Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Making Friends Around the World Past Review

By (Middlebury College) - abroad from 02/22/2016 to 06/24/2016 with

University of Otago, New Zealand: Study Abroad Programme

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I saw and experienced so much of New Zealand and its culture, and I expect some of the things that I learned will stay with me for the rest of my life.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 1 month - 6 months

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?

I became close friends with all of the people that I lived with, and most of their friends too. I was also able to befriend a lot of Kiwis in Dunedin.

* Food:

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? Yes

Between making Kiwi and American friends in Dunedin and taking road trips out around the South Island, nearly every day was intellectually and personally rewarding.

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)

Everyone in my flat paid $20 NZ each week to cover the cost of groceries and communal cooking. We each bough our own food in addition to that.

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? $50 NZ
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Attend the $3 lunches, run by the OUSA, 4 days each week. The food is delicious and the people are friendly. Creating a communal grocery fund is an excellent idea as well.

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

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

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
  • Americans
  • International 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 variety of people that I met
  • The location (New Zealand Rocks!)
* What could be improved?
  • Nothing!
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? Nothing

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 Nearly Native or Trail Blazer
Craving the most authentic experience possible, perhaps you lived with a host family or really got in good with the locals. You may have felt confined by your program requirements and group excursions. Instead, you'd have preferred to plan your own trips, even skipping class to conduct your own 'field work.'

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:

PHSI 331
Course Department: Physics
Instructor: Rob Ballagh
Instruction Language: English
Comments: The paper was very challenging, and I learned a lot. Rob was always willing to help any student with any problem, regardless of how related it was to the subject material. Weekly homework and weekly workshops contributed greatly to my experience with the course.
Credit Transfer Issues: No issues.
Course Name/Rating:

COSC 342
Course Department: Computer Science
Instructor:
Instruction Language: English
Comments: The course was not intellectually engaging at all. I'm happy with the fact that lectures were posted online after each class, which allowed me to learn and take interest in some of the course material. Given that, I had less than 50% lecture, lab, and tutorial attendance, and the paper felt like a drain on my time in Dunedin.
Credit Transfer Issues: No issues.
Course Name/Rating:

PHSI 243
Course Department: Physics
Instructor: Pat Langhorne
Instruction Language: English
Comments: The paper was interesting most days. The lab activities encouraged all of the students to make new friends in class by requiring that each student work with a stranger each week, which helped make the course engaging by giving us all friends to discuss the work with. Pat was very energetic, and even though she made plenty of mistakes and gave us some misinformation, she learned along with all of us and corrected all of her mistakes by the end of the semester. We were assessed via homework assignments and labs every second week.
Credit Transfer Issues: No issues.
Course Name/Rating:

MUSI 140
Course Department: Music
Instructor: Jen Cattermole
Instruction Language: English
Comments: The course was extremely engaging. There were 4 students in the class including myself, and in relatively short time, the 4 of us and our lecturer became good friends. The class was very rewarding, as all of us created our own Maori musical instruments by the end of the semester, and used a variety of instruments to create a performance together. This was likely the most rewarding and fascinating paper that I have taken in my life. Our grades were given based on a written journal about the process of making our instruments, as well as 2 group performances.
Credit Transfer Issues: No issues.