Otago Halls of Residence

[Crucible]

It's such a relief knowing a few people. I'm soo excited but nervous about next year!

Me too!!! though I'm worried about how to use Dunedin buses and where all the shops are in Dunedin D:
I know Auckland inside and out soooo next year will be so different!

Haha, most people are shy on the first day, so they'll be happy if you sit next to them if they'r alone.

Honestly, just smile or laugh it'll help with the awkwardness.

Inb4 MSO uni meetup and no one shows up haha.

I honestly envy those really loud, outgoing people on the first day. I mean I can be loud and outgoing but only to my friends :/

Hahaha, really? Well, if we do have one next year you can be sure that I'll turn up- unless I get lost on campus or something Do you guys mind if I ask you to PM me your facebooks or I can PM you mine. It'd be awesome to just have a bunch of people at Otago on my contact list before next year
But if you'd rather not it's cool

 

[greenglacier]

Me too!!! though I'm worried about how to use Dunedin buses and where all the shops are in Dunedin D:

Shouldn't be too hard. Dunedin has the most fantastic layout for students - the uni campus is immediately surrounded on 3 sides by student suburbs (i.e. flats, halls of residence, and those crucial shops you always need - like the supermarket and fast food!), and on the 4th side by the central city (which is also the main shopping area). Means it's not too hard to find your way around and everything is within walking distance (so you don't need buses).

 

[sid_kudav]

Lol don't worry you're living in a hall you'll have tons of dunedin people on your contact list by the end of o-week haha.

 

[Crucible]

Shouldn't be too hard. Dunedin has the most fantastic layout for students - the uni campus is immediately surrounded on 3 sides by student suburbs (i.e. flats, halls of residence, and those crucial shops you always need - like the supermarket and fast food!), and on the 4th side by the central city (which is also the main shopping area). Means it's not too hard to find your way around and everything is within walking distance (so you don't need buses).

Oh, awesome!!!! Hahah I'll be too broke for fast food So it's a small city, not like Auckland then???

Lol don't worry you're living in a hall you'll have tons of dunedin people on your contact list by the end of o-week haha.

Let's hope so then

Oh and by the way I know people usually move in on the 18th of Feb but would I be disadvantaged in making friends in I move down on the 19th? -parents are keen for me to go down on the 18th for some reason =/

 

[sid_kudav]

Oh and by the way I know people usually move in on the 18th of Feb but would I be disadvantaged in making friends in I move down on the 19th? -parents are keen for me to go down on the 18th for some reason =/

In the long run not really... most people arrive in the first three days anyways, but if you can go earlier it may be better, just to get course approval etc out of the way earlier.

 

[Crucible]

In the long run not really... most people arrive in the first three days anyways, but if you can go earlier it may be better, just to get course approval etc out of the way earlier.

Oh okay! Awesome
Gosh. Course approval sounds like a pain.

 

[sid_kudav]

Oh okay! Awesome
Gosh. Course approval sounds like a pain.

Standing in line for 1-3hrs is a pain...

 

[Crucible]

Standing in line for 1-3hrs is a pain...

.........WHAT. That's like course confirmation for year 13s this year!!!!!...I thought I could escape High school stuff! D:

 

[Cathay]

Might I recommend arriving at 9.05 on the first day, in which case even if you get lost and spend 10 minutes finding the line (which I did, because I thought "that tiny line can't be the health sci line" and walked around for 10 minutes while it grew bigger and then I saw the sign), it was only about 20-30 minutes long, and then it took a total of 5 minutes to get the work done (advisor talk, signature, go downstairs to Castle to the computer people to enter into system, and get a stamped slip as proof that you can now get your ID card), and another 15 to get my ID card (a shorter line, but still a line, after which the photographing and ID card printing and password slip took about a minute total), so I was on my way home by 10am. The line got a lot longer by the time I left, by the way.

 

[Wongtong]

Might I recommend arriving at 9.05 on the first day, in which case even if you get lost and spend 10 minutes finding the line (which I did, because I thought "that tiny line can't be the health sci line" and walked around for 10 minutes while it grew bigger and then I saw the sign), it was only about 20-30 minutes long, and then it took a total of 5 minutes to get the work done (advisor talk, signature, go downstairs to Castle to the computer people to enter into system, and get a stamped slip as proof that you can now get your ID card), and another 15 to get my ID card (a shorter line, but still a line, after which the photographing and ID card printing and password slip took about a minute total), so I was on my way home by 10am. The line got a lot longer by the time I left, by the way.

Thanks for this advice!

So.. were the photos that I sent in with my confirmation for my ID card?!?!

 

[Cathay]

Thanks for this advice!

So.. were the photos that I sent in with my confirmation for my ID card?!?!

Nope, you'll get to stand in front of a screen and get a fresh photo taken, and that goes directly onto the ID card which pops out of the printer about 30 seconds later. Would recommend looking nice to course approval, lol

 

[Crucible]

Aww. So if I arrive on the 19th will that be okay?? (My parents are still unsure)

And this might seem like a stupid question but where exactly will course confirmation be? At our college or at the Uni? And when we arrive at the airport how do we know where to go??....do we randomly ask someone? P I know, I'm thinking wayyy to far ahead hahah but I'm really excited/nervous)

Nope, you'll get to stand in front of a screen and get a fresh photo taken, and that goes directly onto the ID card which pops out of the printer about 30 seconds later. Would recommend looking nice to course approval, lol

Oh gosh! That's hi-tech! At my school we have to wait a week to get our ID cards

 

[skyglow1]

Aww. So if I arrive on the 19th will that be okay?? (My parents are still unsure)

And this might seem like a stupid question but where exactly will course confirmation be? At our college or at the Uni? And when we arrive at the airport how do we know where to go??....do we randomly ask someone? P I know, I'm thinking wayyy to far ahead hahah but I'm really excited/nervous)

Oh gosh! That's hi-tech! At my school we have to wait a week to get our ID cards

Course approval takes place at the Uni in a building called "The Link".

When you arrive at Dunedin airport, there will be quite a few shuttle vans parked just outside the airport that will be taking students to their various halls. Just approach one of the drivers and say where you'd like to go. Typical cost is somewhere between 20 to 30 bucks for the trip.

 

[greenglacier]

So.. were the photos that I sent in with my confirmation for my ID card?!?!

No, don't worry

This is all thinking waaaaay too far ahead by the way.

 

[Crucible]

Course approval takes place at the Uni in a building called "The Link".

When you arrive at Dunedin airport, there will be quite a few shuttle vans parked just outside the airport that will be taking students to their various halls. Just approach one of the drivers and say where you'd like to go. Typical cost is somewhere between 20 to 30 bucks for the trip.

Ohhh sounds awesome hhahaha
Oh my god. That's SO cool hahah so we can totally make friends on the bus and please tell me parents aren't gonna be on the bus D:

Ahaha [MENTION=5161]greenglacier[/MENTION] it's fun thinking ahead though hahah distracts me for a few seconds from exams hahah

 

[Cathay]

please tell me parents aren't gonna be on the bus D:

Ideally, if you pull it off well, then not even on the plane, unless they decide to visit at some later point. But that's a debatable ideal.

Or if you really screw it up like I did, you'll still be at home, and doing health sci, at the same time... :'(

 

[Crucible]

Ideally, if you pull it off well, then not even on the plane, unless they decide to visit at some later point. But that's a debatable ideal.

Or if you really screw it up like I did, you'll still be at home, and doing health sci, at the same time... :'(

No, I've tried convincing them. They will be on the same plane D:I've accepted that hahah but if they get on the shuttle with me I will die (sorry for the melodrama) and wave goodbye to new friends.

Awww, don't worry least you're saving heaps instead of paying $12000 for freaking accommodation...I feel SO bad about that.

 

[chococroissant]

Yip. I feel bad about how expensive the accommodation is... i guess i'll have to hope i get a scholarship from Otago

 

[Crucible]

Yip. I feel bad about how expensive the accommodation is... i guess i'll have to hope i get a scholarship from Otago

Me too! D:
Do you have any idea when the scholarship winners are announced??

 

[chococroissant]

Umm. Soon...I just got an email from Auckland uni saying that the letters announcing the recipients were sent today. Kinda nervous, but i doesn't matter really since I'm definitely going to Otago. So can't imagine Otago will be too long,