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Massey University

Why choose Massey University?

Massey University is an exciting and progressive New Zealand university. We offer internationally recognized research-led qualifications that are hugely relevant in today’s world. Join us, and become part of the new New Zealand.

Massey is characterized by the applied nature of many of our teaching and research programs and by our special expertise in the areas of technology, science, applied science, and business studies.

We have a proud international record of using our expertise to work with developing countries. Our focus on technology and business is also meeting new international demands. Students educated at Massey hold positions of seniority and responsibility throughout Asia, the Pacific, North and South America, Europe and the Middle East.

Founded
1927

Reviews

Default avatar
Melanie
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

A good school to attend

I liked Massey University. Given that New Zealand is small, it’s a big school. The actual management was not good. It was extremely difficult to sign up for classes because they did not help. I liked the community but the school was not great. Be prepared to be stressed for awhile if you’re going to attend. Aside from management, the community was great. They are all very welcoming and they have fun residence hall games. The program allowed me to join clubs and experience life in New Zealand. I recommend joining the alpine club as it’s a good way to explore the nature within this gorgeous country.

What would you improve about this program?
The management was not good. I had many issues with classes and even when I was able to get my classes, I had issues with my ID and was unable to use the bus for the first couple of weeks because they make you submit a picture and then take a week to process it. Only to tell you it’s no good.
Default avatar
Yihang
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Studying in Massey Univ

International students are welcomed by Massey University. The registry process is smoothful and the classes are interactive and interesting. Preparations for final exams are not stressful at all. Massey University has a very nice library because it is warm and clean at any time. I studied 4 courses from different fields in Massey University and all the professors and course coordinators are kind and friendly. Students feel free to express ideas and ask questions. After class, professors and students communicate by e-mails. The reply letter is within 24 hours for sure. Besides both distance and internal students can start and doscuss a topic in the forums of courses in StreamSite System of Massey University. Massey studetns also have a MasseyUniv App. Students can check the class timetable, campus map and incoming activities. That's convenient.

What was your funniest moment?
The annual Mid-Autumn Festival supported by the Finance College was amazing. Lots of Asian friends came and celebrated this event together. We had fun gussing riddles and eating moon cakes.
Response from Massey University

Kia ora Yihang, it's great to hear you enjoyed your time with us at Massey University and enjoyed the academic and social aspects. We hope you treasure your memories with us!

Kind regards,
Shivani Rajan

Default avatar
Maslin
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Life Changing Experience

For me studying abroad was always a dream of mine and I was always tied to going to New Zealand. I didn’t put a lot of effort into finding a school here other than what my home university offered and what classes were offered here. I think I got very lucky with Massey University - Albany. I didn’t realize how small the school was, but I was pleasantly surprised at how nice it was to have a small school while studying abroad. It allows you to meet new people and actually see them again throughout campus. I ended up taking third year courses here which offered up another unique experience for me given most people studying abroad take easy classes and that the people in my classes all knew each other from other classes they were in together. So I had a more challenging time academically adjusting to the new teaching styles as well as finding people to talk to, but all of the teachers were super helpful. The location offered up so many opportunities to get and and do things! The campus is only a 45 minute bus ride into Auckland which offers so many different things to do and there is also a mall right across from campus which made shopping easy. The accommodations are what is to be expected for college dorms, but they make sure you have all the support needed. The food was a little disappointing, but there are lots of other options around. All in all my experience here was one I’ll never forget and I made life long friends here. I made sure to get out and explore NZ as much as possible and I honestly wish I could’ve stayed longer.

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
Find the balance of fun and study. Of course when studying abroad, most don’t come to study very hard, but I learned a lot about myself and different cultures just from being in classes in another country. Being able to see how an education system works compared to what you are used to changes perspectives on a lot of things and teaches you a lot about what countries find important in their education systems. Given that, it’s also important to not spend your whole time abroad studying. After all you are going to a different country, so actually get out and enjoy/explore the country that is your new home for an extended amount of time.
Response from Massey University

Kia ora Maslin, it's great to hear you made the most out of your experience at our Albany campus. It sounds like you ultilised all of the great things about studying abroad and overcame the challenges you faced too. I hope you look back on your semester abroad with fond memories!

Kind regards,
Shivani Rajan

Default avatar
Hannah
3/5
No, I don't recommend this program

Massey University Study Abroad

Studying at this school was nothing like how I expected. I should have done more research before going to a school like this. It was very small, with few helpful support staff, and absolutely nothing to do in a 45 minute radius. It also had classes that were extremely underwhelming in respect to how challenging they were. I was only in class 6 hours a week, and became very bored very quickly with the great lack of things to do in Palmy. They also allowed 2 weeks for fall break, and 3 weeks for finals, which seemed like a waste of time to me personally. I wish I had chosen to study in Europe, or at least a university with more things to do than just to leave campus and travel elsewhere. There is also very little history and culture in Palmy, at least to someone coming from a hometown established in the 1630s. This university would appeal to people who enjoy a small-town scene, drinking and hiking; none of which I am fond of.

If you did this all over again, what's one thing you would change?
I would definitely try harder to try new things and create my own fun.
Response from Massey University

Kia ora Hannah,

Thank you very much for your honest review and we are sorry that you did not quite enjoy your stay with us here in Palmerston North.

We are very small compared to US universities/colleges as you can tell from the population differences but, we believe, this size creates the closeness within the student and university community. We are surprised that you only found a few helpful staff members as we’re normally known for our friendly support, we regret that we missed the mark. I also see that the difference in academic systems did not meet your expectations. The academic structure of NZ universities caters towards growing the independence of each student. If you wish to discuss this further, please feel free to get in touch with us via the contact details on our website.

Default avatar
Maddie
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Agriculture and Environment National Expedition and Internship

This program is so unique from your typical study abroad. It allowed us to see so much of New Zealand instead of just remaining at one university. We spent the entire first two weeks of the program traveling from the south island all the way up to the north island. During this time, we stayed in ten different places and visited farms, national parks, wineries, and wildlife centers. All the traveling, combined with assignments due every few days was very exhausting but it was also very rewarding as we saw so many beautiful landscapes in so little time. My main complaint here is that I wish we had more time at each location to explore on our own. Following our expedition, we settled down for our next four weeks to complete an internship in the Hawke's Bay area. Many of us were slightly disappointed with the internship placements and organization surrounding it. Although my internship did not directly apply to my major, I made the best of it and gained valuable skills just by working in a different country. I am glad I took part in this program as it allowed for countless unique experiences, however, looking back I would only recommend it to people who are very interested in agriculture as the assignments apply more to those students than the environmental science ones like myself.

What would you improve about this program?
I would like to see this program have better organization. The schedule during the expedition was way too tight, leaving little time to explore on our own. Also, little thought was put into transportation arrangements during the internship. In addition, I would suggest better housing arrangements as some of the hostels we were placed in were very uncomfortable and unsanitary.
Response from Massey University

Kia ora Maddie, it's great to hear you enjoyed your internship with us. We have taken your feedback on board regarding the time spent at each location as well as the hostels. We hope you look back on your time in New Zealand with great memories!

Kind regards,
Shivani Rajan

Programs

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Alumni Interviews

These are in-depth Q&A sessions with verified alumni.

Why did you choose this program?

I started by looking at overseas summer programs offered by State University of New York. There were other programs in different countries that appealed to me as well, but National Expedition and Internship with Massey University stood out. Massey's online brochure listed all four available internship tracks with descriptions of what to expect from both the two weeks travel period and internship period.

I was excited by the promise of getting to meet and workshop with professionals in the fields of arts and entertainment. I was even more intrigued as well at the opportunity to gain relevant work experience while overseas and earning course credits to transfer back home. Ultimately I wanted the internship opportunity most of all, but guaranteed credits helped in making the decision easier too.

What did your program provider assist you with, and what did you have to organize on your own?

Massey University's NEI program took care of accommodations for the entire program duration, and all interns were given an internship placement. For the two week expedition, breakfast was also provided. Massey University offered airport pickup upon arrival as well, scheduling two shuttles at different times to take students to their first accommodation. Before arriving to New Zealand, a pre departure orientation course was made available online on a stream website.

On my own, I had to organize airfare, any excursions outside scheduled group activities, groceries and outside dining, bus fare for the internship, funds to do laundry (coin operated), and buying a New Zealand mobile sim card and service (optional, but I chose to purchase these for the internship portion).

What is one piece of advice you'd give to someone going on your program?

I want to give the advice to take everything as a chance to learn. While there may be course assignments or internship tasks, or group outings and activities that are less interesting to you than others, that doesn't mean you can't challenge yourself to see it from a different perspective. What can you get out of a cultural site talk for example, or having to work through a group project or presentation? If you see an internship task as unimportant, can you maybe either: ask yourself what seems insignificant about it, or, complete it, but then relay your thoughts to your supervisor to better influence the scope of future tasks?

What does an average day/week look like as a participant of this program?

There truly never was a very typical day in the program. Certainly, for the expedition portion, I can say to expect to pack up and leave an accommodation every night or after two nights to get on the bus to a different location again. However, for expedition, I might also say that unpacking and repacking was one of the only predictable elements of so much travel and activity.

For interning in Wellington, that part became more relaxed and free to independent exploration -- however, I personally had an internship at a creative house of collaborative space. I started my internship actually on a weekend and worked up into Tuesday that following week on sets for a series of commercials! If you're in the Creative Expression and Digital Media track of NEI, I'll have to argue this is the track to be most prepared for the unexpected to happen.

Still, Wellington is a good size city that isn't so large to be intimidating or chaotic, yet still contains many places and events to go have a look at. I was only living in the city for four weeks, but I definitely ended up having favorite spots to hang out on weekend nights, and knew exactly where to get the best bubble tea, etc.

Going into your experience abroad, what was your biggest fear, and how did you overcome it? How did your views on the issue change?

I think one of my biggest fears was just an apprehension over whether I'd get along with anyone or not, especially my internship site partner.

At home in New York and throughout much of life, I'd never been one to have a large social circle or many people that I feel comfortable around. To overcome this, I observed and chose carefully who I could trust, yet tried to be amiable to everyone in the group at the same time, and open to new exchanges and outings with different sets of people. Additionally I made an effort to have conversations with Massey faculty who were present on expedition with us, and then with my advisor and internship course coordinator in Wellington. Having these informal exchanges did really help to ground me as a student wanting to learn but also just as a person.

I did come away with a handful of friends from NEI whom I would like to keep in touch with and wish the best for in their academic careers and long term goals. As different as I and my internship site partner are, the two of us did share some similarities and got along great overall.

What was something that surprised you about study abroad?

I can't say this enough. I'm totally shocked that with my reserved persona I had so much fun socializing in a hostel setting with travelers outside the study abroad group. I really never expected to be able to open up personally to all the people I did, and to be received with warmth and understanding in return. I think that was one of the greatest take aways I gained from studying abroad--living in a hostel setting. To be clear, NEI had its own wing of rooms. Yet, I found that beginning to take interest in residents who were often in common areas on the ground floor helped me to break out of my shell the most.

Staff Interviews

These are in-depth Q&A sessions with program leaders.

Shivani Rajan

Job Title
Student Mobility Coordinator
Shivani is a proud Kiwi and spent part of her undergraduate degree studying abroad in Wales, United Kingdom. Her time abroad introduced her to a passion for international education. She is excited to be on the other side now, welcoming international students to Massey University and her hometown.
Shivani Rajan

What is your favorite travel memory?

I'm grateful that a lot of memories pop up with this question; however, a standout would have to be in 2015.

My best friend lives in London, and one day during my time there, we got off the tube. She told me to close my eyes, walked me up the steps, and she didn't let me see until I was standing opposite the Palace of Westminster!

It was much bigger than I thought, and a lot of granduer! I thought about the many times I had seen this place on TV, movies, or in photos, and it felt surreal for me to be the one standing right outside something so beautiful. Selfies with Big Ben was a massive bonus, too!

How have you changed/grown since working for your current company?

Massey University is a great place to work. With friendly colleagues and an open-minded approach to international education, I am encouraged to grow with new ideas and am fully supported.

I am quite new to Massey University, having started in October 2019. However, I am enjoying my time here and am a proud Massey University employee.

What do you believe to be the biggest factor in being a successful company?

Although there are many values that help to create a successful company, I believe hard work and passion are integral. A lot of other skills can be learnt over time, but working hard and having a love for what you do can make all the difference, especially when dealing with a diverse range of people such as international students.