Massey (New Zealand) vs. Edinburgh

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Hello,

I've been accepted into Massey vet school in New Zealand and the University of Edinburgh vet school and I'm trying to decide whether to go half way around the world east or west.

I wanted to post here to see if anyone had any advice or insider information about the differences between the schools academically or cost-wise or location-wise or anything-wise?

Thanks very much.

 

[annaig]

Holy smokes! Congrats!

One big thing to consider is the strength of the dollar. Historically, the pound has been much stronger, while the AUD has been slightly weaker, than the dollar.

 

[hendo]

Weather might also be an issue, but then again, you'll probably be stuck in your little vet cave studying all day anyway, so probably not too big of a deal.

I've heard stories of the the gloomy cloudy weather getting to American students...

 

[laurafinn]

I don't know anything about Edinburgh, but I'm happy to answer a few questions about Massey.

Rent here is very low - say US$300 a month to share a house in the best neighborhood, even less if you want to live in the student ghetto. Other costs of living are comparable or a little higher than the US. There's not a lot of shopping in Palmerston North, so you don't end up wantonly spending money, except if you like to drink 🙂

Palmerston North is a regional farming center of 75,000 people. It would never be described as cosmopolitan, but there are a decent number of ethnic restaurants, an 8-screen movie theatre, a bowling alley, a big swimming pool complex and an extensive park along the river.

New Zealand does feel very far away from the rest of the world sometimes. This can be good or bad.

If you like outdoor activities, Massey is a great choice. Lots of hiking really close by, and the school has an active alpine club that schedules weekend hikes, camping, etc. Skiing is a 2-3 hour drive, the Tasman Sea is a 30-40 minute drive.

The New Zealand dollar (not Australian dollar - oh, the horror!) is very volatile, and has been at a historic high against the US dollar lately. That said, every currency has been high against the US dollar lately.

Is Massey still grandfathering tuition? If so, that's a pretty good deal - you don't have to worry about them raising tuition every year, the only difference year-to-year will be the exchange rate.

 

[lazyjayn]

gloomy weather at which school? Palmerston north's pretty dreary and damp- and neither country's known for its love of central heating...

I guess it comes down to what you like- europe's right there for breaks and summer, if you go to scotland, and e-burgh is a freaking cool city. palmy is a small city a two hour bus or train ride to the nearest real cultural center, and a 4 hour flight to Oz, or a 14+ hour flight to just about anywhere else.

j.

 

[hendo]

Gloomy weather in Scotland. Look at the average days of rainfall there...Pretty much, every other day it rains... New Zealand sounds pretty sweet IMO.

 

[laurafinn]

Gloomy weather in Scotland. Look at the average days of rainfall there...Pretty much, every other day it rains... New Zealand sounds pretty sweet IMO.

I was curious about this, so I asked Dr. Google:

Wellington, New Zealand climate: http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/world/city_guides/results.shtml?tt=TT003150
(Bear in mind, this is southern hemisphere, so July is the dead of winter.)

Edinburgh, Scotland climate:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/world/city_guides/results.shtml?tt=TT003780

Basically, Edinburgh is about 5 degrees (Celsius) cooler than Palmerston North in the winter. Both have about the same amount of overcast hours during the winter. Edinburgh is more overcast than Palmerston North during the summer. Palmerston North gets more rain throughout the year than Edinburgh.

There is a reason New Zealand is called Aotearoa, or Land of the Long White Cloud, in Maori. 🙂

 

[Pouches Rock]

Can any of the current students at new zealand or edinburgh students discuss the test format and how grades are distributed throughout the semester?

I have heard stories that other countries have really different styles of grading and testing. In particular someone said that glasgow had oral and long essay questions with a single test accounting for 85% of your grade.

Additionaly please look up SAD or seasonal affective disorder which is a concern if you move from a sunnier location to a gloomier. I actually moved from gloomy to sunny and found that I felt much better emotionally and actually came out of my shell socially 😀.

 

[lazyjayn]

re: massey- The impression I got from my flatmates (who are both, I believe, fifth years this year- doing clinicals now) was that the test/ grade schedule was about the same as for the rest of the school- only some classes were two semesters, so they'd have midterms at semester break, and finals at the end of the year.

for more specifics, the MUVSA site has the course descriptions and requirements, expectations and grade breakdown- usually under learning outcomes in the different year's pages..

Keep in mind that while a 50% is usually the lower cut off for a C, it's usually 80% cumulative final.

Oh, and as far as how the tests are run.... you remember taking the SAT? where they read the rules to you, and some stranger walks around the whole time making sure no one does anything wrong? in some random classroom you've probably never seen before? Yeah, like that.

j.

 

[Massey2ndyear]

A few things to consider:

-The exchange rate was great a couple of years ago, but now the NZD seems to float between 0.75 and 0.80 USD, which makes a difference of a few thousand $$ depending on when you pay tuition! However, it is nice that it's grandfathered (I think) so the amount in NZD doesn't change once you enter the program.

-The cost of living in Palmerston is definitely pretty reasonable, as the previous post said you can share for pretty cheap or get a place by yourself for about $400-$450 US/month. All the extras, phone/internet/HEAT add up though, so that's one downside of not having roommates to split it with. Probably cheaper than Edinburgh, and maybe it makes up for the difference in flight costs to go home.

-Vehicles are pretty affordable here, just get something with good fuel economy as gas is more than we're used to paying for at home, however it's not like you end up driving a ton.


- Activities outside of school: reasonably accessible. Remember, most vet schools tend to be close to farmlandy areas, which generally aren't known for their recreation opportunities, so PN is probably about average. And I don't know about other folks, but I tend to have spend lots of time studying on weekends!

-The climate here is really moderate. It occasionally freezes overnight in the dead of winter, we never have snow, but there are a few months of the year where it is very grey and damp for long stretches of time. I miss the seasonality that you might get more of in Edinburgh, but on the other hand it's very easy to get around etc. all year here but it seems very bland weather-wise. Although I am watching it pour rain right now, we have just finished nearly six weeks of stellar weather, and I think have worn shorts to school almost every day since school started at the end of February.

I applied to Massey and got in right away, so I never caught one of the regular application cycles for the UK schools once I had found out about the AVMA schools outside of N.America, plus everyone I knew who had been to NZ had loved it (note: they spent most of their time on the south island!).

Things I think would be better going to Edinburgh:
-cheaper flights home
-if you plan to go back home for the summer break, at least you get summer rather than being on the perma-winter plan like we are.
-easier to bring pets
-more summer work opportunities since you would be in sync with the school year in N. America

Remember, there are worse decisions to have to make than having two great opportunities in front of you. There are things that frustrate me here, but I am overall happy to be at vet school and I think it is really what you make of it.

 

[Manda89]

Hi, Im a first year vet student at Edinburgh so maybe I can help if you have any questions?

First of all, Im going to say come to Edinburgh!!! Because like all (or so i imagine!!) vet students, I am extremely biased and love my uni far more than I believe I could love any other (as I said, biased but true!). Im just about to finish my first year, with only exams in May left to stop me.. :S

It doesn't actually rain that much here - really. Hardly at all in fact, so much so that I was suprised. Think its been a lucky year and starting to think its a bit of a misconception.. (though it does seem to rain on most equine practicals!) but its really not that bad. Cold perhaps, but o-so beautiful that you don't notice. Edinburgh is a city literally surrounded by mountains and absolutely stunning (im sure N.Z is too, but trust me, dont believe its all gloom in Scotland because its not!!)

Very sorry for the short post but Im in the middle of lambing EMS and its gone 11pm here and I need sleep!! (Wales since Im home for the holidays and Im guessing you're American and on a different time zone?! I dont normally use this forum - I use a British one but this came up on google!!)

I can post how all our exams are spaced out and marked through the year if you would like so you could compare? In all honesty Im sure it doesnt vary massively between unis - ultimately its a vet med degree and thats synonymous with a lot of work!! But a hell of a lot of fun!

So again, sorry for the brevity of this, feel free to post qus and i'll help as much as I can! Edinburgh all the way tho!!!!