Australia or New Zealand? Which one would be better?

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Oz is hotter than NZ, depending where you go.

I have family living in both and have spent a bit of time in both. They  both have a lot to offer in terms of lifestyle etc.

I think that NZ is more tolerant of immigrants than oz. Nz is far more like the England than Oz.
I like Auckland a lot it's more relaxed than London but still has a lot to offer.

I've lived in New Zealand and Australia.  There really is no comparison between Auckland and Sydney, size wise they are vastly different.  Sydney is very busy, fairly mild weather, a major city, I found people not as friendly.  Auckland is a lot smaller, a city in it's own right, cooler weather, I would say people are more friendly and tolerant to other cultures. If you are going to either to complete a PHD, where do you want to end up, as sometimes where you complete your PHD may determine whether it's recognized in another place.  E.g. a PHD completed in England may not be recognized in NZ/Australia as a qualification, may have to go through a process to get it recognized.

ElmoCandy wrote:

a PHD completed in England may not be recognized in NZ/Australia as a qualification, may have to go through a process to get it recognized.

Not true. As a qualification, they would receive equal recognition. It's not quite the same as an undergraduate degree.

Of course, the reputation of the institution and your supervisor will have a high degree of influence over any future academic opportunities, just as your employer and your performance in any job would have. But from there on in, it's all... Publish Or Perish!

Both Auckland and Sydney offer a better climate than the south of England, and (in my considered opinion) far better lifestyle opportunities. I would suggest you look at the institutions and your (potential) PhD supervisor, as these will have a far more direct impact on your lifestyle over the next four-and-a-half years* than the city you live in.

*Although a PhD is nominally six semesters (three years), the median elapsed duration is around four-and-a-half years. I know one fellow who took almost seven years to complete his PhD, although he was exceptionally indecisive. He changed his topic at least twice.

The uni in australia seems to better (university of new south wales) for the PhD i wanna do. Unis in NZ arent even ranked in the world top uni but the tuition fee is much cheaper ($9k v.s $35k). It might be wiser to go back to england since the unis are better with reasonable tuition fee rate... I wanna experience a new country tho. Its so hard to choose.
A PhD is recognised anywhere it's all about the quality of the research.
People said NZ is a bit boring and not as vibrant, thats what i was worried about. Ughh, this is hard!

I'm a born and bred Kiwi and to be fair, yes it is a bit boring (now that I've been living in Saigon for the past 4 months) but If you're there for a PhD NZ would be nice, it's a really chilled out, beautiful, laxed out place. People are much friendlier and accepting. I do miss NZ. Pmail me if you want more information!

If money is not a problem for you then Sydney ...

Is that because youre Australian, steve?

I would choose Auckland because i would prefer to pay 9k instead of 35k lol

You will have to weigh up the total costs for a years tuition in each of the countries,the cost of living in each and see which gives you the best bang for your buck.

You need also to look at alternative cities and universities in both countries.

$9k v.s $35k??

How can the NZ uni do it so cheap if this is full fee paying? Is there a warning there? Or is there a deal?

UNSW is a top ranked university. I went there for my undergrad degree. My doctorate is from a small Australian uni because the opportunity and topic were there.

I agree where you do your PhD isn't always as important as some might think, although there will always be snobs who want any excuse to look down on someone and likely old boys/girls networks that might be beneficial in the future from a big uni with lots of colleagues.

However, if you are in a research field, then the publications you generate are more important as they will carry the weight for further research and you can always meet people at conferences. (UNSW will have lots of post grad students in many schools to mingle with...)

Another thing: it is important to be able to work with the individual who is your principal supervisor and some other 'admin' things. There is an inherent risk in accepting PhD study remotely, although of course it can work out fine. You might consider the supervisor etc aspect in choosing a uni - ring them etc.

There needs to be adequate support in grant or other money to run your research. Sometimes this is very little, sometimes very much. It can be a big problem to be hamstrung by not having the money to do what you need to do and go where you need to go.

It is expensive to rent around UNSW (but pretty close to the beach!). Regional universities outside the big cities are cheaper. Hobart will get you cold winters and is a nice place with clean air (too many rednecks, but these can be avoided a bit). Melbourne too can get cold and grey if you are nostalgic for bad weather.

NZ might be fine. It is just so hard to recommend because of the their strange and unnecessary mangling of vowel sounds. Think 'In Zid' for NZ or 'fush and chups' for 'fish and chips'.

Off course Aussies speak perfect English,   Victorians, like to stress out the a's in a word, i.e, Daaaaad instead of Dad, you can always tell a Queenslander, there's the thing they do with the o , pooool  and cooool,  schoool  etc,  it's good to have different pronunciations, then you can tell where people come from, ( there can be a difference between the NZ Nth and Sth Island pronunciation as well, and then ther'e that other NZ language, the ' Bro ' language ).

Not sure which field you're in but generally speaking, I agree with the above comments in that the actual university would probably be less important than the number of publications your supervisor publishes.

UNSW is well recognised internationally. More importantly, probably offer a more exciting campus lifestyle.

Weather wise, Sydney = more moderate. Auckland = cooler (however, both will offer better weather than South England).
Sydney = faster and more lively lifestyle, Auckland = more relaxed lifestyle.
Sydney => better beaches (close to UNSW too), Auckland => good for snowboarding.

Snow boarding in Ackld?, you might have to travel a fair way, ( mind you I was there in 2003, for their worst winter in 60 years, actually had frosts.
  Akld would be better for water sports. Sth Akld, Samoan crime capital. ( probably capital of Samoa as well ).

bluenz wrote:

Snow boarding in Ackld?, you might have to travel a fair way, ( mind you I was there in 2003, for their worst winter in 60 years, actually had frosts.
  Akld would be better for water sports. Sth Akld, Samoan crime capital. ( probably capital of Samoa as well ).

NZ, not Auckland in particular. Was there the last 2 seasons, awesome snow. Nowhere to Ski in Syd either.

Australia (Sydney or NSW) or WHERE?
Seriously, go back to UK.

Couldn't agree with you more, there are more than enough Poms in Aus/NZ.

hELLnoi wrote:

Australia (Sydney or NSW) or WHERE?
Seriously, go back to UK.

NSW, not Syd.

bluenz wrote:

Couldn't agree with you more, there are more than enough Poms in Aus/NZ.

OzOzOz wrote:

hELLnoi wrote:

Australia (Sydney or NSW) or WHERE?
Seriously, go back to UK.

NSW, not Syd.

The University of Sydney - Camden, Surrey Hills, various in city
http://sydney.edu.au
The University of New South Wales - Kingsford
http://www.unsw.edu.au