What Org to Join - PGSA

PGSA trip to Mount Rangitoto.

Like all universities, there's a period to join orgs early in the semester at the University of Auckland. There are sport clubs like rowing and cycling. There are environmental orgs like Enactus. There's a meat club for those who want to eat, uhm, meat. And there are regional orgs like Maori, Korean and Filipino students associations. But if there's one org I encourage you to join during your stay here in university, that would be PGSA (short for Post-Graduate Students Association).

Of all the orgs I joined this year (3), PGSA was the only one worth it. The org is made up of foreign and local postgraduate students, and the it knows what its members want and need. PGSA manages the post-graduate lounge on level 4 of the Kate Edger Information Commons (KEIC). If you want some peace and quiet to study and do your research, especially if its crowded in the library or its noisy at your faculty's computer lab, the post-graduate lounge is your sanctuary. It is exclusively for post-graduate students.

Another perk is that PGSA members get 20% discount at the Strata Cafe, also on level 4 of KEIC. There are a number of coffee shops around campus but I frequent Strata because of the discount. Hey, 20% off is a huge discount considering the price of coffee here.

But the thing I like most of PGSA is that they organize cheap field trips to places I want to go to, that would've been way expensive if I went there by myself. For instance, in Semester 1, PGSA arranged a day trip to Rangitoto Island off the Auckland Coast for only NZ$20.00. That's a huge discount considering the regular price at the ferry terminal is NZ$47.00! And so I went to Rangitoto with other Filipino student friends and we had a great time. We even got to know other international postgrad students.

PGSA ski trip to Mount Ruapehu.

And for Semester 2, PGSA organized a ski trip to Mount Ruapehu in Tongariro National Park. The NZ$107.00 fee included round-trip transportation, 3D/2N accommodation at the university lodge and 2 breakfasts and 2 dinners. Sulit na yon! Another Filipino student who went there on her own spent close to NZ$300.00! So ang laki talaga ng discount. Again, like in Rangitoto, I enjoyed this trip to Ruapehu. I got to learn how to ski, live the way Kiwis do at a ski lodge, and meet other international postgrad students like me.

Joining is easy. Just visit the PGSA website and register on-line. After verification (that you're a postgrad student enrolled in UoA), you just visit the PGSA office at iSpace on level 4, KEIC, to get your PGSA sticker for your ID.