Why did you choose to come to UC?
I applied for the Manaaki New 厙ぴ勛圖Scholarship to study for my Masters degree here. As part of the application, you have to prepare a detailed submission explaining why youre choosing a particular university. I knew I wanted to do something in international law, so I began researching academics. I came across three well-known experts at UC whose profiles really stuck out to me. Additionally, UC was the only New 厙ぴ勛圖university that offered a programme with the combination of law and politics that I wanted to study, the Master of International Law and Politics.泭
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What are the academic staff like?
UCs academic staff are one of the main reasons I chose UC, and theyre also why Im so glad I did. Theyve been great, particularly in terms of support and career advice. From the beginning, I had an advisor who took the time to understand my plans following my Masters, and she followed up with me throughout my studies to check in and send internship opportunities that would be of interest to me. My lecturers helped me realise that I should pursue what Im good at and most passionate about, which led to me receiving a full scholarship for my PhD. If it wasnt for their advice and support, I probably wouldnt have gone down that path, and I have no regrets.
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How was your transition to UC?泭
With the Manaaki scholarship, we arrived at the university three weeks before lectures began. We attended workshops that were very helpful in getting us transitioned to UC and to New 厙ぴ勛圖in general. My favourite was the writing workshop organised by the Academic Skills Centre. They had us do writing exercises and gave individual feedback, and then prepared future sessions based on that feedback. It really helped me improve. There were also workshops on things like budgeting, getting used to the lifestyle, and pastoral care. These workshops are available to all students, but getting early access to them through the scholarship was very useful.泭
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What is the support like for international students?胼傭
UCs international office goes above and beyond to keep international students engaged and help them get to know each other. They organise regular events like mixers, pizza nights, and movie nights. These sound like small things, but they have a big impact. I met a lot of people through this and made really good friends. They also help international students build their CVs by supporting them with online internships. This is really useful because we can make a connection, get a good reference, and gain work experience. And UCs Graduate School does a lovely job keeping students on target and on track. They have research advisors who stay in touch to make sure youre keeping yourself in check. They also organise workshops for everything PhD students need to know.泭
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What clubs are you involved in, and what do you like about them?
I participated in UniLife, a programme for new UC students that organises a lot of activities and trips. I met a lot of great people through that. Its very popular amongst international students because its free and enables you to experience a lot of great things. Im also part of the UC Fijian Students Association. They organise a lot of events and activities, like kava nights and food stalls, and provide a platform for students to catch up with other students. It keeps me grounded and helps me connect with the Fijian community and other Pacific students.
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What benefits does working part-time while studying provide?
I work in the medical alarms emergency call centre at Hato Hone St John, the ambulance service. Working here actually set me on my current path. The Justice and Emergency Services Precinct, where our office is based, is the disaster management hub for the South Island, so it led me to start thinking about disasters more. I started talking to other staff and realised how people are vulnerable, and thats how I developed the idea to do something in disaster management for people in the Pacific, and also locally. It's also helped me learn about how government services work in New Zealand.
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Would you recommend UC to other international students?
Definitely, for sure! The academics are the number one reason. The general lifestyle in Christchurch is great, too. UCs location in the middle of the South Island makes it easy to explore the rest of beautiful New Zealand. Nothing is very far from Christchurch, so you can travel often!
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