Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Best Semester of my Life! Past Review

By (Audio Arts and Acoustics, Columbia College Chicago) - abroad from 06/22/2013 to 11/10/2013 with

The Education Abroad Network (TEAN): Dunedin - University of Otago

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I gained such valuable life knowledge. It was the first time having to navigate travelling around a foreign country on my own. I felt like a totally different person there; someone more outgoing and eager to go on adventures. It was definitely worthwhile! I'd do it again in a heartbeat and wouldn't change a thing.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 1 month - 6 months

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

I really enjoyed the papers I took at Otago, especially because they were all very different than courses I was used to. Much more rigorous than my home university but I learned a ton.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

All the people I met who worked with TEAN were amazing! They were always willing to help you out if you needed it and went out of their way to make sure you were adjusting well and having fun. They made everything so easy!

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Some of the best people I met abroad were the people who lived in my complex. The housing was well taken care of and maintenance was always pretty quick to fix things.

* Food:

Dunedin has lots to offer in the food area and a lot of the great cafe's I only found because of TEAN meet ups! I'd especially recommend Filadelphio's pizza and the Good Earth Cafe.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

It was really easy to get involved with stuff at the uni and the town. Events were always made known and I always felt welcome to everything I did. It was awesome!

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I only used the health care to pick up some new prescriptions but it was a super easy process. I just used the uni health center and they were all very nice and answered any questions I had.

* Safety:

I never felt unsafe when I was walking around Dunedin. Even at night the campus has a lot of stations that contact campus watch directly and they're always walking around the area and enjoy walking you home if you feel uncomfortable. They even offered me a ride back from town once!

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)

Food was probably the biggest expense. Cost of living varies a lot depending on how you eat and drink. It wasn't too hard to budget that area for more travel money though.

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? $50.00
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Try to buy stuff on sale (especially if there's any alcohol deals) and even though tim tams and whittakers are delicious... they add up sadly!

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? No

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Dorm
* 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? 10+

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • Fiji Pre-orientation
  • Auckland pre-orientation
  • Available assistance while abroad
* What could be improved?
  • Maybe just give a more clearly outlined financial breakdown? That's really the only thing I can think of.
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? Earlier in advance that we had to arrange our own transport to the airport when we were leaving. That was a little unexpected but if that's the only thing I could think of, I'd say it went pretty well!

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.