Fantastic Place to Be, A Bit of a Mess, But Worth It All the Same Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Certain classes were good, like the ones that the University of Auckland provided. However, some of the course given by Boston University, including the internship program, were surprisingly different than I expected, especially after I already took a similar Boston University Study Abroad Internship Program the previous fall semester. I think the lack of organization within the program may have been the cause of the issues pertaining to the classes.

On-site administration of your program

The people in the program mean well. All of your professors at the University of Auckland are fantastic. However, the people within the Boston University Program, while they are not bad people, do not have organization within their program and tend to react poorly to reasonable criticism or questions pertaining to they course and program.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

You are in a hotel, which is awesome and provides a free gym, and for the most part the staff means well, however, there seems to be an issue where the newer recruits staff the front desk with less experience than they should have before they staff the front desk. There is also poor internet coverage there.

Go everywhere. There are fantastic cafes all around Auckland, such as Remedy Coffee, White Rabbit, Shaky Isles, Tartine, One 2 One, Freddy's, the list goes on. Going to places like Murder Burger or White Lady is awesome as well and you should definitely try to get out to Waiheke Island for some great Fish and Chips by the sea or to Devonport for cute little cafes around that seaside neighborhood (only a fifteen minute ferry ride!). Hell Pizza is spectacular and you should definitely check out both Mustache for your cookie and hot chocolate needs and Giappo's for your gelato needs (trust me when I say Giappo's is going to be some of the best gelato and service you'll ever have in your life!). There are also some pretty decently priced places adjacent to the Auckland Public Library near the University of Auckland. Number 1 Pancakes is fantastic and the dumpling place next to it has some of the best and cheapest dumplings in town. Icing on the Cake is also a great place for cupcakes (as well as Rocket Kitchen and Cake & Co.) and there's a great French-Asian bakery right on the street where Number 1 Pancakes is that is AWESOME. Just try everything while you're there.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

You take half of your classes at the University of Auckland in University of Auckland classes, so you can meet a lot of people while in class. You can also participate in clubs as well. You get to travel all over with the program, but I do recommend that you travel the South Island the first break. It's a fantastic place and it can get too cold if you don't go during the summer! Go to Queenstown, check out the glaciers, and go to the beautiful national parks! Also check out Wellington, Check out Hobbiton, and go to Northland on the north island. It's worth it, truly worth it.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

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

The US dollar is stronger than the NZ dollar, so things are cheaper than they seem. If you pull in to by groceries together with your roommates (which you might want to do, you have a small kitchen space), then that makes it all the more cheaper.

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

I didn't know there was a foreign language component to this program until I got there. You have to learn over a hundred words in Maori and are tested on it, then never use the words again in daily life. I would have been fine to learn the language a bit and not be tested on it, but that wasn't the case.

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• Hotel

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• Americans
• International Students
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• The people I've met through the program
• The internship that I had during the program
• New Zealand in general - it's a fantastic place to live

• The overall organization of the program
• Some changes in who teaches the classes that Boston University teaches during the program
• Unfortunately, the place where students stay