Program Reviews

Wellington is a good city to live in for a shorter period. It got everything a big city needs, while being small enough for you to feel at home after a few weeks.
People are very kind and helpfull. New Zealand is quite isolated fromt the world, and this is what makes it so great. The nature is unspoiled, the people are very laid back and there is no stress about style. It might be very windy here, but the summer weather is great and I loved how there is a beach right in the city! Also how people walk everywhere!

Every single aspect of the abroad experience in Wellington, New Zealand has been nothing short of amazing. You constantly hear about the beauties of New Zealand but nothing compares to seeing it with you own eyes. Kiwis are some of the most friendly people I have ever met and the entire atmosphere in Wellington does not disappoint. The ISA staff (shout out to Fred) was so helpful in every way possible and the orientation program I was a part of helped me adjust to the culture quickly. If there is anything I will take a way from the experience its the PEOPLE. I have been able to meet so many international students from across the world and I don't think I would have been able to have that experience in a less independent program like in Europe. Overall, I absolutely LOVE New Zealand and am so grateful for the incredible experience!!!

Welcoming was great. The first week I didn't have to worry about anything - they made sure I had all the information I needed, they followed me door to door so I would not get lost, and they provided guides and opportunities to get to know other students and thus make new friends from the very first day. Vic U is extremely helpful and quick to get back to you. The student to professor contact is so much better than I am used to in Sweden. The campus - Kelburn specifically, is much nicer than the university in Stockholm.
It is so crazy developing to do an exchange - I have grown so much academically (having to learn new ways of studying as the approach and demands here are just as different as the content) and personally: it is a challenge to introduce yourself to an entirely new environment. I have loved my exchange so far and decided to prolong it for another trimester even!

I have been here in Wellington for a little over three months now, and I have a month-and-a-half left. So far, this experience has been an adventure in every sense of the word. This is my first time living independently, as well as my first time out of the country. Wellington, "the coolest little capital," is a really lovely little city, where all the important resources are within walking distance. The farmer's market every Sunday is fantastic, and the theatre scene is really wonderful. I don't prefer to drink or go out, but I have heard that the night life is also a lot of fun. University life is more relaxed than the U.S., but still passionate and inquisitive and hardworking, and the Victoria Library is unbeatable. During the breaks, I've been able to travel to some of the most beautiful places in the world, and the travelling itself is relatively inexpensive! The wind is a bit overwhelming, but even that just adds to the magic of living in this lovely place for a little while.

The ISA staff were always there to answer any questions we might have, and the program provided us with fun trips and experiences that richened my study abroad time in New Zealand. I've met so many great friends throughout my time here and have travelled to some of the most beautiful places I have ever been. I am extremely appreciative of getting this opportunity and the times I've had while abroad will be ones I will not soon forget.

Studying abroad in New Zealand was the best experience of my life. I love my hometown but I loved Wellington more; the city is the perfect size - super easy to walk - with the ocean and the mountains all right there. I could go to the beach in the morning and hiking in Zealandia in the afternoon. Wellington has awesome nightlife on Cuba Street and Courtney Place (easily accessible on foot from university housing) and I never once had to pay a cover charge. Cute cafes and delicious sushi, ramen, and dumpling restaurants abound.

I built a wonderful community of friends from around the world. The girls I did most of my traveling with were from Spain, Sweden, and Portugal. It was easy and relatively cheap to rent a car, though gas is expensive. We have great experience with hostels; almost all of them were very clean and well kept. During Easter break, we road tripped around the North Island and stopped in Rotorua, Matamata, Raglan, Bay of Islands, Auckland, and the Coromandel Peninsula to visit Hot Water Beach and Cathedral Cove. My favorite by far was Raglan -- the beaches were just stunning. I would highly recommend spending two or three days there if you have the time. Two weeks later during the mid-trimester break, we took a flight to Queenstown and road tripped around the South Island for ten days. I think I almost liked Queenstown better than Wellington. It was autumn by this time and all the trees were bright, bright yellow, the mountains were snow-capped, and there were so many bars, restaurants and cafes it was hard to decide which ones to go into. From Queenstown we went to Milford Sound, Wanaka, Mount Cook, Franz Josef, and then up the West Coast to Able Tasman National Park and Nelson.

From Wellington, my roommate and I took the ferry to Picton for the weekend to hike part of the Queen Charlotte Track. On the boat ride to the trail head, a whole school of dolphins swarmed the boat, nearly close enough to touch. Another weekend, I rented a car with a group of other international students for the day and we drove to the Pinnacles and Cape Palliser, which I would highly recommend. The cape was beautiful; it felt like seeing the ocean for the first time.

The one thing I was not able to do was hike the Tongariro Crossing; if you're an avid hiker, I would highly recommend making sure you make the time to do that hike.

New Zealand is a beautiful country, but the people I met, not the trips I took made this semester truly the best of my life. And while it pains me to leave my friends, our community, our routine, and the little life we've built, I can look forward to visiting them in Europe next summer after we graduate. This semester has sown the seeds of future travel and adventures with people I love. I would chose Victoria University for my semester abroad a hundred times again.

I really enjoyed this experience over-all. I felt like I grew a lot as a person and learned a lot about myself. I was able to travel throughout New Zealand which really made this experience worth it. I highly recommend anyone visiting NZ to visit the South Island, it was the most beautiful place I've ever seen! Wellington was a really fun city to live in. It's unique and quirky, I really enjoyed the live music scene in Wellington and it was a nice relief when school became stressful. I love that I can walk anywhere in Wellington, but the rainy weather definitely starts to wear on you if you aren't used to it.

The VUW campus was beautiful and had a great atmosphere and learning environment. The international office was very friendly and very helpful. This was the best experience of my life so far and I had so much fun and met a lot of new people. Some tips would be to be very money-wise from the beginning instead if blowing it all right away. Also remember that you’re here to have fun so don’t be glued to the library to get all your schoolwork done.

Victoria University of Wellington has a beautiful campus with many fun events going on all the time. I absolutely loved the campus and the great atmosphere. The testing and marking style was very different for me and took a few months to get used to, the classes still had a lot of work and revising to do. Some useful tips would be to keep up on all lectures and course information, it;s very easy to fall behind/miss important dates. Also be money-wise from the beginning, I spent way too much my first two months here. This was the most amazing and fun experience of my life, it made me want to travel more and to work internationally. I am so happy I chose to come to Wellington and to study at VUW, you definitely can't go wrong if you choose to come here.

You thought you know what a real storm is like? You haven´t lived in Wellington! :D But it´s not only a feature of the weather, also the city itself has a always a fresh breeze of life blowing through it, with a festival happening nearly every weekend and a bar and restaurant scene which is just insanely huge.
Being a student at Victoria is just an amazing experience, with heaps of friendly staff always ready to support you and absolutely interesting courses and offers to get involved in student clubs and participation within the uni. However you need to be aware that workload during the trimesters is fairly higher than in European universities and you need to submit nearly every week an assignment, so be prepared to organize yourself enough that you can enjoy the beautiful scenery around here nevertheless.
During the International Orientation week you will have the occasion to get to know many international students and the team of the International Office will help you with getting settled at the uni. This is pretty well organized and you´ll get a lot of free stuff, so don´t miss out any of the events as New Zealand is expensive enough! :D
At first the Kiwi accent will be a little bit weird as the pronounciation for a non-native speaker has some very funny alterations, but you will get used to it the more you get into interaction with New Zealanders and in the end I´ve just adapted some of the phrases and unique uses of words into my own English.
So as an overall rating: be confident, be brave, be open-minded and just come to New Zealand and study at Vic! I just loved it ;)