[migratory birds]

I'm considering attending U of Otago or U of Auckland Medical Schools on arrival. What are people's opinions/observations about the education provided or experiences with docs who've grad'd from either school?

[Trigirl]

hi there - it really is best to choose the best place to put your message and just put it there - coming across the same message in three places gets a bit annoying (imagine if everyone did it!)

hope someone comes along soon to answer your q

[wiki]

I have friends and relatives who went to Otago and rated it highly - not sure though if that was because of the quality of education or the notoriously enjoyable Dunedin "Scarfie" student lifestyle. Ten years ago, Otago was the med school with most applications - but that may well have changed.

For pure cost of living issues, then Dunedin would be much cheaper in terms of rent and travel than Auckland - but I hope someone comes along with better reasons than that!

[migratory birds]

What is the "Scarfie" student lifestyle??

Good to hear that your friends and relatives regarded U of Otago highly. Cost of living is certainly a factor to consider. If I can get an equally good or better medical education in Dunedin, be close to the mountains, lakes, fjords, fishing and backpacking why live in Auckland (aside from all that a larger city has to offer - great food, ethnic diversity, access to the arts)?

[wiki]

Just a tip - in NZ it's fiords with an i. A point of semantics, but us Southlanders are really proud to be the only place in the world with fiords apart from Norway. (and I went to Fiordland College!)

I've not been in NZ for 10 years, but I somehow doubt Dunedin's reputation as a student city has changed.

It's got a population of 120,000 - and 20,000 are university or teachers college students. So that's a pretty big chunk of the population being students. Hence, Dunedin is known for having a very good student nightlife and sportslife. They are known as "scarfies" because so many students (especially the ones from Auckland) would wear scarfs to combat the cold weather.