Studying In New Zealand

[t]

Anyone is studying in New zealand now or studied in NZ before?
Is it a beautiful place?
Is it a safety place to study?
How much is the living expenses per annum?


Come on, just share your experience HERE!!
You can talk whatever you want about New Zealand.
If you never study there, and thinking of studying there like me, you can ask any questions you want to know.

Looking forward to hearing from those who have experience or information.
Thank you.

[Ca3ine]

I'm going there under JPA.HOpe someone thats there can give some advice or share experience.

[siew]

Anyone is studying in New zealand now or studied in NZ before?
Is it a beautiful place?
Is it a safety place to study?
How much is the living expenses per annum?


Come on, just share your experience HERE!!
You can talk whatever you want about New Zealand.
If you never study there, and thinking of studying there like me, you can ask any questions you want to know.

Looking forward to hearing from those who have experience or information.
Thank you.

yes, it is a beautiful place. much beautiful down south.

yes, it is quite a safe place to study. depends on which part of nz you are in.

i am given nzd1260 a month in auckland and it is enough for the month provided you dont eat out or shop a lot. it really depends on which part of nz you are studying in.

with a student visa, you can work 20 hours a week max. we get taxed for about 18-19%. the minimum wage rate atm is around NZD12/hr.

[zulcomel]

me me..
i got jpa n going 2 study pharmacy in NZ..

[rach]

is it a really good place to study veterinary science? lots of sheeps..lol

[shakira]

I'm under jpa and will be studying accountancy in NZ. What about the weather? Isn't it cold all-year round? The semester starts in February rite?

[eve88]

For 2008, Otago Uni, Sem 1 started 25 Feb, Sem 2 starting 7 July

No, its not cold all year round. Its actually fairly warm (and pleasant) in summer.

Course, when its winter, its freezing. And winter never seems to end. Especially in Dunedin.
Auckland should be less cold.

Hmm, for veterinary sci, methinks the place for that in NZ is Massey University. I may be wrong, tho.

[siew]

For vet sci, massey uni is the only uni tat offers it. That will be in Palmerston North. 2-3 hours drive (i think) north from Wellington.

Semesters usually start around last week of February and Mid July. Varies between unis but it's usually within the same month.

Auckland's weather is unpredictable at times. Can be fairly warm and suddenly cold in a week. Winter is around 3-12C. Doesn't snow in Auckland.

[hOt_PorridGe~]

im going there by jan 2011.. doing my degree in tesl.. ill be placed at victoria university of wellington,, someOne tell me bout wellington please..

[tomatoinc]

Hi all,

I did my 4 yrs undergrad at Uni. of Canterbury, and currently doing postgrad here. I ve been to most cities and most universities mentioned about:

to generally answer you all:
1) nz is mostly safe. safer than most countries, and certainly safer than KL.
2) if you re under a scholarship, whatever they give u (nzs1200-1700-2000) is more than enough for a average living.
3) living expenses decreases as you move away from large cities. auckland is the most expensive...and follows by wellington, christchurch, hamilton/dunedin/palmerston north. etc.
4) Weather is crap at times (cold n windy and can get snowy/rainy)....
5) working while studying is common, but you might not want to do that if you re under a scholarship (to keep your grade up)
6) different universities have different niche/strong areas. please consult specific people/uni.
7) NZ is definitely beautiful...but it's far away from every other country.
8) every cities are different. u might want to consider that too.

:) plenty of malaysian here.

[zulcomel]

Hi all,

I did my 4 yrs undergrad at Uni. of Canterbury, and currently doing postgrad here. I ve been to most cities and most universities mentioned about:

to generally answer you all:
1) nz is mostly safe. safer than most countries, and certainly safer than KL.
2) if you re under a scholarship, whatever they give u (nzs1200-1700-2000) is more than enough for a average living.
3) living expenses decreases as you move away from large cities. auckland is the most expensive...and follows by wellington, christchurch, hamilton/dunedin/palmerston north. etc.
4) Weather is crap at times (cold n windy and can get snowy/rainy)....
5) working while studying is common, but you might not want to do that if you re under a scholarship (to keep your grade up)
6) different universities have different niche/strong areas. please consult specific people/uni.
7) NZ is definitely beautiful...but it's far away from every other country.
8) every cities are different. u might want to consider that too.

:) plenty of malaysian here.

hi..
glad 2 hear all those...:)
r u doing ur postgrad under a scholarship or under ur own xpenses??
u continued ur postgrad after u'd graduated or u went back 2 malaysia 1st??
is it difficult 2 gain an entry 2 universities in NZ...
n d last thing is which university is the best 4 pharmacy??

[tomatoinc]

zul,

otago university in dunedin is probably the best school for pharmacy. The other option is auckland uni (2nd best). Both are very competitive. everyone with basic uni entrants (A levels, STPM, NZ high school, SATs, IBs) can get in to first year (called health science). Students in health science can then opt into medicine, pharmacy, dentistry, sport science etc...Entrance to medicine/dentistry for example would require A or A- average in first year health science. Good luck with the pharma.

i did my undergrad here, and thru that & my research experience, i got funding from the university i am based at. technically, I am on my own expense [work+scholarship+save]

[PuRpLeIsH]

hi, i'm going to otago next year...
so can someone tell me bout the hall of residences available???
i noe there's d toroa house (self-catered) n other halls..
n bout d catered halls, how's d food?
bout the rooms, is it like an apartment n then we get our own bedrooms n share d living room n kitchen, or its juz bedrooms???
n is the studies in HSFY hard???
is it difficult to get in pharmacy after HSFY?
by the way, are there any seniors doing pharmacy o medic o dentistry in otago under jpa???

[hernchii]

yoo purple-ish
im in hsfy at otago atm~
hmm... kkk
Carrington/ hayward are prolly the best place to live, biggest rooms n stuff... and BETTER food loLLL
St margerets is not bad as well, especially for hsfy, cus thats where all the hardout ppl go.. but lotsa stress as well cus of the competition there

LoL HSFY is definitely hard if you want to get into medicine of course(ave of 90+?), but
Pharmacy should be easier to get in, ave around 70+? hehe you should b fiinee! malaysian afterall hahaha :P

[PuRpLeIsH]

thanks hernchii!
by the way can u tell me more bout the life there?
is it really cold??
is it really hard to get used to d life there?
n r u sponsored by jpa?

[JYHee]

Hi all,

I did my 4 yrs undergrad at Uni. of Canterbury, and currently doing postgrad here. I ve been to most cities and most universities mentioned about:

to generally answer you all:
1) nz is mostly safe. safer than most countries, and certainly safer than KL.
2) if you re under a scholarship, whatever they give u (nzs1200-1700-2000) is more than enough for a average living.
3) living expenses decreases as you move away from large cities. auckland is the most expensive...and follows by wellington, christchurch, hamilton/dunedin/palmerston north. etc.
4) Weather is crap at times (cold n windy and can get snowy/rainy)....
5) working while studying is common, but you might not want to do that if you re under a scholarship (to keep your grade up)
6) different universities have different niche/strong areas. please consult specific people/uni.
7) NZ is definitely beautiful...but it's far away from every other country.
8) every cities are different. u might want to consider that too.

:) plenty of malaysian here.

OH...so auckland is the main city? IS there any malls there? or it is just a calm and relaxing city?

[tomatoinc]

jyhee, auckland is a city of 1-1.2mil population. It certainly has malls. Even smaller cities have malls, though not your "mid-valley/KLCC" scale malls. Auckland has traffic jams too, something that is not available in most other new zealand cities. living in auckland can be calm n relaxing, as long as u know where to go (parks, beaches etc).

[eve88]

Via PM:

hello there, i recently got an offer to read law in the university of otago.can i ask a few questions.

1.As i have to apply for accommodation fast (got in based on late admission), where do u
suggest i apply for ? are residential colleges a good choice? do u know residential colleges
with many Malaysians? What do u think about the Toroa International House? Other than the
above mentioned where can I get a decent and affordable place to stay?
2.As freshmen, do we have Malaysian seniors introducing us to the uni on the first day and
also teaching us bout basic things like how to open a bank acc n stuff?

Thank you.Looking forward to ur reply.

http://www.otago.ac.nz/about/accommodation/residentialcolleges.html

Some thoughts :

The college most Malaysians like to *apply* to is St Margarets. But (in my year), a lot of them actually got posted to Aquinas - which, as far as i know, noone has complained yet. But Aquinas is *far* from campus - meaning you don't get to wake up 10 minutes before lecture and actually get in in time.

Well, I'm in Arana right now. And it is comfortable, and the wardens and staff are friendly.

Some Stereotypes:
St Margs is the most "kuai" of the lot.
Arana (which i know cuz im staying there) has a nice mix of "party" and "study"
UniCol, CityCol tend to be more rowdy.

I believe most colleges are roughly equal in terms of food and rooms - but I actually don't know much about the others - you should request for a non drinking floor in places like UniCol which have a "party" reputation.

Sorry, i cant help much with choosing your colleges. Browse through forums for NZ students, but really, I suggest you do it in order of distance, when stating your preference.

Though, as late as you are, Toroa International House would be a better bet, I think. Its not catered - you'd have to cook for yourself.

The residential colleges are actually the most expensive accommodation option - most Otago students only do it for one year (I'm one of those rare ones whos staying for 2nd year). There are plenty of student flats available for rental ($80-$120/week, but most around $90-$100). Thee good ones may be harder to find, though, as some ppl start flat searching in September. Head over to the accommodation office if you still haven't got it settled when you arrive, there is a flat list there. Or just watch out for posters saying "Want roomate", pasted around campus.

As far as I know, the Malaysian students organization is fairly active - but I dont think they do a "meet and greet" service. Head over to Clubs and Socs during orientation and look for them =D

Alternatively, you and me(and any other Otago students in ReCom) could meet up during O Week... Interested?

[dya_me]

NZ require us to get higher TER in SAM compared to aussie...is it true??n how about IELTS?is it possible to enter NZ universities with band 6.5?

[lyne]

Hey there. I kind of need help. I was wondering what things should I declare before going to New Zealand? Is it necessary to declare all electrical goods such as camera, handphone, batteries and also the normal shoes I wear (not hiking ones) and also liquids (shampoo/shower creme/toothpaste/etc) ?

Please reply asap.

Thanks so much.

Charlene

[minemshady]

Hi Charlene!

You don't need to declare that.
But if you bring any animal or plant products, you have to declare it.

Anyway, which part in NZ are you going?

[adele]

Via PM:



http://www.otago.ac.nz/about/accommodation/residentialcolleges.html

Some thoughts :

The college most Malaysians like to *apply* to is St Margarets. But (in my year), a lot of them actually got posted to Aquinas - which, as far as i know, noone has complained yet. But Aquinas is *far* from campus - meaning you don't get to wake up 10 minutes before lecture and actually get in in time.

Well, I'm in Arana right now. And it is comfortable, and the wardens and staff are friendly.

Some Stereotypes:
St Margs is the most "kuai" of the lot.
Arana (which i know cuz im staying there) has a nice mix of "party" and "study"
UniCol, CityCol tend to be more rowdy.

I believe most colleges are roughly equal in terms of food and rooms - but I actually don't know much about the others - you should request for a non drinking floor in places like UniCol which have a "party" reputation.

Sorry, i cant help much with choosing your colleges. Browse through forums for NZ students, but really, I suggest you do it in order of distance, when stating your preference.

Though, as late as you are, Toroa International House would be a better bet, I think. Its not catered - you'd have to cook for yourself.

The residential colleges are actually the most expensive accommodation option - most Otago students only do it for one year (I'm one of those rare ones whos staying for 2nd year). There are plenty of student flats available for rental ($80-$120/week, but most around $90-$100). Thee good ones may be harder to find, though, as some ppl start flat searching in September. Head over to the accommodation office if you still haven't got it settled when you arrive, there is a flat list there. Or just watch out for posters saying "Want roomate", pasted around campus.

As far as I know, the Malaysian students organization is fairly active - but I dont think they do a "meet and greet" service. Head over to Clubs and Socs during orientation and look for them =D

Alternatively, you and me(and any other Otago students in ReCom) could meet up during O Week... Interested?

Thank you so much for ur kind offer and reply, but I have taken the offer from Victoria University of Wellington and am currently reading law there.Thanks a lot!! ^_^

im going there by jan 2011.. doing my degree in tesl.. ill be placed at victoria university of wellington,, someOne tell me bout wellington please..

I am a first year in Vic uni, its a fairly nice place with lots of friendly ppl.Things here are very expensive despite not converting but since u r on a scholarship what u have would be more than sufficient to do shopping n etc.There are no shopping malls here, rather there are lots of shops selling products from the low end to the high end range.Bring lots of warm clothing if u can't bear the cold weather.Its summer now and yet it can get as cold as 9 degrees.Wellington is very well known for its bone chilling and strong winds too.I think that is pretty much it. U can post any further enquiries in this thread.I 'll be more than happy to answer them.

[eve88]

Nah, no prob. Nice to see *someone* out here in NZ - we are a fairly rare breed on recom, after all.

=D

[adele]

Nah, no prob. Nice to see *someone* out here in NZ - we are a fairly rare breed on recom, after all.

=D

Haha true indeed....most of my peers are in aus,uk and us.

[lyne]

Hi Charlene!

You don't need to declare that.
But if you bring any animal or plant products, you have to declare it.

Anyway, which part in NZ are you going?

Hey. So sorry. I've been so busy for the past few weeks. Well, I'm in Auckland now.

[theeny]

hi there. i wll be going to nz in feb 2010, i would like to know wat things are we allow to bring there? shampoo, facial cleanser, food, milo?

[ayja]

That means we have to declare our Maggi Mee, rempah ratus, and herbs for soup right? =P

[lyne]

That means we have to declare our Maggi Mee, rempah ratus, and herbs for soup right? =P

hey there.
im not so sure you have to declare maggi mee because i haven't tried bringing that to nz yet. but it'll be safer to declare those things if you're unsure, just in case. im just stating my opinion. sorry for not being any help here.

[eve88]

you can buy maggi mee in NZ easily in any supermarkets...

I think you have to declare *all* foodstuffs you bring in.

[ayja]

hey there.
im not so sure you have to declare maggi mee because i haven't tried bringing that to nz yet. but it'll be safer to declare those things if you're unsure, just in case. im just stating my opinion. sorry for not being any help here.

you can buy maggi mee in NZ easily in any supermarkets...

I think you have to declare *all* foodstuffs you bring in.

ahh you've been great help, both of you. thanks very much!

BTW: I heard that National Bank offers the best rates for students? can anyone tell me how much it costs to withdraw money from a foreign account?

[dracone]

will there be ragging by seniors in nz?

[siew]

will there be ragging by seniors in nz?

as far as i know, this is not a culture in NZ.


That means we have to declare our Maggi Mee, rempah ratus, and herbs for soup right? =P

BTW: I heard that National Bank offers the best rates for students? can anyone tell me how much it costs to withdraw money from a foreign account?

Depends on what rates you are talking about. If you are talking about term deposit rates, it depends from bank to bank and sometimes nbnz may not be the best one on offer.

There are couple banks you could go to in NZ namely National Bank of NZ, ASB , Westpac, ANZ, Kiwibank, etc.

Google them up and check. As you will be under an international student package, certain transaction fees are exempted.

However, my favourite so far would be ASB as it has offers Visa Debit and fast/easy payment on the spot. National bank tend to be tad too slow in its processes for me.

hi there. i wll be going to nz in feb 2010, i would like to know wat things are we allow to bring there? shampoo, facial cleanser, food, milo?

As to food items that you can bring, please refer to:
http://www.customs.govt.nz/travellers/Arriving+in+New+Zealand/Prohibited+and+Restricted+Imports/default.htm

For the specific stuff that you have mentioned, your toiletries are not a problem at all. Just make sure you have them packed in your check in luggage when you fly.

For food, so far, instant noodles, herbal soup packets, chinese new year cookies or cakes (without fresh cream and such), tea leaves, curry paste, red bean paste pastry etc are pretty much safe to bring across the border. Ensure that all items are vacuum packed/sealed and declare as you enter the bio security area at the airport. If you are worried, then dont bring so much lah. At least when it gets dumped into the bin, you won't feel too much of a waste. (It passed for me in 2009 but check the customs website for latest updates)

Please don't bring meat jerky (rou gan/ yuk kon) or mooncake with yolk filling through, it goes direct into the bin as they are meat and egg products. And cough syrup "Pei Pa Gou" is atm banned. No honey products too!

Ultimately, the best advice I could give you is to put more priority on your clothes. Take advantage of the sales in Malaysia when purchasing your winter clothes. Anything that is wind-proof helps a lot during winter months. You would need woolies to get you through too. A nice decent wool coat/jacket is helpful too. Don't waste too much space and weight trying to pack your food. Unless you are sent to a small town, there are asian supermarkets which sell a wide range of asian products.

[dracone]

thanks siew for the info. Another question, Is MAS really strict about the baggage weight? what if my baggage weighs 21 0r 22 kg?

[siew]

thanks siew for the info. Another question, Is MAS really strict about the baggage weight? what if my baggage weighs 21 0r 22 kg?

usually airlines will try to let you push up to 25kg. if you are one of the scholars, most probably you will be checked in as a group. so, you might be lucky enough to get through.

[myra]

is there any student who study dentistry in new zealand under jpa??

[ayja]

thanks siew for the info. Another question, Is MAS really strict about the baggage weight? what if my baggage weighs 21 0r 22 kg?

there should be no prob with MAS but they might have a problem with it in new zealand, depending on which airlines you take..cause usually the transitting flights are booked direct from malaysia so one weight limit applies. hopefully you can get thru though =)

btw thanks siew for the help. I took national bank, though =)

[ShellyLyon]

Which country is famous for dentistry courses?

[celestine930]

hi everyone =D got lots of questions to ask here...
firstly..roughly how much is the living costs per week/month?
then is it easy to get any scholarships from the uni??
nit to know these coz im considering to study in nz but with financial problem..

[ayja]

hi everyone =D got lots of questions to ask here...
firstly..roughly how much is the living costs per week/month?
then is it easy to get any scholarships from the uni??
nit to know these coz im considering to study in nz but with financial problem..

Hmm, depends on what and where you wanna study. In a small town the cost of living is about NZD150++ a week, that is if you cook yourself, rent NZD 100, and all the other small stuff you buy as you go along. Broadband is monthly (depends on your uni or if you get a telco service provider) is about NZD30+ too. Not too sure for big cities though, heard that the cost is slightly higher.

Scholarships from uni? check the uni website, we can only tell you so much here...again it depends on your course etc

[celestine930]

icic....how about the chances of working in nz o us?is it high?

[ayja]

^bump

Hope that anyone who's in Christchurch is safe..

icic....how about the chances of working in nz o us?is it high?

Not sure bout that, sorry.

[bush]

is it a really good place to study veterinary science? lots of sheeps..lol


sheep........

[bluesunshine]

Does anyone know any scholarships to study TESL at New Zealand??

Am searching for the info but if you have the input, would really appreciate it if you could share it with me. :)

[ayja]

I think Kementrian Pelajaran offers..

[JYHee]

So hows is everyone studying in New Zealand? This thread seems to be a bit dead. LOL

[dennisssj]

I think Kementrian Pelajaran offers..

under KPLSPM. it depends... some of them got Australia, UK, etc

[gliblybeaxy]

Great information guysmuch appreciated in particular at what i am planning to accomplish. Does anyone have any more reading? Where's a good option to start out here on this site?

[bangkheeying]

Hi all,
I going to study in University of Auckland soon!

Anyone can give me more information about it?
thanks

[bekann]

Hi all,
I going to study in University of Auckland soon!

Anyone can give me more information about it?
thanks

Kia ora! lol
I'm hoping to go there to next year! What kind of information are you looking for?
You can honestly get almost all kinds of info except for first-hand experiences from google.

[Dominic]

Greetings to my fellow New Zealand students! I was wondering if any of you could enlighten me on the lengths of each term, holidays and such for university students?

[bekann]

Greetings to my fellow New Zealand students! I was wondering if any of you could enlighten me on the lengths of each term, holidays and such for university students?

Oh hai Dominic (oops, nearly wrote another name, haha).

Here's the academic calendar for UoAuckland:
http://www.calendar.auckland.ac.nz/dates/2012/index.html

Enjoy (:

[fizzybear]

Kia Ora people:),

i have also applied to Uni. Canterbury and has been selected though Iam not sure to go to NZ.So are there any more people coming UCanterbury?

Thanks