I know. But it isnt that from what I've seen. Recognition doesn't automatically mean it's a great course. Aus recognises about every NZ course anyway and vice versa. Though I see why a guaranteed place is assuring for an international student.

Any what do you mean by "better" recommendation or advice?

I dunno about cheaper cos I've been to Palmerston North. But Christchurch isn't too expensive (it's no Auckland) so they difference is unlikely to be much. But go check the uni websites. Most have a section on cost of living with a breakdown to individual items. The key, really, is rent.

Comparing the reputation of the degrees, most people will pick Canterbury over Massey. The fact that Ernest Rutherford was from Canterbury should give it brownie points. On the actual degrees, I guess you need to look into the fields covered by both unis, one might do stuff (that interests you) the other doesn't. Also, it might pay to check with uni offers more opportunities for students to take part in actual research through summer studentships and the like.

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Added on September 19, 2007, 9:53 amHave you thought of asking AUT whether they'll accept transfers directly into their 2nd year physio from first year health science in another university? Cos if they do, it'll be great. Then you'll be able to enrol in FYHS somewhere else, try to get in (physio is comparatively easier than the other courses, barring med lab sci). If you do, great - you'll get a degree from a slightly better university. If you don't, you can always go back to AUT without losing out. Kiwi unis are pretty flexible with trasfers, provided your grades aren't too bad. It's worth a shot anyway...

If not, I completely understandopting for AUT. It's a lot of money to risk if you don't feel confident.
BTW, why not Australia?

On AUT itself, it's not that it's a bad uni just that it's quite new. It was a polytech before obtaining uni status - there was some controversy surrounding it at the time, and some people still don't think it should be a uni. What is clear is that their entry requirements tend to be lower and they many less "academic" degrees.

NZ is a small country and with a fewer number of unis around, there's little academic snobbery in the job market. I can't speak specifically for physio, but from what I've seen, as long as you've got decent grades (with extra-curriculars and work experience) you shouldn't be at any real disadantage in the job market coming from AUT. Of course you'll might find it a bit tougher as an international student but that factor would be present whichever uni you go to. However, that's just in NZ. You mentioned Oz... well it's a bigger country over there and plenty of unis of varying qualities. From what people tell me, the uni you come from matters in Oz. If that's true, a degree from Otago might give you the edge. Then again, there's nothing to stop you from working in NZ first and building up experience before going over. Uni names and grades only really matter to fresh grads anyway.

But don't take my word for it. This is just my opinion based on what knowledge I have. Talk to others and get their views. Especially on the Oz side of things.

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Added on September 19, 2007, 10:04 amPhysio isn't really that tough to get into... the cutoff marks are much lower compared to med and dent. Pharmacy's average is a little higher too. Makes sense considering physio is lots of people's 4th choice. Provided the students works hard (I mean really working not working with the mouth like many I've seen), it's completely achievable.

But then, I completely understand why an international student won't want to take the risk. Too much at stake.

I used to think Auckland does physio but when I checked the NZ govt website yesterday, it wasn't on the list. Only AUT and Otago. Anyway, Auckland's pharmacy is direct entry and I believe it's nursing is too. Medicine used to be direct entry, but not anymore.

On the techinical universities point: Physio is one of those fields with strong academic and vocational components. So it's taught with plenty of hands-on experience, just like medicine, dentistry etc. In Otago, students begin to see patients in the 2nd year (1st professional year). I dunno about AUT but it should be similar, maybe earlier. So comparing the two, they're more or less equal in the vocational aspect while Otago is arguably superior from the academic side of things.

This post has been edited by wornbook: Sep 19 2007, 10:04 AM

1. Uni websites list the topics/courses/papers offerred right from the first year to postgrad level.
2. Contact the department.

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Added on September 19, 2007, 10:42 pmWhat's the internet for if not to find out stuff? Check the uni websites


This post has been edited by wornbook: Sep 19 2007, 10:42 PM

You're welcome. Glad to help a soon-to-be fellow NZ student. If you need anything else, just ask and I'll see what I can do.

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Added on September 23, 2007, 7:25 pmYou can get cheaper tickets if you book early. But for those tickets, you can't change dates. Just make up your mind early and confirm all dates. You'll save quite a bit that way.
I take it you're flying AirNZ to Welly? If you don't mind shopping around, try flypacificblue.com. They might be cheaper.

Overweight baggage in NZ (domestic) is about $5 per kg. They'll normally give an allowance of up to 5kg so you're safe with 25kg.

This post has been edited by wornbook: Sep 23 2007, 07:25 PM

I was thinking about the Akl-Welly sector. AirNZ is notorious for being fussy about baggage limits on their domestic sectors. Giving them the "I'm a student" line doesn't really help since every other passenger is a student at hat time of the year.

Well the advantage is that you always know where you stand. Fewer grey areas, less room for hanky-panky, and much less unpredictability. In short, a more efficient system.

Check this out for some estimates. http://www.auckland.ac.nz/uoa/for/prospect...livingcosts.cfm

Why don't you read through the thread first, and then if there's anything that hasn't been covered, ask and one of us will try to answer. The thread isn't that long and you can skip though most parts anyway. I don't see why we should repeat ourselves (using our valuable time) just because you can't spare the time to read what's already been said.

Most people I know pay around 170-180. If you get unfurnished and buy your own furniture, it can go as low as 130-140. This is city centre prices, mind you. I think EmperorMeng stays in the suburbs.

How much you can save depends on what you eat, your power usage etc. If you cook, you can save a lot.

That's cheap. Is that Quest on Mount St?

Free. Just put a few jumpers on.

On a more serious note, power, water, petrol (and about everything else) is going up thanks to the govt's green policy and carbon tax. Ouch.

When petrol prices go up, everything else goes up. Sigh.
What do you mean by heating pans?

Ya, Auckland traffic at rush hour can get pretty bad. I try to avoid the motorway into the city in the mornings (8-9am), and from around 3.30-5.50.
Public transport in Auckland is bad by developed-country standards. Don't expect anything like the London tube or Sydney tram system here. Buses are very expensive and not always reliable. Same goes for the train, and the stations are placed at even more inconvenient places than the LRT in KL. I have no experience with the ferries.
But it should really bother you since you're staying so close to the hospital.

But the ferries are very pricey. It's about $1 more per trip. Ok once in a while but on a daily basis?

Ah, but Baldwin St isn't in/near the city centre. It's so out of the way that only tourists and residents (beats me why anyone would live there) go there. But the rest of Dunedin is hilly enough.

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Added on September 28, 2007, 11:10 amHeating pans are less efficient though. With gas, you turn it off when you finish so no wastage. Heating pans continue to give out heat long after you turn them off, plus there's the time needed to heat them up in the first place. Plus it's not that environmentally friendly. While most of NZ's electricity comes from hydroelectric dams, some of it (especially in winter when usage is high and water freezes over) comes from burning coal etc. It's a myth than electricity is always clean and green.

Gas is cheaper than electricity. And it's harder to control heat on the heating pans for cooking.

This post has been edited by wornbook: Sep 28 2007, 11:11 AM

You're discounting the time needed to get to the wharf. For some, even in the Eastern suburbs, it takes quite a while to get the wharf if you don't have a car (and it costs more $$$ as well).

Depends on your definition of a lot. By Malaysian standards it's a lot, by NZ standards, not so much. Fruit-pickers are paid between minimum wage (now $10+ I think) to $15 (if you're lucky) per hour. It's a seasonal job so you can't depend on it for long-term income. Tax is 19.8% on every dollar earned... you do the maths.

Yup, safer for students. Though some students have been known to set kitchens on fire with electric stoves as well. Bottom line is, always be careful in the kitchen.


2 weeks mid-semester break each semester, one 3 week break between semesters. And of course, the long summer break (mid-Nov to late Feb). Med school might be different though, especially since you're in the clinical years.
It depends on how much is sufficient for you. An important thing to remember is to never count on supporting yourself entirely on part-time work over here. All sorts of contingencies might happen, and your No. 1 duty is to study... Not easy to work and study at the same time, you are doing med after all.

Auckland has a Chinatown? The way it looks sometimes, Auckland could be in Asia itself. Anyway, NZ isn't like some other countries - you should be able to find jobs easily without resorting to getting bullied by Chinatown restaurants. When you get here, just register for Student Job Search to look for jobs. www.sjs.co.nz.

EmperorMeng,

Not everyone is doing engineering. For some people, holidays are for holidays. Btw, did you manage to get a job in NZ or are you going back for industrial training?

If you do industrial training here, the pay will easily cover for rent/other expenses. Average pay is $15 per hour from what I hear, and as a full time job, it comes to quite a substantial amount. Compare that with the measly few hundred RM you'll get for industrial training in M'sia. And if you get a good firm, chances are they'll employ you after graduation. It can get pretty competitive though... But I'm assuming you're a PR since you take NZ govt loan. That will make things easier.

Whether you can work here after your MBA depends on whether you get a job. At the moment, all NZ graduates a granted a 6-month work visa on application. If you do get a job within six months, they'll grant you a permanent work visa. I believe the job has to be full-time and related in some way to your course (with an MBA that should be too difficult to comply with). Once you find a permanent job and work for about 2 years, you'll be able to apply for PR. Then you can work full-time/part-time/ not work while you study... what ever suits you.

If you don't go down the job/PR route but instead start your PhD immediately after your MBA, you'll be on an international student visa which only allows you to work up to 20 hours a week. Note that PhDs students are only charged local fees.

IMHO, slightly easier than Auckland cos there's no interview. 90% average in first year health science will pretty much guarantee you a place (unless your UMAT is atrocious), but not so in Auckland. The threshold is actually lower than that, but because of the international student quota (mostly taken up by govt scholars from Saudi and Malaysia), it can get tight.

No idea about Australia. A word of advice, if you manage to get into an Australian uni, just go. You don't want to risk wasting a year if you don't get into an NZ programme.

More like 1500 students (the numbers increase each year) and 150 med school places - at least for Otago. Note that some of the 150 places go to graduate students. The numbers for international students are also different because of the quotas. Say they admit 30 international students into 2nd year each year. Of those 30, a large majority of places are taken up by pre-approved govt scholars based on agreement between their respective govts and the uni. That leaves a handful, and I mean a handful, for private fee-paying international students.

On IMU, neither Otago nor Auckland allow unsuccessful health science students to enter their clinical schools from IMU. You only get one shot at it, unless you try for graduate entry.