Why did you choose this program?
I am very into post production for movies and want to work as a visual effects artist. AUT seemed to have the right papers and technological equipment to dive more into 3D animation and since "Lord of the Rings", New Zealand's film industry is increasing rapidly.
I also always wanted to see the country's nature and studying there is a perfect excuse to ask for a loan and spend a few thousand dollars. But the main priority were really the papers.
I swear!
What did your program provider assist you with, and what did you have to organize on your own?
AUT sent one of their agents to my home university in Germany together with an agent from GoZealand (an agency for study abroad). So I got introduced to AUT but I decided to sort out everything by my self.
And that was actually pretty easy. I only had a bit of a struggle with finding the right papers but that's why I came a few weeks before semester started, so I talked to the lecturers about my expectations and they helped me to enroll in the right courses so I got exactly what I wanted.
What is one piece of advice you'd give to someone going on your program?
Finding a flat is a huge issue, especially when living on a tight budget. The housing crisis is something Auckland has to work on. Besides that there were no problems. Kiwis are very friendly and caring people and I felt welcomed from the very beginning.
I think everybody should go overseas since it helps a lot to grow as a person.
Before studying I worked one year as a male-nurse in Norway and I still have contact to the people there as well. Long story short: DO IT! and go overseas...
What does an average day/week look like as a participant of this program?
I was lucky that my papers started around 1 pm every day so I was mostly on time.
Before class I went to the gym on campus. I am very thankful for this offer since studying means to sit a long time.
I worked between 6 to 10 hours every day because 3D effects like water and explosions are quite demanding. All my papers were practical so the lecturer basically gave us some exercise files and explained how certain 3D effects were done and we had half an hour to practice before going rounds and looking at each others work.
A very fun exercise was when we once burned a car with CGI. Or when I wore one of those motion capture suits they used to create "Gollum" in the Hobbit movies.
Going into your experience abroad, what was your biggest fear, and how did you overcome it and/or how did your views on the issue change?
To be honest I had no fear at all; despite the turbulence from Vancouver to Auckland,
my advice for that? Get as much wine as possible and watch some cheesy cartoons!
When I came to Auckland I had an issue with my first apartment but then I was lucky to move to a nice house in Parnell, just 15 min walk from AUT. The university itself is amazing: very modern, all the facilities a student can only dream of and no matter which problem I had, the staff did everything to help me as quickly as possible. In the beginning I literally lived at the international office to organize papers and other things, and the guys there did their best, so thank you very much to them!
But I did more then just sitting behind a desk; traveling is a very important part of an overseas experience so I was plundering my credit card to see as much as possible.
I can hardly describe how it felt when I saw Skytower, Milford Sound, and Queenstown for the first time.
Oh - and if you already made it down there you should head to Sydney - one of my favorite cities! Of course it is very exiting to travel to the other side of the globe and the first weeks I got kind of a culture shock (the drinking culture is weird but they make the best wines on earth). But thanks to excellent lecturers and nice flatmates, I could enjoy my time in Auckland and I can't wait to come back.
Is there anything else you'd like to share about your experience?
It was totally worth it to go to NZ. Obviously because of the things I've learned (one of my lecturers worked on Avatar and Lord of the Rings). But I also got to know many lovely people I would count as my family. In fact, I applied to do a master's degree at AUT and I can definitely imagine to stay in NZ and set up a life there.
The education is great, the landscape is stunning and the people are just gorgeous. Within 9 months this country became a place I call home now.