Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

The most insane five months of my life! Past Review

By (University of New Hampshire) - abroad from 02/11/2017 to 06/22/2017 with

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

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
Out of all my 21 years, I believe that I grew the most during my five months abroad. I started out on this journey completely alone, which was absolutely terrifying. I had hardly been out of the country, never mind lived on the opposite side of the world without knowing a single person. But with the help of TEAN, I was able to meet the people I am lucky enough to call my best friends. I saw the most beautiful sights, met the most interesting people, and learned just how much this world has to offer.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 0-2 weeks

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Adjusting to classes in New Zealand was easier than expected! The professors are all so friendly and tutorials offer a smaller class setting where it is encouraged to voice your opinion.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Living in the flats was incredible! So close to campus and if you ever needed anything uniflats was always there within the day to assist your needs.

* Food:

So fresh, so much variety, so much food food!

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

The uni students here are so welcoming to exchange students. I was lucky enough to join a few clubs and hang out with the kiwis on the weekends.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Unfortunately i had to visit urgent care twice during my trip. However, they were phenomenal and helped me out so much! The urgent care, and hospital are just a quick drive uptown and they make it easy to get in and get out!

* Safety:

Never once did I feel uncomfortable on the campus or even off campus. I would recommend having a working cell phone just incase anything does happen, but neither myself or any of my friends ever found ourselves in an unsafe situation.

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

TEAN is one of the reasons why I loved my abroad experience so much. If it wasn't for the orientation they planned, I would not have made the friends that I did. During that first week, we were all nervous but excited to dive into this new culture. We spent the week speed boating, wine tasting, enjoying local cuisine, and learning about the culture. I could not have pictured a better way to emerge myself into the kiwi lifestyle than spending my first week in Queenstown.

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)

I found that it was very easy to budget in New Zealand because a lot of the activities we did, such as hiking, was free! My main expense was food, which is still very affordable at all the local markets. However, gas was one large expense on weekend road trips, but totally worth it!

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? $150
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Before buying a sleeping bag or tent, check out uniflats and see if they have any that past students left behind. If you're only going camping a few times and don't want to spend your money buying them, you can rent all your camping gear from the Unipol.

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

  • International Students
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • 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?
  • How easy they made everything
  • Orientation
  • The actives, such as rugby games or cafe meet ups, they organized during the semester so everyone could catch up.
* What could be improved?
  • Honestly nothing, I thought TEAN was amazing!
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? I wish I knew how amazing TEAN would be during my time abroad so that I could have convinced my friends from home to come with me.

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 Outright Urbanite
A social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country.