University of Auckland VS University of Otago

[johnykhan]

Given I work at Auckland I should say "us". But girlwithanewf's advice is excellent. Both schools' business programs are very good.

I would also think about where you want to work after you finish your PhD. If you'd rather settle in Auckland, doing your PhD at Otago would probably be more strategic, since universities are always looking to bring in fresh talent. If you're planning on seeking an academic role outside of NZ it doesn't really matter.

As for your PhD itself, if I may, try to:
Finish it in 3 years
Get teaching opportunities
Publish whilst studying, no later than year 2
Attending conferences for your discipline--ideally presenting some of your work

The job market for PhD graduates is tough everywhere these days: it's publish or perish. Good luck!

Thanks for the advice; really practical tips. Do you think employers take into account the prestige of the university attended in hiring individuals? My question is related to New Zealand job market for academics and management consultancy. In your view, is the prestige of a university (in New Zealand) related to the university rankings or there is more to it?

[johnykhan]

So did you decide between the two?

I am thinking to go for Otago. I think life in Dunedin is much peaceful than Auckland. I would need some amount of peace in the three stressful years of PhD, After I am done with the PhD, I would most probably move to Auckland to keep up with my career goals. I think once I am on job, living in Auckland would be fun.

[johnykhan]

I would vote for Auckland since you would have better access to business in the area. Dunedin is a small college town in the far south. There just isn't too much large business there. Small business, yes, farmers, yes, and certainly amazing scenery! I would also say that you should consider your options for advisors in both locations. You need to study with someone who you can get along with, and who has a specialty in the area that interests you.

I agree that Auckland cannot be compared to any city in NZ with respect to the level of business activity going on there. But do you think one needs to have a degree from Auckland to find a good job opportunities in Auckland? I think after getting a degree from Otago one should be able to find a good job anywhere in the country including Auckland, because Otago is as prestigious as Uni of Auckland if not more. What do you think?

[batgirl1001]

I think I'll weigh my 2-cents on this.
Both universities are as reputable as each other - each with their own strengths and an excellent education department. Auckland has the edge because it is ranked in reputation internationally to be higher than Otago. Whether it matters to you or not, it depends on how you feel rankings has any weightage on the matter. For employers in business or academics, it doesn't. Both unis have excellent reputations. But since competition for jobs in the field of academics is tough, you may end up going outside of NZ in which case you have another point to consider.

Dunedin is a small town with a very large student population. It can get very quiet during the long hols. How you feel should should also be how you cope with loneliness as a PhD study is mostly being with your supervisor and research on your own. You won't get to interact with many people and have the "college life" that undergrads do. So you have to think when you want "quiet" you may end up getting more than you bargained for. As a old collegue of my hubby's friend found out. Scholarship masters at Otago and pretty much after the first year, got mostly bored with living in Dunedin (away from his wife and family), homesick to death so the final 2nd year was a test of endurance.

The plus thing about Dunedin is that rents are cheaper and finding accommodations would be easier as long as you don't compete with other students entering at the same time.

The other thing is that I don't understand why everyone seems to equate Auckland to a big city. It's a city, yes, but not massively large like New York and frankly the CBD is not big at all. Not many people I know like to live in the city. Mostly students out of sheer convenience but even in the city, there are pockets of quiet areas. Greater Auckland has 7 different counties so it is a massive sprawled region.

[ralf-nz]

The plus thing about Dunedin is that rents are cheaper and finding accommodations would be easier as long as you don't compete with other students entering at the same time.

As little as I know accommodation is part of the package here; one may of course opt out of staying with the other PhD aspirants.

[batgirl1001]

Actually you don't just stay with PhD students - I did my masters and I shared my student dorms with other masters, Phds and Honours students. You don't really get to choose your roommates so it is by luck of the draw if you end up with an awful one with bad habits. My experience- I shared with 3 other students and 3 of us got on very well together, the 4th guy brought his girlfriend along to stay during the entire semester (smuggled her in clearly against the rules). They didn't split the grocery bill with us - but did occassionally took some of our ingredients/food which we didn't mind too much. However he and her used up all the hot water; pretty much freezing cold showers on some occassions, decided not to do the allocated chores (both are completely lazy buggers) especially when it comes to washing the bathroom and used up all the provided toilet paper - we had to ask for more than we were allocated, and when they moved out finally after a couple of complaints- some of our utensils which were provided to us as part of our dorm stay went missing.
It is not exactly a horror story but someone who doesn't pull his weight around can make for a unpleasant living condition so I am always wary about sharing rooms/dorms with people especially if I don't know them that well

[jawnbc]

To a certain extent they do, but Auckland v. Otago isn't Auckland v. AUT University. Both are "known" international research-intensive universities, but Auckland has the overall edge.
'

Thanks for the advice; really practical tips. Do you think employers take into account the prestige of the university attended in hiring individuals? My question is related to New Zealand job market for academics and management consultancy. In your view, is the prestige of a university (in New Zealand) related to the university rankings or there is more to it?