See other experiences from UC International students.
How has your time at UC been?聽
It鈥檚 been very good. I鈥檝e had a lot of support from TAs, lecturers, and staff. The equipment is great; I have access to lots of facilities with tools and fun things to play with. The UC Student Association is awesome, and I鈥檓 in a lot of clubs. It鈥檚 been a very active and social experience, but also very calming because life in New Zealand is pretty relaxing.
What do you like most about studying Mechatronics at UC?聽
All the projects. They鈥檙e very challenging but it鈥檚 fun to learn new stuff, meet new people, and try to solve problems. We just finished Robocup, where we design an autonomous robot to go around an arena and collect weight. It was a full year course, we had 6-7 months to develop our idea for the competition. It was very fun!
Are there any support services that you found particularly helpful?聽
The EngMe programme for first-year students is great. Older students come in and guide us through some initial situations that first years will have. It鈥檚 nice to hear about other鈥檚 lives and situations. I lived in the halls, and there are a lot of support systems there to help guide us. UC鈥檚 international team is also very helpful.
How do you find life in New Zealand?
New Zealand is much calmer and quieter compared to Vietnam. It鈥檚 a lot more relaxing, and not stressful. I love going out into nature and having a little walk around. Nature here is just amazing, it鈥檚 not as hard to get to places as it is in Vietnam, and it鈥檚 not as crowded.
Are you involved in any clubs?聽
I鈥檓 in the UC Aerospace Club. In our first year, we built and launched a model rocket in teams. It was really fun. I learned a lot about rockets and it was a successful launch for us.
The club also has a lot of tutorials, which helps me with my study. Being in the club is great because it lets me put things that I鈥檝e learned in class into practice.
What internships or other hands-on experiences have you found at UC?
I have a summer internship with the Electrical and Power Centre at UC. I鈥檒l be working on a big student project doing programming and math to help with building their project. 聽
I鈥檝e also been to workshop training where we learn how to work with heavy machinery. The machines can be intimidating, so we have a chance to get familiar with them. It prepares me for using them in the real-world.
Would you recommend UC to other international students?聽
Based on my own great experience, all the support available, and the wonderful facilities, I would absolutely recommend UC!
