Shopping for an Australian university?

Thames International Business School

As a Thames student, I can choose from over 20 universities in which to finish my bachelor's degree. I had never seriously considered any of these options until I was invited to the Australia Campus Tour of our school. Most of my other classmates chose to join the beach trips to Boracay and Puerto Galera, but I was curious about Australia.

Thames has four affiliate universities in Brisbane and Sydney. The eight-hour flight was stressful, but worth the wait.

The minute I got on the bus to Brisbane, I suddenly felt the peculiarity of the place. There were no sidewalk vendors. The streets were litter-free. I could freely use my mobile phone without the fear of snatchers and pickpockets. Above all, the air was cool and really refreshing. I felt so secure and relaxed.

At Central Queensland University (CQU), I was surprised to find that they have many extention campuses not only in other parts of Australia, but also in Japan, Singapore and Hong Kong. It is a cozy place; one would definitely feel at home with its adequate campus and personalized approach.

Next, we went to the Queensland University of Technology (QUT), which has one of the biggest student populations in Australia. It has so many international students, with Malaysians and Norwegians on top of the list. As such, they have various international festivals featuring the various cultures of the students.

We traveled to Brisbane’s neighboring city, Toowoomba, which is known as the "Garden City." This is what Baguio would have looked like if they didn’t chop down all the pine trees and converted the parks into tiangges. At the heart of the city is the University of Southern Queensland (USQ). As we toured its impressive facilities and lush green surroundings, the lecturer proudly stated that USQ was awarded the Australia’s University of the Year 2000-2001. What impressed me about USQ is its wide range of services for international students to ensure that they have fun and succeed during their stay in the school.

In Sydney, we visited Macquarie University, one of the most prestigious universities in the Asia-Pacific region. The campus is like UP Diliman with its wide lawns and big trees — it even has a lake on campus. The big difference though is that the buildings are more modern and clean. The teaching facilities are high-tech and complete. There is a student bar, workout gym, a huge gymnasium a mini-mall, and much more. Macquarie has 3,700 international students from 80 countries. Talk about cultural diversity!

Australian universities offer personalized student services. They can help you find an apartment, give tutorials, and even assist you in securing a part-time job. And they take special care of the overseas students because they know it’s difficult to be away from home.

Almost half of their students are Asians — mostly Malaysians, Thais, Singaporeans, Indonesians, Chinese and a few Filipino students. This diverse student population is another great advantage. What I like most about being in a classroom with students from different nationalities is learnign to respect their views, customs, and traditions. Hopefully, they will also learn as much from me about the Filipino way of life. Whatever it is, I know the friends I will meet in school will be my barkada from all over the world.

Now the pluses are clear. Besides a foreign degree, there are the great campus facilities, a clean, safe environment, exposure to so many different cultures and beliefs. And of course, the academic standards of an Australian university are among the best internationally.

A Filipina professor in QUT asked me if I planned to go back to the Philippines after studying in Australia. At that moment, I had no definite answer. Life there was definitely better. I felt torn. I left Australia undecided. When I came back home from the trip, I realized the value of my parents’ investments. Three years from now, I shall go back to the Philippines and use the knowledge I gained to help our country. And when asked the same question after I graduate, I will tell them that the Philippines may not be as clean, peaceful, and beautiful as Australia, it may not be as rich and powerful and big, but it is definitely still my home.