University of Queensland students wanting to broaden their horizons need look no further than the UQ Union complex at St Lucia.
Here they will find the new home of UQ Abroad – the office that coordinates hundreds of exchange placements each year.
UQ Abroad Manager Jan McCreary said that with a record 445 students having already jetted off in 2010, the new facilities were welcome.
“Demand for exchanges is always increasing, with UQ students able to study at 150 partner institutions in 35 different countries,” Ms McCreary said.
UQ students can now earn credit towards their degrees on five continents, with the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada the most popular options. Undertaking study at a fellow Universitas 21 (U21) institution has also proved appealing.
Ms McCreary said the team were committed to increasing the number of students on exchange and exploring new opportunities for doing so.
“We have been mainly focused on the traditional semester-long (or two-semester) exchange but many students are looking for shorter options,” she said.
“We have recently signed an agreement with Universidad La Sabana in Colombia that offers a short-term program for four weeks in January–February. This is the type of program that students are looking for and it fits in well with the summer break.”
Bachelor of Engineering student Adam Head said he would highly recommend others take the plunge after recently completing a year-long exchange at the Technical University of Delft in the Netherlands.
“The culture and the travel has really changed my view of people and taught me many valuable lessons which I could not have learnt otherwise,” he said.
Held annually, the UQ Abroad Student Exchange Fair offers comprehensive information about partner universities, application procedures and scholarships. The office also runs regular information sessions throughout the year, and assists students before, during and after their placements.
“We hold pre-departure seminars which cover aspects such as culture shock, health and insurance matters, enrolment and credit transfer,” Ms McCreary said.
“These sessions also provide opportunities for outgoing students to meet with incoming international exchange students and recently returned peers.”
Vice-Chancellor Professor Paul Greenfield has set an ambitious target of having 50 percent of UQ students complete an overseas study experience by 2025.
Those interested in an exchange should visit UQ Abroad on Level 2 of the Student Union Complex (next to the Red Room), or check out the office website or Facebook page.
Media: Jan McCreary (07 3365 2852, jan.mccreary@uq.edu.au) or Cameron Pegg at UQ Communications (07 3365 2049, c.pegg@uq.edu.au)
