Name of the University:
Names of the students:
Exchange semester:
Auckland University of Technology (AUT)
Merete Håvik Løken and Kajsa Kristensen
Spring 2009
I GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL
General Information about the School
The AUT City Campus (Wellesley) is located in the city centre of Auckland. You have
access to everything you need in only a short walking distance, and the campus is only 5
– 10 minutes away from sights such as Queen Street, the Viaduct Harbour, Albert Park
and the Auckland Domain.
You have access to almost everything you need at campus. This includes a bookstore, a
food court, several cafés, a gym, the student bar called Vesbar, and also 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. During class the students sit at circular tables and the main focus is to have
interactive classes. Students are expected to contribute actively in class and to discuss
subjects of interest openly with the members of the table and the lecturer.
The Business School is one of the largest faculties at AUT with about 4 300 full-time
students whereas most of them are undergraduate students. There are 22 exchange
students this semester but the number of international students is even higher due to study
abroad students. As mentioned, AUT has in total a great number of different faculties,
something that gives countless options in education direction and area.
II PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Information before you left
I received an informal acceptance e-mail in August and the information package with the
formal acceptance letter arrived in November.
Roger Stokell, the exchange coordinator at AUT sent very useful information about
insurance, visa application, course enrolments and accommodation frequently through email. He is very helpful and approachable. His e-mail is: roger.stokell@aut.ac.nz
The AUT web page can be somewhat difficult to use as guidance when it comes to
seeking information about the school, but except from this I experienced no difficulties.
Visa Procedure and travel experiences
Information about the Study Visa was sent by Roger Stokell through e-mail. The
application and guidelines can be downloaded from:
http://www.immigration.govt.nz/migrant/stream/study/
The application, together with the passport and other appendices, had to be sent to the
New Zealand embassy in The Hague, Netherlands or to the embassy in London, UK. The
visa was 100 EURO and the process was fairly easy but time consuming. Kajsa
experienced some difficulties as the embassy in The Hague closed in late December and
the papers got sent to London in stead. However, the only consequence of this was that it
took longer time before she received her visa.
Both of us got our travel ticket from Kilroy. They give you a student discount and are
rather helpful in setting up your travel route. I am quite satisfied in terms of the good deal
I got, whereas Kajsa is not equally satisfied. We did, however, experience some
difficulties when we wanted to change our return flights, but luckily it got sorted in the
end. To go on exchange gives you a great opportunity to visit and experience other
countries and cultures, and I recommend everyone to travel before and after the
exchange.
Academic Calendar
My arrival date was February 15th and Kajsa’s was February 13th. The official Orientation
Week was 2nd – 13th of March, but the International and Exchange orientation started on
the 23rd of February with registration, lunch, etc.
The first day of semester was 2nd of March and the last day of classes was 12 weeks later
on the 5th of June. The examination period was from 10th – 25th of June. There was a twoweek mid-semester break from the 11th of April – 25th of April.
The academic calendar can be downloaded from:
http://www.aut.ac.nz/about/news_and_information/academic_calendar/
Reception
Roger Stokell was given the details of my arrival and he explained all the options on
arrival. We both stayed at a hostel the first week since we could not move in to the
student apartment right away. We took a shuttle bus there, but it can be arranged that
someone from AUT picks you up. We were to register at Roger Stokell’s office as soon
as possible to get our student ID cards and all other relevant information. The
international office at the Business School was well prepared for our arrival and they
arranged a business lunch for the exchange students alone at Skytower.
The International Office at AUT was also prepared with different events for International
Students. Some of the students at AUT were mentors, something that can be compared to
being a “fadder” back in Norway. However, their main task was to show us around
campus, give us necessary information and to be available for questions of any character.
There was hardly any social activities arranged, something that made it harder to get to
know people compared to in Norway where “fadderuka” makes this a lot easier.
However, there were several happenings on campus where you got the opportunity to
meet new people.
Housing
We had to find our own housing but Roger sent an information e-mail about all my
options and recommendations. Both of us decided to stay at Wellesley Student
Apartments (WSA) on campus since it is convenient in terms of its location and there are
many students living there and it is very social. The standard is pretty good and usually
five students share one apartment with two bathrooms, one kitchen, one living room and
individual bedrooms. I would gladly recommend this accommodation alternative to other
students.
For more information about WSA:
http://www.aut.ac.nz/students/student_services/accommodation_services/aut_accommod
ation/wellesley_student_apartments.htm
Costs
The rent at WSA is depending on the room size but the standard room is $ 177 per week.
Books were at the same price as in Norway but used books can be bought cheaper at
Volume One bookstore next to campus or through students (check the notice boards in
the Business Building). All other living and recreation expenses are less than in Norway,
approximately 2/3 of the price.
The International Office
There is both an AUT International Office and an International Exchange Office at the
Business School. Roger Stokell from the Business School International Office is
responsible for incoming exchange students. Roger Stokell gave us most of the relevant
information we needed, however the AUT International Office (ISSS) is also very
helpful.
Exchange promotion
In order to promote exchange to Norway we attended the exchange fair at AUT in March.
This was an informal event, for new students to drop in and find out about exchanges at
AUT, and it was a good opportunity to tell people about Norway and BI.
Social Activities
It is very easy to meet and get to know other students through O-Week and especially
through International Student events. We got to know both local and international
students from all around the world. There is always something happening either at WSA
or events hosted by AuSM (Auckland Student Movement, the student organization at
AUT). We had the time of our lives in Auckland!
Culture and Language
I had hardly any problems with the language and I felt like my English developed and got
better for every day. We both learned a lot about the New Zealand and other countries
cultures, it was incredible interesting and informative.
The ISSS are having Noho Marea in the beginning of the semester, which is an event for
international students hosted by the Maoris at AUT. It was a lot of fun learning about the
Maori culture and meeting even more international students.
New Zealand is best experienced through road trips. It is easy to rent a car with fellow
students and drive around both the North and South island experiencing fantastic nature,
amazing people and a lot of activities such as bungee jumping, skydiving, white and
black water rafting, etc. It is very recommendable to travel to the Pacific Islands and
explore the world down-under!
Cultural and Social Effects from the Exchange Experience
We both learned a lot and got to admire the New Zealand culture. What I appreciate even
more is the cultural diversity of my new friends from both New Zealand and all around
the world. I learned a lot about myself and developed friendships for life. The whole
exchange experience was amazing and I think I can speak for both of us when I say we
had the time of our lives.
For future career possibilities an exchange will do nothing but improve your possibilities.
It shows that you are independent, and understand cultures and cultural bonds in an
increasingly international world. It will for sure give you competitive advantages when
seeking a new job.
III ACADEMIC INFORMATION
The Teaching situation
The courses where taught in English. There was mostly easy to understand the professors
during lectures. However, when they used terminology related to some of the academic
topics, we had some challenges getting it. Still, the lecturers where very friendly and
were happy to answer any questions.
The overall level of study was similar to the level at BI, but at AUT we had midsemester assignments in all the courses in addition to online activities. The teaching
methods were different than what we were used to. Learning by doing was more valued
at AUT, since group based assignments, presentations and more real-life assignments
were standard in most courses. We experienced a closer and more interactive relationship
with the lecturers, which might have been a result of how the students were seated. That
is, at round tables. The students were more outgoing and more eager to participate in
discussions than what we were used to from BI. They were easy to get to know, very
friendly and open minded. When it came to presentations they were generally very
confident and capable.
The teaching is primarily theoretical, but with a more practical and real- life turn on all
the assignments. In most classes the professors used a mix between lectures, group work
and cases. Never the less the workload was heavier than what we were used to. Several
assignments, presentations and weekly online tasks made us work hard throughout the
semester.
Required Literature
All the literature was in English, but the level was similar to what we were used to. We
had no difficulties understanding it. The literature was used both for detailed knowledge
and for a broad overview, depending on the course. Still, the exams where primarily
based on the compulsorily books and articles.
Exams
The overall grade in each course was based on assignments, online tasks, presentations
and the final exam. In most cases the final exam counted for 50% of the grade. The
grading system was quite different, ranging from A- D. In order to pass you needed a C
minus, which was considered a pretty bad grade. The final exams differed from course to
course; some were case based while others were multiple choices. The knowledge level
needed for the finals was high in almost all the courses. However, a study guide handed
out in the beginning of the semester provided us with the necessary information about the
knowledge required.
Other
All students have access to both the library and it’s resources. We had some difficulties
with navigating through the e-sources online, but the librarians were more than willing to
help us. The computers at AUT were very accessible, but during the times of assignment
dues we needed to book in advance. However, that was easily done online. IT was a very
integrated part of studying most of all since the information was accessible at AUTonline.
We needed to get updated every other day in order to check for any changes or
mandatory information. The other students were more familiar with all the possibilities of
different softwares, which showed during presentations and hand ins. All in all IT,
computers and internet were highly integrated in the studying.
Description of Courses, Kajsa:
Course name:
386626/10
Advertising and
Media planning
487965/10
Strategic Brand
Management
487972/10
Customer
Relationship
Management
Prereq.
Exam
None
Written
Advertising
Written
and creativity,
or Marketing
management
Marketing
Management
Case,
Written
Major at BI
Approved as
Marketing
Communications
Elective
Marketing
Communications
Elective
Marketing
Elective
Communications
Description of Courses, Merete:
Course name:
Prereq.
Exam
Major at BI
Approved as
366602 Management
Accounting
475110 &
475120 or
364100 &
364101 or
equivalent
Written
International
Business
BØK 2302
Elective
467943 Strategic
Management
None
Written
(Case)
International
Business
STR 2400
Elective
486665 Negotiation
None
Written
International
Business
SPÅ 2402
Elective
Major at BI
Approved as
Description of Courses, both Kajsa and Merete:
Course name:
Prereq.
486662/10
Marketing Research
None
Exam
Multiple choice
And written
Marketing
Communications
& International
Business
Elective
MET 2360
Names and e-mails:
If you want to know more feel free to email us at any time. We will be more than happy to answer
any questions.
Kajsa.kristensen@gmail.com
merete.loken@gmail.com
Best Regards
Kajsa Kristensen and Merete Håvik Løken