What Students Say
Likes
- The teaching method is very much interactive.
- The also give us recordings of lectures so when a doubt arises, I can refer them
- The University provides free medical attention to students
Dislikes
- Some lecturers are out of reach after the session like even through emails they don't respond quicker.
- The university accommodation is quite costly.
- The fee also gets increased every year
Course Curriculum
10
- I would say a mix of both the things you learn in class; you have to apply them while doing assignments. Also, we receive readings for the lectures way before the class and that makes us prepare for the session and the after-class recordings clear up the doubt if we had any.
- The positive aspect is that we get to work in groups, which may help us in a work environment where teamwork is mandatory. Also, for my course, there are no exams, only assignments, in-class quizes and video presentations. So, we don't have to memorize anything; only when we understand the concept of things will we be able to perform well.
Admission Experience
- In New Zealand, I applied for only one other college, the Massey University, apart from Waikato and I got an offer letter from there way before. But the course I asked for was not registered by the university from this year.So, I had to choose Waikato. I haven't applied to any other universities here but the documents you submit and the year gap play a major role in getting an offer letter.
- I got two offers from the MAssey and Waikato. I found two universities as quite good but wanted to go for Massey because it's in Auckland but as my course was not registered, I chose Waikato instead. The admission process includes me submitting all my academic documents from higher secondary to my bachelor's degree certificates that are semester-wise. Also, any other courses or classes you have done after the completion of your studies. If you did work, then the 6-month paycheck and your employment certificate or any internship certificates. If there is a year gap, we have clearly mentioned what the reason is when we do the statement of purpose while applying.
- So, once you get the offer letter, the next process is submitting the proof of funds, like if you are self-paying your parents account statements, the source of income and the source of the fund and you also have to do a CA certificate to show that I can manage my time here without any issues. If you go for a loan, then the loan sanction letter is a must. The accepted exams for New Zealand are GMAT and IELTS. I did IELTS, so I know only about this. For each, listening, Speaking and writing should be above 6.0 and the overall should be above 6.5. As I was getting a loan from the loan, the process at the end became quite difficult. I got the visa-in approval from the NZ embassy, but the bank said they would only give the loan after I got the visa, but in reality, I had to pay the fee to get the visa. I was running back and forth convincing the bank about this and it took me 10 days to get my loan sanctioned. Apart from that, every other process was fine for me.
- I applied for the July intake and things influenced, i would say, the course discontinuation by the Massey University and I was forced to take the next intake because I had everything prepared for the visa process for the Massey University. So, for me, I applied to the university and I got the offer letter within two weeks.
- Then I applied for the visa and I took around 1 month of time because they do background checks on each and every document we send. So, we have to be patient at this point. Then I got the visa-in approval, that is, once I pay the fee, I will receive the visa. After paying the fee, I got my visa in the next two weeks.
Class Schedule
10
- Like for my previous trimester, I had 4 classes a week each on a different day, but only on Thursdays I had two classes. Each lecture is a 3-hour session.
- But this trimester I only have 2 classes per week and a project discussion per week that's about 2 hours. The average number of people attending my class would be close to 200 and the number of Indians is more than half of it.
Faculty
10
- I haven't seen much faculty but that doesn't affect the standards of education they provide. Each and every faculty member is friendly and is ready to help us in any situation during their office hours too.
- The teaching method is PowerPoint and in-class examples so after explaining a concept, the faculty asks us to consider a similar situation happening and make us work in groups to get a clear picture of the concept.
- By doing this, I think we get a different perspective of things from various people, which further makes us understand things.
Campus Life
8
- There are two campuses for the University of Waikato, one in Tauranga and the other in Hamilton.
- The campus has facilities like a library, bus stops, gym, laundry, indoor basketball court, rubgy ground, cafes, restaurants and also free Wi-Fi throughout the campus.
- The university conducts many job fairs for students who come here even for part-time too and I have seen that it has been really helpful to many students.
Part Time Jobs
- The university doesn't help with the placement opportunities; they only conduct some fairs and it may or may not be helpful to us. Like 1 or 2 students per batch is securing a TA position as far as I have seen.
- On-campus, there aren't any you have to try off-campus. I don't know about the wage range for TA positions. For part-timers, the minimum pay is NZ$23 with tax and students can only work 20 hours per week in part-time jobs. But during vacation, its fine to work full time, which is 40 hours per week. It's difficult to secure a job on campus.
- The minimum hourly pay is NZ$23 so the average will be $23 for students. Its based on luck securing a job; some may get it soon and some may search for 2 months and get one. The usual process is to search for jobs using job portals or company websites. Once we find an opening, we have to fill out the application with our resume and cover letter. Then, if they are happy with our application, we will get an interview call and after 2 weeks, we will be notified about the job.
Placement
4
- Within 6 months, it has become quite difficult because of the job market here but you will get a job.
- The salary for full-time ranges from 28-30 as for starters and I think its a good salary to begin with. The campus recruitments and placements can be found here; we have to search for jobs and internships all by ourselves here.
- I am new here and from my batch, no one has completed the course to get a full-time opportunity.
Accommodation
Off Campus
8
- I opted out for off-campus accommodation since its much cheaper. So, I started searching my online platforms and then I set up a viewing and saw the room. For the first week I searched, mostly the rooms were far from the university. So, then I started searching using Facebook Marketplace, and I searched using the close radius option and got a room near the university after 2 weeks of searching.
- The rent here is paid weekly, so its NZ$180 preweek, which includes the kitchen, washing machine and electricity. For Wi-Fi and gas bills, it will cost another 50-60 extra. Mostly, as far i have seen, Indians stay close to the university for quite some time, and then if they buy a car or something, they go a little further so the rent is a little cheaper there.
Exams
- IELTS or GMAT is required. The preference is ours. The necessary documents are our academic certificates, SOP, and CV; that's all to get the offer letter.
- Then proof of funds, CA certificate, PCC certificate, medical certificate, and the proof of any old passports if we have any. They said there would be a possibility of an interview but luckily I didn't get one.
Fees
- So my full course tuition fee is NZ$54,418.The college charged yearly based and also the course I chose was an 180-credit course. So, the fee is high compared to other courses or universities.
- I am not in the university accommodation, so my weekly rent is NZ$180 and the bond amount is NZ$672.
- For transport, I use a bus card and I have a student concession for every trip. i pay NZ$1.20 For wifi, it's usually NZ$25 and for gas & electricity, its $50 (it may differ as per the usage). For groceries weekly, it would be around NZ$50 ( I'm saying the minimum)
Scholarship
- No, I was late applying and getting my offer letter. So, I couldn't get the scholarship here.
- There is a scholarship here and its about NZ$1800 from each trimester, if I remember correctly. I don't know the exact number of people receiving scholarships, but if you apply for it earlier, it's most likely you will receive it.
- Also, we have to pay an amount with our fee for our medical insurance so we will be treated free of charge throughout the period of our study without any cost.
