Grad School Diaries
- kiiimpanzeee
- Jan 31, 2019
- 12 min read
Updated: Feb 1, 2019
Today marks a month since I arrived back to Manila. Who knew doing a Masters degree would be so hard? I definitely didn't think so, lol. Most of our friends think we were in Australia having the time of our lives - maybe during semester break we did - but that was honestly one of the most challenging things I’ve ever had to do in my life. I literally spent most of my days either in the library, at work, in transit, or at home doing chores! Others also think that after studying we have it all figured out, but I sincerely think that it has left me more confused and unsure about the future. Don’t get me wrong, the experience was very eye-opening and life changing. If there’s one thing uni has taught me - from the hundreds of journal articles I had to read, and from our thought-provoking cross-cultural discussions in class - it’s to respond with “it depends” and to ask follow up questions. Friends and acquaintances usually have similar questions for me when they find out I did my masters in Australia. Hence, I’m writing this article for people who are wondering about how it’s like being a working student there (either because they want to study too or just out of curiosity), would like to apply for the same scholarship, and/or would just like to hear about how a recently finished student’s perspective has changed after going through those roller coaster 18 months!
Applying for an Australia Awards Scholarship (AAS)
A number of people have approached me asking specifically about AAS. If you're interested in applying, check the deadlines and requirements ASAP HERE or join the Facebook group HERE. I think the applications are currently ongoing for the January 2020 intake. People keep asking me if the application was difficult and what tips I have. Honestly, they really just look at your dedication, sincerity, and heart for helping. The best tip I can give you is, try your hardest, give it your all, and PRAY. Anyone can give you as many tips as they can, I can even show you a copy of my REAP, but at the end of the day, it's really about your direction in life (pre application and your future plans) and how well you crafted your REAP - do you know the needs and current situation of the community you wish to support? Do your homework, know and analyse as much as you can, and keep your head high. The AAS application is just the start; studying masters abroad for a year is way more challenging than what you will initally have to go through. If it's for you, it's for you. KAYA MO YAN FRIEND, tiwala sa sarili at sa Dios.
Now down to the nitty-gritty Q&A-ish type of information.
What is the timeline for the AAS application?
I started my application maybe in August 2016, submitted it September, got the news about the interview a little after Christmas, did my interview in February 2017, attended the course counselling session in March, attended the pre-departure briefing in May, and left on 8 June 2017. They used to require the English test for the initial pass but I don't think that's the case anymore. You also won't need to indicate the program and university you wish to enter until after the course conselling -- where you will have the chance to speak to the university representatives in person. Upon arrival to Australia, you will first need to attend the IAP or Introductory Academic Program (something like an English program) for about 2-4 weeks (depending on your institution's schedule) before the semester begins.
How many people are accepted?
Our intake had about 67 students from all over the Philippines, sent to all parts of Australia. The budget has decreased, however, and the number of scholars being sent has decreased to 20+ per intake. Every year there are 2 intakes.
What did you study and where?
I studied the Master in Social Entrepreneurship program at Macquarie University/Macquarie Graduate School of Management (Sydney, NSW) -- more on this below
How long was the program?
Postgraduate degrees range from 1-2 years. My program was originally 2 years, but the AAS budget for Philippines only allows a maximum of 1.5 years per scholar so I needed to apply for recognition of prior learning or RPL. This means that I had to credit my undergraduate subjects and work experience to shorten my course to 1.5 years instead of 2, although I was able to credit only 3 instead of 4. To do this, I needed to contact Ateneo to request for the syllabi of the subjects I needed to credit.
REAP
There is a specific template for the re-entry action plan (REAP) HERE. My REAP is to make a supply chain guidebook with Woven Crafts, the tikog banig weavers in Basey, Samar. AAS and I agreed on the Master in Social Entrepreneurship program as it is directly related to my REAP - a social enterprise.
Staying in Australia (after studying or in general)
After studying, we cannot stay in Australia for 2 years after studying. That is one of the conditions of the AAS scholarship. If you wish to migrate there, I don't suggest applying to get a scholarship. Other friends have approached me asking about how to move to Australia (in general) and sad to say, it is not easy to live and work there unless you have a skill that is on the list, or unless you study a postgraduate degree for 2 years and then apply for a postgraduate working visa afterwards (...or you can also marry a local or win the lottery lol). I don't think work sponsorships are very common anymore nowadays and the working holiday visa is not an option for Filipinos.
What to study
What you want to study - which program, which subjects, which uni - really depends on what YOU want. Sure there are rankings and specialties per university, but it is all up to you to decide which school matches best with your goals in life and your interests. (Although MGSM did make it to the top 100 business schools in 2019 -- just sayin'). Do research! A lot of information is on the universities' websites. Australia is a country that requires you to exert a lot of effort on your own, so get used to it!:P Ask questions from friends that might have studied in your target university and/or has done the same program or has taken the same units. I know of some friends who took a particular program at a specific university as it is only there that the program is offered - like my program. I studied Master in Social Entrepreneurship (MSE) offered by both Macquarie Graduate School of Management (MGSM) and Macquarie University. I super loved it because of the diverse units - a good balance between management subjects at MGSM and development subjects at Macquarie Uni - and because of the inspiring changemakers I met along the way. I especially liked my anthropology and sociology subjects as these were very new to me. To those interested in the program, here are the units that I took:
T3 2017: Strategic Frameworks with Randal Tame
T3 2017: Strategic Corporate Social Responsibility with Debbie Haski-Leventhal (block*)
T4 2017: Marketing Management with Carmel Herington
T4 2017: Social Entrepreneurship with Debbie Haski-Leventhal (block*)
S2 2017: Globalisation and Sustainable Development with Sara Fuller
S1 2018: Development Theory and Practice with Chris Lyttleton
S1 2018: Research Methods in Anthropology with Greg Downey
S1 2018: Social Care and Human Services with Tobia Fattore
S2 2018: Social Impact Assessment and Cross-Cultural Negotiation with Fiona Miller
S2 2018: Activism and Policy Design with Shaun Wilson
T4 2018: Supply Chain Management with Peter Shi (block*)
T4 2018: Report 1: Sustainable Universities with Prof. Debbie Haski-Leventhal (individual**)
* A block (or intensive unit) is a class held over 2 weekends of full 9:00am-5:00pm class days that are 2 weeks apart, instead of the usual 1-3 hour classes held weekly
** This was conducted one-on-one with my supervisor
When choosing units, check the learning objectives, assessment tasks, and schedule to see which ones align best with your personal goals, cabalities, and your own learning pace. Factors I looked at were the quantity, weight distribution (40%, 50%, 60%), types (exam, paper, or group report), and schedules (make sure they aren't all due at the same time!) of assessments.
Our units with Debbie were the most inspiring, as she is a real role model who is very passionate about corporate social responsibility, fair trade, and sustainability! You can read all about it from her book “Strategic Corporate Social Responsibility”. Having taken her units and reading the book she recently launched in October, I still get goosebumps thinking about the “aha” moments I had during our intensive classes, which made me more passionate about wanting to change the world. Humbly, I’m honoured to say that I have supported in researching for the new book she is currently writing on sustainable universities.
Where to live
I lived in 3 very different accommodations since I arrived. Every semester I moved houses because of particular reasons. In my first semester I lived near Macquarie so that it was easier to go to uni, but it was a bit too quiet for me at the Marsfield area and transportation wasn’t very convenient going to the city. I then moved to Newtown as that was halfway between UNSW (where my partner studied) and Macquarie. Although it took at least 1 hour to go to uni, it was worth it as Newtown is such a lively, fun, and weird neighbourhood! When my partner had left for Manila, I moved to Epping as it was closer to uni and work (approximately 4 minutes by train and 7 minutes by bus!) with the convenience of efficient transportation, as a semi-major station.
Some of my friends had family around Sydney and chose to stay with them, while others chose a location that they found most comfortable with - like the beach! So it again depends on you and the trade off that works for you - distance/transit time vs comfort, cost vs distance/time, housemates vs distance/time, etc. As for housemates, I suggest living with people you feel most comfortable with. In my experience, it was best to live with fellow Filipinos because there was still a sense of family when you get home, and this is so important especially when you’re feeling stressed out, lonely, and even just bored.
As for living in which city, we really loved it in Sydney because transportation is convenient, the weather is just right, the people are very multicultural, there are lots of beaches to choose from, and there are parks and wildlife everywhere! It is a good mix of city life, nature, and culture. I may sound a bit biased but, Sydney is THE BEST. Lol.
If it helps, check out the post that I wrote as soon as I arrived in June 2017, on general living in Australia HERE.
Working while studying
I had 2 casual jobs while studying full time and that wasn’t easy. One of my jobs was being a retail adviser at Macpac and the other was a photobooth attendant at Sharebooth. As students, we are allowed to work 20 hours per week and that doesn’t seem like much, but it can take up a lot of time especially when you have assessments to finish! Working while studying requires A LOT of time management, because you wouldn't want one or the other to suffer if you spend too much of your time working or doing assessments. It again depends on what you want to achieve. I know of some people who never worked while studying because they really wanted to enjoy Sydney, focus on their studies, or just chill! Others (like me) get jobs to earn money so that we can travel and save up for the future. I also liked having work to take my mind off school work and improve on my people skills. In retrospect, retail was the best for me as the pay is good and I didn’t have to think so much (like I did at uni) or use my brain much. I know some who had real office jobs to gain valuable experience towards their future work, while others did tasks listed on Airtasker or other random things they can think of. One friend even made her own colouring book to sell at Filo stores around Sydney! It's not that easy looking for a job in Sydney, and it's best if you have friends refer you to their employers. Research about how to craft resumes Australian-style and try your luck at different websites such as SEEK and Indeed.
Extra curricular
There are tons of extra curricular activities to do around Australia - in every city and in every uni! Early in 2018 I was asked to give a speech during the International Students' Welcome at Macquarie, and here are 3 tips that I suggested for newly-arrived students:
1. Engage yourself
When I first arrived here, I built relationships with people I had the most in common with to start - like fellow Filipinos, fellow Australia Awards scholars, and fellow students from my program. As soon as I began feeling more comfortable in this new environment, I found myself breaking barriers and trying out new things! Through connections, I was able to get a casual job as a photobooth attendant. It is a relatively simple job that I can fortunately balance with my studies, as most events happen at night. This allowed me to explore Sydney, be immersed in Australian culture, and of course, earn extra income. It is one of the things I am most excited about and I wouldn’t have had that opportunity if it weren’t for my personal relationships.
(To those that love traveling, you can also read my post on our Tassie and NZ adventures HERE)
2. Follow your passion
Moving to another country is like starting all over again, which is a really good opportunity for you to start from scratch! If you’re like me, who loves meeting people from different cultures and going to festivals and events, you’ll definitely love Sydney! Back in spring, I was able to enjoy playing my favourite sport soccer at the beach with fellow international students at a tournament in Cogee. It was hot and tiring but I made good friends and the event was aired on television, so yay! On a more serious note, I'm also very passionate about giving back to the community, and Ozharvest, a food rescue organisation, amazed me with their efforts to lessen food waste and rescue food for the less fortunate. As a volunteer in their market, I’m learning a great deal of respect and humilty as each day we are faced with various people from all walks of life. Whatever your passions may be, I’m sure Sydney will have something to offer.
3. Take advantage of all the opportunities presented to you
As a social entrepreneurship student, I have always dreamt of building my own business that can benefit society at the same time. Wanting additional learning outside the classroom, I joined the MGSM Entrepreneurship club, where we organised events with inspirational speakers and network with social enterprises and start-ups. Another opportunity, shared by fellow social leaders, was the Innovation & Entrepreneurship Bootcamp by Massachusetts Institute of Technology held at QUT in Brisbane. Honestly, upon applying, I did not think I would get in, nor did I have my own means to fund the bootcamp. It was a global bootcamp and the topic was on sustainability, which is something I am really interested in, so I thought, "why not, I’ll just apply anyway. You only live once!" I actually just got back from the Bootcamp last Tuesday, and I cannot imagine how my year would have started if I didn't take advantage, applied, and exhausted all the possible options to make it happen. It was a week of intense learning not only from the coaches and mentors, but also from 130 inspiring leaders from 40 different countries that are doing their part in changing the world.
Remember that it's not just the learnings in the classroom that matter. It is all part of your journey and it is up to you to make the most out of your uni experience.
I also joined the Global Leadership Program (GLP) in Macquarie Uni, which allowed me to learn more about issues that are rarely discussed - such as the refugee crisis, religious discrimination (specifically on Muslims), and the humanitarian work of the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Where to next?
I’ve recently been getting that question more and more - what will you do now that you are back? I honestly don’t know at this point. And since my program has taught me to ask more questions, that is exactly what has happened! I would very much like to still work with social enterprises or SMEs particularly on the operations side, and maybe one day start my own enterprise or charity.
I noticed that in the Philippines, we are so used to buying what’s popular, joining in with the bandwagon, talking about how something is best at something, and conforming to what we think is the norm. It can be a good thing sometimes but I feel like it hinders us from truly understanding things, and we are constantly searching for yes and no answers and waiting for others to tell us to do this or that. If there’s something my degree and this experience has taught me, it is to think critically, objectively, and not take everything at face value, but rather to read, understand, and assess every situation by looking at all factors. Evidence-based research is crucial in this new era of fake news. Maybe others have already thought that way, maybe I’m late at realising these things, but better late than never right? So now when people ask me if I learned a lot, or if this helped me figure out what I want in life, or if I found the answers I was looking for.. I will have to say it depends - in some aspects yes, in some no, but at least in some way I’m a bit wiser and more aware about the world around me.
This post's INSPIRATION is on: going out of your comfort zone, dedication, and following your dreams and passions!
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