University of Canterbury, New Zealand
Mathematics, HCO – Computer Science,Honours Co-op Fall 2015 (4A)
My
name
is
Lindsey
Pogue
and
I
spent
my
4A
Computer
Science
term
in
Christchurch,
New
Zealand
studying
at
the
University
of
Canterbury.
Living
and
studying
in
New
Zealand
was
the
best
decision
I
have
ever
made.
My
favorite
part
was
being
able
to
travel
all
over
one
of
the
most
beautiful
countries
in
the
world.
Once
you’re
in
New
Zealand,
it’s
easy
to
see
coastal
views,
glaciers,
mountains,
volcanoes,
national
forests
and
much
more!
I also had the opportunity to travel to Australia and Fiji while I was in the Southern Hemisphere. Another highlight of my exchange was getting to know other students from all over the world and learning about different cultures.
The first weekend I was there I went on a road trip with 5 other students and we were all from different countries! This exchange experience also gave me the opportunity to study Computer Science in a new setting, and discuss differences in curriculums with other students and professors.
I would strongly recommend New Zealand, and specifically the University of Canterbury to all students thinking about going on exchange. They had an awesome incoming international student program including a free airport pickup, orientation events, and on-campus student housing making it very easy to meet people from day one.
It became a very close-knit community and felt like home right away. Christchurch was also a great city to live in because it’s in the center of the South Island, making it easy to travel all around the island on weekends and breaks.
The university also offered some great electives that were NZ-specific. In a course called Land Journeys & Ethics we went on two camping trips in the wilderness. In a course called Rebuilding Christchurch, we got to spend 4 hours each week volunteering in the city and learning about the community post-earthquakes.
Overall, studying in New Zealand was an incredible experience and I would recommend it to everyone :)