Study Abroad at the University of Auckland, NZ

If you appreciate the natural beauty of the landscapes and creatures around you, New Zealand is absolutely the place for you. From the clashing of oceans at Cape Reinga to the physics-defying structures of Cathedral Cove; from the wrangled trees to the plethora of flightless birds; New Zealand is full of unique nature.

Auckland is a modern city with all the conveniences you'd expect of a city of 1.4 million people, and the University of Auckland is located right in the thick things. Auckland is also full of green spaces and public parks, such as Albert Park, located adjacent to the University. My personal favorite spot in Auckland is Mount Eden, a dormant volcano with 360 degree views of the city, as well as the many bays of both the Pacific and Tasman. But, in my opinion, the best parts of New Zealand lie outside of the city, including many places just a quick day or weekend trip away.

Much of the culture of New Zealand is inherited from America and Europe, so if you're an American student looking to experience a radically different culture, I'm not sure if New Zealand is the right place. But if you love the outdoors, hiking, and nature, you can't beat this.

As for the academics, I have found the philosophy towards learning to be much different than in the US. First of all, everything is much more laid back, which has its pros and cons. You'll also find that your exams, especially finals, are worth ridiculous portions of your overall grade. I'm talking 50% to 70%. Meaning the rest of the semester is worth only 30% to 50%. Meaning there are less assignments and/or those assignments aren't worth as much. Which is awesome if you're studying abroad, because it means that you'll have plenty of free time to explore the country on weekends as long as you are reasonably productive during the week!

Overall, I've had a blast in New Zealand and highly recommend studying in Auckland!

Auckland was different from what i expected. Just thinking of New Zealand, I didn't imagine Auckland to be so urbanized. This meant that yes it was very convenient in living but nothing felt new. I would have preferred a more rural lifestyle but it isn't too bad.
In terms of academics, you are required to take only 4 courses, but because i took the courses in bioscience major 3 hour labs were mandatory for all classes so it was very strenuous. This was different from my home university's courses but i thought it was a good thing to experience.

I was extremely impressed with the way the study abroad office handled all the paper work and answered all my queries within 24hrs even with the time difference. This definitely made the process to get here much easier and less stressful. I was lucky enough to be given accommodation in Carlaw Park Student Village and although the accommodation is quite expensive, they put on lots of welcome events and the gym membership was included. Something the Study Abroad team should work on, is creating more chances to meet other student through social events after the international orientation.
The city itself is very different to what I'm used to back home, but I love it. There is always something to do whether its going to an art gallery, a rugby match or just going out to eat. I think more information should be given about the price differences between different countries, as I was extremely shocked to find out how expensive food was to buy here.
Although my studies were hard at first and the workload was more than I was used to, I'm now fully settled in.
I cannot commend this university highly enough. The international office is always buzzing with people and the staff are always friendly. Although I am only 2 months in to my year long stay, I feel like I have been here forever, but will never run out of amazing things to experience.
The University of Auckland has officially become my second home!

I've only been here for half of a semester, and the students as well as the faculty have been amazing. Everyone is incredibly welcoming and I've had no issues settling in and trying new things out. Being located in Auckland has opened up so many opportunities and the University has provided so many chances to take advantage of those opportunities as they are made available. Without a doubt, my life has been changed for the better, due to studying here, and I still have a full half-semester to take advantage of the opportunities that await!

This semester was my first time studying abroad so I did not really know what to expect when I came to the University of Auckland. It did take a bit of getting used to, but now I am really enjoying my experience here. I have found the study abroad office to be a great resource; they have been very knowledgeable and have given me helpful answers to any questions regarding the university that I have had. One thing that I did not expect was that the University did not really help international students to become involved in the campus community. I came here by myself and the first few weeks of class it was quite hard to know who to talk to or how to succeed in the University environment because there wasn't really any events for me to get to know other local or international students (and lecture sizes are large so its not easy to meet people there either). However, I found a lot of different and interesting clubs here and eventually ended up making most friends through those. Another aspect of studying abroad here that I did not expect was how different the class environment is. I appreciate how much the lecturers take students into consideration through class reps and I really like that lectures are recorded and posted online right away. The city of Auckland in itself is a great urban environment (though quite expensive compared to what I'm used to). I really enjoy exploring all the cool restaurants and shops and a lot is in reasonable walking distance of the University. Overall I love the experience in Auckland and would recommend it!

I have been at the University of Auckland for half of the semester and so far I am greatly enjoying my experince. The study abroad office at the Unvierust has been incredibly helpful throughout the entire study abroad process, from initial questions about the program to the application process, and throughout the semester at the University. That being said, the study abroad office does not offer that much support for connections among study abroad students, so for a student coming to study abroad at the Universty of Auckland from a home university without a larger program, connections with other students, and assimilation to the university is primarily independent. It would be helpful to have more events run by the Study abroad office to connect study abroad students and inform them of resources available to them to help them succeed at a new university. Despite this, the professors and other students at the University that I have encountered are all friendly, approachable, and caring.

I have been very impressed by the university accommodations. I live in a university apartment with three other university students and the apartment is spacious, modern, clean, and has a beautiful view of the Auckland skyline. The city of Auckland is wonderful, filled with activities and sights to see. It can be difficult to access areas outside of the city without a car but it is relatively simple to rent a car to travel or you can always befriend a kiwi with a car as well! Within the city, it is simple to get around either by foot or through simple to use public transport. Overall, I have greatly enjoyed my experience at the University of Auckland and highly recommend the program to other interested studnets.

I am currently at the midway point of my study abroad experience at the University of Auckland. Below you'll find my top five relevant takeaways:

1. I have had a very pleasant experience living Carlaw Park Student Village.
2. I was surprised to learn that most extra-curricular clubs require a small membership fee (not used to this back in U.S.)
3. Great variety of group fitness classes! I have enjoyed the kickboxing class very much, the instructor is fantastic.
4. Orientation was not great- some parts were redundant as international students are encouraged to attend different orientations depending on focus of study.
5. I have met amazing people here, very excited about my diverse group of friends.

I'm a danish social work student, and I'm here in Auckland at University of Auckland to do one semester at Epsom Campus.

It was a long process to get here and the support was really not that good. I find that the student support are really good at sending out automatically answers and don't really replay to you as an individual with specific questions.

The university stats online and on their brochure that they guaranty accommodation for all international students, however they don't and this has been a stressful and disappointing experiences as I trusted that, also knowing that we in Denmark have the same service - with the only difference that we actually DO provide the accommodation.

The introduction only refers to young students who never has been abroad, me and several others left the introduction day as a result of the not relevant or useful information. They send you SO many emails before the semester begins, that it is more confusing than helpful. Also the most information is about city campus, they don't really share or know anything about other campuses.

Luckily the teachers are amazing, and fellow students are just as well. I love going to lessons, as the teachers are well prepared and are really well educators, as well as role models to us as future social workers. I'm so happy that I chose this university as I have learned so much and this is really a life time experience.

I would recommend people to go, but I really hope that the administrators would step up.