Amazing and Beautiful Land Past Review
By Erik W (Middlebury College) - abroad from 02/27/2012 to 06/21/2012 with
University of Otago, New Zealand: Study Abroad Programme
I gained a massive appreciation for the wonder of nature. New Zealand has an extremely low population density, especially on the South Island, which makes it unique to the States in that so much of the country is available for protection and a lot of it is now. I also learned that New Zealand is not a particularly green country, but it seems like it because of their low population density. Know how to play rugby or cricket now! Definitely worthwhile. It was great to see a new country and to meet its citizens.
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. |
Classes were much larger and easier than at Middlebury. However, lecturers were usually available without much difficulty and happy to help. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Didn't really hear from them much, but I guess I didn't really need them for much. Welcomed us nicely with a cookout and a sports day, but registration was a bit confusing and didn't receive much help with that. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Location is good, really close to the Uni and grocery stores. Flats themselves are pretty decent for college housing I imagine, but they have no insulation and get extremely cold in winter. |
| * Food: |
Food isn't very cheap, so "self-catering" as they call it will cost you a bit compared to the US |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I interacted a fair amount with New Zealanders. I felt like I learned a lot about the culture and language, and I think I have a good idea of what an average Kiwi is like. However, you're housed with mostly internationals with one Kiwi per flat. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
This never really came up for me, so I don't know. |
| * Safety: |
They had campus watch around at night, but they seemed to have much more success getting students in trouble then stopping any actual crime. Burglary was a real threat, though I was fine during my time. |
| 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 not cheap down here, but traveling is cheap with the great job the Department of Conservation has done with tramping tracks and the ease of hitchhiking (though would not recommend for females travelling alone). |
| * Was housing included in your program cost? | No |
| * Was food included in your program cost? | No |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 200 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Food and drink is expensive, so be careful with that. For travelling, if you are into tramping/hiking, that is extremely cheap. Hitchhiking is easy, and if you get a lot of people, renting a car isn't too expensive (though petrol is a bit pricey). |
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? | You get two free checked bags on the flight over, but only one free checked bag on the way back. No idea why. |
