Kia Ora Everyone!
It's weird to think that I am almost toward the end of my journey here in beautiful Aotearoa (New Zealand). So far, I have finished the last of my finals and I am happy to say that I am officially on winter break even if it is summer back at home. For those who are thinking about studying abroad in New Zealand, here is my rundown about the classes I took so you know what to expect. Finance 251 (BUS314) Final is 60% of your grade My lecturer first said about this class that the midterm was a sprint and the final was a marathon. Her last statement about the final being a marathon was no joke. Usually, I don't struggle on exams but this time, it was a little more intense than I expected but still do-able. However, I must warn you that the lecturer's office hours are limited and given that there are more than 150 students panicking, getting help was scarce. On piazza which is the site we use to ask questions to the lecturer and the TA's, they did not answer questions or any emails a week before the exam meaning that everyone had to fend for themselves. However, we did get two practice exams that added up to about 90 questions which was a lot to take in content wise but if you remembered certain questions in those practice exams, you can ace some parts of the final. On the other hand, we were graded on a midterm and an assignment worth 20%. The midterm was a walk in the park compared to the final given that it was multiple choice but the assignment was a monster in itself. Just like the final, everyone panicked about the assignment but I think the key was just doing it ahead of time. Since I came during office hours a week before the assignment due date to clarify some parts of the assignment, I actually helped the lecturer to catch a mistake since he did not provide a key piece of information to completing the assignment. After seeing him and getting all my questions answered, I did the assignment and managed to pass by with an A for it. Despite all the challenging things I've said about the course, it is doable provided you constantly study! ACTG 222 (ACC 409) Final is 60% of your grade This class had nothing to do with numbers, it was more so about being able to explain certain business processes along with being able to utilize accounting information systems. Since New Zealand doesn't use Quickbooks or Sage like in the U.S., we alternatively got to try out MYOB and Xero which are New Zealand's most used AIS (Accounting Information Systems). As long as you understood the concepts taught in the course, the class is very manageable. One thing I would like to note though is that the textbook really helped me for this class so I encourage you to buy the textbook. In regards to the final, the lecturer gave us specific topics to study on which very much helped the class and it was similar to the midterm so we kind of knew what to expect format wise. MKTG 201 (MKTG 312) Final is 50% of your grade This class believe it or not had four lecturers which meant that we got quadruple the help during office hours, email and Piazza. Their responses were unbelievably quick and I think they did a fantastic job in really helping students to learn the basics of marketing. A lot of content was given throughout all the lectures so be prepared to memorize a lot. However, the midterm and final are all essay based questions so we knew what to expect. Just a tip for both the midterm and final but remember to write the definition of key concept words, even if it doesn't explicitly say it in the instructions. That is actually how I got marked down for my midterm which made me salty but I still ended up with a B+ for that midterm. Kapa Haka 151 (Final is 40% of your grade) -Maori Dance Class My most favorite class where I am not required to sit in a chair. This class is only one day out of the week but lasts three hours. In this class, you can expect to make friends since a lot of study abroad students take this class. Additionally, if you are a guy, you get the fun part of doing hakas which are dances that require lots of movement and loud singing (almost screaming). If you are a girl, you get to learn the more gentle songs and the poi (ball on the string used in Kapa Haka). While I really wished I could have been a guy to do the haka part, it was just so fun coming together and performing different songs as a collective. Grades wise, you are assessed two times on your performance of the same pieces and the final is all written so its just a matter of memorizing content and giving your interpretation about Kapa Haka. Also, if you want to let off some steam, this is your kind of class. You don't know how relaxing it was for me to attend a business lecture and then come to this class to sing and dance. It makes you forget that you were even at school! It is now time for me to wrap up and get packing so I'll be seeing everyone back home soon! Cheers, Melissa
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Hi Guys! This week and last week flew by so fast! One moment, I was in Australia and the next week, I'm taking my last midterm. I find it so weird that some of my friends are taking their finals while I'm sitting here taking my midterm. However, now that all my midterms are over, I can now enjoy some time at they gym! UOA's gym compared to UH's gym is slightly smaller. Despite having more than two floors at the gym in UOA, the space on each floor is much smaller. Additionally, there is no indoor track at UOA like we have at UH so I'm sad that I don't have that luxury of running around the whole place. Especially since its almost winter, it gets a little chilly running around outside. However, they got lots of treadmills there so that's a huge plus. However, I think the best part about the UOA is their classes! Below is a picture of their class schedule and just note, the classes here are free for UOA students! So far, I have attended pump, kickboxing, spin and core class. Here are my thoughts of what I felt about these classes.
Pump: This class gets very crowded so be sure to come a little earlier before class starts. They supply you with weights, benches and dumbbells to do all the workouts. However, just keep in mind that if you have not worked out prior, you will be struggling with the group. But that's just the process of exercising. Everyone will be at their own pace but you get to decide what weights you want to lift. You work out major arm, leg and core muscles which I found to be super helpful! For me, I would say this is just as equally fun as kickboxing. Kickboxing: For this class, I would recommend bringing a friend with you! A lot of the exercises require you to be with a partner so I brought Sam to this class. Since it was both our first time, we learned lots of different moves and the best part is that you get to punch things. It's definitely a good stress reliever after a long day studying and it gets your arms moving. A lot of the exercises focused on agility as well as power so if you into improving those abilities, be sure to check out this class! Spin: This was the first spin class I ever took and I can say that cycling is still a struggle for me since I found the seat very uncomfortable due to my small stature when exercising. Despite this, the instructor was really motivating and tries to get you to increase the resistance in the foot pedals so you really push yourself to the music. My takeaway from this class is that the effort you put in is the effort you get out of it! Core: Taking this class was like a walk in the park and then a sprint and then a walk again... When you first start, the instructor makes you listen to peaceful music as you stretch out your body. However, after 10 minutes in, the real workout begins where you are holding your core for so long that it starts to hurt. Then you do even more intense core workouts to the point where you want to just lie down and take a break. After what had seemed like forever, the workout is done and you are back to stretching and relaxing your body. This was a really short class and I would recommend doing it if you are low on time! Other Tips about the Gym -Lockers are free to use however, you need to bring your own lock -Dance classes are also offered for free as well -For a certain price, you can pay to have your own personal trainer. My friend actually did this and she worked out once a week with her trainer and even got a diet schedule to follow. -There is a designated area in the gym that is girls only if you don't feel like working out next to guys With that, those are the main things to know about the UOA gym! Now, I'm off to my first yoga class so I'll see everyone soon! Cheers! Melissa Kia Ora! This week as well as last week has been pretty hectic. So far, I've had my marketing midterm last week and let me tell you...it was not as bad provided you studied well and understand the content. Here are some tips before heading to your first exam at UOA! 1. Know the location of your test room! Since the classes here have so much people, various test rooms are allocated so students won't be cramped in the lecture hall when taking their test. Depending on the letter of your last name, you may or may not be sitting in the lecture hall for the test. For myself, I ended up heading to a different building to take my test. I went there 30 minutes early and I ended up panicking since I almost could not find my testing room. So unless you know where your testing room is, be sure to allocate time to finding it! 2. Reading Time Reading time was really weird for me since we don't have this at UH. Before you start the exam, you are allowed to look over the test and ask any questions you may have. However, you are not allowed to write in any shape or form. After that time period is up, you are on your own. Since my test was a written exam, it bothered me that I wasn't even allowed to brainstorm ideas on paper so I sat there just trying to figure out what to write in my head. 3. Just study!!!!! When it came to studying for this marketing test, I definitely used Quizlet and made sure to study everything I was given in at least four days in advance. That way, my brain could retain all the information. After taking this written test, I was relieved to say that the questions were fair game and I was able to get all my answers written on that paper with only ten seconds to spare! Now that I've finished one exam, I've got my Kapa Haka exam and my intimidating finance exam coming up next week! A lot of this week has been dedicated to finance since some of the content is still new to me! However, I won't let that stop me from getting a good grade! Additionally, I have practiced Kapa Haka everyday which includes doing poi drills! Poi requires lots of wrist movement to handle and is similarly used in some hula dances back home. Here is a picture of it below!! Wish me luck on the rest of my midterms!!
-Mel Hi guys! Here is how classes are going so far
1. Kapa Haka This class is once a week but however lasts three hours. Since this class requires you to constantly sing and dance, time will fly by fast, trust me. Just note that if you do take this class, you will be memorizing at least one song/dance per week. It was really daunting since dancing is not my expertise, but I am managing... so far! 2. Marketing 201 I can't believe time flew by so fast because I already have a test worth 20% of my grade coming up for next week. There was one practice exam given but the expectations here are higher since you have to memorize a lot more concepts! 3. Finance 251 Be prepared to memorize a lot of equations! Some of the content taught in the first weeks is review but soon after, you will dive into more equations and new information! I would say right now, this is my hardest class 4. Accounting 222 This class is currently teaching me how to use MYOB, which is New Zealand's version of an AIS. Additionally, this class is more so focused on the textbook content so be sure to read up on the book when it comes to the exams! Hi guys!
I finished up my first week of classes and I wanted to give you a little overview of what my classes are like here at UOA. 1. Canvas & Piazza Canvas is your equivalent to Laulima. Make sure you check it daily to see notes, quizzes, assignments and other documents. On the other hand, Piazza is a site that allows you to communicate to other students in the classroom and post questions that the teacher and your classmates can see. I found piazza helpful so if you have any questions, post it on the site and you'll get a response in no time 2. Final Exams Majority of my exams are heavily weighted compared to UH. Two of my final exams are worth 60% while the other two classes are worth 50%. For most of the Uni classes, attendance doesn't count towards your grade since the lecture hall is massive and majority of the lectures are recorded. However, that doesn't make it a reason for me to skip out on learning!! 3. Words to remember at Uni
4. Textbooks & Course books Kia Ora Everyone!
This week flew by so fast that I can't believe that I'm starting school tomorrow! So much has happened in a week and I learned a lot after arriving here. Below are a few main points and stories I would like to share with you all! Tip #1: Make sure to sort out your phone plan before arriving to New Zealand For me, I went with T-mobile as my carrier since they have a plan that offers unlimited data, texting and 25 cents per minute of calling. Other options could be getting a SIM card on your own or opting for a SIM card plan with the University but it takes a couple of days to get that set up. That's why I would go with T-mobile since you already have what you need the moment you arrive. When I first arrived to NZ, I was supposed to be picked up by the University of Auckland shuttle and taken to my residence hall (free of charge). All you have to do is fill out a form prior to arrival and they will pick you up at the airport. However, when me and some other exchange students arrived, no one was there to pick us up so I ended up making a phone call to them and eventually someone arrived. However, upon arriving to the Huia Residence, no one was there to check us in so I had to make at least eight phone calls until I could find someone to get in contact with our residence. So just be prepared to make phone calls when you arrive. Despite myself notifying the Huia Residence about my arrival time (mine's was 1 in the morning), be sure to ask a day before your arrival who the RA might be. That way, you can shoot them a Facebook message and they'll come downstairs to check you in if your flight comes in really late at night. That night, me and my friend Hannah honestly thought we were going to sleep in the lobby since no one was there to check us in. But once we got our rooms, we ate shawarmas 2 in the morning afterward, had a good laugh about our stressful day and called it a night Tip #2: The pros and cons of the Huia Residence Pros
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June 2019
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