Srinivas K.

Home university/country: Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), Chennai, India.

Course of study: Pharmacy-Pharmaceutical Chemistry

Host Country: Australia

Host University: University of Queensland

Duration: 2 years

Program: Prime Minister's Australia Asia Awards 

Organising Institute: (Endeavour Awards Program) - Ministry for Education (Australia), AusAID. 

Source of funding: Scholarship fully funded program. 

What have you gained and what have you enjoyed about studying in your host university/host country? 

The transparency of the great Australia gave me this opportunity to work with freedom, which I missed in last 30 years of my life, and I am addicted to this system of love and humanity. Regarding my research, hopefully I will reach my goals, with excellent supervision of professors at my University.

Do you have any advice for other international students hoping to apply for similar scholarship programs?

Explore yourself with the evidence of certificates, and credentials at your professional and social experience.

Information you would like to share for others hoping to study overseas:

Follow this link to the Endeavour Awards website. 

Thao N.

Home University / Institution:  Hanoi University of Pharmacy

Host University / Country: University of Queensland, Australia.

Course of study: Pharmacy

Duration: 4 years

Program: Prime Minister's Australia Asia Awards 

Organising Institute: (Endeavour Awards Program) - Ministry for Education (Australia), AusAID. 

Information you would like to share for others hoping to study overseas:

Follow this link to the Endeavour Awards website and also this link for more information.

Salmon P.

Home University / Institution: Petra Christian University

Host University / Country: La Trobe University, Australia.

Course of study: Linguistic and TESOL

Duration: Masters (2 years)

Organisation: AusAID, Australian Development Scholarship (ADS)

Source of funding: ADS Scholarship

What have you gained and what have you enjoyed about studying in your host university/host country?

      I like most the facility in the university, particularly, the library.  The sources in the library such as textbooks, journals, online system and the internet connection are really helpful and awesome as well. All of the sources do support my study. I have no difficulties at all. The staff in the library are also friendly, informative and helpful.   

      I also like the city, Melbourne, where I spent my time to study. It is safe, clean and green (lots of parks). For me, the transportation is also awesome because it is very reliable and on time. There are so many kinds of transportation you can take such as tram, train, bus or taxi. It is all there. It is fantastic. Writing this make me miss Melbourne so much!!! I wish I could go back there (Finger crossed)

Why do you recommend studying in Petra Christian University to international students?

I think International students should come to my country because the university fee is not very expensive unlike Australia for example. You can also learn about the colorful and rich cultures in my country. Each islands has their unique and different cultures. You can also enjoy the beautiful panorama, foods and the people are also very nice and friendly. 

Do you have any advice for other students hoping to apply for study programs in your country?

My suggestion is to try this scholarship: Darmasiswa, Good luck!!

Asmarita A.

Home University / Institution: Syiah Kuala University, Aceh, Indonesia

Host University / Country: La Trobe University, Australia.

Course of study: Teacher training and Education (Masters)

Duration: Masters (2 years)

Organisation: AusAID, Australian Development Scholarship (ADS)

Source of funding: Scholarship

What have you gained and what have you enjoyed about studying in your host university/host country?

I have learn a lot about plagiarism here. The lecturers and university staff give a lot of help about plagiarism. I  also enjoying the teaching and learning style in La Trobe university. I can get unlimited journals and books, and I can arrange consultation time with lecturers and university staff easily. The best thing of La Trobe university is its library. the library have  noisy stages, there are silent  area, quiet area, and study booths and rooms for group discussion.

Do you have any advice for other students hoping to apply for these programs.

Future students needs to prepare them-self with information of the country where they want to study. The information is not only about weather and facilities in the university but also the culture and general social information. If possible, you better get these from people who had finished their studies in the target country since sometimes the reality in daily life can be different from what we get from news/ website.

It is also important to know the target country academic culture because the culture can be different from your country's academic culture. 

Ayudia P.

Home University / Institution: Gadjah Mada University, Indonesia

Host University / Country: La Trobe University, Australia.

Course of study: Educational Leadership and Management

Duration: Masters (2 years)

Organisation: (DIKTI) Direktorate Jenderal Pendidikan Tinggi / Indonesian - Directorate General for Higher Education.

Source of funding: DIKTI

What have you gained and what have you enjoyed about studying in your host university/host country?

La Trobe University might not be as famous as Melbourne Uni or Monash in Indonesia, however, as the biggest and the widest campus in Victoria (or Australia, maybe, not sure enough) it provides you with all-in-one-place facilities, which means you don't have to travel to different campuses for a class (except for some majors) or go out of campus for having fun. You can even live on campus with magnificent and affordable on-campus accommodation. 

Why do you recommend studying at in Gadjah Mada University in Indonesia to other international students?

Gadjah Mada University is one of the oldest universities in Indonesia and it's a very well-known one. The quality of the lecturers is unquestionably great. Most of them are graduated from overseas, so there is less language barrier between you and the lecturers. Plus, it is located in Yogyakarta, one of the famous tourist destinations in Indonesia. Thus, you can always find a place to relax your mind after having heavy load of study.

Diyan T. 

Home University / Institution: Diponegoro University, Indonesia

Host University / Country: La Trobe University, Australia.

Course of study: Applied linguistics 

Duration: Masters (2 years)

Organisation: (DIKTI) Direktorate Jenderal Pendidikan Tinggi / Indonesian - Directorate General for Higher Education.

Source of funding: DIKTI

What have you gained and what have you enjoyed about studying in your host university/host country?

Melbourne is a multicultural city where I can meet people from many different countries with different ways of thinking and cultures. This experience has enriched me and help me to build better characteristics as I have interacted and learned from many people from different cultures. I was also involved in some volunteer  activities, such as theater performance that promotes the awareness of cultural differences between international and local students. I also joined some anklung (Indonesian traditional music instrument) performances that promote Indonesian traditional culture. In terms of the academic life, the assignments I had were very challenging and have sharpened my critical thinking skills. 

Why do you recommend studying at your host university / country to other international students?

The assignments I had were difficult but they are very challenging and provide chances to sharpen my critical thinking skills. It helps me grow academically. In terms of place to live, Melbourne is very comfortable and you will feel like home as they provide foods from many different country and grocery shopping feels like home as well as there are stores that sell many things from Indonesia and from many other different countries. I also met very nice friends here. I feel like Melbourne as my second home. Definitely would love to go back to Melbourne.

As I came from a country where English is not my first language, the first thing that I prepared for studying overseas is to improve my English capability so that I could be able gaining TOEFL/IELTS score as required by the overseas university and not to mention by the scholarship providers. Once I could reach the satisfying English proficiency test result, I looked for the university/supervisor/subject that I wanted to apply and started submitting any application of interest.

Scholarships

I would recommend DIKTI scholarship for lecturers who are interested in studying abroad. 

Rani M.

Home University / Institution: Universitas Padjadjaran, Indonesia

Host University / Country: La Trobe University

Course of study: Natural Product Chemistry (PhD S3) research focusing on organic chemistry and anti-fungal compounds

Duration: Research for PhD - full-course (4 years)

Organisation: (DIKTI) Direktorate Jenderal Pendidikan Tinggi / Indonesian - Directorate General for Higher Education.

Source of funding: DIKTI

What have you gained and what have you enjoyed about studying in your host university/host country?

I have gained a lot of experiences academically (knowledge) and also non-academically (social-cultural). All are so precious in the way of my life. 

Scholarship 

As I came from a country where English is not my first language, the first thing that I prepared for studying overseas is to improve my English capability so that I could be able gaining TOEFL/IELTS score as required by the overseas university and not to mention by the scholarship providers. Once I could reach the satisfying English proficiency test result, I looked for the university/supervisor/subject that I wanted to apply and started submitting any application of interest.