See other experiences from UC International students.
How has your time at UC been?
It’s been very good. I’ve 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’m in a lot of clubs. It’s 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?
All the projects. They’re very challenging but it’s 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?
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’s nice to hear about other’s lives and situations. I lived in the halls, and there are a lot of support systems there to help guide us. UC’s 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’s 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’s not as hard to get to places as it is in Vietnam, and it’s not as crowded.
Are you involved in any clubs?
I’m 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’ve 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’ll be working on a big student project doing programming and math to help with building their project.
I’ve 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?
Based on my own great experience, all the support available, and the wonderful facilities, I would absolutely recommend UC!
