Lamya Alnassar

I am from Saudi Arabia. I came to NZ for a summer holiday and then my father liked NZ because it was safe and good for studying. So he suggested for me to study here. I have had many good experiences in NZ – I enjoyed studying at the Waikato University, meeting lots of people from different countries, being more independent, and learning more about other cultures and other countries, and becoming more open minded.

As for my experiences at Foundation Studies, it was hard but it was good: good for my studies in the future and hard because I had to learn things that I haven’t done before. It helped prepare me for my degree study. I learnt how to manage my time, do my assignments, and prepare for my tests and exams. I learnt that you have to ask for help if I don’t know something. That is better than leaving what I don’t understand until the exam.

Doing a lot of laboratory work was a first for me and it helped me to practice more and to understand the subject more. Seminar presentations helped me to become more confident and creative. I have grown in the use of the English language. Though I faced difficulties in reading and writing English at first, at Foundation Studies I learnt how to overcome them and now I feel more comfortable using the English language.

My advice to new students is to work hard and do all your assignments. Do it or any work you have do day by day; don’t put them off for later. Learn how to manage your time. Always study hard because nothing is easy. And always be prepared for tests and exams. Make friends from your class. You will enjoy your time with them and they will help you if you don’t know something. Don’t feel shy to go and ask the teachers about anything.

The best thing about Foundation Studies for me was that it gave me the basics that I should know for my degree study.