Publication dates – February 20th 2011, Sunday Observer (Part 1)
– February 27th 2011, Sunday Observer (Part 2)
– March 6th 2011, Sunday Observer (Part 3)
Graduate Studies in Australia
The Questions & Answers below are based on an informative session on “Graduate studies in Australia” led by graduate students in Australia via Skype. It was held at the University of Colombo School of Computing (UCSC) on 30th of November 2010. The advisors who took part in this session were Erandi Lakshika, Niroshinie Fernando and Dinusha Vatsalan (Computer Science graduate students in Australia), and Primal Wijesekera (Computer Science graduate student in Canada). At UCSC, Mr. Dulan Wathugala coordinated the session.
How do you select a university in Australia?
Australia is a big country and there are universities in many different locations. The population of Australia is about the same as that of Sri Lanka, although Australia is much larger per capita. You can choose a university which is remotely located or one that is situated in the city. As the location changes, the community surrounding the university will also change.
About one-third of universities in Australia are among the best and top-ranked 200 universities in the world. In some ranking schemes there is a ranking based on the overall performance of the university (considering all programs and other factors) and a separate ranking based on different programs, like arts, medicine, computer science, mathematics, etc. It is good to check both rankings.
When you select a university in Australia, there are universities called Go8 or Group of 8, formed by eight prestigious universities which work collaboratively to maintain their research standards. The Go8 universities are Australian National University, University of Sydney, University of Melbourne, Monash University, University of New South Wales, University of Western Australia, University of Adelaide and University of Queensland. These public universities can influence the Australian government in higher education planning, so they have more international collaborations and therefore, more funding compared to other universities. However, this does not mean that the other universities in Australia are not good or up to world standard.
When selecting a research lab it is important to see if you are interested in it, regardless of the ranking of the university. You don’t want to do a PhD for 4 years when you are not interested in the research. You will get tired of it very easily.
When should you start thinking about graduate schools?
The earlier you start thinking about graduate schools, where you want to apply and preparing for requirements, the better. A good time to think about graduate schools is during your 3rd or 4th year of undergraduate studies. You can take a look at universities, select your research area, contact professors, build a relationship with them and then plan a placement. You have the advantage of having more time and researching the best opportunities to if you start preparing early.
What is the graduate studies application process to Australian universities?
1. Finding a supervisor:
If you are applying for PhD, MPhil or MSc by research program, you must find a suitable faculty member to be your supervisor before applying. A supervisor may or may not have a direct influence over the selection process (it depends on the type of scholarship you are applying for). However, if the potential supervisor is positive about the candidate it is a definite advantage. If a supervisor is not nominated in your application form, it will delay your application process.
You can find a supervisor whose research interest’s match with yours by browsing university and department websites, staff profiles and their research interests. On lab websites or personal websites of professors there is a list of students whom they supervise for Masters and PhD. You can contact those students as well to get more information about the research conducted in the lab.
2. Writing to potential supervisors:
You can start emailing faculty members and keep in contact with them. This process can be a bit depressing and might discourage you since students write so many emails, but they don’t get as many replies.
When you write, the first letter that is sent to a supervisor is important. Out of hundreds of emails, it must get the attention of the supervisor. There is no point saying “I am in … university and I have a first class in …” because faculty members get plenty of emails like that from around the world. It is always better to take the initiative and attach your research proposal along with your first email. The proposal does not have to be perfect or a final version. It can be an initial draft of your proposal just to give your potential supervisor an idea of what you intend to do in your PhD program. If you can, read papers authored by that particular faculty member you are writing to so you have an idea of the research conducted in his or her lab and can write specifically relating to that. If you think of something additional or a new project based on that paper, you can mention it in your email too. If they are interested in your research proposal, they might reply. They might also give you suggestions on what to improve or comment on parts of your research proposal or format. They will also look at your academic writing skills because this is very important for PhD level. Often, it will take a few drafts before coming up with the final research proposal your supervisor accepts.
In your first email in addition to the research proposal, you should also give a brief introduction about yourself, what you intend to do in your PhD program and why you are interested in it. Your email message itself should be brief and concise, highlighting research and be specific to that professor’s publications. Therefore, it is best to attach an academic CV (not a CV which is used for industry placement). It would contain your academic qualifications, your research interests and research experiences including your final year research project and then your achievements, awards and any publication details. You don’t need to include course grades in the CV since a transcript will be sent.
Once the faculty member approves your research proposal and agrees to be your supervisor you can start working on the graduate application.
3. Standardised Tests:
GRE is not required but you need to do IELTS or TOEFL.
Normally Australian universities require a minimum IELTS score of 6.5 but for scholarships they may require 7.0. This also depends on the university.
4. Recommendation letters:
This is a very important part of the application. Depending on the university you must arrange for 2 - 3 academic referee reports or recommendation letters as early as possible because you have to send them with your application.
5. Other documents:
In Australia, you do not need a statement of purpose (SOP) – the research proposal is used instead. Other documents needed are academic transcripts, degree and other certificates, proof of publication(s) and proof of contact with your supervisor.
Applications can be done online or by post, although some universities do not have an online application system for PhD programs. In most universities if you are applying online they do not require the application fee or it might be lower compared to the application by post.
How do you choose a supervisor before going to Australia?
Applying for PhD is not only about selecting a suitable university, it also depends largely on the relationship between you and your supervisor and whether you will enjoy doing your PhD. Selecting a supervisor is very important. PhD is a full time, research-oriented degree and the supervisor-student relationship becomes very important during the 4 years. There are often times when mutual understanding and disagreements might lead to conflict.
You can take a look at the publications of a supervisor. But a large quantity alone does not mean that the particular supervisor is a good one. It is a good thing, but he or she might just be a supervisor who has their name on the publication without having helped much in the research work itself and they might not be helpful to their students. It is best to establish a good relationship with your supervisor by emailing them first.
What if the only research experience I have is from my third year research project like a literature survey?
That’s okay. You should not give up! Most graduate programs first check your research experience, projects you have done and if you have any good publications. If your research work is presented or published, it will be an added advantage to you.
The admission decision is conducted by a committee, and sometimes your supervisor may also be involved in this process. In some universities they have a limited number of students they want to take in and the admissions committee sets a minimum GPA. In this situation if your GPA is low, it can become a problem even if your supervisor desperately wants to take you in.
You have to be careful in selecting schools and avoid aiming for only the highly competitive ones. Even if you are not able to get into a top ranked school there is still a chance you can get into a medium or third-tier one. You should aim to get into some university, even if it is outside the Go8 universities known for research. After completing a Masters degree in some university, you can apply to a top ranked university for a PhD later on. So don’t let this discourage you and prevent you from applying for graduate studies!
When you communicate with potential supervisors you might have to explain why you don’t have any publications and good grades. You can highlight any research experience you have and projects you did successfully, which demonstrates that you have the potential to do research work. The bottom line is that not having strong enough grades should not prevent you from applying.
Do you end up doing exactly what you talk about in the research proposal when applying?
No, you don’t. Many students write about something and end up doing something different, but related, in the lab when they do start their graduate studies. The research proposal is meant to win the heart of the professor and even they don’t expect you to do exactly what you say in the research proposal. It is meant to demonstrate your academic writing skills and whether you can prepare a research proposal.
When you start doing the research project sometimes you have to follow a strict protocol that does not have much flexibility. This is especially the case for industry funded projects. Also there are a lot of frustrations and trial-and-error periods when you don’t always get the results you expect. So you have to change your thoughts on the research project every day.
Students can also ask questions about the project from their professor during the graduate program and maintain close communication with them. The student-professor relationship is not as intimidating as we imagined during undergrad.
When can you start graduate studies?
Each university has specific dates when the program begins. In Australia there are two semesters. The first one is in March. This intake has more scholarships. The second intake is in July and has fewer scholarships. With some programs you can start whenever you want.
What is the best way to find a placement?
You can increase the chance of getting a placement if the professor is interested in your research proposal. During your search for a suitable professor, if you find that professor’s papers have been cited a lot, it means the author is well accepted and has a good reputation. Read their papers, future projects and get an idea about how you can be a part of their team and help to expand their research. You can email the professor, mention that you saw their publication, any research you are currently doing and ideas you have about a project you could do in their lab. Mention that you would like to collaborate with the professor to work on it in future and get their advice. If you can impress them, they will most probably reply. Most professors believe that Asian students work harder compared to others. You have to build up on that impression and maintain the relationship. This is the best way to find a placement.
Can you apply directly to a PhD without a Masters?
If you have a first class or second upper, with an honors degree you can apply directly to a PhD. The fourth year with a significant research component is considered the honors year in Australia. A first class has a higher chance of getting funding since there is a lot of competition and there are students from China and India who will be competing for funds. It would be best to try and work hard on the fourth year research project, aim to get a publication or two and a scholarship.
How important is it to have a PhD?
A PhD holder has the ability to carry out independent research. PhD is a learning process in a specific research area. For example, a PhD involves not just learning about the technology we have or use today but creating new technology and making the current ones better.
What are the scholarships available for international graduate students in Australia?
You can apply for either government or university scholarships.
1) Government scholarships: A small number of Australian government scholarships are available to international students who want to pursue a Masters or PhD. There are also merit based scholarships. In order to apply for an Australian government scholarship you must first get an unconditional offer letter from the university. This is the letter you receive once you are accepted in to a PhD program. You have to attach it to the application for government scholarships.
There are two streams of Australian government scholarships:
(i) achievement awards (commonly known as endeavor awards) and
(ii) development awards (also known as aid awards). You can get more information and deadlines on the award websites. For endeavor awards they have two rounds per year - one in August and the other closes in January. You have to apply online. Applying for them is in itself like another admission application process! You have to send everything you would send for a normal graduate application including supporting documents and recommendation letters. Additionally, you have to provide supporting information on why you intend to do this PhD program and the benefits to your home and host countries.
2) University scholarships: There are university provided scholarships like the International Postgraduate Research Scholarship (IPRS) Program, University HDR Merit Scholarships, etc. For most universities, with the admission application itself you can apply for scholarships and you don’t have to apply for it separately. But for other universities they require two separate application forms - one for admission and another for the scholarship. You have to send both at the same time. Some applications have a section which requires you to indicate whether you want to be considered for the scholarship round (like for IPRS). Once the Admissions Committee receives your application, they will first process for admission and see if you meet the entry requirements. If you are eligible for admission to a PhD program they will process your application for the scholarship round.
In case you get both scholarships you cannot hold two at the same time, therefore you will have to decline one. University scholarship results come out first while the government scholarship results take time. If you get the government one later after getting a university scholarship, you can discuss this with your department. The university scholarship will get replaced with the government one.
There are several scholarship databases such as the Joint Academic Scholarship Outline Network: www.jason.edu.au. Most scholarships in Australia are on this website. They include government scholarships and institute scholarships like Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO).
In addition to these, there are also scholarships for supervisors. For example, supervisors can send in a research proposal and recruit a student to do the project. The supervisor gets the satisfaction of having the research conducted and the publication. Many professors in Australia have grants like that. In fact, each university has a quota of scholarships. A big university might have 100 scholarships and a small one might have fewer, like 10.
Another important point to note is that some scholarships come with conditions. For example, students who are awarded the government scholarship are expected to return to their home country after completion of the program. This condition does not apply to holders of supervisor scholarships, IPRS or university specific scholarships.
What are the deadlines for Scholarships?
For PhD programs you can apply anytime. However as a scholarship applicant there are deadlines that you will have to meet. One deadline is in August and another is in March. Deadlines depend on each particular university. Most universities have two scholarship rounds.
Do you get a full scholarship or is it a partial waiver?
Government and university scholarships are usually full scholarships. For example, the International Post Graduate Research Scholarship (IPRS) gives you a tuition waiver plus living expenses, which amounts to a full scholarship. Supervisors expect students to concentrate on their PhD and not have to worry about financial issues. They recommend you finish the degree in 4 years or less, if possible.
Some university scholarships just cover the tuition fees, which is a partial scholarship. Scholarships are also of different lengths or durations and those have to be noted.
How easy is it for a student with a second lower or general degree to get a scholarship?
Almost every scholarship requires a first class or second upper along with research experience which is then considered equivalent to an Australian research degree. The chances are higher for students who are PhD applicants – but that does not mean scholarships do not exist for Masters students as well. The chance of a scholarship is considerably lower for a student with a second lower or a general degree.
In your opinion what is living in Australia like, in general?
The populations of Sri Lanka and Australia are very similar. Australia is a large, multicultural country since there are people from other countries who have migrated and settled here. There is a large Sri Lankan community in Melbourne. Australia does not have extreme weather conditions – the lowest in winter is -4˚C at night. After coming from Sri Lanka, there is nothing we can’t bear!
The public transport system is very efficient and finding directions or routes is easy. Some states in Australia have concessions for students – almost half rate.
When it comes to living expenses, if you get a full scholarship it is more than enough to manage expenses if you have a similar lifestyle to what you had in Sri Lanka. Usually about 20,000 AUD a year is more than enough to cover these expenses. Some people can even buy a car and maintain their budget. You can even save a lot and go to Sri Lanka once a year.
A Sri Lankan driver’s license can be used in Australia if you want to drive. With a large Sri Lankan community present here, there are many Sri Lankan events and stores. You can find all the spices and other Sri-Lankan products. If you can cook, you can have food just like in Sri Lanka!
This and other related articles are available on www.sl2college.org, under the resources section. SL2College is a global community that provides FREE advice and guidance to Sri Lankan students. Envisioned in 2005, SL2College helps Sri Lankan students access relevant information that would assist them in making informed decisions about their educational goals. Please post your queries on the forum at: www.sl2college.org or email us - info@sl2college.com
