Exciting Outdoor Adventures with Kiwis! Past Review
By A student (PSYCHOLOGY., Trinity University) - abroad from 06/28/2013 to 11/09/2013 with
IFSA: Dunedin - University of Otago
I learned that it's possible for me to be my own person and take care of myself. It was incredibly worthwhile!
Review Photos
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
It's not difficult as a university, but having most of your grade percentage accounted for my a single final (50-70%) caused finals to be stressful. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Josh, our IFSA-Butler guide, was wonderful. We all absolutely adored him and he was very entertaining and helpful. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Be warned: There is no central heating system or insulation, so if you are there in the winter, it can be quite cold. The quality of the flat was quite nice though! Just prepare for cold. |
| * Food: |
During the orientation, we were provided with delicious food, and plenty of it! We were fed about 5 times a day. Once released into the country, the food was quite good, but more expensive than I was used to. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The people of New Zealand are incredibly friendly, and so I made lots of Kiwi friends. We also got to go on cultural excursions with the program, which was so much fun! |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Student insurance covered a lot in New Zealand. I didn't have to pay anything to go to the doctor or get basic prescriptions! The program did not address it much as I recall, but there was no need for it. |
| * Safety: |
I personally felt perfectly safe. Everyone was very friendly, and even walking back from the town centre at night was not threatening. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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Finances
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* 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) |
It really depends on how much you want to do. Eating out and other various activities (bungee jumping, etc.) could get expensive, but overall, it really wasn't that bad. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $75 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Make a lot of food yourself, and do excursions that you really want to, but don't feel as though you have to do every expensive option they give. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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| 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? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | You don't need as many things as you think you do. Pack lightly. |
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 Academic or LinguistYou went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you! |
