I am pursuing a masters degree here at University of Waikato and am an international student. While the campus and location is nothing special, the opportunity to study in New Zealand is unparalleled. With a central location in Hamilton, it is easy to explore (if you have a car) much of the North Island from here.

My program is largely self-guided, so if you are not a strong independent worker, then it is not the program for you. You will need to know how to ask questions of both your professors and school administrators. However, I thrive in an independent environment and I have an incredibly supportive thesis supervisor, so this university was a great fit for me! I get to study exactly what I want to be studying, and I have the academic support to do so.

If you are also an international student, be warned that there is next to no financial support options for you to attend uni here. I got very lucky and received the *only* scholarship I was eligible for but it did not cover much, and I have not been able to apply for university funding for my research either. Other than that, my academic experience has been quite positive!