Have you ever wondered how your life would’ve turned out if you hadn’t made a certain decision? Where would you be? Who would you be?
Choosing where to go for University, at least for me, was one of those decisions. I struggled between staying in America, and majoring in Political Science, or coming to Auckland and pursuing Psychology. Obviously, as I am writing this post, it’s apparent what decision I ultimately made (UoA for the win !!!).
Do I wonder what would’ve happened if I’d stayed in America? Sometimes. But that’s where the perks of having a twin come in! Enter Sahithi, my twin sister (*cough* older only by seven minutes *cough*), who is currently earning her Bachelors in the States.
After having another one of our daily FaceTime calls, I decided I had to make a post about our different University experiences! So, here it is!
Okay, so one of the first things I noticed was the contrast in our living arrangements. At Whitaker, I get a room all to myself. Sahithi, on the other hand, has a roommate (Side note: I’ve met her. Megha is literal bae goals). As far as I know, most of the universities in America require their students to dorm with peers; some of my friends even live with two or three others.
#goals
While I personally wouldn’t give up my single room for anything, I can see the benefits of having a roommate. It teaches you how to compromise and work well with others. Not to mention, your roommate will probably be your first friend at University!
Sahithi’s and Megha’s room
Another difference is in how we party. Greek life is BIG in America so Sahithi and her friends often frequent fraternity houses. The generic attire to one of these parties seems to be a crop top with a plaid shirt and converses. In contrast, since the legal drinking age in New Zealand is eighteen, University students here “go to town” (clubbing). If you’re walking down Symonds Street on a Friday night, you’re bound to cross paths with various groups of girls, many clad in dresses and heels.
In America, they work on a 4.0 grading scale, which is illustrated below. While America’s letter grades go all the way down to F (which is failing), in New Zealand, a 1.0 equates to a C- and is the lowest passing grade one can get; anything a D+ and below is considered a fail.
Since we’re on the topic of grades, the ones I receive from final exams are worth so so much more than my sister’s. While her final exams are probably 20-30% of her final course grade, mine vary between 50-70%. Please help me boycott this as I cannot deal.
The number one difference that I’m grateful for though is the fact that lectures are recorded in New Zealand!!! I can’t count how many times I’ve woken up this semester and didn’t want to leave my bed and go to my morning lectures. See, if Sahithi were in the same position, she’d have forced herself to go so that she won’t miss any important material. But me? Sleeping in all day every day fam.
Of course, there’s other important disparities like tuition costs, football games vs. rugby games, the freaking metric system and US’s standard system; the list could go on forever!! But I’ll leave you here with these for now! Cheers xx
Two roads diverged in a wood. And I, I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference. – Robert Frost