Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Time to Go Adventuring! Past Review

By (Geoscience, Trinity University) for

Arcadia: Auckland - University of Auckland

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I've always been adventurous, but I am even more so now. After driving through the worst weather I could ever imagine on windy roads on the left side of the road and camping out in random places along the way I have become much more comfortable with spontaneity and with talking with the people I meet along the way. Half the adventure is getting to know the people who are doing things that are as crazy if not crazier than you. And there are plenty of them in New Zealand. I only gave my experience four stars because I did get frustrated with the academic side of the program. I felt like the classes I took lacked necessary materials for student test preparation as well as access to labs to complete our work.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 0-2 weeks

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

I can see the benefits of their system, which relies mostly on independent study completed by the student outside of class, but they provide very little feedback on the largely ungraded assignments, which leaves you wondering if you understand the material properly.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

The international student office provided quite a few spaces for students to hang out or to talk to counselors if you were struggling with culture shock or homesickness.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

The neighborhood was safe and it was close to my classes. It was pretty loud every night because a lot of the residents hung out on in the courtyard. We were provided with cookware, silverware, and dishes, but we had to get all of our own linens and pillows.

* Food:

Auckland has a large selection of asian food restaurants and for the most part they are all delicious. Annie's Kitchen is a great Malaysian restaurant, there are many sushi restaurants that on the whole are very good quality.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

We had multiple activities set up by Arcadia for us. A few were black water rafting in Waitomo, zorbing in Rotorua, surfing in Raglan, biking along the coast in Auckland, pavlova making at our wonderful host's house, and normally we would have had a weekend trip to Christchurch but due to the earthquake it was cancelled. I was surprised how many activities they had planned for us and they were all really enjoyable, the Arcadia representatives in New Zealand were better than I could have ever hoped for. They were so helpful and really fun to be around.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

Healthcare is easily accessible and largely free of charge. A doctor's office and pharmacy were located on campus, which was very convenient.

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? Yes

Finances

* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?

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

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? About $100 every 2 weeks for groceries. If you eat out it will be quite a bit more expensive, at least $100 a week.
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? I wasn't expecting everything to be so expensive. Food was the most surprising expense. I would advise people studying abroad to not feel obligated to buy everybody that you know a souvenir, they are also expensive and when you try to buy 30 people a gift you run out of money and room in your suitcase. Just get them for your closest friends.

Language

How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? None

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

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  • Dorm
* Who did you live with?

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  • Americans
* Who did you take classes with?

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A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • The people were wonderful and always very helpful.
* What could be improved?
  • The only negative aspects of this program was the quality of instruction at the foreign institution. But this is largely a factor of the size of the institution and you would likely find a similar situation here in the US.
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? A student that is geared towards outdoor activities would really enjoy this country, and consequently this program. The New Zealand Arcadia representatives are absolutely amazing and I cannot say enough wonderful things about them.