January 2003 Student Survey

After completing a semester with ACICIS, all students are asked to fill in an anonymous survey about their experiences studying in Indonesia. Here are some of the comments from a recent survey.

• Brilliant awesome - this is the real advantage of ACICIS - getting to know Indonesians of all kinds - chats on the street - fantastic!!!!
• Committed to maintaining a relationship with Indonesia. Invaluable experience.
• Brilliant life experience - ALL OF IT! I would so recommend to everyone!
• It is hard to adjust to a totally different culture where things are done a lot different to at home, but I think that was the best part about going to Indonesia - learning about a different culture is so exciting and rewarding.
• Nothing can beat the advantage of spending an extended period in Indonesia for gaining a greater degree of fluency.
• You will never fully understand Indonesia from a text book, so go over there and live it for yourself...I am sure you will be so glad you did.
• I would highly recommend this to anyone studying Indonesian or South-East Asian studies. In fact, you would be silly to finish a degree of that type without ever spending at least a few months in Indonesia. Most of the things you get out of ACICIS, you will never find in a book in Australia.
• Fantastic opportunity - opens many doors. Crucial in building bridges of understanding between Indonesia and Australia.
• Great for language study. Much better than learning at home.
• Of course, it's a fantastic program, and one which really grounds young Aussies into having a relationship and concern for Indonesia.
• It is the most amazing and fruitful experience of my life. You will be surprised how much you can use this experience for all facets of your life.
• Absolutely awesome experience, which has given me direction in life...
• My semester was an amazing time that has opened my mind even more to new places, people and culture, and has added to my life experience in a special way through personal friendships, bonds and living in a culture that is as rich as Indonesia's.
• My semester in Indonesia was one of the best things I have done in my life and one of which makes me so very proud of myself.
• Without a doubt the best year of my life, words do not do it justice.
• Indonesians are so great, and so patient. They have all the time in the world for you. There is no way that you could not learn about their culture and language because there are so many willing teachers!
• Invaluable. Given my marks from UGM, the transcript can be used both in an outside of Indonesia to support my Australian Uni results. My language abilities have improved out of sight and the contacts I have made will also be valuable for the future.