2010 Student Profile

A love of Chinese language and culture helped Stephen McIntosh find his place at Waikato University.

A Hamilton local and Hillcrest High School alumni, Stephen discovered his interest in China on a trip to Beijing with a school friend, where he "fell in love" with the language. So when he looked at university study and wasn't sure what to specialise in, he decided to follow his heart.

"One of the barriers I faced was that I was not sure what I wanted to study.  I came straight out of high school not knowing what to do so I thought I'd work until I found something I wanted to do that I would enjoy.  I figured that going to university for the sake of going to university was pointless, so I explored my options and eventually came to the decision of attending Waikato and studying Chinese language and linguistics.

"I chose to study at Waikato University because most of my family live in Waikato.  I did consider going to Christchurch but the benefits of coming to Waikato University seemed greater."

Even though he's only in his first year of study towards a BA, Stephen says he has already learnt research and study skills and gained confidence in himself. He has also been able to fit in a part-time job to help pay the bills - and while he's not ready to make firm plans about his future there are plenty of options opening up ahead of him in years to come.

"I hope to maybe get a job in teaching languages at some point. But I don't have too many aspirations at the moment, I am just enjoying learning what I want to learn."

And that's a key thing to remember for anyone considering university study, Steven says.

"I would say that you should make sure you know what will make you happy.  You should choose subjects that you will enjoy and are interested in, which is what I did."