Great way to learn independence Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Academically, the University of Canterbury was easier than Middlebury. I had to work for good grades but not as hard, which allowed me to travel more and experience New Zealand. So I was actually thankful that this semester did not require me to pour all of my time into school. Also I really liked three out of the four of my professors but we did not go anywhere near in depth in classes as we do at Middlebury.

On-site administration of your program

The administration was helpful when I wanted to switch classes but totally unhelpful when my plans changed and I decided to stay for just a semester instead of the entire academic year as I had previously planned.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

The housing itself was fine. We lived in apartments of 3-5 people with all separate bedrooms, a bathroom, a living space and a kitchen. We had large windows which let in a ton of light which was great. My roommates sucked though.

Ok this is a tough category because it depends how much you like food, if you care what said food is, how willing you are to go out to find the food you want, and whether you like to cook or not. The grocery stores are pretty much exactly the same as in the US, so if you like to cook, then you will find many things you are used to. Meat pies and fish and chips are everywhere (thanks to the Brits). There is also a variety of restaurants specializing in food from every Asian country you can think of, and a lot of it is really good. I am a huge foodie so I explored far and wide to find a variety of cuisine. Everything is more expensive there, which is kind of annoying. Christchurch has a FANTASTIC farmer's market I walked to from the university every Saturday. Wellington has great cafes, Te Anau has the best meat pie I ate in NZ, one of the best burgers I've had in my life lives at the Fat Tui in Marahau. So, you can find good food but you might need to search for it.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I was really not that integrated because UC was much more of a commuter university than I expected. People pretty much went to school then went home or to work or to hang out with their already established group of friends from high school because a lot of people don't leave Christchurch. I got to know some Kiwis but I wish I had met more.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Heath care was great. The only time I needed it was when I sprained my ankle pretty badly. But UC has a good health center where seeing the doctor was free, the first visit to the physical therapist was free, and the subsequent PT visits were about $10 a pop. Not too bad. But the NZ visa and the university requires that you get NZ health insurance which is not hard, it's just more paperwork.

I usually felt very safe in the day, but I didn't go out at night by myself because I was living in a city. Also if I left my computer alone to go to the bathroom or something in the library, I would generally ask someone to look after it for those few minutes. I often asked random strangers so I guess I wasn't too concerned about safety.

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

NZ is expensive and I wanted to travel a lot which really adds up. I knew I would spend much of my money before I went because I didn't want to hold back from any new thing I wanted to experience. I can always make more money, but I probably won't be back to NZ any time soon.

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• Dorm

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• Americans
• International Students

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• Local Students
• Americans
• International Students

• travel
• seeing what it was like to live in a city

• UC can be a frustrating place to go to school because in some ways it is unorganized
• It seems like the homestay option is discouraged, but I think it should not be because if I were to do it again, I might want to live with a family instead of in a dorm with many international students