Program Reviews

Wellington is indeed a very windy city, which I came to realize when I first got here. It is not as warm as I would have thought at first. It is, however, a lovely city with loads to experience. The university is very helpful and makes a good effort to meet your needs when you are here. Since I am a masters student I had a difficult time finding the relevant courses, and I still don´t think they fit as well as I had hoped. Therefore I feel I got more out of the experience, rather than the academic outcome. Housing can be difficult if you are looking for a flat outside of uni, took me a while before I ended up in university hall in the end. Wellington is easy to get out and about from, so I highly recommend to do some traveling while you are here.

Vic Uni of Wellington does an amazing job accommodating international students. From the first day I was greeted by my kiwi host, and any issues I had during my semester I felt I could go to them for help. Uni Hall (the "dorm" I stayed in) had fun events all year long and I made my best friends from this group. The academics were not as challenging as my home university, but I'm sure more difficult classes were offered.

While being an exchange student at Victoria University of Wellington and living in New Zealand, I learned a lot, both related to my studies, and about myself.
It was a fantastic experience living abroad. I got the experience of living abroad and traveling without giving up on my professional goals related to my studies.
The social aspect of being an exchange student has been an incredible experience as well, where I have met many new friends and been a part of several clubs, where I could meet both local and other international student who have turned out to become new friends for life.

When I applied for this program, I already knew that New Zealand is a great country. But since i'm here, it goes way beyond my expectations!
This country is amazing, there so many things to see that I'm afraid no to have enough time to visit all the things I'd like to visit.
People are really friendly, there always a new thing to discover around every corner.
Moreover, the education in New Zealand is great. I come from France, where the education is all about theory. When I started the university, I was very surprised that all the courses works in the way. All about discussions, reflexion.
I'm in New Zealand for one year, and I'm already afraid to come back to France because I love this country.
So, if I had to give you an advice, it would be this one "be curious, ton be afraid to ask and have fun !"

Victoria University of Wellington itself is it's own little community within it's small campus. I always found some of the buildings homey, and there's a great amount of places to be social. Sometimes it is hard because a lot of the classes will refer to things people who have lived in New Zealand all their life would know, or assume you have knowledge of that is specifically related to New Zealand - especially in classes higher than 100 level.
The library at VUW is excellent, and has so many resources that you'd need. The view can be a bit distracting, but watching the sunset while you're stuck studying makes it all a little easier.
Go outside of the University, and you realize you couldn't have chosen a better place to be. The city of Wellington is a major city, but it's not too large. If you need to escape the city life, you can find bits of nature in every direction. The public transportation makes it easy to get around, and if you don't want want to spend money everything you need is walkable. It's a very livable city, and the fact that the university is there makes it perfect. But it's also a city that doesn't revolve around the university, so you can easily escape the university life if you need.
Wellington is a place to call home, if you make the most of it.

VUW is a very good university to go abroad with. Im an exchange student, and I have got good support and good housing through the university. They are always there to help with anything!
The school is very different from my home country, as there are internal assessments and several tests and assignments through out the year, and not just one final exam. But the lecturers have been very helpful in any confusion or if you have any questions.
Furthermore VUW is located very close to downtown Wellington, which is very nice, so you can literally walk everywhere. Also the housing through the university is located very nearby the school, so it only takes 10 minutes to walk there.

I picked New Zealand as I have always wanted to go. I wanted to see the world not just as a tourist, but as part of a new society. I considered Europe but felt that experiencing an entirely new part of the world and totally new cultures was the best way to make the most of my experience. That said, being so far from home was daunting which is why I chose an English speaking country – and New Zealand offered the best of both.

The university was very different to Liverpool which was great as it gave me a non Western view of psychology and some ideas for third year. It also had more contact hours which was good as the lectures were shorter, so I didn’t feel like I was losing concentration! Being so far from home definitely made me more independent and helped me understand my learning style, which is basically that I shouldn’t leave everything until the last minute!

I lived in international halls which was great to meet people from all over the world, even my roommate was Japanese! I made heaps of friends and went places and experienced things I never thought I would.

The university was very good and I would 100% recommend studying there. Wellington was a fantastic place and I will definitely be returning. I travelled all over New Zealand which increased my love for the country and culture!

Moving to New Zealand to pursue my Master's degree in Marine Conservation was one of my best decisions. This program is multidimensional and challenges you to think about conservation from the many different viewpoints of all stakeholders involved when it comes to the environment, from scientists to policymakers and local communities. Beyond providing networking opportunities through guest lectures, this program offered amazing field courses that allowed me to gain international experience as well as practical skills. Although in my opinion the best part of the program was the people. New Zealand is unique in its education and its scientific community in that everyone strives to build a collaborative environment. Coming from the US, where university felt like a competition, having all of my peers and professors wanting to and helping me succeed was refreshing. My research experience, knowledge, and connections gained through this program have allowed me to continue my education as I currently pursue my PhD in Marine Biology

I left a cold Sweden and my home university Uppsala in January and got a warm welcoming by the Kiwis. I travelled the south island for a month and I was not disappointed. Those views were exactly what I came to NZ for, with Mt. Cook as a favorite.

The workload during the semester was a bit more than expected, but the lecturers were great and I learned a lot from my marketing and management courses. It was easy to adapt to the study system with all courses running parallel, but the last month was very hectic.

On the weekends I went on hikes with the tramping club and enjoyed Wellington. Would recommend new students to join some of the clubs to get to know more Kiwis and experience fun events! During Easter break I traveled the North island, visiting Hobbiton, Tongariro, Mt. Taranaki etc. Epic adventures all of them.

After the finals, I went to Australia and Tonga to relax before heading home to Sweden. Well deserved and a great way to end a great semester abroad!

// Andreas

I am pleased that I chose Victoria University of Wellington to complete my Master's degree. The program provides many field courses that allow international students like myself to travel to places around New Zealand as well as other countries. I've met many students from all over the world during my studies and made long-lasting friendships. The field course to Indonesia was eye-opening. It provided an opportunity to immerse ourselves in a completely different culture and to learn about the marine ecosystems and conservation of those ecosystems.