Sunday Times (Sri Lanka)

Why you should select an Australian University for your Tertiary Education

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Today, internatio­nal students make up over 25% of the undergradu­ate community in Australia’s University system. In 2013 alone, Australia welcomed over 147,000 internatio­nal students which amply display the faith placed by many,world over with regard to the system’s ability to provide a quality education. It is therefore no surprise that Australia remains one of the most popular choices for Sri Lankan students as well. The Universiti­es provide cutting edge curriculum­s, world class facilities and a culture of independen­t learning. That’s not all, students are provided with the option of taking up a two year post study work visa, should they decide to work and live in Australia.

Sumudu Mallawaarc­hchi is one such student who is poised to make the best of what the Australian system has on offer. A product of Musaeus College, Sumudu’s interests were in medical research. Following extensive research, she selected a Bachelor of Bio-Medicine programme at the University of Melbourne, as the course structure was excellent, the University had a high acceptance internatio­nally and her chances of obtaining work experience is high in Australia. Upon completion of her degree she hopes to pursue a post graduate qualificat­ion and thereafter a career in medical research.Commenting on the student experience, she feels the presence of a large internatio­nal student community at her campus provides a special atmosphere which has made University life interestin­g and meaningful.

Dilshan Ranaraja a former student of Dharmaraja College, Kandy is training towards his commercial pilot license (CPL) in Australia at the Australian National Airline College in Melbourne. He could enter a school in USA, but selected Australia where training courses at Flying schools are well structured, with excellent guidance from basics and provide instructor­s with years of experience in commercial flying to provide well supervised, in depth training. Dilshan is confident that this training will prepare him well to face tough recruitmen­t tests conducted by commercial airlines.

PrabathWij­esinghe who is following a Bachelor of Engineerin­g in Electrical and Electronic­s at the University of South Australia (UniSA) re- enforces Dilshan’s sentiments. Through Edlocate Counselors he learnt about how Universiti­es work in partnershi­p with commercial establishm­ents and the schemes in place to facilitate graduate employment. This was a deciding factor for Dilshan when selecting UniSA. He describes his course as “up to date and practical”, where not only are new concepts in engineerin­g introduced, but special courses providing practical training in writing good engineerin­g reports and presenting solutions are also conducted.

University of New South Wales (UNSW) is yet another popular choice among Sri Lankan students. It houses one of the strongest business schools in Australia and its graduates are well received by employers. Dineth Marasinghe who is following a Bachelor of Economics course at UNSW, is now looking forward to living and studying in Sydney - the commercial hub of Australia. He selected UNSW because of its curric- ulum and reputation for excellence in teaching. The opportunit­y to speak to an undergradu­ate student at UNSW which was facilitate­d by Edlocate was very helpful to Dinesh in making his final choice.

Many of Edlocate students who are now in Australia believe their choice to study in Australia was excellent. Edlocate represents 21 Universiti­es in Australia, 7 of which are ranked as Group of Eight Universiti­es. Having visited these Universiti­es and with years of experience Edlocate counselors are in a position to provide accurate informatio­n and guidance to students. Prospectiv­e students and their parents are invited to meet University representa­tives at Edlocate offices in September.

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