What university would you recommend for my friend?

Question

She's from Laos, and just recently got a scholarship to study in Australia....it's up to her which school she wants to apply the scholarship to.

Her English is understandable, but certainly not perfect. She is suppose to attend another year of English classes before she goes.

I would like your opinion on which university would be welcoming for her. She's a little shy, but not as shy as your typical Asian, but still. Reputation does matter; but she's a little worried about studying abroad because she's...well she's a lady and is afraid of her safety (but I think Australia is pretty safe, and she doesn't have anything to worry about...but still).

Also she plans on studying accounting.

Thanks for much for any help!!!

Answer 1

I'm inclined to recommend Melbourne University or Monash (also in Melbourne) for a shy Asian girl.
I think it would suit her - there is a strong contingent of Asian students studying at both.
Monash is a friendly campus - I'm sure she would be made to feel very welcome there.

Answer 2

I suppose wat kella g said is right. In australia there are many asian students and the environment is quite safe and on top of that when she meets many of her fellow asian folks it wudn't be that bad so that she'd have to fear for her safety.

As per my brother it's the safest place to live in and he says asian people have the most advantage in Australia.

My brother is in Griffith University and it's ranked the second top universities and his girl friend is studying accounts so all that i know from him is Griffith too is good but it's in Brisbane, queensland. It's the most beautiful place to be in.

Melbourne is surely a nice place even I'd not recommend sydney but if ur a student and want to get a job to live while u study then Melbourne and sydney r the places to go to.

Melbourne's Monash and Swinburne are 2 universities i know of. Just try to google up Australian universities and c which university is located in which city also u'd get some additional info like some pics and cultural background in each university.

Best luck for ur cousin :)

Answer 3

Accounting can be studied just about anywhere so pick a city first then the university. My own choice would be Sydney University. It is my university and is close to the centre of my favourite city. UNSW or Macquarie would also be good choices in Sydney.

Theer are many people from eastern Asia in Sydney and she is sure to find other Laotians ate whichever university she chooses. The Sydney universities are lovely places to study.

Answer 4

It's probably more about which city to live in. Cities where she would probably be very comfortable would be Melbourne, Canberra, Adelaide and perhaps Perth. I'd recommend against Sydney as it's loud and brash and could be a bit overwhelming for her. I'd also recommend against regional universities like New England (Armidale) and Hobart as there are not great support networks/communities available in these places as a rule.

Canberra is probably the most multi-cultural city in Australia due to the wide range of embassies and cultural influences but Melbourne is close on a bigger, louder scale!

Answer 5

G'day,

First of all... congratulation for your friend on getting the scholarship. She must be a very bright student :)

I used to be an international student in Australia from South-East Asia and I will try to help you (and your friend).

You've already got multitude terrific answers so far. As most answerers indicated, Accounting is offered in most universities in Australia and all of them are fully accredited, so she does not have to worry abt the recognition of her degree anywhere. Therefore the first choice is the city where she is going to live in. BTW... what degree level is she going to study in? Masters? Bachelor?

Now... one of the answerer mention that he/she are against the universities in the regional areas. That may be true, as not many international students studying there. However the opposite may happen as well. B'cos there are not many students there, the ratio between teaching staff & student is small, which means that the attention given by the teaching staff to the student is better. They are more aware if one or few students are having difficulties and prepare to assist the students further. Also the community becomes very close to each other. It does not have to be come from the same country, but international students do tend to help each other, since they realise that they must depend to each other. However support from the Australian students are not to be underestimated, since they could be the best host in getting the new international students adapt quicker and easier to living away from their family. Trust me... my wife used to be an international students in Australia as well and she studied in a small town called Wagga-Wagga (Charles Sturt University) and Melbourne, the 2nd biggest city in Australia after Sydney (Swinburne University of Tech). She always said that she still prefer the small-town lifestyle in Wagga-Wagga. But again... different ppl has different lifestyle expectation :) I honestly do not recommend a place where there are plenty of Laos students as well, since she will be tempted to use her mother-tongue all the time and not very good for English improvement. This has been proven with many Indonesian, Japanese and Chinese students that study in the institutions where there are plenty of their fellow country students and slow in improving their English skills.

Now... you also mentioned that your friend is shy. I do understand that most Asian girls tend to be shy and not very keen on asking things to other ppl. However this is what your friend have to overcome. She has to understand that the study system in Australia is very different than what we got in Asia. In Asia... students MUST keep quiet and listen to what the teachers said. If there are things that you may not agree with the teacher, we better keep our mouth shut! It is what I called "Spoon-fed" system. Students just receive. In Australia, the teaching staff encourage students to ask things that they dun understand. They also encourage different opinion as well as self fact-finding by researching the internet, library and team discussions. Teaching staff even put their free time on their office doors to enable students with problems with their homework or assignment to come and consult them outside class time. Now do you see where I'm going with shyness? If she is shy to ask, or to discuss things or go debate her opinion in team, she'll be terribly lost in the system and may not be able to contribute much in the class. Some subjects do give some score on class contributions. So please alert her abt this study style, so she will be prepared better :)

Now... this is what I can briefly describe the condition of some capital cities in Australia:
Sydney: Biggest city. Lots of entertainments and things to see. The most expensive and cool climate.
Melbourne: 2nd biggest city. Good public transport. 2nd most expensive and cold climate
Brisbane: warm weather. 3rd most expensive.
Adelaide: cold climate
Perth: cool climate
Hobart: cold climate
Darwin: warm-humid climate (almost like Laos)
Adelaide, Perth, Hobart & Darwin have almost similar living expenditure.

To find out the course that she is interested in taking and where it is offered, I suggest you to go to Dept of Education, Science and Technology (http://cricos.dest.gov.au) and IDP Education Australia website (www.idp.edu.au) online.database. Go and see the university's website and maybe e-mail the internaitonal office a few questions abt the uni. I also strongly suggest that you or your friend go to Australian Education exhibition if there's one to talk directly to the staff there to find out abt their support to international students and maybe able to speak with some of the graduates as well.

Hope this helps. E-mail me at mikegun(at)studentfirst.com.au if you have more questions abt study in Australia. Good luck for your friend's study and welcome to Australia :)

Answer 6

If she can't speak english then go to UNSW