Sofiya Mohamad Nizam

Why did you choose to come to UC? 

I’ve always wanted to study in New Zealand, and when I saw that my home university had a transfer programme with UC, I discovered that UC is one of the finest universities in New Zealand. That also fulfilled my desire to study at a top university.

What is the education like at UC?

It’s very different from Malaysia. It’s a different lecture structure here, so it lets you focus in on your specialty subject area. It helps me dive deeper into and really understand a lot more about that subject, which is exactly what I wanted.

What do you like about your degree and major at UC? 

Accounting helps people learn about finance, taxation, auditing, and also fundamental law. With that knowledge, you have a lot of career options. You can even choose to be a business owner. Every company needs an accountant. It’s flexible, so I can work in any industry. My workload is not huge or overwhelming, so I can easily manage all my courses.

What is the support like for international students at UC Business School? 

The UC Business School Internationalisation Team is really helpful. I asked a lot of questions before even coming to UC, and they helped me with everything. If you have a thousand questions, they will answer them all.

They also hold meet-up sessions for international students, which helped me meet people from other countries and learn about other cultures. I met a lot of friends there. I also joined the UniLife programme and met a lot of people through that. We do a lot of activities, like ice skating.

How do you find life in Christchurch? 

What I like most about Christchurch is the beautiful scenery and landscapes. There are a lot of beaches and lots of places to go hiking. Christchurch is also one of New Zealand’s largest cities, so it has a lot of museums, galleries, and cafes. I enjoy exploring them on weekends with my friends.

What do you enjoy doing when you are not studying? 

I love travelling and taking road trips around New Zealand. There’s a lot of beautiful scenery to see along the drives. My friend and I went to Queenstown, where we did the zipline and the luge. It was really fun. During the semester break, I went to Wellington for the Bersatu Games, a sport festival for Malaysian students in New Zealand. I also participate in casual futsal.

What benefits does your part-time work provide? 

Working part-time helps me earn some extra income, which is always nice. It also helps me be more disciplined with my time.

I’m grateful that UC provides recorded lectures for students to help them catch up on their studies. It doesn’t feel like a burden to work part-time because I don’t have to worry about missing the lectures. I can catch up with the recorded lectures when it suits.

Any advice for other international students? 

Don’t be afraid to approach people. You can’t always expect people to come to you, but don’t be afraid to talk to them. Everyone at UC is really friendly – the staff, the lecturers, the international team. It’s easy to meet people and get help when you need it