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University Days
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Here are my ten favourite reasons why I loved Otago.
 A few were omitted for their complete irrelevance, (in my humble opinion you can‘t beat an Otago boy or a mid-afternoon beer at Gardies) but seeing as many of you will be tossing and turning about which uni to head to next year, I thought I would stick to as many practical choices as possible. Here is my shameless plug for the best UNI IN THE WORLD!!
1. The 10 min city
 In Dunedin it’s pretty much ten minutes to anywhere. No that doesn’t mean I was some rich kid who could fork out hundreds for inner city living. Believe me, I was as poor as the next guy. It’s just that Dunedin isn’t that big and the student population has held hostage over the area surrounding the campus and the city for years. This means it’s a ten minute walk to a lecture, your favourite bar, your mate’s flat, the grocery store or the gym. Ahh the sleep ins!
2. New mates
It’s easy to stay in the same city and hang out with the same friends you went to high school with, but at 18 do you really want to start limiting yourself? I made friends with people who were from towns I never knew existed and was forced to re evaluate the stereotypes I had of people from different places, which I am forever thankful for. Also all those buddies come in handy when you decide to go on a road trip and you have no where to stay.
3. The halls
 You get to eat, sleep, do laundry, watch TV and handle a 2am fire alarm with 250 people who are as lost without their mothers as you are. Believe me, my first year in the hall was one of the best of my life. Never again has dinner time been so funny or a Tuesday night turned into a 5am blinder. You will meet people who will change the way you think, try things you never thought you would and have the time of your life while you are at it. (My personal choice is Arana, but each to their own!)
4. An education
Oh yeah, the education. It says a lot about somebody when they can move out of mum and dad’s home, deal with their post high school freedom and new found love for sleeping in, while still studying and getting a degree. I think that’s what they are talking about when they say Otago University students have a ‘maturity’ about them. There are so many things to study and all the courses are flexible enough that it’s not a worry if you change your mind.
 5. 20,000 people your age in your suburb
Dunedin, like I already said, is a small city so when you throw in 20,000 students into it for eight months a year, it makes an impact. Young people are everywhere and the city caters to our every need. Student discounts, cheap drinks and dining on a shoestring are the way of life. This really helps when you’re living on a student budget.
6. After lecture activities
Once you are at Otago, you get free gym membership and access to all sorts of sports, clubs and societies. I can highly recommend the University Games as one week of pure madness with all the other unis in New Zealand. Believe me when I say there are more clubs you can join than you can shake a stick at. (I would say there were 15 clubs with names I couldn’t even pronounce). Once you leave uni you’ll pay four times as much to enjoy the same pleasures but that’s a whole different issue altogether.
7. OUSA (Otago University Student Association)
Orientation Week alone is enough to fork out your student fees for. It’s a week filled with toga and foam parties for the freshers (1st year students) and a week full of good bands and house parties for the more experienced uni goers. The student association also puts on heaps of gigs throughout the year which are super cheap because hey, you’re a student!
8. Flatting
Like all good things, living in the halls must come to an end. As much as I loved the lifestyle I was pleased when second year brought along with it my first year of flatting. I’ll be the first to admit that me and my five other girlfriends had no idea what we were doing. Who knew driers were so damn expensive? But when you live on the same street as half your mates and your favourite bar you can’t help but have a fantastic time. Not to mention a year filled with flat warmings!
9. The library
 Now how does a library make my top ten list you ask. Easy, this is no ordinary library, this is a building plucked out of the future and planted in the middle of campus. This is the main place to ‘study’ and can otherwise be known as the ‘sober pub’. It’s got super speedy internet access for the obligatory email to the rellies and is out rightly the number one place to go babe spotting.
10. To say I did it
Watch the glimmer come across someone’s eye when they mention they went to Dunedin. It’s almost like you are asking them about their first love. Once you leave you will meet so many people who had the same experiences as you did and will be more than willing to spend hours yarning to you about it. You’re only young once!
To get a more official take on things check out the Otago University website.
Andrea |
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