The best 5 months of my life!

Studying abroad in Sydney was definitely one of the best decisions I ever made! There's so much to do in and around the city and by going through TEAN I was given so many more opportunities to learn about the city and to interact with locals. I attended the University of Sydney so I lived near Central Station, pretty much in the middle of the city. This location was so awesome for me because there was so much around my apartment and I was only a walk to my classes and a short train or bus ride away from everything else. Should you choose to go to the University of Sydney, UTS, or The University of Notre Dame in Sydney, it's most likely that you'll live in this area too as it's convenient to all of these schools. Being in this part of Sydney was really cool because it gave you that big city feel but you were also close to Bondi Beach, Coogee, Manly and several other beaches so that the city itself didn't become too overwhelming. On the other hand, if you choose to go to the University of New South Wales, you're likely to live in either Coogee or in Bondi Junction. I had several friends attending UNSW living in Coogee that loved where they lived and I can attest that the area was convenient to their campus, even closer to beaches, and it seemed to have a lot right in and around their too. Regardless of where you choose to go to school though public transit is super easy to figure out and really convenient so that you can get anywhere!

In my free time, I loved going to all the beaches, eating at some amazing places (Harry's in Bondi is delicious), taking the ferry to Manly Beach- they had pretty good shopping over there, and all around exploring the city. Some of the must-do's of Sydney include the Opera House of course, Bondi to Coogee walk, the Harbour Bridge Climb, Taronga Zoo, Luna Park, Bondi Icebergs Pool, the weekend markets in The Rocks, the Figure 8 pools - harder to get out to but if you can do it, I definitely recommend. If you're into museums Sydney also has a plethora of different types for you to choose from. I also got the opportunity to go see a concert in the Sydney Olympic Park which was a really cool experience. But, without TEAN I wouldn't have been able to do some of the awesome things that I did. They took us surfing at Bondi Beach, to a show at the Opera House, kayaking in the Sydney Harbour amongst other things. They're so awesome about giving unique opportunities that I don't think I would have otherwise been able to do.

What I also loved about my experience with TEAN is that at orientation I not only met the people who would be in my city, I also met people who'd be studying at universities all over Australia which gave me tons of people to see and places to stay when traveling!

In terms of nightlife, Sydney has so many different types of clubs and bars to choose from. Ivy is probably one of the most well-known clubs, it even has a rooftop pool. The Argyle in The Rocks is also really fun and afterward stop and get some pancakes in the Rocks. Darling Harbour is great both during the day and at night boasting tons of restaurants, bars, and clubs. Coogee Pavilion is also great for happy hour.