New Zealand has one of the best educational systems in the world. With top-of-the-line universities and different undergrad and postgrad degree programs, the country for its continuous investment in education. Every day new educational reforms and policies to increase the ratio of international students in the country.
New Zealand also has a high tolerance and acceptance rate for other cultures. International students should feel right at home with friendly people and a laid-back environment if they want to pass the study permit by the government of New Zealand. You will require quite a few other documents, such as your high-school transcript, acceptance letter from the university you have applied to, and proof of finances for your tuition fee and accommodation.
These formalities will help you get an instant visa into the country. Once you are in the country, you will settle into your campus accommodation. As an international student, quite a few shocks are coming your way from here. What are those shortcomings or issues that one might face when studying in New Zealand?
Culture difference
There is no doubt that when a person shifts from one culture to another, there is always a shock. But most of the students that have shifted to New Zealand for studies have reported feeling a huge difference in the culture. Especially for students traveling from Asia. There is a significant variance from the laid-back attitude of the people of New Zealand to the up-tight calculated, and disciplined aura of the Asians. Of course, there can be many conflicting traditions, and sometimes you might find yourself lost and confused in the crowd, but there is a simple solution for it.
Since the people of New Zealand are friendly and kind, you can easily befriend a native and be accustomed to the culture and norms. You can understand why the people are the way they are and how you can also become a part of their society. Eventually, you will realize how easy it is to settle in this metropolitan country.
Finances
Everything is very costly for international students, from the tuition fee to the living cost, transportation, and visa. New Zealand has a very high stand of living and the students from the high prices. Unlike other countries, New Zealand doesn’t provide student discounts and coupons.
There aren’t student loans given to international students, and the student visa provided to you only allows you 20 hours a week job. This is incredibly challenging if you have limited funds. The cost of living in New Zealand for an international student is twice that it is for regular students.
The tuition fees are also thrice the amount it is for the native-speaking students. International students are always on a budget, and it can become pretty stressful and depressing if you are not financially stable in New Zealand. Moreover, international students also at times take Assignment Writing Help.
Homesick
Most of the students complain about being homesick as changing their entire culture is a challenging thing. The international students have felt welcome in New Zealand, but nothing can beat the feeling of homesickness. A student might even end up depressed and then lose their sleep. Eventually, they will not have any motivation to work hard on their studies.
One of the most recommended solutions for this problem would be to keep a good schedule. For example, every time you get a holiday from your university, you can return to your hometown for a quick break. Meet your family and friends. This way, you won’t feel homesick. Also, you can try to make a robust support system in the country to reduce the feeling of loneliness.
Language barrier
The language barrier is a real issue when it comes to problems for international students. You do not want to be stuck in a place where you can’t communicate with anyone. This can affect your studies significantly. So before you think about getting your degree from the universities of New Zealand, you need to be familiar with the language.
You should be fluent in English and should be able to read and write your lessons, coursework, and papers. If you feel you do not have the time to be fluent in English before you apply, you can take some courses once you enter the country. Meanwhile, you will have to take some writing services to cover your course work, such as assignment writing services or essay writing services.
Such services are affordable and can be an excellent assistance for you while you get acquainted with the language.
Distractions
There is nothing worse than by a new place, especially for a student that has paid thousands of dollars for their degree. Sometimes it’s new friends, or sometimes it is a new culture that attracts you. It could simply be New Zealand and its beautiful scenery. The country has many tourist spots that can be distracting for students.
The best way to deal with distractions is to limit the amount of entertainment you have, keep all the extracurricular activities for the weekend. You spend your free days exploring new places and making new friends but do not let your weekday busy schedule by these interruptions.
Student Visa
The visa you will apply for will take 8 weeks to start processing and sometimes even more. This is because you will have to take care of many formalities, which is a lot of time and energy consumption. In addition, you have to present many documents to the government of New Zealand to get into the country. Therefore, once you are in the country, you need to be up to date with your visa process. Renew your passport and visa when required because even the tiniest mistake can lead you to back to your country.
After all that hard work, you wouldn’t want to back midway through your degree program. But, unfortunately, one of the biggest mistakes the international students make is not keeping up with their visa formalities and lands them in a difficult position.
