Advice for Students Thinking About Studying in New Zealand | Study With New Zealand
Students share their advice for international students thinking about coming to study in New Zealand.
Just do it!
Do it! And when you do, here are a few practical tips:
- Buy a cheap car with some friends, and sell it before you come back. Unfortunately, public transport isn’t great and you’ll definitely want some means of transportation so you can explore.
- You don’t need to get a SIM card, almost everyone uses Facebook Messenger. However, you may want it for the data. Speaking of which, get MapsMe — it’s an offline GPS you can use when you are in some remote location with no service, looking for a trailhead.
- If you’re in Dunedin, check out some of the many beaches beyond St. Clair. Be careful of the riptides if you go surfing. Definitely explore the Otago Peninsula! Also, get the almond croissants at the Friday Bakery.
Taylor Weckstein is a US study abroad student studying psychology and neuroscience at the University of Otago in Dunedin
Try new things
If you want to improve your English and improve yourself I recommend coming to Dunedin. Dunedin is a small but sharp city with a great university and polytechnic. It is small enough to make friends with high school and university students.
If you come to Dunedin you will have many experiences that you wouldn’t be able to have in your home country.
You’ll make new friends and learn more about yourself because you’ll be going so many things that you’ve never done before e.g. cooking, taking care of your own bedroom, playing sport or being in a musical. There are so many many new things to try!
Bai Yok is a Thai student at high school in Dunedin
Don’t have expectations
The biggest piece of advice I can give to an international student would be to go into the experience with no expectations.
Things at the beginning are especially tough. It can be rather stressful learning to live in a new country, make new friends and start classes.
Just know that things will get better with time. You will start to adjust and enjoy your experience more than you could ever imagine.
Liz Stein is a US study abroad student studying speech therapy at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch