New Zealand is amazing! Past Review
By A student (Mechanical Engineering, University of Connecticut) - abroad from 02/23/2015 to 06/26/2015 with
The University of Auckland: Auckland - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
I feel like I learned a lot about local culture and the Pacific island culture. It also helped me step out of my comfort zone a lot and allowed me to meet some really awesome people. It was definitely worthwhile and I would do a semester abroad again in a heartbeat, if I could!
Review Photos
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Courses were great: well-organized, interesting, not unreasonably difficult. Plenty of resources available. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I was unable to get on-campus accommodation, so I had to live in a hostel for three weeks while I tried and tried to find an apartment/flat/homestay/anything in a very competitive Auckland housing market. It was quite stressful and detrimental to the beginning of my University experience. The flat I eventually did find (by luck) has quite poor living conditions (I'm sharing a 5 bedroom flat with 9 other guys) in a sketchy part of town, which I discuss more in the 'safety' section. |
| * Food: |
There was no university-provided food (dining halls), but there was plenty available on/near campus |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I had no personal experience with the health care system, thank god! It did seem to be readily available if needed, though |
| * Safety: |
Auckland as a whole is fairly safe (very rare that there is gun violence or anything too serious). However, the apartment that I ended up living in (again, no on-campus accommodation) was in a shady part of the city. There were regularly prostitutes doing their business across the street (it is legal in NZ, but still disconcerting), drunken fights in the parking lot, and there was actually a stabbing that occurred right down the road from me in broad daylight. Pretty scary! |
| 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) |
I spent around $80 USD on food per week, but then a lot more on fun activities, travel, and transportation. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Cook your own food! Much cheaper and actually pretty fun. Also don't go to bars every night. That adds up. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
Direct Enrollment/Exchange
| * Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? | Direct Enrollment |
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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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? | How difficult it would be to find a place to live! That's pretty much the only complaint I have :-) |
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 AdventurerThe 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. |
