Program Reviews

Being half way through my study abroad semester at the University of Auckland I can only say, if you are considering whether you should come here or not, then stop contemplating and go! Cost of living is very high, the internet expensive, slow and unstable, and as every where else on the planet, you will have classes that is boring as... well boring. But, a lot of the classes are actually pretty good, labs and tutorials interesting, instructors and classmates helpful, and the social life here is very active, so there will always be something to do if you want to meet people. All in all, so far it has been one of the best experiences of my life, and I fell that 1 semester is far from enough here.

My partner lives in Auckland and I undertook exchange to spend more time together, so I haven't properly engaged with the exchange student network. On the other hand, I've arguably had a much more domestic experience (having come from Sydney), with exchange being my tenth, and least 'touristy' visit to New Zealand so far.

UoA is very safe and reputable, but classes and the social scene are very quiet. Lots of paperwork and I found the online systems very fragmented and unintuitive. Auckland is very urbanised and quite similar to Sydney (home uni), and active travel beyond the region is required to fully appreciate what differentiates New Zealand from other exchange destinations. Auckland's great if you're interested in travelling to both the South Pacific and Australia's east coast.

Was glad to hear exchange students can now partake in Summer Research Scholarships.

Before I go to the University of Auckland, I never study abroad or use English to study something. It is interesting as well as difficult for me. But it can really improve my ability. The University of Auckland is a good school so that I can use many resources to study. And classmates are so friendly. I really enjoy life here. It is more independence. I should learn more skills to adapt life here.

All the thing seems good and I really enjoy the life here. My roommates are both friendly and kind to me. Living abroad by myself here is a challenge for me because all the things are needed to be done by myself. But I get used to it now and become to enjoy the life. Most teachers are very nice to solve my problem and help me. They teach a different way from I learned before which is also useful and give me another way to solve problems.

It is totally different studying experience for me. Before I go to the University of Auckland, I never study abroad or use English to study my major. As the University of Auckland includes many students from different countries, I can meet different people and learn something new and interesting. Meanwhile, Studying here is a big challenge for me. I need to read many materials and think thoroughly. It improves my ability for reading and thinking. The activities are also very interesting. The life here is more independent. I need to cook and take care of myself. Anyway, it's charming experience.

Studying abroad is an amazing experience I would highly recommend to every student in University. It allows one to really explore a new country, meet plenty of locals, while studying at the same time which is amazing. New Zealand is an amazing option that I would also recommend. The people here are generally very friendly and willing to help out. The nature in this country is absolutely breath taking and there is always something to see, somewhere to go, and new people to meet. I would say that studying abroad here helped me become more outgoing and eager to explore areas around me. These are very beneficial skills that I will bring with me back home to the USA. I am very grateful to have the opportunity to study abroad as it has given me an experience of a lifetime. New Zealand is unique because of its incredible landscape, friendly people, and lovely environment. It is also very close to Australia so if you are able to make a visit I would totally recommend that as well.

My semester at University of Auckland so far have been great. Started of with a good introduction by the University and the affiliated societies. Especially the University of Auckland Study Abroad Students' Society (SASS) helps introduce foreign student into their new university life in Auckland. This include tours, trips, tip and a ever welcoming attitude. Visiting as a master student from Scandinavia, the academic level was important for me when choosing university. UoA had a fine ranking in my field, and it was easy to find the CV of the lectures. This helped me pick courses before arriving. The way of teaching is kind of old school, but in line with what most universities at this level provide. At this point the university might not be that much up-date. However it is not a showstopper, and in so many other ways the university does a really good job in providing a good environment for the student in order to learn.

I am a Malaysian that currently enrolled as a student in a university in South Korea, and now here I am in Auckland for an exchange program. In term of studies, I really like the system in this university as it is kind of different from my home university. Less stress, and the lecturers and tutors here really help students a lot. For this point, I really really wish I can stay in this university for a longer period. The international students clubs and societies are good to join for making friends and get some buddies to travel around here together. However the student accommodations are quite pricey but I guess everything is expensive here in Auckland. Plus sometimes I quite miss the lively night in Korea. Overall I really really enjoy my stay here!

University of Auckland is located right in the heart of the city, which makes it very convenient to see all of the exciting parts of Auckland. However, if you're coming to New Zealand you're probably coming for the beautiful landscapes and those aren't something you'll find easily in Auckland. Getting out of the city and traveling to other parts of the country is the most rewarding part of studying in New Zealand, and the two week long semester break is a great time for that. As far as classes go, I struggled to judge the difficulty of classes until a couple weeks in. The classes I thought would be difficult were easier than expected and vice versa. All of my classes have either a lab, tutorial, or workshop in addition to lecture, so quite a bit of time is spent on campus for classes.

I am one of the few lucky students, who get to stay at UoA for a whole year, from March until November 2017 in my case. Applying for the exchange program, getting my student visa, enrolling in courses and getting advice on admin stuff and housing was super easy and I didn't really go through any of the usual crazy uni bureaucracy.
A place in one of the uni accomodations was guaranteed and I took a place in Huia residence. However, if you arrive in NZ a week or two before the semester starts, I would recommend to go flat hunting, since you'd probably find something cheaper and with more space than the average uni rooms or flats.
During the first week of the semester you'll find a great offer of clubs: Outdoor stuff like the Tramping, Climbing, Canoe, Surfing, Underwater, etc. clubs, plenty of church clubs, or just fun stuff like the Meat Club with their shirts "Make Rump Great Again!". The SASS ("Study Abroad Student's Society") offers events specifically for exchange students. You'll easily meet new people in all of these clubs and shouldn't worry about making new friends before you come over.
The academic level (I'm studying Mathematics) was a lot lower than in Germany, however that left me with plenty of spare time to enjoy the NZ nature, pretty much the main reason why I came over anyways :) My lecturers were amazingly helpful without any exceptions, even when it came to finding someone who could supervise me during three exams from my home uni, which I had to take from NZ at 8pm local time.
Personally, during my stay in Auckland I found out that I'm not a city person at all and even though Auckland doesn't feel like a 1.5mio city, it stressed me out quite a few times. But of course that has nothing to do with the university itself. Overall I can recommend UoA for a semester or year abroad. If you will be having a good time over here depends on you in the end, but I can confidently say that the international office and the lecturers would do their best to help you with that!