Victoria University of Wellington

School is much more challenging than my home university in the states. It seems that professors are less likely to hand out A's to hardworking students. The housing situation and accessibility of the whole city has been incredible in helping my study experience and also helping in balancing school and travel/exploration. Victoria university is a big school with a small feel. The cafe's around campus make studying throughout the day fun and exciting. The library is easy to use and accessible, although it did take a little for me to figure out how to use it. All in all the transition was made easier by friends who came abroad with me in my program and all of us working together to adjust and embrace unusual situations.

It was really great to have a chance to go to such a far away continent. As part of my major, I will be seeing many different nations over the course of my study, but I chose to take this program specifically because I saw it as an opportunity to really test myself and go as far away from home as physically possible, while still being somewhat culturally and socially similar to home - a bit of a training situation, if you wish.

The campus of Victoria University is varied, modern, and inviting. Amenities are available to students around every corner from quiet areas to study, food and snacks, or even pleasant places to hang out and relax. I have no complaints, and only compliments to give about the infrastructure of VUW as well as the city it resides in, Wellington.

Wellington itself, despite the capital of New Zealand, will seem quite small to students familiar with the city life. If you are willing to walk for a bit, you could easily make it across the town in an afternoon, though admittedly a bus or taxi is recommended to make it past the massive Mt. Victoria cutting the city roughly in half. There's plenty to do in the city, and the weather is consistently mild (though when it rains, expect it to continue for days at a time!) The only real negative I can focus on is that, as far as I can tell, buildings aren't very insulated against the cold, so when it DOES get a bit chilly there is little to stop your bedroom from dropping to surprisingly low temperatures overnight - bring an extra blanket!

New Zealand and its people is a beautiful nation, and those inclined would be happy to discover that one can drive a car across most of the northern island in a single day, but that day will be spent in perpetual awe at the sights abound in the landscape. If you go here, you MUST take a roadtrip of some sort, no matter how brief - the destination doesn't even matter! Just pick a highway and stick to it until you want a break, then find something interesting to stick to!

All in all I would highly recommend anyone who has the option to visit this country to do so, and to use Victoria University as an avenue for the stay - they made every effort possible to keep my stay a pleasant one, and frankly the dorms are almost as good as my house.

I could not be happier I studied abroad in New Zealand. From the Tararuas to Queenstown and Wanaka to Tongariro, the outdoor opportunities for tramping are limitless. New Zealand is both a comfortable and challenging place to study abroad with some surprising differences from home. Victoria has a very strong academic program with a very close community of exchange students. I would strongly recommend any student sho loves being outdoors to come to New Zealand.

As an America, I was a little hesitant about how much I'd fit into an international university. But as time went on and although the education system is more independent than in America, I found that Victoria is a great university. The Hub is always a great place to study and socialize and the campus is clean and welcoming. Being an American the most important thing to note is that independent studying is crucial to success in courses at Vic, but the material isn't much more difficult than what I was already used to. It's so nice to have experienced a new educational culture and I'll bring back to America a fresh and eager drive to study on my own and get better grades. I highly recommend studying abroad at Victoria!

New Zealand is a beautiful country with friendly people and many opportunities. I feel at home in Wellington, which is a small, creative city where it is easy to be queer and vegan. Victoria University is a much bigger and better structured school than what I am used to, with clubs and events for all kinds of students. Wellington is based in the middle of New Zealand, which makes it easy to travel and explore the rest of the country on weekends and holidays.