TEAN New Zealand: Dunedin University of Otago : Reviews (Dunedin)

My courses felt like any other course at CU, yet there are some slight differences. Multiple professors can lecture the course based on the section you're covering. The class does not have one room it is in each day, it may be in a different room on a particular day which was confusing at first. There is much less internal work, not to say there is no internal work but they are worth much more of your grade. The final exam (which could be your only exam of the course) can be worth 60-80% of your overall grade. But the professors are very helpful and prepare you very well.
Location is phenomenal! New Zealand is so beautiful its difficult to describe it in words. The city of Dunedin is amazing too where you can walk to the main hub, The Octagon, from the University and ride your bike to the beach. I highly recommend going to University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand. Close to a lot of nature and beautiful landscapes including a great cultural environment. Dunedin is a student-based city though so it can get a bit wild and out of control; I was surprised at the amount of broken glass in the middle of the streets and sidewalks.
Locals are incredibly friendly and outgoing, always wanting to help and show you a good time. I felt no discrimination or hatefulness towards myself or others, besides the friendly rivalries here and there. The happy-go-lucky attitude and kindness of the locals is a big reason why I love New Zealand.
The excursion was a lot of fun and the activities were a great way to see parts of New Zealand. The accommodation was a bit cramped and loud but it could've been worse. Milford Sound was gorgeous and Nevis Bungy Jump was awesome!

My courses were harder than I was expecting. Dunedin is colder than I expected, but it was a great central location for exploring the south island! I had a fantastic kiwi host, and made friends with her friends, and so I spent a lot of time with locals. I hope to be able to go back and visit them in the future! Globalinks sets up some great excursions: I traveled to Bali through my program and had a wonderful time, and I really enjoyed the orientation put on by Globalinks. I also did some excursions through the university's recreation center and those were a blast!

I loved taking the Environment History of New Zealand and Environmental Physics, they were both taught amazingly and were super interesting. Stats 110 was dry, which was expected, and Theory of Computing was a very very difficult. If I could go back I would have only taken three courses. Dunedin was a lot of fun, but could be an overwhelming party scene. It was hard to interact with locals with such a serious International Program at Dunedin, you were almost in your own bubble. Going on adventures every weekend was the trend, and made the whole trip worth it.

Dunedin completely surpassed every expectation I had for my study abroad experience! The courses were challenging, but very engaging, and the professor were more than willing to engage you further. The location was excellent for being a base to travel around the south island of New Zealand since it was in the midst of many beaches and a Dailey easy drive to national parks and mountain ranges!

I lived in the university flats. This was a great fit, and I really appreciated having a kiwi host to help me out. It was close to campus, I walked everywhere, and if I needed, there was a great bus system.

I was extremely fortunate with my living situation and location! Being that Dunedin is known as a semi-partying campus, there are some questionable housing units/apartments around campus. Since I filled out the uniflats housing questionnaire fairly early, I believe I got everything I was hoping for in a living environment! I lived in a flat with 5 other girls that formed a very diverse range of country origins and personalities. I couldn't imagine my semester without them and will continue to stay in touch with them for years to come!

Well each flat has a kiwi host which makes it very easy to meet and interact with locals because you are living with at least one. They usually introduce you to friends and eventually you start making friends with the locals. Kiwi's are generally very open to meeting and befriending Americans, especially kiwi hosts. I would advise students to just try to connect with their kiwi host, and from there they will meet other locals. As for anywhere you would go abroad, avoid the stereotype of the obnoxious American because there were definitely a few of those in our friend group that the Kiwi's didn't like. Its easy to avoid being the obnoxious American though if you truly care about being friends with locals and learning their culture.

If you want to meet locals, I would suggest joining one of the clubs BESIDES the tramping club. There is a huge international program at Dunedin and in order to meet locals you have to find some more obscure clubs. I wish now that I had focused more on finding people who shared my real passion, which is specifically climbing.

I studied at the University of Otago in Dunedin. The courses had a more than reasonable work load, and grades were usually based on a few essays and a final exam. They don't bother assigning busy-work, it's just big assignments. This really allows you to plan for trips, you can plan your time well here. The locals I met were welcoming, hilarious, and so down to earth. If you study abroad in Dunedin, you'll be assigned to international housing with a Kiwi host and other international students. It made meeting people so easy- the University Flat students are constantly planning events and trips. It's a great time!

My courses at the University of Otago were different from my courses at CU Boulder. Rather than awarding attendance points, participation points and "busy work" assignment points, professors determined letter grades based on two or three essays and a final examination. My courses were interesting and pertained to my major at CU. Dunedin is a wonderful college town on the east coast of the South Island. The location is ideal if you are interested in surfing, hiking, mountain biking and generally spending time outdoors. There are also museums, great restaurants and cultural experiences right in downtown Dunedin. I lived with a kiwi host in my flat, so I was able to meet many kiwi students through her. I believe that interacting with locals is a very important part of the experience; I made friends that I hope to visit and travel with in the future. I highly recommend living in UniFlats.

I enjoyed all of my courses at the University of Otago and while learning a lot throughout the semester I also felt that I had a lot of time during the week and on the weekends to explore New Zealand outside of Dunedin. Dunedin was the perfect size college town where there were lots of places to explore, but I was still able to see familiar faces everywhere I went. Dunedin was also not too far away from popular sites on the south island. I had many interactions with the locals and I felt that they were all very nice and welcoming to everyone in our program. ISA planned many excursions throughout the semester that were very fun and informative and it was always nice to have a weekend already planned out for us as planning can take some time.

The on-site orientation was so much fun! We got to see some really cool places on the north island and get to know the other ISA students. The excursions were also awesome because it provided opportunities to see parts of the country as well as participate in activities that may have not been affordable for students to do on their own. The university as well as the Uni Flats community provided many opportunities for extracurricular activities. With Uni Flats I was able to put together a social soccer team and play every week.

I lived in a complex containing six bedroom units with a reasonable sized kitchen, two bathrooms, and a living room. Living in a complex was by far the best thing that happened to me. Everyone in the complex became friends and organized fun events almost every night! Campus was only a short five minute walk from my house.

University flats are all located close to campus. I was able to walk to all my classes within 10 minutes. Some students were a little farther out, but still within a 15 minute walk. My flat, as well as the other international housing I saw was clean, mostly updated, and had all the amenities you could need. Everyone has their own bedroom in Dunedin. You will be paired with a Kiwi Host, and they make it easy to mediate the house.

My courses were at about the same level of difficulty as my courses at CU. I did more writing at Otago overall, but I am used to writing a fair amount in my CU courses. Grade inflation is nonexistent; grades are not handed out based on participation or attendance. My professors overall were helpful and engaging and I never felt uncomfortable approaching them for help. Overall, I had a great academic experience abroad. I would recommend keeping up with readings and committing several hours a week to go to the library in order to enjoy weekend excursions and road trips.