<p>I am currently studying at the University of Queensland (UQ) in Brisbane, Australia. I would really love the opportunity to spend a year studying at one of UQ's partner universities. I am studying a double major in International Relations and Spanish. I have taken the time to look at some of the available university's these being University of Virginia, University of Pennsylvania, UCLA and UC Berkeley. What I am hoping is to hear from various members of this community to help me make a more informed decision. Areas I would like to know about being social life, quality of the university, reputation, location, university culture and sporting (I am a big participator in sport especially Rugby Union). Any other pros & cons you could think of would be very much appreciated.</p>
<p>A full list of UQ Partner universities.</p>
<p>United</a> States of America - UQ Abroad at The University of Queensland</p>
<p>What a great list to choose from! </p>
<p>Do you have cost estimates yet? If you know your budget, some of these might be eliminated right away. Don’t forget that the continental US is about the same size as Australia. Travel from part of the country can be expensive, as well as time-consuming. You may want to choose your destination based on the part(s) of the US you most want to see.</p>
<p>Do you have a list of the courses at each place that would count toward your degree, or is that something that would be determined after you get back? Unless you have a specific aspect of Spanish culture/history/language/literature that you want to pursue, that needn’t be much of a factor in your choice. Spanish is offered everywhere. International Relations is a bit more variable from one place to another, so you do need to read through the course offerings to determine whether or not there is a good fit.</p>
<p>Rugby is not as big a sport here as in Australia, but I expect that there are club or intramural teams at all of the universities on the list. If you search for rugby in the websites, you should get a link to the information about those teams. Some larger cities also have their own rugby groups. Check the websites of the local newspapers for that.</p>
<p>One very big issue for you coming from Brisbane could be the weather. The winters in much of the US are colder and snowier than in most of Australia. You can find out more about the weather in any of these locations at [National</a> and Local Weather Forecast, Hurricane, Radar and Report](<a href=“http://www.weather.com%5DNational”>http://www.weather.com) For general ideas about places to see and things to do, check out:
[U.S</a>. National Park Service - Experience Your America](<a href=“http://www.nps.gov/index.htm]U.S”>NPS.gov Homepage (U.S. National Park Service))
[Let’s</a> Go Travel Guides - The Leader in Budget Travel](<a href=“http://www.letsgo.com/]Let’s”>http://www.letsgo.com/)
[Lonely</a> Planet Travel Guides and Travel Information](<a href=“http://www.lonelyplanet.com/us]Lonely”>http://www.lonelyplanet.com/us)
[Home</a> - AAA Mid-Atlantic](<a href=“Auto & Roadside Assistance Club | AAA Club Alliance”>Auto & Roadside Assistance Club | AAA Club Alliance)</p>
<p>For ideas about individual universities, you could visit their sub-forums here in the section [Colleges</a> and Universities - College Confidential](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/colleges-universities/]Colleges”>Colleges and Universities A-Z - College Confidential Forums) University of Pennsylvania is at [University</a> of Pennsylvania - College Confidential](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-pennsylvania/]University”>University of Pennsylvania - College Confidential Forums) The students at these forums will be full of information!</p>
<p>I’d also suggest that you re-post your question with a more specific heading along the line of “Australian student needs your help to choose year abroad university in US” If that doesn’t result in more replies here, try posting it in the Parents Forum. We are all very opinionated and love to tell people where we think they should study!</p>
<p>Wishing you all the best!</p>
<p>Thanks for getting back to me so soon. Fortunately as a part of the exchange program my university fees remain unchanged. I only need to pay for room and food. I do happen to find the North East of the US to be of most appeal. I am well accustomed to varying temperatures and actually find myself more at home in the cold but still love the beach. I have found related subjects at most, but have been advised to keep most of my electives free for the time abroad to guarantee credit to my study. There are also a number of merit based and strategic based scholarships available with the four universities I have listed to assist in the expenses. The four universities I have been considering most closely all appear to receive such praise. All I can say is, I am glad to have found this forum.</p>
<p>That is great news about your costs! It means you don’t have to worry quite so much about whether one place is more affordable or not.</p>
<p>Of the four on your short list, U Penn in the middle of Philadelphia has the best access to bus and rail service up and down the east coast. If you want to visit Washington, DC or New York you can get there fairly quickly. Some students will take the train, but many prefer bus lines such as [megabus</a> US - Home](<a href=“http://us.megabus.com/]megabus”>http://us.megabus.com/)</p>
<p>U of VA in Charlottesville, has a charming location, but transportation is a bit more of a challenge. There are decent bus and rail connections to Washington, DC and many of your classmates are likely to have cars. For information about transportation to and around Charlottesville, see [Charlottesville</a> : Transportation](<a href=“Charlottesville, VA | Official Website”>Charlottesville, VA | Official Website)</p>
<p>For rail travel in the US, see [Amtrak[/url</a>] </p>
<p>On a completely unrelated note, I’d like to know if there are any websites for Australian universities that are similar to this one. Happykid wants to do a year abroad there sometime, and we are going to have to sort out her options then. Also, Dad<em>of</em>3 has been looking for one because his daughter is considering attending Veterinary School in Australia. Here is the link to a thread he started the other day: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/1125930-cc-like-discussion-group-australia-nz-schools.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/1125930-cc-like-discussion-group-australia-nz-schools.html](<a href=“http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Amtrak/HomePage]Amtrak[/url”>http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Amtrak/HomePage)</a></p>
<p>I did a bit of a search and found this site [Study</a> Connect Study In Australia StudyConnect.com](<a href=“http://www.studyconnect.com/forums/index.php?]Study”>http://www.studyconnect.com/forums/index.php?) , it is similar in the areas of discussion but not as big or active community as here though.</p>
<p>Thanks! I’ll bookmark it, and pass it on.</p>
<p>For a sample of UC Berkeley I would check out unofficialcampustours.com.</p>