Back in 2013, I was faced with the task of choosing a suitable university for my undergraduate studies. I heard about Deakin University through the pathway program offered at the Royal Institute Colombo and I decided to study at Deakin because it is one of the most well-known and reputable universities in Australia. Deakin University is also known for its engineering courses and facilities, which persuaded me to embark on this adventure. As part of the pathway program, I completed the first two years of my degree at the Royal Institute. Then I transferred to Deakin in 2015 for my final years, undertaking a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering (Honours) at the Geelong Waurn Ponds campus.

From childhood, I always had a passion for engineering. After high school, I tried taking a different path by doing an internship at a bank, but the experience was uninspiring and pushed me further towards engineering. The experience I have gained by joining Deakin as an engineering student is inexpressible. Deakin’s cutting edge technologies, featuring the most current and advanced lab equipment in the engineering department caught me by surprise from the very beginning.

Deakin’s cutting edge technologies, featuring the most current and advanced lab equipment in the engineering department caught me by surprise from the very beginning.

Testing the stress factor of a bridge at the lab

When I moved to Australia, I was having second thoughts about living all alone in Geelong, where my Deakin University campus is based. I lost my father when I was three years old, and was raised by my mother for 20 years along with my sister. But after arriving, I found Geelong and Australia to be very welcoming and started embracing my life here.

Road trip with friends to Torquay beach

I was rather nervous during the orientation week at Deakin, but the people I met during orientation made me feel like I was no longer away from home. Studying at Deakin has been an invaluable experience, and it has taught me how to develop my thinking and to take everything into consideration. One of the things I admire most about Deakin is that I can listen to my lectures online through CloudDeakin. All of the lectures are recorded and available to be used through CloudDeakin which is helpful if I ever fall behind.

Studying at Deakin has been an invaluable experience, and it has taught me how to develop my thinking and to take everything into consideration Another thing I love about Deakin is the number of events that happen on campus, and the number of student societies you can join. Deakin holds a Twilight Festival every year which lights up the night sky with fireworks – it was mind blowing!

At the Deakin Twilight Festival

I also joined the Deakin Sri Lankan Students Society which made me feel more at home, introducing me to new people with different personalities. The events that the Deakin Sri Lankan Student Society organised over the past few months were spectacular. And obviously being a Sri Lankan makes you fall in love with the game of cricket, so I joined the Deakin Waurn Ponds Cricket Club and played in the first’s team.

Deakin Kottu Night organised by the Deakin Sri Lankan Society

During a practice session with the Eagles During a practice session with the Eagles

My journey abroad has been both overwhelming and inspiring and my experience in Australia has taught me so much. It has taught me to open my eyes to various opportunities, and how to adapt to new relationships and acquaintances abroad. Wandering out of my ordinary range of knowledge has taught me that life may not generally go as planned but one thing for certain is that we will positively wind up where we are intended to be, and if life is a story, why not make it an experience worth telling.

The opportunity to study abroad was too difficult to resist when I was offered a place at Marcus Oldham College to study Horse Business Management. Horses have been my greatest interest since I was young.

Studying at Marcus Oldham has provided an unforgettable educational experience for me to study and stay in a foreign culture. Australia’s culture is a totally new experience for me as I have grown up and live in an Asian country.

I will always remember and appreciate all the assistance, guidance, care and warmth from the staff at Marcus Oldham. As an international student, I felt they were attentive to the welfare of a foreign student and always willing to go the extra mile. The experience at Marcus Oldham has also compelled me to be highly independent, especially when it involved looking after a horse that I leased from the College, going to equestrian competitions and finding and arranging practical work placements.

While studying abroad, I enjoyed the opportunity to discover a totally different culture, meeting local and other international students as well as working on horse properties in Australia and New Zealand.

After completing studies at Marcus Oldham, I worked in the Equestrian Centre at Penang Turf Club as an Administrative Executive and teaching basic riding lessons to beginners (after completing the introductory riding instructor’s course). Currently, I am the Racing Officer (Head of Department) at Penang Turf Club.

If you are thinking of studying abroad, take the opportunity when you have the chance. The experience of studying abroad is absolutely remarkable. I will forever cherish the wonderful memories attained at Marcus Oldham.

The Gordon Institute of TAFE was a study destination that I decided on hesitantly. Being a TAFE, I felt the practical approach and real experience would help me further my studies and career path.

The Gordon has surpassed all expectations.
At this stage, I can look back on that decision and confidently say I have no regrets whatsoever.

The teachers are a great asset. The amount of care and attention they provide exceeds expectations. I go to class every morning knowing that I have their full backing and support. Lessons are broken down into very simple and concise parts, our nursing labs are fully equipped with state of the art tools and our lesson plans are setup to match the current needs of the work force.

The students are very welcoming and ready to interact. I have made friends who have become family. The multicultural environment made settling in a lot easier. Finding my way around during the first few weeks of admission was no problem because staff are always ready to direct you to your destination.

I am happy I made The Gordon my study destination; I could not have had it any better.

Hi, my name is Yang Ying and I come from China. I came to Deakin University to study and I am currently undertaking a Master of Landscape Architecture. Australia is an amazing country - from the moment I landed at Melbourne Airport, I was curious about my new home.

I feel lucky that I chose to study at Deakin University’s Waterfront campus because of the incredible views and the friendly people in Geelong. Prior to commencing my architecture studies at Deakin, I studied a ten week English language course at the Deakin University English Language Institute (DUELI).

During my English language studies, it was really exciting that my classmates were from different countries such as Russia, Iran, India, Thailand, Philippines andVenezuela. I made many great friends – we studied together and shared our different life experiences with each other. The teachers were also very helpful - they not only assisted us in our studies but also found ways to help us relax such as arranging visits to the zoo and doing yoga classes together.

My time at DUELI was a turning point in my life because I learned new skills such as searching through documents and writing in English. For a Masters student, critical thinking, writing, and searching documents are all important skills. Furthermore, good communication skills are also important and having friends from different backgrounds has been a great help in learning about new perspectives, new ways of thinking and different cultures.

In my spare time, I like to travel with my friends and to participate in different activities. I have been to Lake Tyrrell, gone fishing, joined in the Zombie Show, took part in Run Geelong, enjoyed some volunteer work and travelled to other cities. By taking part in various activities, I feel like I am an active participant in society making a valuable contribution to the city of Geelong especially when I’m volunteering which involves giving up my time for the reward and satisfaction of helping someone perhaps less fortunate than myself.

I still have one year left before I finish my course and although my studies are sometimes challenging and stressful, I am confident about my future, since my life motto has always been ‘Study Hard and Play Hard’.