Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

I like more school work Past Review

By (Middlebury College) - abroad from 02/20/2017 to 06/21/2017 with

Arcadia: Dunedin - University of Otago

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
It made me really appreciate small school and made me realize that I want to continue school after undergrad and get a masters. Yes it was.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 2 weeks - 1 month

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

There is considerably less work and readings to do throughout the semester than at Middlebury. Finals are worth a lot of your grade though so it pays to be on top of learning throughout the semester.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Very nice flat, weird flat mates

* Food:

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

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

It was an awesome place to visit and explore

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? I spent about $60 a week on food, I then traveled every weekend and gas is very expensive so it added up to about $25 a week
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Look for deals in the super markets, gas is just expensive so put lots of people in the car for trips, don't eat out too much.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? No

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Apartment
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
  • Americans
  • International Students
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
  • Americans
  • International Students
About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with?

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • The location
  • my physical geography class
  • 4 day volunteer program
* What could be improved?
  • more work for some of the classes
  • better intergration into local community
  • increased socialization opportunities
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? Not to take 3 100 level classes. Middlebury warned me that people specialize very early in these big universities so taking upper level classes could potentially be really hard. I wish I hadn't listened and had taken more upper level classes.

Reasons For Studying Abroad

To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you.
The Avid Adventurer
The wardrobe you packed was better suited for a semester of camping than club hopping. Outdoorsy, you might forgo a crazy night out for an early all-day adventure. You'd rather take in the rich culture of an old town than the metropolis of a modern city, but for you getting off the grid is ideal.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:

Sociology of New Zealand Society

Course Department: Sociology
Instructor:
Instruction Language: English
Comments: This class was advertised at being about New Zealand society. I thought I would be learning about where I was living for the semester. Instead, it was a 100 level sociology class that was all common sense. It was a huge class, discussions lead by a grad student on a power trip who graded very unfairly. I don't think I learned anything new from this course and left if very irritated with both the professor and the grad student.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Physical Geography
Course Department: Geography
Instructor:
Instruction Language: english
Comments: Challenging fun class, very big class but grad students who over saw labs were very helpful. 100 level class but lots of good information that was relevant to geography in the US but also learned about New Zealand geography. It was nice to take a physical geography class since it is not offered at middlebury.
Credit Transfer Issues: