Beautiful New Zealand--the adventure capital of the world. Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The main difference of the University of Auckland from Trinity is the larger class size. The lectures halls were huge and were pretty much all filled up. ~150+ people, I'd say. It was really confusing when I first got my schedule, because the same class meets in a different place and at a different time each class...seemed somewhat unorganized, but I guess it works? Also, their grading system is different. An A is an 80 and above. They say this is because they have higher standards, but it didn't seem to me that they graded any harder than any other school. As I said before, the classes were pretty easy. Even my upper level psych class was relatively easy. The lecture went pretty slowly. It seemed that what we covered in a week (3 days) during the lecture we would only spend 1 at Trinity. Also, all the classes put ANYTHING you need online. They don't print anything off for you, so I spent lots of money printing out notes/assignments/readings. Also, there wasn't much need for a textbook, either. You had course books that were just a big stack of bound papers with your rubric and weekly readings.

On-site administration of your program

I WOULD RECOMMEND ARCADIA TO EVERYONE. Kate, our director in Auckland, was absolutely the best. She was like a second mother to all of us! She was so personable and acted like she has known you for years even if she just met you. She seemed to know everything about New Zealand; she always offered good advice; and always seemed to have an answer or know what to do if we ever needed anything. Jane was also great as well. They both knew all the great places to go visit, and gave us lots of great insider tips to help us get around. Very organized, as well. Our group had about 20 people, which I think was a great size. We all got along very well and we were like a little family by the end!

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

We lived in Whitaker Student Apartments....they were like little apartments (they call them "flats"), but they were in a building like a dorm. Each room had a living room area, dining area, full kitchen, 1 bathroom, and 4-5 individual rooms. It was great! It was a bit of an older building, but it was quite nice. All the dishes/silverware/pots/pans were all supplied. Water/electricity/heat in rooms/ linens were all supplied. Everyone in Whitaker would hang out. It was a very close knit group. The RA's were so great. I lived with 1 other American girl, 1 American guy, and 1 guy Kiwi (New Zealander). Great flat! All the people were amazing there. There were people from all over the world-- The U.S., New Zealand, Ireland, England, Australia, etc.

Food was plentiful in the city. A bit less options in the grocery stores than in the US, though satisfactory. Had to cook your own food/buy your own.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Arcadia was so great about our trips! Lots of adventurous things. We went to Rotorua to go Zorbing (roll down a big hill in a ball filled with water). We went black water rafting in an underground cave and saw glow worms (freezing!) Went hiking in several areas, visited several beaches. We went to a Maori cultural village and learned about their culture, ate their food, and they performed for us. We also we took surfing lessons in Raglan.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I wasn't aware of any health issues. But when we had the earthquake in Christchurch during mid-semester break, Kate made sure to get ahold of all of us to make sure we were all accounted for. Any time we went on a trip, she wanted to know where we were going. No vaccines needed. There were student health services close by on campus. The Student Universe insurance, I believe, would cover any minor illnesses....

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

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• Apartment
• Dorm

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• Americans
• International Students
• Local Students

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• Local Students