University of Auckland with IFSA-Butler
Ratings
Review
This past semester was amazing from the beginning to the end. IFSA-Butler made the departure process simple and easy, which relieved a lot of potential stress right off the bat. Throughout the semester they scheduled excursions and weekly meet-ups that allowed us to explore parts of New Zealand that we might not have been able to otherwise (some of my favorites were white-water rafting, visiting Hobbiton, and seeing the geothermal pools). If we ever had any problems or questions we knew that there was an adviser right in Auckland (ours was Amanda, she is the coolest). I really loved the classes that I got to take at the University of Auckland. One of them was Kapa Haka, which is a form of Maori dance employed by the famous All-Blacks before each of their rugby games. I also got to take Introduction to Wine Science, which included a field trip to the nearby island Waiheke, known for its many vineyards. I made most of my friends through IFSA-Butler. Most of us were from different places in the US, and we ended up getting along great right off the bat. Almost every weekend we would travel to a different area of New Zealand. I didn't have much experience travelling before this, so it was nice to have a group of friends as well as IFSA-Butler for support. New Zealand is an amazing country and I'm so glad I got to study there!