Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Finding Myself in the Shire Past Review

By (Middlebury College) - abroad from 07/15/2017 to 11/16/2019 with

University of Canterbury: Christchurch - Direct Enrollment & Exchange

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I learned a lot about living on my own and being self-sufficient. It was absolutely worthwhile.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 2 weeks - 1 month

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Classes were adequately challenging, but left more than enough time to explore New Zealand. There could have been more academic resources available.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

There was a brief meeting for students from abroad at the beginning of the semester, but otherwise we were treated as normal students. Nothing exceptional to see here.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Best room/living space I had all of college, by a pretty wide margin. Roomates were from all over the world and were great too.

* Food:

No dining hall really, but an exceptionally adequate grocery store nearby. Plentiful food options on campus and in the city.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Nothing forced me into the culture, but it was there if I wanted to partake. Travel was reasonably easy (befriend a kiwi with a car if you don't want to fly though).

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I had a lingering shoulder injury that I needed to wait to get back to the states to deal with, but the healthcare system did what I expected it to. Reasonably easy to get appointments with medical professionals on campus.

* Safety:

I didn't hear of any incidents, a few homeless people asking for money etc., but nothing bad.

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

The travel, people, and scenery of New Zealand make the experience worth it.

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)

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

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Apartment
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
  • International Students
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
  • Americans
  • 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?
  • Travel
  • Meeting other international students
  • Food
* What could be improved?
  • Integration with the community
  • International/study abroad events
  • New Zealand "American" food
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? How to keep myself happy, healthy, and fed well. It's an important testament to the experience that I learned those things abroad, though.

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 Adventurer
The 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:

Science, Maori and Indigenous Knowledge
Course Department:
Instructor: John Pirker and Hamuera Kahi
Instruction Language: English
Comments: The course was out of the norm for me, but was fun, had great field trips, and rewarded effort and interest from the students. Assessments were fair, mostly papers and exams.
Credit Transfer Issues: no
Course Name/Rating:

Relational Database Systems
Course Department: Computer Science
Instructor: Miguel Morales Trujillo
Instruction Language: English
Comments: The course was appropriately challenging, and conveyed important topics in database design and SQL querying. The entire grade was a project and a final, which was a little daunting, but ended up being doable.
Credit Transfer Issues: no
Course Name/Rating:

Formal Languages and Compilers
Course Department: Computer Science
Instructor: Walter Guttman
Instruction Language: English
Comments: This class was great, it felt like a semester of puzzles. Assessments were fair and infrequent, and homeworks and readings kept me up to speed.
Credit Transfer Issues: No
Course Name/Rating:

Philosophy of Religion: Rationality, Science, and the God Hypothesis
Course Department: Humanities and Creative Arts
Instructor: Diane Proudfoot
Instruction Language: English
Comments: The course was conceptually challenging, but lacked enough papers and assessments to make it time consuming. The teacher was great until she was replaced halfway through the year. Assessments were papers and exams.
Credit Transfer Issues: No