Friends, mountains, adventures all around. Past Review
By A student (Geography, Middlebury College) - abroad from 07/01/2014 to 11/08/2014 with
University of Otago, New Zealand: Study Abroad Programme
I had a fabulous time learning to navigate around New Zealand, fully embracing my outdoorsy side, making new friends, gaining confidence travelling alone.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
|
* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
It all depended on the course. Geology was hard, Pacific Studies was easy. |
|
* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The international office at Otago was extremely helpful throughout the semester. |
|
* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I greatly enjoyed the Uniflats system. I got to meet some wonderful Kiwis and other international students. It was great to not have to worry about housing at all. Uniflats takes care of it all! |
| * Food: |
I cooked for myself. Food in NZ is very expensive. |
|
* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I made some wonderful Kiwi friends living as I did, well integrated in the Uni community. |
|
* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Slow service in the health center, and then, while very sick, had to walk through the cold rain downtown to turn in my information to the lab. |
| * Safety: |
NZ is a remarkable safe place to live and visit. I rarely felt uneasy traveling on my own. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
|
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) |
New Zealand is a very expensive country. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | Between $70 and $150 depending on the activities for the week... |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Always share petrol on road trips. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
Other Program Information
|
* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
|
|
* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
|
|
* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
|
| 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? |
|
| * What could be improved? |
|
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Three winters in a row gets mighty cold. |
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: |
GEOL112 |
| Course Department: | Geology |
| Instructor: | |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | GEOL112 was a challenging but overall good course to take while in New Zealand. We definitely made good use of the surrounding landscape during class field trips and in-class examples. The large number of course instructors sometimes made the lectures feel rather choppy. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
