Science student stories

Why Biology?
“I’ve always had a passion for nature and the environment, and growing up I was surrounded by plants and animals. In high school I enjoyed Biology above everything else so I decided to delve further into it.

“There are many subjects available in the Biological Sciences programme – from evolution and genetics to plant diversity and animal behaviour. Because of this, you can use your qualification and apply it to a range of jobs.”

Summer Research Scholarships
“In 2018 I was awarded a Summer Research Scholarship. This was an amazing opportunity for me as I got to know some of the staff better and refine my biological skills. This really catapulted me into more opportunities, such as a summer studentship with the Auckland Botanic Gardens.”

The future
“This summer I am working with Auckland Council and I hope to make many connections there. After that, I plan on taking a year off to work, then return to university and complete a Postgraduate Diploma in Science, with a focus on Entomology.”
 

My study journey
“Originally, I came to university planning to go to med school (through a biomed degree), with ambitions of becoming a surgeon. However, the papers I genuinely enjoyed and felt were ‘me’ were BIOSCI 101 and 107. So, by second semester I had switched into a Biological Sciences major.

“I took a Marine Science paper in my third year on a whim and fell in love with its interdisciplinary aspects, compatibility with Biological Sciences and global relevance. So I switched into a secondary major of Marine Science.”

My favourite project
“My favourite project was part of BIOSCI 206 where we got to go to Whangārei Heads and choose some biological aspects of the environment on the rocky shores to investigate. We collected, processed, and interpreted data, then wrote up a scientific report relaying our findings. Being fully immersed in the various aspects of experimental design and data collection has only reinforced my love for biology and motivates me to see what lies beyond undergrad.”

The teaching staff
“The calibre of teaching I’ve encountered is remarkable. Irrespective of the specialisation I’ve taken papers in, the lecturers have shown tireless enthusiasm, passion and dedication to enabling student success.”

My future
“My ultimate goal is to become a scientist and an academic. Short-term, this means a Postgraduate Diploma in Science (Marine Science) and then a Master of Science. Based on how these fare, hopefully a PhD follows.”
 

A strong personal interest
“I spent two decades working in a successful career and never had any real interest in tertiary study until various members of my family started having health problems. My Nanna contracted an antibiotic resistant ‘superbug’ and spent many months in hospital. During that time, our family found it difficult to understand what the doctors were telling us and yet we were still expected to make decisions based around this information. This led me to become the ‘researcher’ in our family, disseminating information in ways that others could understand.”

Why chemistry?
“I chose my major because I believe all sciences (biological sciences/ environmental science etc) have some chemistry elements driving their field – to understand them, you need an understanding of chemistry.”

Tuākana
“Starting university with students that were the same age as my friend’s children was very intimidating for me. Walking into a lecture theatre in first year felt like I was starting from scratch. Being part of the Tuākana programme, having the study sessions and meeting people in small groups gave me a sense of belonging in this strange new environment. I was no longer just a face in the crowd but part of a group that didn’t just learn together but taught and encouraged each other to learn as well.”

Why Chemistry?
“I enjoy the challenge of studying Chemistry as it involves analytical thinking and problem solving. I also love to learn, so what better degree than Chemistry – studying atoms that literally make up everything.

“All different types of chemistry – organic, inorganic, physical, analytical, biochemical and green – are available at the University. This allows me to either specialise or choose a more general Chemistry degree. I’m looking forward to the capstone course as I will have the chance to apply concepts learnt during my degree and to work with others on a project.”

The Labs
“The labs are so enjoyable, and last year I had a fantastic Teaching Assistant who was patient, helpful and heaps of fun. I have also made friends during labs, which makes each class less stressful and brings laughs. It’s also good to have people to bounce things off of whenever I’m not sure of something.”

Tuākana
“The Tuākana programme is great. It provides support when needed and a place to make friends. The worksheets provided by the Tuākana tutors for each subject also help me apply the content I have learnt in lectures.”

My journey so far
“I grew up in Suva, Fiji. I was born in New Zealand but moved to Fiji with my family when I was six. I returned to New Zealand to attend the University of Auckland and hope to eventually return to Fiji and use what I’ve learnt to help in my community.”
 

Science Scholars Programme
“My studies are helping me to understand what I’m most interested in whilst keeping future opportunities open – whether they be further study or moving into industry. Additionally, I was accepted into the Science Scholars module. The three-course programme combines one-on-one mentoring with rich interaction across the faculty. Participants also gain research opportunities that aren’t usually available to undergraduate students.

Mentoring
“Science scholars come from all the science disciplines. We get to know each other really well. We hear from scientists, science communicators, and industry-based scientists, discussing all manner of topics. Meeting people who have careers I aspire to has been particularly enjoyable. We each get a mentor, too. Through mine, I’ve learnt about incredibly interesting research areas I wouldn’t otherwise have known about. And I’ve met people working in those fields.

Innovation and business opportunities
“My current Science Scholars course is all about science, innovation and business opportunities. A teaching fellow from the Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship is bringing opportunities for entrepreneurship directly to us.

Flexibility
“The BSc is very flexible. I’m enrolled in a double major (Chemistry and Physics), plus Science Scholars, and two General Education courses (Accounting and Pharmacy). I didn’t have any difficult choices to make as I could do everything I wanted to.

Practical work
“I really like the laboratories and practical work side. The chemistry laboratories are definitely a step up (actually a whole staircase up) from those in secondary school. There’s better equipment, more time, and more interesting experiments. Getting to play with all the equipment is great fun!”

Why Exercise Sciences?
“Growing up I was always very active in playing sports and dancing ballet. My love for the human body came from ballet. It taught me which muscles are used in a movement, and how to improve a movement by understanding how the body works.

“I was driven to carry on learning about the human body, so I enrolled in a Bachelor of Exercise Sciences, hoping to apply it to both exercise and the treatment of people living with chronic conditions and disease.”

Why Auckland?
“I chose the University of Auckland because it has a great reputation, and Auckland was only a few hours away from where I grew up in Rotorua. The programme also offers a lot of practical experience with the benefit of working with patients in our clinic.”
 

Why Psychology and Computer Science?
“After studying elsewhere in my first year, I decided to move to the University of Auckland. I became really interested in neurology, which led me to taking Psychology as a major. In my second year of my BSc I decided to add Computer Science as another major because I wanted to take my degree a step further to open up more opportunities when I complete my studies.

“The motivation for adding a Computer Science major came from one of my first-year General Education Computer Science courses – I found the coding aspect intriguing. I believe the combination of these majors is unique, and beneficial to my future career prospects.”

Guidance and support
“I thoroughly appreciate the amount of help that’s provided. The guidance and support I receive have encouraged me to strive for high achievement throughout my degree. I received a Certificate of Achievement for getting high grades in Computer Science, which I’m really proud of.”

Diversity and opportunity
“The University of Auckland has a very diverse culture, which allows for immense growth. Throughout my time at University I’ve come across many different personalities who have been highly inspiring. Along with making lifelong friendships, the guidance, support and countless opportunities, both educational and social, that the University provides have allowed me to learn and grow. This has made my University experience the most memorable time of my life. I’ll cherish it forever.”

My future
“Both healthcare and technology are growing industries in today’s world. After completing my degree I’d like to use technology to make a difference in healthcare. At this point in time it needs extra attention and therefore I would love the opportunity to help make people’s lives better and easier."
 

Passion for the environment
“I’ve always had a passion for the environment; growing up with hobbies that constantly had me in the outdoors made me want to learn about and explore the physical world around me. The more I progressed in my high-school studies, the more I found my passion for technology, problem solving and understanding the role that humans play within the environment. Studying both Geographic Information Science and Environmental Science at the University of Auckland perfectly blended these ideas together.

Practical skills
“I love that the programme is heavily focused on teaching you practical skills and giving you the opportunity to communicate your learning through various modes, not just traditional assignment styles. My studies have made me feel more confident about pursuing jobs after graduation, with a more solid foundation of understanding topics and software. I also appreciate the range of topics we cover throughout the degree, as it really gives you the chance to pinpoint the areas you are most interested in.

Great connections
“I’ve had great connections with staff and fellow students. I’ve always been able to get in contact with tutors and lecturers, and I’ve received a bunch of support. They’ve really helped me to achieve the best I can.

“The science faculty also organises many extracurricular activities, such as hackathons, quiz nights, clubs and career events. These are all super useful for making friendly connections while exploring your interests.”
 

“I was injured while playing sport at an elite level so I have a special interest in the causes, prevention and rehabilitation of sporting injury. There’s a comprehensive subject choice within the BSc programme, and my Exercise Sciences major includes many sub-disciplines that can be used to enhance both peak performance and health. I anticipate that my degree will give me the opportunity for further study in the field of exercise sciences, bioengineering or medicine.”

An expanding field

“The increasing focus on exercise for health makes it an expanding field with exciting research opportunities. It’s not only about improving athletic performance. We also explore how movement can improve the lives of people with conditions such as stroke and cardiometabolic diseases.
“I’ve developed a number of skills that will be valuable in any field, for example, critical review and analysis of information, problem solving, data collection, scientific writing and presentation. Also, my Summer Research Scholarship gave me a taste of practical research and some insight into what the life of an academic involves.”

A great learning community

“I like the department’s community feel, which makes it easy to get to know classmates and lecturers. The teaching staff are all very approachable and willing to help you succeed.”

Student disability services

“I have used Disability Services to facilitate my learning and succeed academically. To support students with impairments, they offer many services, such as special testing conditions and designated study rooms.”

Why Geography and Environmental Science?
“I chose to major in Geography and Environmental Science because I was interested in human processes and how interactions between humans and the environment impact our future and decision making.

“I am a huge advocate of creating a sustainable future and I believe trying to understand our environment starts by understanding human behaviours. Majoring in these subjects has given me a deeper understanding of people, physical processes and the ways in which technology intertwines with all the subjects.”

My favourite project
“My favourite project was in GEOG 315. It required using a Geographic Information Science analysis to map out vegan restaurants in Auckland and see where they are concentrated and what that means in regard to human choices towards food consumption.”

My future
“I hope to work in a place that provides sustainable future plans to help create a world that is better for us. Instead of trying to create new scientific solutions to problems, I believe that the solutions are already in front of us and all we need is a better understanding of the world we live in now.”
 

“Geophysics attracted me because I was interested in the environmental impacts of human activity and ways in which the earth’s surface geology tells us stories about its past.
“I didn’t begin my degree with a clear career path. You can’t go on SEEK and look up ‘jobs for physicists’. I had to think very carefully. I hoped my studies would lead to employment somewhere like NIWA or GNS.”

Aiming high

“Ultimately, I would love to work for NASA and apply my geophysics knowledge to learn more about other planets. But I would be equally happy to move into a different sector. I did an internship at Price Waterhouse Coopers in the Digital Forensics team in the summer of 2021/22. I really enjoyed that and used a lot of the coding skills I’d learnt earlier.
“I was recently awarded the Dennis Brown Experimental physics prize for my work in PHYSICS 390 (Experimental Physics). I didn’t really expect to win. Some of my peers had achieved better marks, but my lecturers valued me for more than my grades. That shows the progressive thinking in the Physics Department – and at the core of science itself.”

Complementary subjects

“Geophysics acts as a nice complement to Physics. Physics provided me with a solid foundation for learning about the earth, atmosphere and oceans in geophysics. I also like the broad nature of what I study because I’m not restricted to one industry or career. It certainly made finding work a little harder, but I’ve had a job offer even before graduating!”
 

A love of the ocean
“I have always been surrounded by the ocean. I developed such a strong connection to our Moana from a young age, and I’ve always known there was no other career path I’d rather take. A BSc in Marine Science is just the first step of my academic journey with the sea.

“A significant factor to my experience has been the lecturers. Every lecturer I’ve spoken with is more than happy to help and try their best to further my knowledge and understanding.”

Postgraduate study
“I graduated with a BSc in 2022 and enrolled in a Master of Science (MSc) in Marine Science. I was inspired to pursue the postgraduate qualification because I wanted to get a taste of the research process. After getting advice from multiple supervisors, I came to the conclusion that doing a masters would be my best option.”
 

Tuakana

“One thing I loved about my time studying Mathematics and Statistics is the Tuākana programme, which supports Māori and Pacific students. To me, Tuākana is about having a place to feel you belong in the system, which is valuable for those students who are shy and feel embarrassed to ask questions. And that includes a lot more people than many might realise!

“The Tuākana room was my second home; lecturers and tutors were there every day just to answer questions and to hang out. I remember waking up every morning throughout my whole degree, looking forward to going to the Tuākana space, and having that relationship with the tutors made me fearless when it came to learning – it helped me take more control of my study. I succeeded because I realised that fear is the only thing that stops you from growing.

Giving back

“I also use my passion for Mathematics to teach kids in the community – I run a free maths class that has more than 200 kids in it currently. Some of them are now top in mathematics in their school, just from one year of study every Saturday. I’m proud to say the class has really opened the door for kids from all over Auckland, and kids all the way from Wellington, Hamilton, Christchurch, Australia, Tonga, Samoa, Fiji, China, India, the Philippines, and other countries.

Overcoming fear

“Ultimately I would do anything to help motivate students who are going through what I went through. Overcoming the fear of asking questions is the first step to discovering how to fly. Overcome that fear and you will find out how strong you really are, and how far you can go!”
 

My ambition
“Physics cuts right to the heart of the laws of nature, and so I was always captivated by it as a subject. My passion for studying physics and explaining it to others made a career in academia as a physicist my dream job, so I came to the University of Auckland to make that dream a reality.

Acceleration programmes
“Overall, the best parts of my time at university were all the opportunities I had to grow outside of my coursework. Optional academic programmes like Summer Research Scholarships and Science Scholars developed me as a researcher in ways assignments and exams couldn’t. These programmes also involved mentorship from established academics who gave me insights into my career path.

Building my career
“As a researcher and soon-to-be PhD candidate, there is a clear connection between my studies at the University of Auckland and my career path. My BSc and BSc(Hons) degrees laid the foundations of understanding on which all my future work will be built, and my current research project derives directly from my Honours degree.

“The connections I have made during my time at the University of Auckland also enabled me to pursue the Gates scholarship, as well as other research positions. Degree-related opportunities like summer research projects, and the Science Scholars programme were likewise essential to my progress as an academic.”
 

“Choosing my major was hard but I have always had an interest in psychology and wanted this to be the main focus of my degree. I love to learn about why people do the things they do – and how we can use this knowledge to understand everyday behaviours. Eventually I’d love to become a clinical psychologist or psychiatrist.

Programme highlights

“I’ve really enjoyed my assignments. In PSYCH 108 we wrote an essay about an activity or environment that allows us to flourish as an individual. It allowed me to discuss a subject I was passionate about. I really enjoyed this assignment and put a lot of time and effort into it. I also love the selection of PSYCH papers you are able to choose from in stage 2 and 3 of the programme.

Leadership through Learning

“I am of NZ European and Tongan descent, so last semester I had the opportunity to be a part of an amazing programme called Leadership Through Learning. It’s a leadership development programme for students of Māori and Pacific background across all disciplines at the University.

“I met some amazing people and developed many leadership skills. I also learnt about the cultures that make up the indigenous community at the University, which I now feel part of. The amazing coordinators and tutors in this programme become your whānau at the University, creating a space that brings a sense of belonging and aroha. I would highly recommend it to anyone who has the opportunity to be a part of it.”
 

Why Auckland?
“I chose to study at the University of Auckland because it is the top university in New Zealand, and with high international recognition, it attracts talented people from different regions. Surrounding myself with smart and ambitious people helps me constantly challenge myself to achieve.”

Varied programme, varied skills
“I’ve always been interested in human behaviour. Studying Psychology and Statistics lets me build my knowledge, as well as analytical and writing skills.

“I also chose to major in Marketing and Information Systems in my Commerce degree to help improve my problem-solving skills with real-world cases.”

Open choices
“My conjoint degree gives me the chance to learn and interact with people from different faculties, and it broadens my job opportunities – I could become a business consultant, psychologist or a data analyst. Also, the skills I learn in my Science and Commerce degrees complement each other, so I’m able to improve my abilities and achieve higher standards.”

Social life
“Environment and friendships are important aspects in University life. Both the Faculty of Science and the Business School have amazing people and environments that foster interaction. Meeting different people and making a lot of friendships helps with networking for my future career, and makes University life so much more enjoyable.”
 

Business and data
“I decided to pursue a Bachelor of Science majoring in Statistics alongside my Commerce degree in order to augment my business knowledge with the skills required to deliver strong data-driven solutions. Statistics is a rapidly growing field that is widely applicable across many different career paths. As the amount of data and information produced rises year by year, the need for experts who can transform these into value and insights will continue to grow.

Strong support
“I greatly appreciated the fantastic lecturers and staff within the Statistics department. There were plenty of places to ask any questions that I had during my studies – like chats with lecturers, or spending time in the the Statistics help room. This always made me feel supported in my learning.

“My advice is to make the most of your time in university, as there are many great opportunities and experiences available for you. Don’t forget to make mistakes and to learn from them. And be sure to spend plenty of time with your friends and family!”