Turbulent times alone in New Zealand Past Review
By A student (Wellesley College) - abroad from 07/16/2018 to 10/31/2018 with
The University of Auckland: Auckland - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
Learned how hard it is to make a community from strangers. Got a new perspective on being a global citizen.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | None |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
If you're taking difficult STEM courses just expect no one to help you and for professors to tell you to ask your friends (which you don't have because you're abroad alone). |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Almost no program to speak of. Just you, doing your own thing. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Didn't get to pick flatmates which turned out to be bad, but it's nice accommodations. |
| * Food: |
Not provided at all. A lot of walking. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
You get housed with other study abroad people so you end up spending not a lot of time with Kiwis in the home environment. Making Kiwi friends is actually quite difficult beyond the passing interaction. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Accessible, but when I came back to the states for follow-up care my physician told me I'd just been given placebos essentially and a 12-week round of antibiotics would actually cure my infection (I have a really good health care plan so I didn't feel that she was just bleeding me for money). |
| * Safety: |
Got thrown out of the student pub (they didn't just ask me to leave they actually threw me out with a bouncer and everything) on my second night in the city for not fitting their image (I'm black) and got separated from my party while intoxicated and could have easily ended up dead. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
I wish I had done an actual program instead of direct enrollment, because they have events and are actually there for their students. |
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) |
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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 100 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | No. |
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?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
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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? | Meeting people through classes is nearly impossible. |
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. |
