Love New Zealand, and GlobaLinks was helpful Past Review
By Colin B (Business Information Management, University of Colorado - Boulder) - abroad from 07/04/2012 to 11/08/2012 with
ISA Study Abroad in Wellington, New Zealand
I gained so much. The most important thing is the ability to handle challenging situations as a group, and when I was by myself. I travelled alone for a month, including a week of hitch-hiking alone around New Zealand. I had to handle lots of tough situations on my own, and I'm more mature because of it.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Easy classes, transferred back to CU as pass-fail! |
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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? |
House with 2 Americans and a "Kiwimate" who was supposed to show us around but didn't do much... It was fine, good size kitchen for entertaining. |
| * Food: |
Eat like a local! There are weekly farmers' markets and some great cheap restaurants. Find Abrakebabra for some delicious kebabs. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Tramping Club (Backpacking) allowed me to make tons of Kiwi friends. Weekly social events and trips were awesome. Don't always hang out with the people you came to NZ with - you're there to meet new people! |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
No issues |
| * Safety: |
Wellington is very safe; didn't hear of any issues. |
| 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) |
You can live cheaply, but you should travel a LOT while here. Rent a van and cook your own food. Camp. Shop at grocery stores, and make the longer walk to larger stores. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
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? | I agonized over where in the world to go, only to realize that it doesn't matter. Travelling is amazing, period. I also learned that you can be whoever you want while abroad, so experiment with a "new you!" |
