Name of the University: Auckland Names of the students: Exchange semester: University of Technology (AUT) Spring 2010 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 30-50 students. During class the students sit at circular tables and the main focus is to have interactive classes. Students are expected to contribute 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. The number of international students is high 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 e-mail. 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. Patrick experienced some difficulties with his visa application and got it just in time for departure. It is advisable to start this process as soon as possible. Patrick got his travel ticket from Kilroy. They give you a student discount and are rather helpful in setting up your travel route. Patrick was quite satisfied in terms of the good deal he got. Fredrik ordered his ticket three weeks before departure and found cheaper tickets than Kilroy online, we later discovered that this made the journey even longer so Kilroy is probably worth the extra money. In addition, Kilroy gives you the opportunity to change your travel route and dates. This is an advantage as our exam dates got changed and we finished the semester almost two weeks before planned. 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. The North Island has many great places to visit which are reachable by car, car rental and hostels are cheap. We went on a lot of weekend trips with our friends. Academic Calendar Fredrik’s arrival date was February 14th and Patrick’s was February 18th. The official Orientation Week was 1st – 12th of March, but the International and Exchange orientation started on the 18th of February with registration, lunch, etc. The first day of semester was 1st of March and the last day of classes was 12 weeks later on the 5th of June. The examination period was from 10th – 26th of June. There was a two-week mid-semester break from the 2th of April – 17th 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 moved 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. You need an insurance, it is easier to buy a New Zealand based insurance instead of a Norwegian one. If you buy a Norwegian one be sure to bring all necessary policy documentation. 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. We met most of our friends at WSA (student apartments). 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. If you for some reason have any problems with your flatmates you should complain to the reception. They will sort it out or move you to another flat. Fredrik experienced problems with one of his flatmates, this got sorted out after complaining. We would also like to mention that the rules and regulations at WSA are strict and you will get fined for breaking them. For example noise ban after 2300 hours. For more information about WSA: http://www.aut.ac.nz/students/student_services/accommodation_services/aut_accommodation /wellesley_student_apartments.htm Costs The rent at WSA is depending on the room size but the standard room is about 14 000 kr for the whole semester. Be sure the room-size you pay for is the room you get. Fredrik had to pay 3000 kr more than Patrick for a smaller room. 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. 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). Some of the employees at the international are very welcoming and including. WSA (student apartments) are very social and this is where we met most of our friends. In addition they hosted a lot of activities in the courtyard. The courtyard was very social and there was always something going on, like ping pong, volleyball etc. We had the time of our lives in Auckland! Culture and Language We had hardly any problems with the language and we 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 (not Patrick), skydiving, white and black water rafting etc. Travelling is cheap, but activities can be expensive. 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. We experienced some difficulties with an Indian teacher which had, in our opinion, a very old fashion way of teaching. When questioned he got angry and upset and was not interested in discussing the matter. He also expressed openly in class his attitude against students from the western world as lazy and spoiled. You get to know your lecture and the same lecturer will grade you. The overall level of study was similar to the level at BI, but at AUT we had mid- semester 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. 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, Fredrik: Course name: 467958 Logistics and Supply chain management 366602 Management Accounting 395001 Fundamentals of finance Prereq. Exam Major at BI None Assignment Economics none Written Economics none Economics Written Approved as Logistikk Operativ økonomistyring Finans Human resources none Assignment and Written Economics Organinsjonsledelse psykologi og HRM Description of Courses, Patrick: Course name: Prereq. 486662/10 Marketing Research None Economics of firm &consumer behavior None Exam Major at BI Multiple choice And written economics Written economics Approved as Elective MET 2360 Anvendt Mikro Description of Courses, both Patrick and Fredrik: Course name: 467958 Logistics and Supply chain management 366602 Management Accounting Prereq. Exam Major at BI None Assignment Economics none Written Economics Approved as Logistikk Operativ økonomistyring 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. Fredrik_frb@hotmail.com Patricklyche@hotmail.com Best Regards Patrick Lyche and Fredrik Bråten.