Okay, so this might be one of my last few posts from New Zealand! Everything's coming to a close, just tackled those awful last internal assignments. Hopefully, they’ll be good enough to pass my two internal papers and give me good enough marks so the exams wont be as stressful.
So I've just been procrastinating all day downloading music videos, thinking of all the people back home who i cant wait to see when i return and watching Big Brother’s 10th anniversary shows on 4OD cause they havn’t uploaded the opening show yet!!! Grrr! My first exam is in less than a week, you’d think i’d be more panicked but sadly no. I’m kinda over uni. It’s been a long year, 2nd and 3rd year just seem like a combined mess with weird summer holidays, maybe when i get home it will feel more like an actual summer.
Massey University has also been doing my nut in recently. I guess seen as this is a blog about my time on an exchange with this university I should evaluate some things. Basically the accommodation services here are pretty crap. First of all when I was trying to decide where to live before coming here there is little pictures of the rooms that you have to scrutinize to get any sort of indication what its like.
Then, I found out I was in the non-drinking hall. Which turned out to be not as bad as I thought, however it wasn’t exactly party central most of the time. Then when applying for accommodation the next semester I find that i get no special circumstances because I am in as what they class a “returning student”. Fuck off. I’ve hardly been here half a year. So for second semester I tried applying for the accommodation that was for mature students.
Sadly, I never got offered living in these apartments, which would have been fine. BUT and BIG BUT, the accommodation services here at Massey lost my application form and had forgotten all about my application. I’m currently living in the courts which look more like a low-key prison, with their breeze block walls and poor design and bars outside the windows. Maybe I'm exaggerating slightly due to my anger with the accommodation services.. but I think I have the right to so if you’re thinking of coming to Massey, pester accommodation services and apply to Atawhai or Tararua or Rhuahine. They’re all good choices for International Students!!! Big fairly spacious rooms with your own sinks and nice living areas between about 6 residents.
Palmerston North as a city is alright, just fairly dull really, there’s not a huge amount of culture or things to do and see here. I would say if you have the choice to study in Wellington or Auckland go for it. Coz they’re both awesome. It’s obvious when you travel New Zealand and people ask where you’re living and you say “Palmy”, people either say “poor you” or “oh well that's not the best part of New Zealand” ha ha I know sadly. But yeah, the university itself is really good, the ecology lecturers here are very enthusiastic, helpful and approachable. I’ve also really enjoyed most of my papers here and not resented any of them really, yeah maybe the ones with 8am lectures and ones with field trips in my semester break, but all in all they’ve been pretty sweet.
Okay I think i’m gonna give up on evaluating the university and so on. But I thought I’d give an honest and hopefully helpful opinion for people who are thinking of coming to Massey, Palmerston North on an Exchange or Studying Programme etc! There are some fantastic people that you’ll meet here i’m sure, just like anywhere i guess!
Here’s some photos that i’ve totally forgotten about on my phone or some newies!
