Made possible by Melbourne
Looking out over Hong Kong’s dramatic night sky line, Manela Gunawardena never thought her Master’s degree would lead her here. The Sri Lankan Master of Management ( Accounting & Finance) student at Melbourne Business School was in Hong Kong in January as part of the highly competitive Global Business Practicum (GBP) subject.
The GBP sees small teams of students work together as consultants over 10 intensive days to solve a real-life issue for a company in destinations including Hong Kong, S i n g a p o re and London. Gunawardena says her experience working for a multinational as part of her studies has been ‘invaluable’:
“The Global Business Practicum helped me to develop myself personally, academically and professionally. Working as a consultant helped me to fine tune my soft skills which I think is really important career preparation.”
Asked why she chose to do graduate study at the University of Melbourne, Gunawardena cites its reputation amongst employers as a main attraction and believes it will give her a ‘competitive edge’ when applying for jobs after she graduates at the end of this year. Well aware that reputations are earned, Gunawardena says her studies at MBS is a challenge,but one that she has embraced and enjoyed. She’s also used the flexible structure of the Master of Management programs to her advantage by taking subjects from other disciplines like the Global Business Practicum.
Having previously lived in London, Gunawardena is full of praise for the city of Melbourne and believesit was as much of a drawcard for her move to Australia as the university, “I love Melbourne’s café culture and the emphasis the city places on diverse cultures and how they are celebrated through Melbourne’s vibrant festivals.”
Now in her final semester, Gunawardena’s enthusiasm for her University of Melbourne experience is only growing:
“I would 100% recommend the University of Melbourne to students in Sri Lanka. It’s not just an educa- tional degree but an opportunity to develop your professional and personal traits. For me, it’s been unforgettable.”
Still in the first year of her Bachelor of Commerce, Sri Lankan student Hansi Weerasooriya, shares Gunawardena’s positive attitude about her choice to study at Melbourne. Always a driven student, Weerasooriya’s dedication to her studies paid off having received one of the prestigious AG Whitlam International Undergraduate Scholarships:
“It was an incredible feeling to realise the benefits of the hard work you put into your education during high school. The scholarship has taken away some of the financial burden from my parents and given me an opportunity to prove myself to my family.”
Business and economics students have a vast array of opportunities awaiting them at the University of Melbourne, both inside the classroom and out. What will you make possible at Melbourne?
The University of Melbourne offers a comprehensive range of business and economics programs -from the Bachelor of Commerce to graduate degrees in Accounting, Actuarial Studies, Economics, Econometrics, International Business, Finance, Management and Marketing.
Learn more > coursesearch.unimelb.edu.au
The Faculty of Business and Economics offers a wide range of scholarships to high achieving international students including the Bachelor of Commerce, AG Whitlam International Undergraduate Merit Scholarship and the Commerce Undergraduate International Merit Scholarship -offering 50% fee remissions( approximat e ly AUD$21,560) per year*.
Melbourne Business Schooloffers a number of AG Whitlam Graduate Merit Scholarshipsand International Graduate Merit Scholarships for graduate students with fee remissions ranging between 25% - 50% ( approximately AUD$ 10,290 - AUD$20,560) per year. based on 2018 fees for the duration of the degree ( up to 3 years). based on 2018 fees for the duration of the degree ( up to 2 years).
Discover scholarships > fbe. unimelb.edu.au/scholarships