Student Report
Name of the University: Auckland University of Technology
Exchange semester: Fall 2013
I. PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Before leaving Norway
We received several emails from the international office at BI and from on of the exchange
coordinators at AUT. They were very helpful and gave us a smooth application process. We
received these preparation notes on email starting at the end of April:
1. Preparation Note 1 : Your Visa
2. Preparation Note 2: Your Accommodation
3. Preparation Note 3: Your Insurance
4. Preparation Note 4: Your courses
Applying for a visa
All documents including your original passport, proof of financial support (you can download
this from laanekassen.no) and offer of place, needs to be sent to the New Zealand embassy in
London. The procedure took about two weeks before I had my visa. A visa application form
needs to be filled out along with your attached documents and passport. The fee was
approximately 120 GDB. The international office and the AUT student coordinator was most
helpful answering any questions we had about the application.
Booking plain tickets should be done as quickly as possible to get the best prices and short
traveling time. I paid 12990 NOK for return tickets. If you are lucky, you can get them to 89000 NOK. In my experience, booking your tickets prior to your visa application is not
necessary, even though the receipt is listed as a required document to you visa application.
You should contact the embassy if you prefer a specific duration to your VISA or have any
other questions.
Housing
We applied for WSA student accommodation. The building is owned by the university itself. I
had a terrific time living there and it is the best place to get to know other students. However,
it is not the cheapest option. I found it more expensive than what I paid for my previous
student apartment in Stavanger. You can get cheaper accommodation looking for private
apartments yourself.
WSA will give you the choice of paying the rental fees monthly or all at once. The cheapest
option is to pay all at once. The contract is for 18 weeks but if you need to stay at WSA
outside the contract period, it will cost you another $40 per day. The apartment is in good
condition and includes five bedrooms, a microwave and a fridge that you will have to share
with your flat mates.
Costs
The general costs of living is cheaper than in Norway especially eating and drinking out.
Academic books was at the same price levels than in Norway. There is an option of buying
second handed books in the beginning of the semester. This should be done as soon as you get
to NZ as they run out of stock quite fast. You will need to pay for internet and printing. $5
should cover your internet needs for the entire semester.
Culture and language
We did not have any problems with culture or language during the semester. We developed
our English and learned so much about different cultures all over the world, not just the native
Maori culture.
In the beginning of the semester the ISSS is having the Noho Marae weekend, which is an
event hosted by the Maori at AUT for all international students. This is a very good way to get
to know other international students. The event is about Maori culture, friendship, singing,
dancing and lots of food. Highly recommended
II. ABOUT THE SCHOOL
The AUT Wellesley (City) Campus is located in the city centre of Auckland only 5 – 10
minutes away from sights such as Albert Park, Queen Street, the Viaduct Harbour, Skytower
and the Auckland Domain.
You have access to everything you need at campus including bookstore, food court, gym,
student bar (Vesbar), and health and student services.
The university has many faculties whereas most of them have their own building either at
Wellesley Campus in the City or Akoronga Campus on North Shore. The Business School
building (WF Building) is located at the Wellesley Campus in a new modern building from
2005. Classes are in classrooms with a capacity of approximately 30 students.
The Business School is one of the largest faculties at AUT with 4 400 full-time students
where most of them are undergraduate students. There is about 20 – 30 exchange students
each semester but the number of international students is even higher.
For more information about the Business School, visit the Auckland University of
Technology website: http://www.aut.ac.nz/
Academic calendar
Arrival date:
First day of the semester:
Last day of classes:
Any special events/holidays:
2 July
25th July
15 november, incl
examination dates
September 9 – 15
November
Social activities
In the beginning of the semester, AUT arranged several activites such as Noho Marea and
orientation week. The international office at AUT invited us to a business luch at skytower as
a welcome and to meet the other exchange students. Otherwise most of the activities was
organized by students. There were no problems to get in touch with other students, as there is
always something going on at WSA. We did several short and long roadtrips during
weekends, visiting other cities and doing activites.
III. ACADEMICS
In the classroom
The courses are taught in English and there was no problem understanding the professors
during lectures. The level of study in the Bachelor Programs is approximately the same as BI
although the workload during the semester with compulsory assignments, quizzes and midterm exams is bigger at AUT. The teaching is primarily theoretical but there are some case
studies or problem solving in most classes. The fact that the teaching is more classroom-based
than lectures makes the relationships between the professors and students more casual. The
students are seated at round tables in the classrooms which encourage both social and
professional interaction and cooperation.
Exams
The exams only accounted for about 50-60 % of the final grade. The other 40-60 % is done
through the workshop, with presentations and internal assignments. I did not find it harder
than BI, but more intens. The lectures ran for 12 weeks followed by exams(around 2 weeks).
There were several assignments in every paper that counted on the final grade. in some papers
there was an internal assessment every week. It could be a quiz (online or in the classroom),
written report, presentation or a mid term exam. In some exams there also were multiple
choice questions mixed with short and long answers.
Description of courses
Strategic
Management
467943
Bachelor
3 hour written exam 50
%
Internal assessment 50
%
3 hour written exam 60
%
Internal assessment 40
%
3 hour written exam 50
%
Internal assessment 50
%
3 hour written exam 50
%
Internal assessment 50
%
compulsiv
e
Level 7
Hard
Corporate Finance
396002
Bachelor
elective
Level 6
Medium
Investment and
portfolio analysis
396003
Bachelor
Elective
Level 6
Medium
Personal Finance
396006
Bachelor
Elective
Level 6
Medium
Contemporary
Issues in
International
Accounting
368209
Sustainability
Accounting &
Reporting
368211
Economics for
Business
378901
Master
Internal Assessment
100 %
Elective
Level 8
Medium
Master
Internal Assessment
100 %
Elective
Level 8
Medium
Master
3 hour written exam 50
%
Internal assessment 50
%
3 hour written exam 50
%
Internal assessment 50
%
Elective
Level 8
Medium
Specia Topic:
Current Issues in
Management
Accounting
478214
Master
Elective
Level 8
Hard
On a final note, how will you sum up the exchange experience?
New Zealand is definitely one of the most beautiful countries in the world. The best way to
explore NZ is by renting a car or a van and go on road trips. We explored much of the north
and south island this way. During our travels we did activates such as bungee jumping, white
and black water rafting, kayaking and hiking. For the semester break, we decided to go to Fiji,
highly recommended to visit the Fiji islands. We met so many amazing people and gained
new friends from all over the world. We increased our understanding on different cultures and
the English language. This exchange has given us many great experiences, but most of all
strengthening our future carrer possibilities.
Don’t hesitate to get in touch with us throught the International office at BI if you have any
questions about your exchange. We will gladly share our experiences about our amazing trip
abroad.