Study Abroad in Wellington Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

On-site administration of your program

My Host Country Program Administration was great!! They were extremely knowledgeable about both, the American higher education system and the higher education system of my host country, and they were always very prompt and thorough when answering any questions I had. They had check-up e-mails periodically throughout the semester to ensure that we were all feeling comfortable and confident in our academic lives as well as our non-academic lives. I always felt very confident that I would be able to trust that they would take care of me should a problem arise.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I really enjoyed my housing while I was in Wellington. Because my sister and I were both studying abroad at the same university, we decided that we would like to live together for convenience and sheer enjoyment of each other's company. We chose to live in an off-campus, University-owned apartment building. The building was centrally located within the city, with an approximately fifteen minute, uphill walk to campus. Although the walk to class frequently left us slightly out-of-breath and sweaty, the proximity of the building to the rest of the city was well worth the extra exercise. The building itself was fourteen stories high and house a few hundred students. Students ranged in age from first-years to Master's students and hailed from all over the world as well as New Zealand. My sister and I ended up on the top floor of the building in a three-bedroom apartment that we shared with a Master's student from Germany. It was very cool to be able to get to know someone with such a different background from our own. As far as settling in, we did have to buy bedding and toiletries such as toilet paper and soap, but all of our furniture was provided for us. Silverware and a few small kitchen appliances were also already there, however, I think that those items were left by the last tenant and were not part of the lease. Another fortunate thing was that because the building was run similarly to a typical American-style university dorm building, there were RAs, who organized a variety of events for us to participate in. I enjoyed these opportunities because it allowed me to meet and connect with the other people in the building. By the end of the semester, there were big groups of people that would hang out in the ground-floor common area and watch rugby on the big flat screen tv. These rugby viewing sessions were a testament to how friendly and comfortable it was to live in the building. If I had an opportunity to choose my housing again, I don't think that I would choose any differently.

Food in New Zealand seemed to be just as versatile and diverse as food in the States. If you chose to eat exactly what you eat at home, you would be able to do that in New Zealand. If you chose to experience the local cuisine, you would most likely not be disappointed. Fish 'N Chips is a classic- and delicious! What I found in Wellington is that Malaysian food is very popular and reasonably inexpensive, and they give you large enough quantities that you can take some home for later. It was definitely one of my favorite options. I have to say that my absolute favorite thing to eat in Wellington was the ice cream! Kaffee Eis off of Courtenay Place was the best ever ice cream I've ever eaten. They had a huge selection and were always super nice and helpful.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

The social and non-academic aspects of my program were AMAZING!!! I cannot rave enough about them. My program had two pre-semester orientations- One in Fiji on the island of Naviti and one in Auckland, New Zealand. Both were awesome. In Fiji, we stayed for three nights in a little island resort where we got to spend our time snorkeling and eating freshly caught fish, and for one night, we stayed in an extremely nice hotel on the main island of Viti Levu. The entire experience was surreal and beautiful. Plus, it really offered us a special and unique way of getting to know the other students in our program. By the time we left Fiji, we had already developed close relationships with each other and a support system that we would be taking with us to New Zealand.

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

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• Apartment

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• Americans
• International Students
• Local Students