Make the most of your time overseas

Some students enrol in a course overseas for the quality of the education, the experience of living in another country, or to improve foreign language skills. While each student has different factors that motivate them to enrol in a course overseas, looking at the full picture and taking advantage of what your new home has to offer can help you to adjust to your new surroundings. It can also make your time abroad more enjoyable and provide you with skills that help you stand out when applying for jobs in the future.

Do some research on countries and cities to see what they offer. Is there something that you have always wanted to learn that you will have the opportunity to do while you are studying? Do you have hobbies that you would like to continue? Getting involved in local activities will help you make new friends and learn about the culture.

During the initial stages of selecting a course, consider not only the institution and the professors you want to learn from, but also a location that will accommodate your other interests and goals.

Once you have enrolled in a course, find out more about the different clubs and activities available at your institution and in the local community and find out how to get involved.

Getting a part-time job can also help you learn about the culture and meet new people. Before getting a part-time job, be sure you have obtained the appropriate permission to work. Ask a counsellor for details related to the country where you will be studying.

Remember that you will be living in another country and there will be many things that are different. Try not to constantly compare things to your home country and make a judgement as to what’s better or worse. Look around you to see what’s different and interesting and focus on taking advantage of new opportunities. This will help you meet new people and learn about the location and culture.

Our counsellors are happy to help you find a course to meet your interests or help you with more detailed information on your institution and location. Once you’ve enrolled in a course, we encourage you to contact a counsellor for advice on making the most of your time overseas.

Don’t miss out on your course of choice

Australia – The next term you can apply for starts in February/March 2007. The application deadline for most courses is in October; however, we encourage you to apply early for best consideration. Keep in mind that you do not need to scan and attach your documents, a counsellor can do this for you. Contact a counsellor for assistance with selecting a course or completing your applications.

If you have applied to start studying in Australia in July/August 2006, you should be making final arrangements to depart for Australia. As a reminder, StudyLink will send a free Lonely Planet Australia guidebook worth AU$47.95 to any student who submits an application through one of our sites, enrols for the July 2006 intake and sends us a copy of their Confirmation of Enrolment form.

US – The next term you can apply for starts in January/February of 2007 for many institutions, English language schools and other short courses allow students to start throughout the year. Application deadlines vary and we encourage you to apply early for best consideration. Keep in mind that you do not need to scan and attach your documents, a counsellor can do this for you. Contact a counsellor for assistance with selecting a course or completing your applications.

If you have enrolled to start studying in the US in September (first semester), you should be making final arrangements to depart for the US.

UK – It is still possible to apply to many courses starting in September 2006. Contact a counsellor to see if it is still possible for you to apply for your chosen course and we would be happy to help you.

Start thinking now about applying for 2007. Our counsellors are happy to help you find a course and institution to meet your background and interests. Contact a counsellor to discuss your study plans.

If you applied to an undergraduate course through UCAS by June 30 to start studies in September 2006, you should receive a final decision from the institution in July.

University of New England (Australia) scientist recognised as one of the world’s “most highly cited”

Dr Karin Meyer of Australia’s University of New England has recently been added to an international list of highly cited researchers.

The Institute for Scientific Information publishes the list to enable research professionals to identify individuals, departments and laboratories that have made fundamental contributions to the advancement of science and technology in recent decades.

Dr Meyer is a Principal Scientist in UNE’s Animal Genetics and Breeding Unit (AGBU) and her inclusion on the list demonstrates the value her colleagues place in her published work. She is one of the fewer than 0.5 per cent of all publishing researchers to make the list.

Dr Meyer is the author of more than 150 journal and conference articles and has designed a number of widely used software packages which estimate genetic parameters that characterise livestock populations. She has worked at AGBU, a joint unit of UNE and the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries, for the past 17 years.

The AGBU was established in 1976 to carry out research, development and training in the genetic improvement of livestock for the benefit of Australian agriculture. It currently has a team of 20 scientists, numerous postgraduate students and support staff and has an active program of visiting scientists.

Among the AGBU’s many achievements are the provision of new methods for the estimation of genetic parameters and the development of genetic evaluation systems which have been widely adopted in industry.

Animal science is one of UNE’s areas of expertise and the institution offers a wide range of courses in the field. To find out more about these or other UNE offerings, contact a counsellor.

Reading students show their entrepreneurial talents (UK)

Ten University of Reading students recently demonstrated their commercial acumen in the first ever Deloitte Business Planning Competition.

The competition enabled students enrolled in the university’s module The Practice of Entrepreneurship to demonstrate their entrepreneurial potential and compete for _1000 worth of prizes.

With over 100 students enrolled this year, The Practice of Entrepreneurship is one of the largest accredited, cross-disciplinary undergraduate modules in entrepreneurship in the UK.

University of Reading innovation and entrepreneurship manager Rebecca Miller said students from a wide-range of schools within the university, including business, systems engineering, languages and international relations, enrolled in the module.

“This challenging and interactive program aims to inspire students to develop their entrepreneurial capabilities and equip them with the fundamental business acumen they need to put their ideas into action,” Ms Miller said.

Students of the entrepreneurship module spent several months working hard to translate their creative ideas into solid business plans. The ten students selected to enter the final stages of the competition have undergone presentation skills training and coaching by an experienced business professional.

John Cavill, founder of both Logical Networks and Intermezzo Ventures, joined the panel of judges for the Business Planning Competition. Mr Cavill said he was impressed not only by the number of students taking the Practice of Entrepreneurship module, but also by their interest and commitment.

Contact a counsellor to learn more about entrepreneurship studies at the University of Reading.

Stratford University (USA) helps you keep up in the information age

It’s all around you. You can’t avoid it. It’s technology and it sometimes feels as though you need to master it or you’ll be left behind.

That’s where radio programs such as Tech Talk can come in handy. Regardless of whether you are novice or expert, Tech Talk can help solve your hardware, software and network problems.

Hosted by Cameron Gray and Stratford University President Richard Shurtz, Tech Talk airs every Saturday at 10am, on WJFK Radio (106.7 FM) in the US. Stratford University sponsors the show in order to demonstrate how easy and fun information technology can be.
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The show’s hosts have also created an online discussion forum, to address problems ranging from computers and networking to career development, and make aired shows available in both MP3 and RealAudio formats

Tech Talk highlights information technology as one of Stratford University’s areas of expertise. In addition to being a discipline of the university, technology plays a major role in all of the institution’s courses.

Stratford University is located just outside Washington DC and offers associate, bachelor, and master's degrees in the fields of information technology, hospitality, culinary arts, and business administration

If you’d like to keep up in the information age and learn more about Stratford University’s courses, contact a counsellor.