GRIP: Research Assistant @ University of Auckland, NZ My favorite way of getting to know a city is by familiarizing myself with its cafe scene. As a self-proclaimed cafe connoisseur, I was pleasantly surprised by the quality and variety of coffee shops in Auckland. After trying at least one barista-poured coffee per day from both…
Contact Ask Me About… Taking classes in New Zealand has shown me how academic culture can shift across countries, especially in how in-class discussion, final examinations, and relationships with professors work. Students could ask me about adapting to the University of Otago’s academic expectations and learning in an environment where other histories and perspectives are…
SA: University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand Sophia, one of the Semester Abroad Correspondents, shares her experience abroad during the Fall 2025 semester. Follow along with the group of correspondents on our blog and look out for their images on the @pennabroad Instagram feed. Finding a new appreciation for birds in New Zealand As my study abroad in Aotearoa New Zealand…
GRIP: Business in Sydney, Australia One of the more surprising challenges I encountered during my internship was learning how to take initiative in a professional setting. While the office environment has been incredibly warm and supportive, I initially found it intimidating to approach team members directly and ask for tasks. I always considered myself a…
GRIP: Business in Sydney, Australia If you told me back at Penn that my Google Calendar would be fuller on weekends in July than it ever was during the semester, I would’ve laughed out loud. Just like I would’ve never imagined myself celebrating Christmas with scarves, mulled wine, and the most Christmassy German treat, Stollen,…
GRIP: Business in Sydney, Australia Dear Pre-GRIP Isabella, You looked at your signed GRIP commitment contract, thinking, “What did I just get myself into?” As you made your travel and internship placement arrangements, you processed that you were actually spending this summer away from home. Not just an Amtrak ride away, but a 22-hour plane…
GRIP: Social Sciences and Humanities Research in Auckland, New Zealand During my first week in Auckland, New Zealand, our student cohort visited Waiheke Island, where we stayed at a Marae and participated in traditional rituals within Māori culture. To enter the Marae we needed to be introduced by our guide, who already formed part of…
GRIP: Social Sciences and Humanities Research in Auckland, New Zealand My internship in New Zealand took place at the University of Auckland, where I dove into historical research on German intervention in Samoa between 1900-1914. What began as a project on colonial dynamics quickly expanded backwards into the 1870s, as I traced how racial hierarchies…
SA: University of Otago Sophia, one of the Semester Abroad Correspondents, shares her experience abroad during the Fall 2025 semester. Follow along with the group of correspondents on our blog and look out for their images on the @pennabroad Instagram feed. Just in the past weekend alone, I’ve accomplished two things I never expected would be a part of my abroad journey:…
