New Zealand a Success Despite Earthquake Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The workload is much lighter. There were very few homework assignments. The student is expected to do their own research, reading, and practice the material being covered in lecture. The grading is much tougher by percent, but the grading scale makes up for it by being very generous; a letter grade 'A' is 75-100%. My upper level science class was a disappointment. The professor did not use a textbook and taught primarily with power point. Teaching methods focus around a lecture and it is the student's responsibility to study and learn the material in between lectures. Exams at the end of the semester account for a majority of the course grade. I found the specialty classes (history, culture, and geology) to be most interesting.

On-site administration of your program

Due to an earthquake, everything on campus was moved around. The best way to communicate was via email and the administration was pretty quick to respond. Everyone was very helpful and did everything they could to help.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I lived in a dorm/apartment complex with a few hundred students, majority of them international students. I was in a nice flat with four local students. We got along pretty well, but we had very different interests. My flatmates already had cookware, but I had to buy sheets and stuff. The area was very safe except for crossing the street to get to class. It was a 10 minutes walk to class and a 25 minute walk to a mall (nightlife central). There was a good bus system, and having a bicycle was also a really good way to get around.

My flat had a kitchen so I was responsible for all my meals. The kitchen was alright, but it didn't have an oven which limited what we could make.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

The program took us canyoning in the Auckland area. I would not have tried this on my own because I didn't know what it was, but it was one of the best experiences while I was there! They also sent out frequent emails with information about what was going on in our areas like music festivals and such.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

A friend of mine had a very good experience with the hospital system. I think New Zealand is one of the safest places on Earth. My city had an earthquake and the program was almost immediately in contact with me and there in person within a day or two (very impressive under the conditions).

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

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• Dorm

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• Local Students