more about the program and site, as well as their goals for the program, so that they arrive to the program well-informed and return home having made significant progress toward their goals.

A mandatory on-site orientation program, which is held the week prior to the start of each semester, has three components. The first, provided for CIEE students by the Resident Director, includes program details, general academic advice, and visits to places of interest in the local region. The second, organized by the University for all new study abroad students, introduces students to the academic requirements of the University; to life and “survival skills” in Australia; to the local region; and to campus facilities, services, and other administrative systems. The third—the most social component—is organized by individual housing complexes. Ongoing support is provided on an individual and group basis throughout the program.

Alumni

Students from the following institutions have participated in this program:

Agnes Scott College
Beloit College
Birmingham Southern College
Bowdoin College
Brown University
Calvin College
Carroll College
College of Saint Catherine
Colorado College
Colorado State University
DePauw University
Doane College
Duquesne University
Eckerd College
Emory & Henry College
Endicott College
Fairfield University
Fordham University
George Washington University
Greensboro College
Guilford College
Hood College
Hope College
Howard University
Ithaca College
James Madison University
Johns Hopkins University
Kenyon College
Moravian College
Morgan State University
New College of California
Northern Michigan University
Pacific Lutheran University
Portland State University
Providence College
Purdue University
Saint Xavier University
Siena College
St. John Fisher College
SUNY ESF
Texas Christian University
Texas Tech University
The College of New Jersey
The Pennsylvania State University
The University of Texas at Austin
Towson University
Trinity College DC
Tulane University
University of Arizona
University of California, San Diego
University of California, Santa Cruz
University of Connecticut
University of La Verne
University of Mary Washington
University of Michigan
University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
University of New Hampshire
University of Oregon
University of Pittsburgh
University of Southern Indiana
University of the Pacific
University of Wisconsin-Madison
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Western Washington University
Wittenberg University

Evaluations

ACB Evaluation2005 ACB Evaluation
Following the principles and process set by the ACB, the evaluation report is made available once it is approved by the ACB. Program Evaluations happen about once every five years.
Student Evaluations 2011 Fall Student Evaluation2011 Spring Student Evaluation2010 Fall Student Evaluation2010 Spring Student Evaluations2009 Fall Student Evaluations2009 Spring Student Evaluation
CIEE began on-line student evaluations in spring 2003.