Kathmandu:

Getting into University of Melbourne is not easy. You need really good grades.

Students take A levels without having proper knowledge of pre-requisite subjects. It’s

important you make the choices early on, so it helps when you are applying

During my father’s time, people had one job their whole lives. Then people started having four of five jobs during their lifetime. But things have completely changed now and people are frequently changing their jobs,” said Glen McIntyre, Regional Director at the University of Melbourne, who is here on a short visit.

“And that is why we want our students to be lifelong lovers for learning. We want them to have a very high level of analytical and research skills, help them develop right skills and most importantly teach them how to be flexible and adaptable. That is what employers want and is also needed nowadays,” she added.

McIntyre is here to met the alumni from the university, have a better understanding of the Nepali education system, get to know the difference in the grading system in the two countries and provide information to prospective students as well.

Getting into the University of Melbourne is not easy, she said. “You need really good grades.”

However, there are other universities that one can try if your scores aren’t really high.

She stressed on students getting prior knowledge of everything related to the university and place that they are heading to. Life certainly isn’t very easy, she said, and students must get to know the university, cost of living and the country itself better before landing up in a totally new place.

Consultancies could be a place to visit to get the information but then McIntyre also warned that all of them might not be the official representatives of the universities they claim to represent, and it’s almost impossible for the university to know.

So what a student can do is check the universities’ websites and see if the consultancy has been listed as a representative, and be saved from getting duped.

The areas of study that are quite popular in Australia especially among the Nepalis is Business, Engineering and technological programmes. As the subjects have different levels of criteria to apply for different courses, one needs to thoroughly go through the net to make sure they fulfil all the required criteria.

“I’ve seen that students have taken up A levels without having proper knowledge of pre-requisite subjects. So it’s important that you make the choices early on, so that it helps when you are applying,” McIntyre suggested.

For those who are worried about the living costs, McIntyre said you’ll need around 18,000 Australian dollars per year if you want to live comfortably. You need to show around 13,000 Australian dollars to the government when applying. Students are allowed to do part-time jobs, that is 20 hours a week during courses. A student usually earns somewhere between 12 to 15 dollars. On holidays, you can work full time.

If students plan to apply for permanent residency in Australia, then they will be given 18 months after their completing undergraduate course to find work related to their area of study. If they fail, they will not be considered. The visa regulations are also quite strict.

Among the best

The University of Melbourne, with its top rankings, is considered one of the best. According to Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2007, it was ranked 27 in the world and as Top10 employer review service. The Academic Ranking of World Universities, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 2007 it stood seventh in the Asia-Pacific region and 79 worldwide. Whereas, it was the No 1 university (overall measure of standing) in Index of International Standing of Australian Public Universities 2007.

It will cost you around 20,000-30,000 Australian dollars depending on the course.

They have exchange programmes with universities around the world. The other highlight of the university is their Careers and Employment unit that students can really take a lot from for their future.

The university also provides some scholarships, while there are also some given by the government. You can get the information on www.australianscholarships.gov.au

Besides these, ADB, World Bank and Toyota scholarships are other choices you have, but these are highly competitive.