Hey guys! I have finally recovered from a treacherous week of tests and assignments. After several late nights, two orders of uber eats and the struggle that was POP111, I’ve made it out alive and I’m back to smooth sailing until the next beast of a test comes rolling – CHEM110 I am ready for you!

Anyhoo, you guys have presented me with heaps of fabulous questions, so many that I will answer all of them throughout my future blogs. So please enjoy the articulated goodness of dis blog, and chuck up a comment if you have any more queries!

So Auckland or Otago? I can honestly say, I was someone who was extremely indecisive about whether or not I wanted to go to Otago or the UoA – I even applied to Halls and courses in both places because I was that unsure. I was involved in programs with both Universities, so I found it super hard to choose between the two. However, there ended up being several reasons as to why chose Auckland over Otago:

• Closer to home – flights are so expensive from Dunedin all the way back to Gisborne. And sadly, money trees have not yet been discovered, and ain’t nothing wrong with some family visits!
  

  Flower hunting for Mum when she came up for Mothers day – definitely a day I would have missed with her if I was down south.

  
  

• Friends and my Boyfriend – I was fortunate enough to be involved in many UoA Programs for Maori students, and as a result I met my Boyfriend and many people I would call close friends that were going to Auckland Uni. Moving to a new place knowing that I would have like-minded friends working and living alongside me was comforting.
  
• MAPAS – As I mentioned in one of my previous blogs, MAPAS is a program that provides all kinds of support for Maori and Pacific students looking at a career in health at the UoA. I had heard amazing things about their support systems and their view on increasing the number of Maori and Pacific people in the Health Workforce. This resonated with me, and was a factor in my choosing.
  
  
  

  I was fortunate to be apart of the UoA Whakapiki Ake program, and through it I made good friends.

• Course difference – The UoA and Otago offer quite different Health Science Courses – for example at Otago you have to take a physics paper and there is a lot more weighting on UMAT – these were a couple of things that dictated my choosing. I also liked the idea that the UoA had an interview process, (even though I’ve heard it’s a bit intense) as it seems like a cool way of choosing what people would get into Medicine – not just looking directly at their grades, but considering the whole person to some degree. Entry into both courses is also different – for example, getting into Health Science at the UoA is based purely on you achieving University Entrance and a minimum Rank Score of 250. (P.S this is for NCEA not Cambridge or IB, and if you’re unsure of what a rank score is have a google search or ask your career adviser!)
  
  

  Me and my good friend Ayla that I met on a program called OUASSA down in Otago.

• I was awarded the UoA Maori Academic Excellence Scholarship – This scholarship pays for my Accommodation at University Hall for first year and provides my with some financial assistance in my second year of Uni. Therefore being awarded this scholarship played a big role in my choosing as it is a huge helping hand for my both me and my family.

So all in all, there were a range of things that pushed me towards Auckland, and they were all personal to me. So a word of advice when choosing, take a good look at not only the courses themselves, but also at your own personal situation – finances, family, friends and your own interests.
Until next time my fellow bloggies! xx

– Rebekah