Tramping around NZ Past Review
By A student (Environmental Science., Middlebury College) - abroad from 02/11/2013 to 06/24/2013 with
University of Canterbury: Christchurch - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
I got to travel all around New Zealand. It was not a life-changing cultural experience, but it was a lot of fun and a good chance to travel abroad .
Review Photos
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The courses were large, and the students were very unengaged. Most lectures were recorded, so attendance to class was generally abysmal. The work was not rigorous. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
I had no problems working with the administration as long as I was organized. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I had a single, so that is good. There are two problems with living in the Ilam apartments that they recommend. The first is that there are two types of apartments: one has laundry and an oven and the other does not. It is random which one you get into, and you pay the same price for both. That is annoying. I never paid for laundry because I made friends with people who lived in the better apartments, but not having an oven was a pain. Also, Ilam does nothing to pair you with people with similar styles to you, so I was roomed with 3 people who would not talk with me. |
| * Food: |
I cooked my own food. It is not much different then english or american food. They have lots of meat pies, which takes getting used to. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Granted, it isn't too different, but I felt like I got to know kiwi culture pretty well, particularly through my Christchurch 101 class. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
No experience. |
| * Safety: |
I felt safe. I ran throughout the city and used public transportation without any hesitation. |
| 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) |
Food is expensive in New Zealand. It helps that the exchange rate is favorable. The biggest issue though is that on the weekends you do not want to stay in Christchurch, you want to travel. New Zealand is well set up to travel cheaply, but it all adds up. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $125 on weeks when I did not travel, more when I did. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | I got a Nakedbus passport, which was good because I could book busses at the last minute and not pay as much. Find a group to rent cars. |
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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| 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? |
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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? | I wish I had known to spend less time going to classes and more time tramping while the weather was good. |
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. |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Introduction to Antarctic Studies |
| Course Department: | Gateway Antarctica |
| Instructor: | Team taught |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | This class was a survey course on all about Antarctica. There were units on Geology, History, Atmospheric Chemistry, Weather and Climate, Glaciology, Law and Politics, and Energy Efficiency. The quality of the class depended on the lecturer. When they were engaging, the course was fascinating. There were 5 practicals for 5 of the units and a final exam worth 50%. It was annoying to have that many practicals, but they were not really hard. There was no assigned reading. There were no homework assignments. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | This transferred as a general credit. |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Children's Literature and Film |
| Course Department: | Literature |
| Instructor: | |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | The professor was knowledgeable, but she seemed bored of teaching the class. She offers it every year, and she just seemed removed. There were interesting parts, but in general her lectures were boring. There was an assignment, a paper, and a final exam. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | No |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Rebuilding Christchurch |
| Course Department: | Special Programs |
| Instructor: | Billy O'Sheen |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | This was a service learning course about rebuilding after the Christchurch earthquakes. This is the perfect course to learn about the city and experience New Zealand. Three projects that were not intense were the only work. Some creativity required. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | No problems |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Strategies of Games |
| Course Department: | Economics |
| Instructor: | |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | This class tried too hard to avoid math. It was little work, but it was also very basic. We did not go too far in depth. Very good as an introductory course for someone who does. 2 tests, the first worth 20% and the final worth 80%. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | I could not get econ credit for this class because it did not use any math. |
