The University has given me opportunities beyond my degrees. Since graduating, I have been working for an assurance, tax and advisory firm in Wellington.

However, I still do marking at Wellington School of Business and Government, and still have great networks and relationships with some of the staff. Occasionally I have the privilege to do presentations.

I did my undergraduate degree in Accounting and Commercial Law, and then my Master's degree. With a postgraduate degree you get to experience autonomy and freedom to explore areas that you find personally interesting.

The Master's programme exceeded my expectations. The work you do is practical and applicable to real-life situations. It is demanding, but it allows you to discover more about yourself and your capabilities, which prepares you for joining the corporate world.

One of the biggest reasons why I did my Master's at Wellington School of Business and Government is because of my supervisor and staff. The culture and support from this group of people was amazing and that’s what keeps me working here, and will draw me back in future to do further study.

I'm originally from South Africa and came to New Zealand with my family when I was 16. It was a big change, but Wellington has been inviting, accepting and I consider it my home.

Initially, I was interested in Victoria University of Wellington because of the work Professor Judy Brown had done in the field of social and environmental accounting.

I had multiple Skype interviews with her in the process of applying, and felt very comfortable—this was a level of personal involvement I did not find in any other potential programmes.

I'd never been to Wellington before I came to study at the University, but it only took a week for me to know I’d made the right decision. I was surrounded by people involved in the same process as me, who would engage in constructive debate.

The learning environment for PhD students is just what I was looking for, and I believe it will increase my capacity for critical analysis and give me a solid foundation for a continued role in academia.

I've had the opportunity to live in various parts of the world, so it is with great confidence that I can say Wellington is a great place for me to study. As a ‘suspended backpacker’—I'm originally from Texas—Wellington is also ideally located in New Zealand for quick (and cheap) weekend trips!

Wellington is a wonderful place for students to live—on a good day there is simply no other place I would rather be. Walking to university each day along the waterfront has been one of my favourite things.

Pipitea campus is in such a good location, right by Parliament, the CBD and the waterfront. The culture around campus is great and everyone, from the staff and students to the business people walking past, is friendly and interested in what you're studying.

First year was definitely a change from high school that took time to get used to. It was a struggle initially, meeting a completely new set of people and focusing on my studies at the same time.

After a while though I started to understand how the system works and my grades improved dramatically after first year.

My advice would be to make sure you don’t give up. There are times when the workload gets hectic, but you need to keep going and utilise the vast array of tools that the University provides.

University is about what you can learn from each course, so don’t worry too much about your grades, just keep up the effort and the rewards will come.