A semester in Aotearoa New Zealand changed my life! (For lack of better words) June 26, 2025
By A student (Chemistry & Philosophy, Wellesley College) - abroad from 02/24/2025 to 06/19/2025 with
University of Otago, New Zealand: Study Abroad Programme
I chose to go to Aotearoa NZ to get outdoors and venture beyond day hikes (which was what I was primarily used, coming from a big city). I grew so much in my outdoor skills this semester, and I highly recommend Aotearoa NZ for those looking to start learning how to camp/how to backpack. The tramping club was also a great resource for borrowing gear, so you do not need to bring anything.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
If you are coming from a small liberal arts college, there is a good chance you will find that the Otago academic rigor is much less than what you're used to. However, there are still plenty of resources to help you succeed if you do find yourself struggling, and I found all my professors to be very receptive to individual students despite Otago being such a large school. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Uniflats does an incredible job of making the international students feel welcome!!! They are also very responsive to issues you may have, and host a bunch of events throughout the semester. |
| * Food: |
I lived in Uniflats housing, so I was not on the meal plan, but I found that it was relatively easy to source ethnic (specifically Asian) ingredients in Dunedin. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
The student health insurance made going to student health services very easy and stress-free. |
| * Safety: |
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| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
My semester abroad was nothing short of an incredible experience, and I have no regrets. While I will say the academics were not as rigorous as what I was used to, everything else about the university was great; I still learned a lot in my classes and met some incredible people. |
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) |
Note that I found that weekly expenses were not that bad COMPARED TO THE US DOLLAR/compared to the price of getting US groceries in a major city in general. If you are eating out more/hitting up Rob Roy more often, it will of course be more expensive, but also note that NZ does not have a tipping culture. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | ~100 NZD |
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? | 0 |
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 WILL NEED A CAR IF YOU WANT TO EXPLORE MORE OF THE COUNTRY. This does not mean you need to buy a car (though I knew many people who did), but you will need to befriend people who do have a car. However, I would also not stress about having access to a car, because if anything you could also take flights to major cities and explore that way (though of course it will be much more costly). My friends and I rented a car during mid-semester break, which also was a great option. Additionally, while this wasn't something I was thinking of when I was in my planning stages, I will say I think it's nicer to study abroad at Otago during Semester 1, because it's still warm in the first half of the semester, and you can go travel without too much academic stress. It was nice to transition into the colder weather in the second half of the semester, because by then it was also finals season. |
