top of page
.png){kind=small}
.png)
.png){kind=small}
author
Sara Pasetto
Sara
Pasetto
faculty
Faculty of Humanities
academic year of the stay
2022/2023
Máš otázku? Kontaktuj mě!
.png)
email:
Sara is available on social networks:
.png){kind=small}
.png)
author
Sara
faculty
Faculty of Humanities
academic year of the stay
2022/2023
University of Otago
traineeship
study stay
short-term mobility
other
How does Sara rate their stay?
university
city
accommodation
financial demands
about university
What made your university special? What were the facilities where you studied and the university equipment like?
The University of Otago is the first university in Aotearoa New Zealand. Thus, its tradition emerges in each corner of the campus. My faculty was the Te Tumu: Māori, Pacific, and Indigenous Studies, where I could learn some aspects of the Indigenous culture in general and in Aotearoa New Zealand, specifically.
The university facilities are efficient, especially when one is already enrolled and present at the campus: AskOtago service, libraries, sports centres, student associations, and UniFlats, to name some.
What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think about your "adoptive" university? What made it special? What were the premises where you studied and the university facilities like?
The exchange was made to research a specific new topic. My home university tried to officially extend the exchange for PhD, but the host university did not agree. The motivation, I think, is the lack of programs for degreed researchers. This is understandable thanks to the kind of study plan organisation in Aotearoa New Zealand, where the 100-level papers give the possibility to choose between different topics already selected for the course, on the one hand, and the 500-level papers are left to the free organisation of the student, on the other. In 500-level papers, the focus is not on learning new information but on applying it originally.
Concerning the faculty of my exchange (Te Tumu: Māori, Pacific, and Indigenous Studies), the main topic is the alternative cultures of Indigenous people, which includes an alternative pedagogy (for example, oral cultures learn by singing in the dark).
More in general, the main difference is the organisation of the academic year in four parts: January for the summer school, February–June for semester 1 with one week off in the middle, July–November for semester 2 with one week off in the middle, and December for the summer break. There are different possibilities for examination: intern assessments during class time (like oral presentations, 5-minute presentations, short essays, group research, video presentations, and special exercises) and final examinations after the courses (long essays until 4,000, multiple-choice tests, and open questions tests). The courses are very demanding because of the number of examinations during the year. They suggest enrolling in no more than three papers for the semester. I made eight papers in total and could not do anything else than study. If I had not been previously a tourist in Aotearoa New Zealand, I would have been for sure very frustrated for not visiting the country in other aspects. There are a lot of things to learn outside the university, and people are very engaged and kind in showing their culture and land. It is a pity to limit the exchange to academic exams.
What is student life like at university?
There are plenty of student associations for all kinds of hobbies, sports, passions, and interests. All are very well organised. They are presented at the beginning of each semester on the campus and can be found online easily.
Did you study in English or in the language of the host country? What language requirements does the university have?
The main communications (oral and written) were in English, which was required officially at level C1 for enrollment. I presented the CAE C1 from the year before.
However, I was studying Māori culture, and it was necessary to learn some words in Te Reo Māori. Not only was it helpful for academic learning, but also improved with fun my empathic understanding of this culture.
about the city
What was your impression of the city? How would you describe it? What is interesting to see here?
The city is in the southeast part of the South Island. It is quite isolated, and the nature is incredible. There is an airport for intern connections with Christchurch or the North Island (for instance, Auckland), busses for connecting Queenstown and Christchurch, and trains (mainly touristic ones).
The city is calm, as are all parts of Aotearoa New Zealand. During the semesters, it is full of students and of tourists during summer. However, "full" is very relative for Europeans.
about finances
In your experience, how far does the scholarship go? What percentage of your expenses did it cover? What is your opinion on prices in the country in general?
I did not receive any funding for studying or living in Dunedin.
However, I must pay the academic fees to my home university instead of the hosting university. There, the visa application, services fees, and health insurance were compulsory. In my case, I also required a room on the campus, which was the main cost (10,000 Euro). Also the travel to/from Aotearoa New Zealand (4,000), and the visa application (1,500 Euro) were very expensive. Considering the huge price increase in Europe, I did not find Aotearoa New Zealand particularly expensive in everyday life. Moreover, the university organised various activities cheap for students or for free.
Please advise your classmates on how to save money—Where to shop? What services can be used to save money?
To plan this exchange, I organise my life, study plan, and finances circa two years in advance. Thus, I saved money before the exchange.
In Dunedin, there is a supermarket called Countdown, which is more affordable than others (New World, and Pack and Safe – the latter is ok for big quantities, which was not my case.
UniFlat and OUSA (Student Associations) regularly organise free activities where you can also eat, meet new friends, and have fun.
.png)
about accommodation
What type of accommodation did you choose? Would you recommend it to others? If not, what type of accommodation do you think is best based on your experience (dormitory, private apartment, private dormitory, shared room, etc.)?
The worst moments of the exchange were the months before my arrival in Aotearoa New Zealand. Thus, I was not able to search also for accommodation outside the campus (which is for sure cheaper). However, the room was ok: quiet, near the class buildings, equipped, and safe. Very comfortable bed! Besides the price, the other negative side has been only the Internet which was not functioning properly several times (but I think it was an unfortunate exception).
about experiences
Did you use Erasmus stay to travel around your country/Europe? What are your best travel experiences? What would you not recommend?
In Aotearoa New Zealand, the main transport is the private auto. There are plenty of possibilities to rent a car. To reach by land the North Island, one needs to take a ferry (relatively expensive and with fewer places). The plane is used to travel, also internally. To reach the airport and the campus, the university suggests the Supershuttle, which lets one in the exact address they give. Everything, from the little beach to the big mountain, is worth to be visited. Nature is the real protagonist of the country. All touristic activities are expensive and often organised only in summer. Student associations offer a variety of activities for visiting the land around.
Language and culture: what cultural differences did you notice? How did you cope with the national language? Was it also the language of your studies? Do you feel that your language skills improved during your stay?
For sure, my English has improved during the exchange. Moreover, I could learn a bit of Te Reo Māori.
Students were very shy, and the professors were very encouraging.
final rating
Why here? What makes this location special? Why would you send your friends to your country/city?
Undoubtedly, for the nature, Māori culture, and different lifestyle.
live-saving tips
If I went again, I would definitely remember to pack...
Money
Before leaving, I would like to know that...
My partner could not obtain a work visa.
What surprised me most was that...
The richness of the topic I studied. It is way more interesting than I thought.
The hardest thing for me was...
Not being with my husband for a bureaucratic technicality. As a researcher (PhD student at my home university), my husband and I should have had both the right to stay and work during my exchange but due to the agreement between the universities, I was enrolled as an undergraduate (in the host university). Thus, the visa permits were given based on the academic offer of the host university. Consequently, I received a student visa (100% study + 20 hours work during semesters / 40 hours work during breaks), and my husband a partner visitor visa (right to stay during my entire exchange but without working). In this way, I spent one year in Aotearoa New Zealand, separated from my husband, who was working in Europe.
gallery
.png){kind=small}
Did this survey help you? Like it and move it up the list!
0
Rate this survey!
rate this survey
Check out reports from other authors about:
University of Otago
More reports from Nový Zéland
bottom of page