Get the full university experience at Victoria University of Wellington
Victoria University of Wellington has many accommodation options that provide support, community, and a great foundation for a successful academic career—no matter whether the student is coming from Avondale, Auckland or Avalon, Lower Hutt.
Twenty-two-year-old T.J. Va’a, from Wainuiomata, did not follow a traditional path to tertiary study. A professional rugby player for several years, T.J. studied part time, balancing his Bachelor of Commerce with a burgeoning sports career with the Hurricanes in the Super Rugby competition. Often sidelined by a knee injury over the past few years, he is now focusing on his studies and is working to complete his degree—and rest his body. T.J. says his decision to move into Te Puni Village in his first year was central to his success in balancing sport and study and started him off on the right track at university.
“The convenience of living only a few hundred metres from the University was what initially appealed to me, but then I was also really keen to get out of my comfort zone and meet and live alongside new people.” Hall life revolved around study, with options for individuals and groups. “The benefits were huge, because the facilities in the hall catered to all types of learning and study.” Feeling connected to the University was also a big plus, with proximity to the Kelburn campus an incentive to get involved.
“I definitely felt more engaged, simply because I lived on campus and for any event that was on, the hall would either provide transport or it would be only a few minutes’ walk away.” T.J. doubts he would have been as involved in university activities and events had he remained living at home. In his hall, T.J. found built-in support and a social network. “Living alongside so many people, you get to know a lot of them very well, and now I’ve got close friends from all over New Zealand. To this day, I still see people from my hall around Wellington and have a yarn with them.” His friends who lived a bit further away from university were frequent visitors at his hall. “There was definitely an element of FOMO!”
New Students’ Orientation week was a highlight for T.J., “because it was full of so many different social events”. He says living among hundreds of friends also had advantages.
“If I was ever bored or needed help with my study, I could just walk down the hallway and my friends would be right there. “I’d strongly recommend [hall life] to locals, simply because I feel you’re only living half the student experience if you don’t stay in a ha I opens up a whole new and experie time