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Today, we share the experience of a person who started with University precisely before the lockdown. Let us read her first-hand experience and see what surprises awaited during this new phase of her journey in the beautiful landscape of NEW ZEALAND.
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“Hi, guys. I am Sambhavi Mehtani, an LLB from Vivekananda Institute of Professional Studies, IP University. I am currently pursuing LLM in International Law from the University of Auckland. I was previously working as a Legal Researcher at the High Court of Delhi’.
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When I decided to continue my education journey abroad, New Zealand was my top priority because of the quality of education offered. Also, I opted for LLM in International Law as I did not wish to restrict myself to one nation. The application process was pretty simple and catered mainly to the academic background. Post application, it approximately took a month to get an offer from the University. Trust me it was a nerve-wracking experience considering that I had only applied at the University of Auckland. I got my conditional visa shortly and post-completion of other formalities, the final visa was also provided by New Zealand authorities in a short period. My advice to those planning to study in New Zealand, make your Visa SOP up to the mark. Every little detail matters but those details should be well constructed in the SOP. The New Zealand Immigration Department is super diligent, so be sure to mention all the right details!
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As soon as I landed in February 2020, the lockdown process was initiated. My entire first semester was Online. I did not stand a chance to interact with other classmates or take that in international class experience. In fact, after a while, it all got mechanical. Things become a little worrisome, especially when you have a baggage of expectations. When I was travelling, I was utterly excited about the University, Country, meeting new people and visiting new places. However, the COVID-19 pandemic derailed my train of expectations from its track.
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The curriculum is pretty different yet dynamic. The professors do pay extra attention to International students, and my personal experience with them all till date has been excellent. The professors used to call all international students up to check if we all are doing fine during the lockdown. As far as the course is concerned, LLM is essentially a research-based course and requires frequent library hours. Though the entire database of the library was made accessible online, studying online is very challenging for someone who has studied from books their entire life. It requires much practice to get used to the new mode of study, but it is not impossible. Also, to my luck, I was staying with my extended family, and that kept me sane. I could not even imagine living all alone in such scary times miles away from home. I sometimes get sad, wondering whether I would be able to meet my parents soon or not.
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Thankfully, the New Zealand government is prompt and diligent. Things are sort of back on track. I have started with one on one classes with social distancing measures in place. During the winter months, the temperature is freezing here and fluctuates somewhere between 7 to 4 degrees. It gets quite windy at times, so I would request others to pack clothes accordingly or buy them from here.
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Presently, I have started with my applications for part-time jobs as I wish to explore the country and learn more about the culture here. The country has great potential to offer and is extremely beautiful. After considering these factors, including investment, it is quite affordable to live here in comparison to many developed countries”.
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Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, Mental Health of an International student is highly disrupted. To create awareness on the same, MOWE in collaboration with Fortis Mental Healthcare is organising a Webinar on ‘Mental Health of an International Student’, and would like to extend the invitation to all University students, Academicians and Parents.
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The details for the Webinar are as follows:
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Date – 18th September 2020.
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Time- 06:00 PM to 07:00 PM IST.
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Topic- Mental Health of an International Student.
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Join us and see how the student’s like Sambhavi bravely dealt with the pandemic outbreak.
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