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Video Blog – The Positives and Negatives of Studying Abroad
Simon Hird / / Geography / / University of Auckland / / NZ So as part of year abroad we were asked to produce a series of blogs for Geography. Each had to be a on a different topic and in a variety of formats (i.e.referenced essay, diary entry, video). This particular video blog entry was reflecting on the positives and negatives that I have experienced on my year abroad – it is slightly more personal and geography related than my other posts, due to it’s initial purpose, but hopefully you guys can take something from it: Cheers, Simon 🤘 🖖 P.S. If you guys want to see a few more…
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10 things you should know about studying abroad in New Zealand
Simon Hird / / Geography / / University of Auckland / / NZ Hope you guys have all had an awesome year at Uni and are enjoying your summer holidays. I’ve just got a couple of weeks left of my year abroad at Auckland so I thought I would put together a collection of advice and some important things I think you should know about, if you are going to or are considering studying abroad in New Zealand. Some of these are specific to the University of Auckland, but I am sure there are parallels to other Universities in NZ and studying abroad in general.
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Studying at the University of Auckland: what’s different?
Simon Hird / / Geography / / University of Auckland / / NZ I thought it would be a good idea to dedicate one blog post specifically to academics and the differences I have experienced between Auckland and Manchester. New Zealand and the UK definitely have many parallels and it didn’t take much time to adjust to a relatively similar style of life and study that they have here. But there are some distinct differences in how university works here compared to Manchester and the UK in general. One of the most resounding differences you will experience here is the way degrees are set up. Like many universities outside…
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A southern hemisphere summer
Simon Hird / / Geography / / University of Auckland / / NZ This summer has been pretty special. It’s been almost four months since the end of last semester but the time has absolutely flown by. It’s been a pretty full on summer and now that I am back in Auckland for the start of my next term, I thought it was time to write something down about it. I’ll try to keep it brief…
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Semester Wrap-up
Simon Hird / / Geography / / University of Auckland / / NZ It’s been a while since my last post so I apologise for that but this semester has been pretty full on, I promise… One thing you will no doubt experience whilst studying abroad, are the countless comments you’ll get about this crazy ‘holiday’ you’re going on. Let’s not take away from what an incredible experience it is, but let me assure you it’s not all mountains, waterfalls and beaches. The level of work may not be as rigorous at the University of Auckland as it is back at Manchester, but regardless it is a world top 100 University and…
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Getting Acquainted
Simon Hird / / Geography / / University of Auckland / / NZ First few weeks It’s funny how much things have changed since my first blog post back at Heathrow. I have now been in NZ for 17 days and in that time I have explored the city, set up a bank, got a NZ SIM, had my first week of classes, been on a weekend trip to the Bay of Islands and made some pretty special friendships. The first week saw a lot of time dedicated to sorting out admin things like banking, phones, 18+ cards (bars don’t accept UK driving licenses for proof of age – you…
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NZ Time
Simon Hird / / Geography / / University of Auckland / / NZ London Heathrow This all feels very surreal. Over the last two years study abroad has been the goal, the next big thing, the last thing written in my diary, the thing my conversations always seem to touch upon, so much chat it almost felt mundane. Now it’s finally here I can’t really fathom that it is real. But this is happening… I am going to New Zealand… for an entire year. Writing it down helps – the excitement is kicking in again. The hardest bit up until now hasn’t been choosing where to go, or writing all…
A study abroad journal by students, for students.
