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Today we bring you another story from The University of Auckland, New Zealand. Also, called the land of the mystical culture of Maori Tribe. The experience is about Rohan Khanna, alumni of IP University who decided to try his luck in New Zealand. Let’s read what he has to offer you all from his experience.
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“After my graduation in 2019, I knew I wanted to move abroad for my further education but did not know where. I applied at various universities in the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand but later on decided to stick to New Zealand only. In New Zealand, I applied at the University of Auckland, Auckland University of Technology, Waikato University and Victoria University. I was interested in LLM in Corporate and Commercial Law, which is a Level 9 course in NZ and provided me with the advantage of 3 years of stay post completion of LLM. It was the primary factor why I decided to go to NZ and also, the fact that immigration policy is comparatively more straightforward.
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I got offers from various universities but chose the University of Auckland as it is one of the most prominent universities with law school right across the main campus and highly reputed. Also, it accommodates students from various ethnicities which made it an International university in real sense. The duration of the course is approximately ten months for international students and is highly intensive research. The best part was that it did not require work experience as entry criteria and offered flexibility to choose the research topics (at least 4) of their interest. I chose commercial law as my field of research due to my previous experience in Intellectual Property Law. Also, since the degree is research-oriented, my grades depend upon projects, research material, dissertation and submissions. In future, I wish to register myself with the Bar Council of New Zealand as a solicitor. For the same, one needs to get their degree approved by the bar council and then appear for the necessary exams. Although, I plan to apply for the exam after attaining the work experience as an Advisor. The basic salary offered to an NZ Advisor is 50-55000 NZ dollars per annum at the beginners level.
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The process for the visa is straightforward. I had to pay my entire tuition fee in one go at university. The only issue I faced was the waiting period. I applied somewhere in December, and my visa arrived in February. So the waiting period was around two months and quite tedious. I highly advise people to apply for an NZ visa for at least two months in advance. It usually does not take this much time, but you never know. New Zealand is a very welcoming country. The flight to NZ takes around 18 to 19 hours, which was very difficult for me to bear. The first phrase I learned upon reaching here was ‘KIA ORA’, meaning ‘Hello’ in the Maori language. One can experience a bit of cultural shock, but that does not last long, especially in a country like NZ, where the presence of Indian culture is in abundance, and people too are friendly. There are plenty of Indian restaurants in NZ and especially in Auckland. To name a few Paradise Restaurant, Shubh Restaurant (in Auckland suburbs). Near the campus area too, the restaurants are cheap, and there are also many places where you can get special student discounts and affordable lunch options like a platter in 5 NZD. In Sandringham, we have a South-East Asian market where you get a mix of Asian foods and grocery shops owned by Indians. Here you can find the Indian masalas as well.
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I am currently in India as I came for vacations before the lockdown was announced. Now, there are travel restrictions between the two countries due to the Pandemic outbreak, but I will be travelling soon once the limits are removed. I am too excited to go back and see what is next in store for me there”.
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