Time for Adventures Past Review

By Tucker Cadow (Middlebury College) - abroad from 07/04/2016 to 11/12/2016 with

University of Otago, New Zealand: Study Abroad Programme

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

I learned a lot about how people view america who don't live here and have somewhat similar styles of life. It was very interesting to be there during this past election cycle -this resulted in some very interesting conversations.

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.	Although I did not feel that the academics were rigorous, it seemed to me that the grades given by the professors (or students - who ever happened to grade the assignment) were very subjective and did not accurately reflect the quality of the work
* Host Country Program Administration On-site administration of your program	The University Flats staff were incredible and it seemed as though they were on top of everything.
* Housing: How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?	My living arrangement was very good - my only complaint was that my "kiwi host" was not very interested in hosting and was very messy
* Food:	I very much enjoyed being able to cook for myself
* Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture?	I did not feel very integrated because I was surrounded by so many international students, but I had many phenomenal experiences that were unique to New Zealand
* Health Care: How well were health issues addressed during the program?	I sprained my ankle while I was abroad and received very affordable health care through New Zealand's accident insurance policy
* Safety:	The University students were definitely quite rowdy on certain nights of the week, but for the most part I felt safe
If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program?	Yes It was a great change of pace from Middlebury. Although the academics were not very rigorous, I learned so much about myself and about New Zealand from my travels and experiences with the friends I made there.

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)	The international student culture is very centered on weekend travel including expensive activities such as skiing. Additionally, gas and produce are very expensive which were two things I consumed a fair amount of during my time abroad.
Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week?	250
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants?	Try to get a job lined up for the time before you go abroad. If you go for the (U.S.) fall semester, you need to arrive in early July so I was dependent on my savings from the previous summer which was hard to stretch. I travelled for the few weeks I had off, but I would recommend working to other students in order to supplement their abroad activities. Also - the alcohol is quite expensive, and I found I could save a lot of money by drinking wine and not buying drinks at bars/clubs

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	Dorm
* Who did you live with? Select all that apply	Local Students Americans International Students
* 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 other international students The traveling opportunities The natural beauty
* What could be improved?	More guidance on which courses NOT to take Classes coming back as pass/fail A walk through on food budgeting and some easy cooking recipes you can make on a budget
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program?	From my experience, it was very important to have a car while being there. I went in on the car with friends I made while I was there and it opened up so many new opportunities. With out the car I would have only been able to see a very limited part of New Zealand and it would have changed my experience for the worse.

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 Adventurer The 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.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:	Environmental History of New Zealand
Course Department:	History
Instructor:	Tom Brooking
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	Tom is a great professor and overall the class is very interesting. My complaint about the class was the inconsistency of the grading and feedback between professors. Our largest assignment of the semester was returned to me with the words: "good research and good reporting, B+" while some fellow peers, who were graded by different instructors were given lots of feedback. In addition, I felt that the marks on my papers reflected more who graded them than how well I wrote them.
Credit Transfer Issues:	No

Course Name/Rating:	Introduction to Maori Society
Course Department:	Maori Studies
Instructor:	Erica Neuman
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	This course was a complete waste of time. Although the coordinator of the course (Erica) was friendly, the structure of the course was such that we never had the same lecturer teach more than a few classes. The lecturers were often unaware of what material we had already covered and they would often use multiple Maori words in sentences that I was completely unfamiliar with. The assignments were graded by the students who has signed up to TA for the class and the grading was very inconsistent between the individual doing the grading (in terms of both feedback and difficulty). Lastly, I attended every lecture and then when I sat down to study for the final exam, I realized that they were completely useless for studying due to their lack of flow and the structure of the final exam. Most of the final exam questions were provided ahead of time - and all I needed to do was scroll through the questions enough times to have an association with each question so I could identify the correct answer. I understand that it is important to be exposed to the Maori culture while studying in New Zealand, but I think that this class should be off limits to Middlebury students because it does not come anywhere close to the academic standards and expectations I have experienced at Middlebury. I think that there are many other courses that fulfill the same purpose without being a complete time sink.
Credit Transfer Issues:	No

Course Name/Rating:	Natural Resource Economics
Course Department:	Economics
Instructor:	Mohammad Jaforullah
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	It seemed as thought the material taught in this class had not been updated since before 2000 since none of the examples used in class came after that. This was particularly disappointing because Natural Resource Economics as a field is evolving so quickly and the information we were learning was completely outdated. Additionally, I found the professor to be completely unengaging and did a poor job explaining many of the concepts. I ended up learning some important fundamental economic concepts that relate to natural resource economics, but that was mostly due to my studies in the library outside of class and looking further into material in my notes.
Credit Transfer Issues:	No

Course Name/Rating:	Global Marine Systems
Course Department:	Marine Science
Instructor:	Will Rayment
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	I loved this class! It was by far the most reminiscent of classes I have taken at Middlebury. The field trips out onto the Otago Harbor were some of the highlights of my abroad experience. Will is a great professor and he cares about the subject matter and the students. Although there were a few guest lecturers who I did not learn much from, the class as a whole was fantastic and would recommend it to anyone - no matter what their major. This being said, it required about as much work as the rest of my course combined, but it was well worth it.
Credit Transfer Issues:	No