Office of Study Abroad

Profile: Ella Mendelson '26

Major/minor: Anthropology and Sociology

Study abroad program: University of Sydney (Arcadia), Fall 2024

Reason you chose this program: When I decided I wanted to go to Australia I looked into all the programs and chose Arcadia based on their activities and option to participate as much or as little as I wanted. The involvement was the perfect amount, post-orientation, of "if you want to you can." I got to pick and choose how I wanted to participate in the way I wanted. I chose Sydney and the University of Sydney through Arcadia mostly because I loved and always wanted to live in Sydney, and they had the classes I liked and was able to directly apply them to my majors which was also much appreciated.

Favorite classes: My favorite class was my Film Hollywood class. Although not a part of my major, it was really interesting to see how Hollywood has seeped and influenced the whole world from a non-US perspective. The class was super engaging; the films chosen were both classic and great options, and the professor and tutor (TA) were well informed and great instructors. All around my favorite class.

How did you incorporate your Brandeis areas of study into your study abroad experience? I took classes in both my majors of Anthropology and Sociology: Anthropology of the World and Sociology of Childhood and Youth. These classes from an Australian perspective (although my anth professor was American), and it was really interesting to learn about their education system, their culture and society, and what that means for greater implications of the world. I also took a class technically in Gender and Culture Studies, but was another class close to my areas of study.

Housing situation: I lived in an apartment with other people from my Arcadia program. I was, however, in a special circumstance where for our apartment to be filled (7 spots), we had two other roommates from other international programs. This apartment I would describe as a townhouse, was about a 15 minute walk to campus, and very easily accessible to the city and harbour through public transportation.

What were some parts of your identity that you thought about while considering study abroad? As someone with chronic illnesses I was really worried about if and how I could operate in another country. Taking the right measures to prepare as much as I possibly could was incredibly helpful for my time abroad to keep my life as easy and as comfortable as possible while I was there. This included accommodations, prescriptions, as well as discussing with my abroad advisor (both Brandeis and Arcadia) the safety measures they have with insurance and other resources. Chronic illness is not easy to operate at home, nonetheless abroad, and overall I am so happy I pushed myself to go abroad, find the best ways possible to do that, and enjoy my time as much as possible.

Favorite memory: Choosing a favorite memory is so so difficult when thinking about my whole time abroad. Seeing the opera house for the first time, meeting my friends, traveling, classes, and so much more, it's hard to pinpoint my most favorite memory of all. But if I had to encapsulate it all, it would be the picnic my friends and I had the last week of our program. It had been roughly 4 months, we survived the ups, the downs, the late nights, and the 3 of us sitting in a park, watching the sunset by the harbour bridge, eating little cakes, popcorn and apples, it was the perfect culmination of our experience. Our favorite foods, our favorite people, in Sydney. I miss that night and how bittersweet it was, we knew our time was coming to an end but celebrating the time was perfect.

What do you know now that you didn't know before? I know now how independent I am able to be. The opportunities I had to go abroad alone, to travel the city as well as the country alone, I will never forget what those days felt like. I really enjoy my people, and I also really enjoy my own time as well. Those moments were the best, the most precious, and although only I can reminisce, I gained a new independence that I love.