Program Reviews

One of my main goals I wanted to accomplish while in New Zealand was to engage in the art community and focus on learning about this country’s art history both inside and outside of the classroom. My other main goal was to live more in the moment and work on building meaningful relationships with the people around me. I’m happy with how my experiences here have contributed to learning in both of these areas, but the lessons and new knowledge I now have weren’t necessarily acquired in the ways I expected.
I expected my learning in the classroom about art history and my engagement in the art/cultural scene in New Zealand to be two different experiences but they overlapped quite a bit. For example, I would learn about artists and movements in New Zealand history, then in my travels to a new city or region, I would be able to actively see this art, see the land depicted, and truly be engulfed in a way which was much more wholesome and surprising than I would have imagined. This goal overlapped with two of my career objectives to learn technical skills for a future job and to improve my communication skills because this engagement led me to talk with the people in these environments-- gallery directors, other museum patrons, artists, volunteers, and art students like myself. I could use the knowledge from the classroom to have a sophisticated, insightful conversation with those I met, and many of these conversations were extremely valuable to me looking back.
My goal to live in the moment manifested in a number of different ways which were extremely rewarding. Journaling my experiences (which I’ve never done before) has helped me to process many of my thoughts and feelings. I’ve done things and experienced things out of spontaneity which have resulted in unlikely friendships and some of the memories which I cherish most from my time here. Spending time and energy on my relationships with my housemates has been the most rewarding. I had no idea who my roommates would be before coming to New Zealand, and they’ve turned out to be two of my favorite people in the world! I’ve become closer with them than I would have thought possible in such a small amount of time, and they have become such an important part of my study abroad experience that I don’t know what it would have looked like without them.
Feeling connected to my community and life here in New Zealand has required me to make some adjustments to how I’ve communicated with my community back home. About halfway through the trimester, I began feeling torn between two lives while I tried actively maintaining relationships with people back in the US through social media and messaging apps. It was taking up so much of my mental energy and despite spending time trying to connect, I felt those interactions weren’t meaningful and most of the time they felt odd. I made a decision to delete several of my social media apps and I think doing this was the best action I could have taken for the situation. I spend less time on my phone thinking about home and more time thinking about my life in Wellington. Being less connected has allowed for these few interactions with people back home to be meaningful. I’ve been able to fully apply myself here in Wellington and that has proven to be so worth it! Although things might change when I go home, and there may be relationships I have to work to build back up, having a distraction-free experience in New Zealand has allowed me to go home with zero regrets about the say I spent my time.
Like I said, my time in New Zealand had some ups and downs as far as my comfort level with my new, temporary life. I sometimes questioned what I “should” be doing, if I should be doing more to find opportunities to try new things or if I was missing out on making a connection with someone new. I struggled with this feeling of responsibility, a responsibility to live like a study abroad student who never turns down a chance to get a new taste of life. In the end, I came to the conclusion that being a student living abroad doesn’t mean I have to prove that my experience was “worth it” every step of the way. The things that count are those that no one ever sees. A new bond created with an exciting and different place is fostered solely by the person and the place, and any other objective opinion from another about how that relationship should play out is irrelevant. The take aways may be big and life changing or they may be small, lighthearted keepsakes to remember and smile about years later, but your unique experience is yours only. It will be different from others, even those who spend time with you on your journey.

First of all, New Zealand is quite possibly the most country ever, which provides excellent outdoor experiences. Joining the Tramping Club further cultivated my love of the outdoors and connected me with other exchange students as well as kiwis. I especially loved rock climbing about 45 mins away from the uni-- it was one of my favorite experiences in NZ! Academic life at Vic wasn't too intense so I had plenty of time for adventures and hanging with friends from class. I thought the professors and tutors were really good in their field and provided me with a lot of support as an exchange student. They were encouraging, thoughtful and interesting, and I thoroughly enjoyed my classes. It was also nice that lecture + tutorial time was overall shorter than my home university. Life in Wellington was a blast, I loved meeting people through Victoria International, VUWTC and my hall!

I honestly could not fit my whole experience in this tiny space so I'll try my best. Living in Welly was one of the best experiences of my life. Victoria was very helpful with all the international students, providing tips and goodies with everything we might need. Along the trimester they wanted to make sure that we were having a good time and having fun, too. I would recommend this experience 100% and if I could go back I would definitely do it. One thing, though, is that if you come from a warm country like me, try to come during the first tri since it's the last part of summer and then you can leave before winter starts lol. I loved Welly during the summer because you can do lots of walking and hiking and go to the beach and everything's so COOL! Although, during winter you can also go snowboarding and it gets so pretty in the South Island I wish I could've stayed longer to travel during that time. Anyways, if you have the opportunity to travel to NZ, do NOT hesitate because you will fall in love, trust me. Cheers mates!!!

This was the absolute perfect place for someone who loves being outside. There were countless opportunities to see the earth in its most beautiful forms. Not to mention, the Kiwis of New Zealand are some of the friendliest people I’ve ever encountered.
University of Victoria in Wellington is a great school that is well respected throughout the country. My courses were thought provoking and my professors were supportive. The University also offers a number of valuable resources to international students to connect them with the campus community. I particularly loved being a part of the Tramping club which led hiking and camping trips as well as weekly meeting at a local rock climbing club.
I loved my time in Wellington and I cannot wait to get back!

New Zealand as a whole is such a welcoming country. I found Victoria University to be the exact same way- all staff, students and professors were inviting and extremely friendly. The campus itself is situated in a beautiful part of the city, and the views from the library are the most stunning vistas I have seen from a University campus. Classes are interesting, and the balance between large lectures followed by smaller tutorials is the perfect balance. Professors (although they prefer to be called by their first names) are always open for questions or private discussions. Classwork is challenging yet intriguing, and most courses were evaluated on research essays and fewer in-class tests, which was perfect. Breaks in the academic year offer the perfect opportunity to travel around the North and South Island, too. Overall, Victoria University offered an unforgettable time.

The most important experience for me was that everyone at Uni and in New Zealand in General was so friendly and helpful. I was very surprised that lercturers and students were on first Terms with each other, but that actually really improved the atmosphere, communication and learning Progress.
Future participants can be sure that they are in a well-supervised Programme where you can get help whenever you Need it and you are never let alone with any academic challenge. This is especially beneficial when you are not familiar with the study System. For me, it further ensured a good understanding and Achievement of important academic skills that I would not want to miss.

My experience, overall, was wonderful. There was a major housing situation at the end but before that, I had such a great time. Wellington is the coolest city and I hope to come back. The location of Victoria is great as well as the housing locations. The people at the university are quite nice as well as the staff. New Zealand has been absolutely stunning, I am so happy with the choice I made to study here.

I've been in Wellington for a year now and studied at Vic for two trimesters. I've loved my time here - my classes were interesting, my profs were really supportive and knowledgeable, and campus has a great vibe and sense of community. Beyond Vic, Wellington is such an awesome place to live and I'm going to miss the variety of cafes and vegan food and all the beautiful spots that have come to feel like home! I'm so glad I decided to come to New Zealand and to Vic.

VUW is a great school for people coming from abroad. The orientation program was well thought out and super helpful, and it was always clear where to go if you needed help. Unlike many Canadian and American universities, the lecturerers were not not necessarily professors, but people working in that field, which provided a lot of useful information for people looking to work in their area of study and not go into academics. I learned a lot of practical information I can use in my career. The school lets you do tailored programs of some of their certificate programs, which is a great opportunity and really introduces you to the city. The city itself is quite expensive to live in, but there's lots to do.

At first I was hesitant to study in New Zealand with not having heard much about the country before coming. Upon getting here, we were greeted by a representative who got us straight to our housing accommodations which were extremely clean and spacious. Vic was also very welcoming, nobody even bat an eye and noticed I was foreign when sitting in my classes. I wouldn't hesitate to come back and do it all again. And if you want to "work" while here, there are many clubs and volunteer opportunities you can be a part of which are all FREE!!