At first I was inquiring to a few websites about where I could study abroad and TEAN stuck out with their overwhelmingly positive feedback.
I read through every review and they all seemed beyond passionate about their experience. It seemed worth asking about, and the support I got from TEAN both over the phone and by e-mail constantly made me feel assured I was making the right decision.
This school was not affiliated with my university but by some random chance, my advisor was there a year ago on a sabbatical. He helped me match certain classes I needed back home with the ones that would be offered over there. With his and the Dean's approval I was able to get my full semester's credit even though I was technically on educational leave.
Pack an excessive amount of socks and underwear. That was probably my biggest blunder.
Back home I usually sleep from 2-10am and then start my day. While in Sydney it surprisingly usually looked like:
Weekends are random. Usually groups of people will plan trips different places around the country. Don't limit yourself though. I traveled to Brisbane by myself the second week to go see a rap battle and it was one of the highlights of the trip.
My biggest fear was getting a lousy roommate. Someone who doesn't respect personal space, comes back at weird hours, is messy, or snores (I had a bad experience earlier in the year).
TEAN helps by giving you a survey to help match you with a similar person, so that was a plus. The best piece of advice is go in with an open mind and don't assume something bad is going to happen. I did the latter and would be critical in my head of the little things he would do that would annoy me.
As time went on I started to realize just how good I had it. Also if your roommate does do something you don't like, approach them in a non-confrontational way early on. It'll be better for both of you. Chances are, they might not even realize what they're doing is affecting you that way.
To all my introverts/high functioning people with anxiety:
The first few days were a roller coaster of emotions. There were many moments that were really emotionally draining or where I felt like I was out of place.
I promise you it will come to pass and only make you stronger when you return home. The school and program both go out of their way to make sure you feel at ease as quickly as possible. Just remember to stay true to yourself and everything will work out.