Life Changing Semester in New Zealand Past Review

By Alec B (marketing & entrepreneurial management, University of Iowa) for

The Education Abroad Network (TEAN): Wellington - Massey University

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?

I learned to embrace new cultures and people while I was abroad. I definitely became more outgoing and confident in myself and my abilities. I gained an international perspective and learned about my place in the world and. I feel that making the decision to go with TEAN as my international program provider was the best decision that I made regarding my abroad experience. The support that TEAN gave their students is beyond compare. I plan to study abroad again if I am able to in the near future.

Personal Information

If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here:	Massey University in Wellington & The University of Canterbury
How much international exposure did you have prior to this program?	2 weeks - 1 month

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.	Similar workload and teaching methods as what I have experienced at my home university (University of Iowa). One big difference for me was the size of classes and school in general. At Massey the classes as well as the campus were much smaller than what I was used to.
* Host Country Program Administration On-site administration of your program	TEAN is extremely supportive of their students while abroad. They always got back to me very quickly with any question that I had and were always very helpful. I was involved in the earthquake in February 2011 and TEAN did an outstanding job in making sure that I was safe and comfortable. They did everything they could to help ease the transition to another university after we had to leave Christchurch. They also continually checked up on their students to make sure everyone was doing well.
* Housing: How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?	I lived in university housing in The Cube apartments. I lived in a five-bedroom with all New Zealand students. It was nice to live with local students, but they all seemed to be first years which was a little different from what I was used to. The Cube apartments however are very close to both campus and the downtown area which was a definite plus. The cube apartments also supplied a bed, sheets, a desk, closet space, and a full kitchen.
* Food:	I really enjoyed the food while i was in New Zealand. There was a lot of lamb because of New Zealand's abundance of sheep. There was also a lot of Turkish, Malaysian, and Japanese food. The fish and chips are also a definite must have while in New Zealand.
* Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture?	I participated in the orientation week events which were a blast and I highly recommend attending them to any student studying in New Zealand. I also joined the rugby club while I was in Wellington. I also highly recommend this for anyone who is interested in playing rugby. I had never played before but everyone on the team was very helpful in teaching us and we had a lot of fun.
* Health Care: How well were health issues addressed during the program?
* Safety:	I feel that Wellington is a very safe place. I never once felt that I was in danger while in Wellington, nor did i ever get seriously injured. There were no major heath issues during my time in New Zealand. However there is always the threat of earthquakes. I experienced many earthquakes, especially during my time in Christchurch and after the disastrous earthquake in February I moved to Wellington. The only time i felt unsafe was the week after that major earthquake while I was still in Christchurch feeling the many aftershocks. I would not recommend studying in Christchurch anytime soon because of the high amount of seismic activity.
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)

Other Program Information

* Where did you live? Select all that apply	Apartment
* Who did you live with? Select all that apply	Local Students

A Look Back

* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program?	Keep an open mind and most of all do not be afraid to try new things and immerse yourself with the culture. If you push yourself out of your comfort zone and really try to make the most of your time abroad it will be the most rewarding experience of your life.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:	Enterprise Development
Course Department:	152.330
Instructor:	David Deakins
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	A very interesting course for anyone who is interested in entrepreneurship or the New Zealand small business environment as a whole. Very distinguished, knowledgeable and friendly teacher. It is a bit tougher than other business courses taught at Massey, but if you would be willing to put in the time and effort it is a very well taught and interesting course that I would definitely recommend.
Credit Transfer Issues:	I would highly suggest making sure that all of your classes that you are taking while abroad are approved for credit transfer before departing.