Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

living in the coolest little capital city under the southern cross Past Review

By (Architecture and Environmental Science Joint, Middlebury College) - abroad from 07/13/2014 to 11/14/2015 with

Victoria University of Wellington: Wellington - Direct Enrollment & Exchange

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
It was absolutely worth while. I recommend students going to an english speaking country to stray away from external programs as much as possible. They are more costly and don't allow for as authentic of an experience.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? None

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

* Food:

There was no food provided, I shopped and cooked for all of my own meals. Some were shared with house mates.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I happened to make friends with quite a few 'kiwis' from my classes and that truly enriched my experience.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I burt my hand and needed emergency medical attention, which I got prompt at no cost to me. My school insurance covered all of it, granted I paid $600 for it.

* Safety:

Not a good idea to walk up dark stair cases and down alleys for a short cut home late at night. There is good transportation out of the city until pretty late and there are taxis everywhere.

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)

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? around $200
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? make your own coffee and don't eat out frequently.

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

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

Select all that apply

  • Local 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?
  • The people
  • My own independence
* What could be improved?
  • The way international students are housed
  • I really didn't like living with all american girls
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? I with I had known that New Zealand was going to be extremely expensive

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:

Pacific Designed Environments
Course Department: Architecture and Design
Instructor: Robin Skinner
Instruction Language: English
Comments: The course was lecture based and often only a small percentage of the class showed up. The class did provide a lot of information on pacific architecture as well as western influences. I didn't speak out in class as much as I would have while at home. The academic culture in Wellington was that of a very laid-back approach. Not many kids spoke up, even though it was encouraged by the professor. We were assessed on two papers.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Landscape Architecture Construciton
Course Department: Architecture and Design
Instructor: Martin Bryant
Instruction Language: English
Comments: This was by far my favorite course I took at Victoria. The course was incredibly challenging for me since I had never had any experience with computer programs for architectural drawing. Both the professor and the tutors were incredibly engaging and really took the time to tease out ideas and issues that came up with each of our individual projects. We were assessed on two major design projects. The first was research based and the second was of our own original design.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Digital Creation
Course Department: Architecture and Design
Instructor: Bernard Guy
Instruction Language: English
Comments: This course was incredibly challenging as well because it too required me to use computer programs for nearly all of the design work. This course gave great opportunity for creativity, though I was often limited by my ability to use the programs we were given. I participated in this class just as much as I would have at home attending all lab sections and engaging with the tutors. We were assessed on three separate original design projects and critiqued in a formal setting.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Photographics
Course Department: Architecture and Design
Instructor: Matt Paterson
Instruction Language:
Comments: This course wasn't my most challenging. I engaged quite a lot and actually got a lot of personal enjoyment out of the class because it allowed me to better document my experience abroad. We were assessed on three photographic projects. The last project was interview based and actually a lot of fun to conduct.
Credit Transfer Issues: