Study Abroad at AUT University in New Zealand

My experience here at AUT has been incredible overall so far, and I am so glad that I had the opportunity to study here. I think that living in the Wellesley Student Apartments has been nice for me and it really is a unique environment for international students. The RA's and other students here provide different events to meet students both in a social and academic way. For example, they often host bingo or shared meals in the common area downstairs, but then there are organized study sessions as well. Also, I think the papers here have allowed me to branch out and be exposed to new material that I have not have learned about at my university at home. Overall being at AUT has been very positive for me.

AUT has great facilities, nice size classrooms sizes and is centrally located to everything. I have been able to make a lot of new friends in just two terms (1 semester) as I have many of the same people in my classes. They offer unique subjects and the professors are helpful. Studying in Auckland is idea because on the weekends, you can travel to many beaches and attractions in under a couple hours. I love my AUT experience!

4 months is definitely not enough here. You probably will start getting real close to people outside of your housing the 3rd month in. Everyone's so down to earth even the professors. There's also so much to get involved in and do on and off campus. Everything is also easy to get to on foot. Try and not get classes on Thursdays because clubs are free on Wednesdays lol. I surprisingly survived on a Discover Credit Card.

I think I am quite unusual because I come from Vietnam, go abroad at the Netherlands and now learn exchange at New Zealand. People asked me a lot that why I go far away not only from my hometown but also from my school. To be honest, I am not a travel person. I hate plane and long flight. The main reason why I choose to come here is their program that I hope it will help my knowledge. Then in the first week, my form missed, so I had to move to another class. It was mess up, and I pressured. But with a lot of encourage from my classmates at AUT, also help from staffs at here, everything was back on the right road. And I could say, I am delighted with this journey. I learnt a lot of things I wanted to learn for several years. I met a lot of friendly friends and teacher also that they supported me so much in many ways. If I have more time, I want to be here more than 2-3 months, because I know I still can get more at here. But any journey has to end somehow. I will miss everyone I met, not only at AUT or my tenant and housemates but also random kindly people on the road, on buses, trains,...This journey made my Auckland, my New Zealand!

It's unbelievable how the semester went by. It feels like I've just arrived at Auckland Airport, on the one hand. On the other hand, I've already experienced so many marvelous things during my stay. Going up to Cape Reinga and down southeast to Coromandel are definitely to of my highlight voyages so far. The good part about it is, there is still so much more to explore.

My studies at AUT have been really encouraging and added to my knowledge. I feel even more aware of myself now and I'm pleased to have learnt more about mindset and leadership, I'd rather say I've learnt more about life!

Thank you AUT for making this possible, my personal KiwiDream became true :)

When I first decided to that I wanted to study abroad, I originally wanted to go to London. Then Kenneth Holt came to my home university and gave a small presentation on AUT and Auckland and it absolutely sold me. Upon arriving at AUT, I was nervous but excited and the International staff were incredibly helpful with any questions and problems that I came across (Shivani especially is awesome!). Kenneth worked closely with me to sort out my class schedule when I was having problems with it and I am very happy with how it ended up! The International staff is also very good about creating events for international students to attend and recommending activities around the city and across the country. As for the classes themselves, I thought I was going to have a more difficult time adapting to them but the way the curriculum is set up actually feels almost easier than back at my home university. Again, the International staff did an excellent job of preparing me for what to expect and helping me out when I was confused about how the classes were set up. Being in Auckland also gave me a chance to easily explore several part of the North Island in just a few hours drive. I was able to hike the Tongariro Crossing, see the Hobbit movie set, go to four beaches in one day on the Coromandel Peninsula, and so many other things. The location of AUT in Auckland is also beneficial for just exploring the city. I was able to go to several festivals and explore the main downtown area after no more than a 30 minute walk. Overall, I'm incredibly glad that I chose Auckland and AUT for my study abroad experience and I would highly recommend it to anyone and everyone!

I really loved my exchange semester here. The staff was super helpful also before my arrival in NZ. The classes are very different compared to the teaching approach in Germany where we usually have lectures of 500 people and no direct contact with the professors. The lecturers here are incredibly student friendly and care a lot about our learning success. I met great people here and would recommend AUT to everybody. The location is directly in the heart of Auckland with great offers of sports activities.

I loved my exchange, the only thing I would do differently is not living at WSA because the apartment had a lot of troubles and was too expensive! I was happy that my lessons were only from Monday tot Wednesday so we could travel a lot. I've see also all of New Zealand. I have made a lot of friend while I was here, exchange students and New Zealander's. The classes I took were great! The teachers were reallly helpful and I have learned a lot here! My favourite lesson was the noho marae paper. It made me want te study anthropology after my bachelor.