Academics, Friends, & Experiences all-in-one with IFSA

The time I spent on the south island of New Zealand through IFSA’s University of Otago program is something that I will hold dear for the rest of my life. IFSA facilitated the experiences that defined my time in New Zealand and provided me with the resources and support needed to make the most of my semester abroad. From the moment I was accepted, IFSA helped lay out exactly what I still needed to get done, from housing forms to visas to what to pack. IFSA’s orientation was incredible and helped me get over jet lag, showed me some of New Zealand’s beautiful landscape, and introduced me to many of the friends I would spend the next 5 months with. During my time abroad, IFSA provided structure, friendly faces, goal tracking, incredible trips, and countless resources. The IFSA staff in Dunedin with me were lovely humans who stayed relevant and were always ready to help with academics, housing, any medical issues, and whatever else life threw at me or my fellow IFSA kids. The trips IFSA took us on, specifically the overnight boat cruise in Doubtful Sound, were simply amazing. I would have never been able to organize such a trip myself and looking back on my time abroad this boat cruise was one of my favorite memories (which is really saying something as New Zealand gave me a lot of favorites!). In summary, choosing IFSA made my abroad experience the wonderful time it was, and I cannot encourage other nature-loving, kiwi enthusiasts enough to go to New Zealand through IFSA!