Australia or New Zealand

D

daskis

Active member
Hey guys!

I have the opportunity to study abroad next semester. I have to go to an English speaking country because of my major (Chemical Engineering). I've narrowed it down to New Zealand and Australia. There are a number of universities all over both where I can study. It's a tough decision. I need help. Australia or New Zealand, and any specific location? Thanks guys!
 
I'd say Australia for sure, my sister studied there (at Wollongong) and visited New Zealand and she was really happy with her choice. I also visited my brother a few months ago who also studied abroad in Austrailia (Griffith University in Gold Coast) and that place was amazing, I'd def. recommend it if it's one of your options
 
i studied abroad at victoria university in wellington, nz. it was one of the best times of my life. i highly recommend nz/wellington. otago in dunedin is another place i'd check out. spent some time down there as well and it's a fun town...much closer to skiing than welly if you're factoring that into your decision.
 
I've been to both, i would say definitley NZ. australia is rad, but NZ is everything australia is, but more. and its beautiful
 
if you can find somewhere in the queenstown/wanaka area go there. its one of the sickest places ive ever been. also north of auckland is awesome but its a ways away from any mountains. never been to aus so i cant speak for there but from what i hear the differences between australia and new zealand are very much comparable to the differences between canada and the us, nz being more like canada and aus being more like the us.
 
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If you like city life, partying,going to the beach, hitting clubs etc, go to australia.

If you like outdoors, fishing, skiing etc, even skateboarding is pretty good around wellington and auckland areas.

just my opinion tough.

 
If it was me I would go to New Zealand for sure. Actually as I'm typing this I'm having second thoughts. I don't know anymore, both are so sick.
 
I lived in Queensland Australia for 6 months and loved it. Its sunny pretty much everyday perfect temperatures and tons of stuff to do. Good bike trails, surfing, beaches, and the nightlife is real good too. And there are tons of great schools there.
 
My dad said new Zealand is just a smaller less fun version of Australia. But what does he know. He's in jail for double rape homicide. /claim
 
I went to Griffith university on the Gold Coast in Australia. It was an awesome time. Don't regret it for a second.

I can tell you though that living on Gold coast has its ups and downs. Beautiful beaches, awesome clubs and bars, great hikes and everything. But it has this sense about it where you could never call it your home. At least I couldn't. Everybody is transient to that place. That probably makes no sense but its the best description I can give.

I can also tell you that Griffith is a well respected school, but has very low expectations compared to american and canadian universities. I think that might be all Australian schools, but I found it super easy there.

If griffith is one of your choices send me a message and I can tell you more. I'll likely be going back for my masters in a couple years.
 
my bro went here, this school literally isn't real. Surfers walking through campus all day, even through the library. In the on campus housing (village) there's a big outdoor pool that everyone rages at, its straight out of the movies. One downside is that everything is so expensive in Gold Coast especially, but really throughout austrailia (not sure bout NZ)
 
haha I used to live in the village. and that water is toxic. You still swim in it when you're drunk but your head never goes under.
 
Wollongong pretty chill.

4.5 hours from the snow, easy access to so many good un-crowded south coast surf breaks and not a bad night life. Also just an hour from Sydney.

Definitely look into NZ though, everyone who i know who has been there loves it.
 
It would depend entirely on the unviersity and what touwn. Let me know what Australian Unis are in your choices and I can help you out with which are better/ which towns are more enjoyable. Personally I would go to an Australian university namely in Sydney or Melbourne. If you are going to go make sure you go to a bigger city. If you need any help feel free to PM me.
 
I'm going to Uni of Otago in Dunedin this February. Going to be taking the semester off after to ride my DH bike staying in the hostels around Queenstown.

I have been told that Uni of Otago has great student life.

NEW ZEALAND FO SHO!!

 
University of Newcastle Australia! Newcastle is the best city in Aus and don't listen to anyone else who says otherwise.
 
There are some kooks in this thread.

Don't listen to the guy who said Perth. Just don't.

I would recommend taking advantage of what Aus is known for (if you choose Aus) and go somewhere beachy. Like Goldcoast or Newcastle. I'm Aussie so im biased, but i've been to NZ countless times and it's so beautiful. You can't go wrong!
 
thats quite the decision, my cousin has been living in NZ for over a decade now and my one of my good buddies from high school now lives in australia. They both absolutely love it, so i don't really think you can go wrong either way!
 
Omg, somebody actually has seen the god damn show that posts on this site. Just read the thread and saw this. Seriously what I think of every time there's an Australia vs. New Zealand thread
 
Have a look at ANU in Canberra. Best university in Australia, according to most rankings, 2.5 hours from the snow, and considering you may well end up on-res its a good option, considering how many of its students live on campus. Also, Canberra has cheap booze compared to the major cities. It's where I go to uni, and I'm really enjoying it. feel free to PM me if you have any questions.
 
To be honest, i dont think you can go wrong. I finished my chemical engineering degree last year at UQ in Brisbane, Queensland (live here) and have been skiing in australia and nz.

On the skiing side of things, If by next semester, you mean around March - June 2013 and you want to actually do some skiing, i would recommend NZ as their early season snow is generally better than the Aussie early season (June-mid July). I would also say that NZ is usually a little more reliable for snow due to its lower latitude but for the last two seasons i think Australia has been the better option (however this was mainly due to good mid to late season snow falls). Completely agree with the dude who recommended the Queenstown/Wanaka area, love that place but im not sure there will be many uni's in the area that offer chem engg.

As for the engineering side of things, the universities in QLD are tailoring their chemical engineering degrees now to prepare people to work in the coal seam gas industry (similar to the natural gas/shale gas that you have in the US) and tend to be moving away from refining and heavy hydrocarbon production processes. I cannot speak for the NSW or VIC universities but they are considerably closer to the snow in Aus.

Locations that others have mentioned, every place is different and has its pros and cons, if you like beaches and city life i would recommend Brisbane as the Gold and Sunshine Coasts are both only an hours drive away and its a city of roughly 2.5 million people. Refer to other peoples recommendations for other cities as i dont really know enough to comment but I would recommend having a look into some Melbourne uni's as its a pretty cool city.

Thats just a few things, if you have any more questions just PM me,

 
But seriously, if you want to get any good snow then I would go New Zealand.

Skiing in Aus is fun but i guarantee New Zealand is a lot better!
 
Ah, I was looking at that school! They don't have Chemical Engineering though :(

Anyone know anything about University of Canterbury in NZ?

P.S. you guys aren't making this decision any easier haha. Thanks for all the input though :) You guys are awesome.
 
I was looking at Uni of Canterbury too but I was told the town is still wrecked from an earthquake that hit a few years ago. I don't know if it's actually true but that's what I've been told by other people in NZ.

 
it really depends what your looking for and what season you go in, if you want warm weather and nice beaches i would check out u melbourne and u sydney. if you want a more holistic environment i would check out u of auckland . both are great places, ive been and shredded in both countries so feel feel to ask me anything. U melbourne though is honestly WHERE ITS AT WHEN it comes to study abroad.
 
btw pm me if you got any questions regarding NZ i lived and worked and shreded there all summer and i can say that kiwi's (New Zealanders) are a lot more chill thans Aussies. No offense to aussies( australia is chill as fuck too).
 
Australia and New Zealand both ended up not being a match for the classes that my school requires me to take next semester. I found a school in Wales which is a good match. I'm just waiting to hear back. Hopefully all goes well and I'll have the opportunity to hang out in Europe and ski in the Alps :)
 
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