Program Reviews

Massey University in Wellington is known as the creative campus. This small campus has funky architecture with a museum building and old war memorial on the campus. There is a café on campus for either a quick snack or if you want a meal. The surrounding area is safe with lots of fun things to do. Most everything in Wellington is within walking distance of campus.

The Massey University housing was great for international students. It provided everything for the kitchen (including silverware, plates, cups etc.), common area and bedroom furniture. Therefore all I had to buy was bedding. This is nice because then you don’t have to but stuff to just have it be left behind in five months. It is by no means the fanciest apartments you will find, but it is a great college apartment. The locations are close to campus, surrounds you with other university students and the nightlife is within walking distance.

TEAN provided me with heaps of opportunities to take part in throughout the semester, starting with a pre-semester trip to the Fiji Islands. TEAN goes above and beyond to give their participants the best study abroad experience. From the programs that I had friends go through, TEAN is the best bang for your buck. There a lot of programs that cost a considerable amount more and don’t get perks.

All in all, Wellington is a fabulous town with a lot of character. I would highly recommend this capital city to anyone going to New Zealand. Not only is the city easy to get around with oodles of things to do, it is a great city to travel from. Its beautiful harbor has boats going to and from the south island everyday and it’s easy to get on the roads to go north to explore the north island as well.

I'm going to start off saying that I had the time of my life in Thailand and Cambodia. Everything the administration had planned, such as village stays in Thailand and voyages around Cambodia to see places like the infamous Angkor Wat, were amazing. The classes we took were so interested- Buddhism; Sex & Gender; Thai & Khmer language classes; and more. Outside of the classroom, I made some great friends with the local students and we got to really immerse ourselves in the culture. In Thailand we got to play with tigers, ride elephants, and explore waterfalls. In Cambodia we really got to know the history of the Khmer Rouge and observe how it effected today's society. The cities of Chiang Mai and Phnom Penh are so completely different, but so beautiful in their own ways. During Khmer New Year in Cambodia, we had a week off, so we took advantage and traveled to Vietnam, which was awesome! The people in these countries were so welcoming and excited to have foreigners visiting. Aside from the locals, you also get a chance to meet really interesting backpackers, volunteers, and foreigner teachers from around the world with really interesting stories to tell. The food is insanely delicious, the markets are a lot of fun to go to, and there's always some cool restaurant or bar you end up stumbling upon that is like nothing you've ever been to before. There is not a single thing I would take back from my study abroad experience, and I hope to one day return and travel more around not only Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam, but the rest of the countries in Southeast Asia, as well.

TEAN was such a great experience! They always had activities planned so that we got the best of our time in New Zealand. TEAN's orientation and excursion in Fiji was so great, we got to do a lot of activities I would never have thought of on my own. An example would be canyoning, which I was SO SO bad at, but I still had so much fun and was grateful for the opportunity. I also had an internship abroad, which TEAN helped me to secure. It made sure that my experience was not only enjoyable, but also educational. Most importantly of all, the people I met through TEAN made my entire studying abroad experience worthwhile. I miss them all so much and they made it a semester I will never forget!

Studying abroad in Thailand/Cambodia was the best experience I've ever had. I was able to take amazing classes that helped me compare and contrast the two countries, I was able to partake in homestays to see aspects of the rural culture, and made some of the best friends in my life. I would recommend this program to anyone looking for a new experience outside of the box.