EXPERIENCE REPORT EXCHANGE THE UNIVERSITY OF AUCKLAND E-mail: m.p.m.verstappen@tilburguniversity.edu Study Program: Master Ondernemingsrecht Exchange semester: Spring Academic year: 2016-2017 Host University: The University of Auckland Country: New Zealand I GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL During my exchange I lived in Auckland, the biggest city of New Zealand. The city is surrounded by water which means beaches are never far away and there are a lot of harbors and marinas. That is why Auckland earned the nickname City of Sails. The city is building on old volcanos which makes it a bit hilly everywhere, but you can also climb those dormant volcanos which is really cool and gives you a nice view over the city. Even though it can rain a lot, Auckland has a nice climate. It never gets really cold and when the sun is out you feel a bit of the pacific vibe (it helps that the city is full of palm trees and tropical looking plants). The university is located right next to the CBD and a nice park, Albert park, and close to the waterfront. The campus is quite big and is a bit of a mix between new modern buildings, some old fashioned ones and some nice old buildings. The law school for example is an old soda factory. The university has a sports centre and if you live in university accommodation you get a free membership. There are also a lot of (sports) clubs, for example (kite)surfing, hiking, dessert eating and everything else you can imagine. To go out for dinner or drinks I liked to go to the Viaduct harbor or the suburbs Parnell or Ponsonby (best place to go out). The suburbs at the beach (for example Mission bay, Devonport and Takapuna) are also fun to go to when the weather is good. What I liked most about Auckland is that you will never get bored, there are a lot of islands in the gulf where Auckland is located which are great to explore on a day trip. It is also really easy to explore the rest of the North island in day or (longer) weekendtrips. Compared to Tilburg Auckland is a pretty big city (1.5 million people) so there is enough to see and do in the city itself as well. The city is very diverse, both in how different parts of the city look as well as all the nationalities that live in Auckland. The UoA has 33,118 students in total, 25,250 of them are undergraduate and 7,851 are postgraduate. The amount of international students is 6,683 in total. They offer all kinds of programs (164 in total), from engineering or medicine to law. The study structure is a bit different from the Netherlands. They do have a bachelor-master structure, but it is not as common as in the Netherlands to continue with a masters program. Instead, some students follow an honors program which is sort of an extended bachelors program. II PRACTICAL INFORMATION Information before I applied at the UoA in the beginning of July and I received my offer of admission and all the information I needed the first of August. Figuring out how a an application process in a different country and university works is always a little bit difficult and takes some time, but I did not came across problems. The same goes for apply for my student visa. You can do this online and you have to upload some details, for example proof that you either bought a return flight ticket or that you have enough money to survive during your stay in New Zealand. The student visa itself costs 181,20. After I applied for my visa a received it 1,5 week later. Visa procedure and arrival My arrival in Auckland was organized very well. The university arranged a pick up at the airport and they took me to my university accommodation. It seemed like everyone was prepared for the arrival of the international students, I did not encounter any problems.
Orientation activities The week before the first courses started there was an introduction week (this turned out to be only a couple of days). This is organized by the different faculties, so I had a program for with other study abroad and exchange law students. The exchange and study abroad students association also organized some activities. This way I also got to know exchange students at other faculties. This was organized by UoA students. They also have a buddy system. My buddy was an economics and law student at the UoA. Housing As mentioned above I applied for university accommodation. You can also find something on your own, the university offers help to do this. The university offers different types of accommodation, mainly studios and rooms in shared flats. I had a shared flat at Carlaw Park. For this type of accommodation you have to apply quite quick since it is the most popular type of accommodation. I applied in August and I received my placement offer in October. I was very satisfied with this accommodation however the university is sometimes a bit much involved with students living in university accommodation (i.e. noise bans in exam periods, having to ask for permission if you want a house party with more than 10 people etc.). If you think you will be bother by this it is better to find something on your own, but I found it very convenient that you have a furnished room and flat with other (exchange) students when you arrive. Living costs The living costs in Auckland are a bit higher compared to Tilburg. Accommodation was my biggest expense. How much it was exactly depended on the exchange rate but it was around 775 monthly. Also traveling was a big expense but of course totally worth it. Food is slightly more expensive compared to the Netherlands, especially some sorts of fresh fruit and vegetables so you have to keep an eye on the specials at the supermarket. It is better to go to the bigger supermarkets, the small ones are way overpriced (same goes for the rest of NZ). Also alcohol is more expensive, beers in the supermarket are around double the price compared to the Netherlands and the same (or more) goes for the prices in bars and restaurants. Food in restaurants however is slightly cheaper. I did not use public transport very often, it is doable to walk a lot. But as a student you get a discount on public transport which makes it affordable: I think you can compare it with Dutch public transport prices. In the evenings we used Uber a lot in stead of a regular cap, also to get to the airport etc. This was quite cheap. Besides I did not buy books because they were provided online or I could use the ones in the library. Academic Calendar I arrived in Auckland on the 7th of February and my introduction started on the 27th of February. I used the time in between to go the south island to travel and fix practical stuff like a bank account and applying for a 18+ card (this card is very handy since NZ does not accept a foreign drivers license as a valid ID and otherwise you have to carry around your passport all the time). My first course was an introductory one and started at the 1st of March. My first real course started on the 6th of March and my last course ended on the 30th of May. There is a mid semester break of a week in the middle (14th) of April. The exam period is in the end of June. I did not have an exam period because I had to deliver research essays in stead of making exams. During the semester you get some days of for for example the Queens birthday and Anzac Day (sort of what 4/5 May is in the Netherlands). The International Office The university has a university broad international office. I only went there to pick up my university card. They also have specific international officers for the law school and they organized activities for the international law students and you could e-mail them if you had any questions. I was very satisfied with them, they even took us to a rugby game. Exhange promotion There was an exchange fair where exchange students could have out and answer questions about their home university but unfortunately I was not able to attend this. If other exchange students that I knew had questions about studying in Tilburg or the Netherlands in general I answered those of course.
Social activities There is an students association for exchange and study abroad students. They organized (day)trips, activities and parties. Besides there are a lot of other students associations, the so called clubs, as mentioned earlier in this report. This way you never had to be bored! I also had contact with local students, in the accommodation where I lived was a good mix of exchange students and local students and my courses where a mix of international and local students as well. It was really easy to meet fellow exchange students, both on campus and accommodation. I travelled a lot within New Zealand with them. Besides New Zealand I also travelled in Australia and Fiji. Culture and language I think I did experience a small culture shock. Everyone in NZ speaks English so I did not have language problems and I also did not follow language courses during my exchange. But I thought the culture in NZ would be quite similar to the Netherlands, since they are both western countries. But the NZ culture was more different than I thought. It is difficult to explain, it is the small things that are different. In general the culture is more relaxed, people are less in a rush and they are very friendly. Also people do not complain as much as Dutch people. What I did miss was the biking culture of the Netherlands and the Dutch directness. I feel that I got to know the culture of NZ very well after being in the country for 5 months, which is nice. Auckland however is slightly different from the rest of NZ they say. Some people say that Auckland people are bit more closed compared to the rest. Maybe that is true, in other parts of NZ it is really easy to have a little small talk chat with random people. In Auckland that happens less often but it is also a big city so I think it has more to do with people being on their way to work etc. What I liked about Auckland specific is that Aucklanders really love their brunch, coffees and desserts! The city is full of nice cafes to eat/drink one of those or all of them. Personal development The affect of my exchange on a cultural point of view is that I learned a lot about NZ, Australia and Fiji and the home countries of fellow exchange students. This was really nice. From a social point of view it is amazing to make friends from all over the world. I also improved my English which I am happy about. I would not do anything different if I could do it all over again, it was such a great experience. The best experience was to meet all amazing people I met and travel with them. I will never forget this and all the beautiful nature we saw. My worst experience was that I had to make a short trip to the hospital when had a little accident, but the health care system in NZ is very good so this was not a very big of a deal. The most important lesson I learned about myself during my exchange that is not scary to be on my own on the other side of the world for over half a year. III ACADEMIC INFORMATION Academic level The language of all the courses offered was English. I took an introductory course in the New Zealand legal system because this was mandatory. Besides I took two big courses of 30 NZ points, which is 15 ECTS. My first course was Contractual interpretation since this matches with my Dutch master Business law. The second course was International Trade Law, I took this course mainly because I did not knew much about this subject and it seemed very interesting. The courses of the Master of Law are different every year, so I can not really recommend any courses. I was really happy about mine, but I am not sure if they will be offered next year again. I think the level of the courses was lower compared to my master courses in Tilburg. My professors were great and very enthusiastic but they expect a little bit less of students. The workload however is quite high but I think this is because I took the big courses, it is also possible to take 15 point courses which would be 7,5 ECTS. The teaching style is primarily theoretical, but again I think this is because the courses I chose. I took two intensive courses of 5 days full time lectures each. The teaching method was just interactive lectures and afterwards I had to write a research essay. I liked this system because it gave me the freedom to travel a lot and plan my writing in between. The relationship between the students and the professors was really good, the professors were very friendly and helpful. In general I am very happy with my academic achievements, but I think it does depend much on the courses you take and the professors that teach them.
Exams As mentioned, I had to write research essays. This was because I took courses of the Master of Laws. The grade was mainly based on the research essay of 12,500 words and partly on class participation. Other You can access the library and its resources easily. The staff is very helpful and you get an instruction in the beginning of the semester. There were also computers available in the libraries which you could use. Description of courses Course Prerequisites Exam ECTS Comments ACADINT A01 None None, online assessment 0 This was a mandatory online course LAW 788 Legal Research Methodology None Research paper of 1,500 words 0 This was an introduction to the NZ legal system LAWCOMM 730 Special Topic: International Trade Law Bachelors degree Research essay of 12,5000 words and class participation 15 Very good professor and really interesting course LAW 738 Special Topic: Contractual Interpretation Bachelors degree Research essay of 12,5000 words and class participation 15 Same as above Tips for future students I would definitely recommend an exchange period, you really miss something if you don t go on exchange! I also recommend my host university, I had an amazing time and everyone at the university is very helpful if needed. Something to keep in mind if you choose this university is that the semester starts quite late and those weeks before the start are the perfect opportunity to travel and see the country. A lot of exchange students arrived right before the introduction week and afterwards they regretted not using the weeks before to travel. Also, do not book your flight back home right after your last deadline or exam, you really want to use time afterwards to travel as well. Even though it may seem like a long period to be away, time will fly when you re in NZ and it is a waste to not use your time (if you have it) to see this beautiful country. I booked my flight home for the end of August and this give me time to also see Australia and Fiji. How you can prepare for this destination is to do some research on all the places you want to see. The country is very big and it is hard to see everything in 5 months. More practical, make sure you buy your international drivers license at the ANWB. Also, if you want to apply for university accommodation (I would go for Carlaw Park if you do) make sure you are on time because otherwise it is full. When you arrive in Auckland I would apply for an 18+ card as soon as possible so you don t have to carry around your passport when you go out for a drink or dinner. All the other stuff will sort itself out when you are there. A picture is worth a thousand words I think I have thousands and thousands of pictures of the last 7 months. I choose to add some pictures of some things you can do and see in Auckland and one of the most beautiful things I saw on the south island. (Pictures on the next page) Contact details If future UoA exchange students have questions they can contact me for more information.
Auckland Law School Auckland s skyline from the Viaduct harbour
Mission bay with Rangitoto (a volcano which you can climb as well) in the back In summer there are movies in different parks in Auckland
Climbing a dormant volcano in the middle of the city (good sunsets afterwards)
From a sunny and subtropical Auckland in summer to hiking the snowy mountains of the south island in winter and everything in between!