Challenge Yourself

This is the first part of my interview with Jarry. Whilst we have never met in person, I was interested in interviewing him after hearing that he had been involved in several volunteer projects, including work for the City of Melbourne. In the above photo, Jarry is the centre of attention, or, as he so eloquently puts it: 千夫所指.

There are many reasons students from China choose to pursue their studies abroad, what do you think are the three most important?

Increasing experience: Stemming from a fondness of Western culture, students are driven to go overseas and experience life here first hand.

Improving English: Achieving a good standard of English whilst living in China requires a huge amount of work, whereas living overseas is a more efficient way to improve one’s English level.

Challenging oneself: Admittedly there are a lot of stresses and difficulties associated with leaving one’s home country, but one by one, I hope to optimistically surmount all of them.

And what about those students who don’t come, what lies behind their decision to stay in China?

Most families cannot sufficiently bear the expenses associated with foreign study. However in these situations, students with good enough grades can still apply for scholarships. There is also a percentage of students who simply don’t want to go overseas. They prefer living a quiet life, and have other pursuits.

Was Australia your first choice?

Australia was my first choice. My English isn’t great and whilst there is no doubt that schools in America are excellent, from my perspective the entry threshold was just a little too high.

Out of Australia and England I selected Australia. This is because I’d like to get some overseas work experience and Australia gives people the opportunity to immigrate. After graduating in Australia, the chances of finding work here are relatively easy. Also, the majority of postgraduate courses in England only go for one year, and this seems too short.

Finally, do you believe that overseas students in Melbourne are satisfied with their experience here?

From my understanding they don’t seem to be very satisfied. The most important reason is because they are lonely, and also they find themselves unable to really immerse themselves in English speaking environments.

Colours

Colour of Water by kool_skatkat, available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.0 license.

The following post is from Grace, a former student of mine whom I met whilst teaching at the Monash University English Language Centre in Clayton.

My name is Ruan Xuemei and my English name is Grace. I come from Hangzhou in China, which is a very beautiful city. I arrived in Melbourne in March 2008. Along with many other students, the main reasons I decided to study abroad were not only to improve my English, but also to broaden my mind and add to my life experiences. For me, the reason I choose Australia is very simple, it's easier to apply for entry than America and also my agent told me Monash is a very good university. In my opinion, most students from China are generally satisfied with their educational experience in Melbourne.

I am living in Clayton now. Like other students in Australia, I share a house with others. Fortunately, I live with my friends, and I get along with them very well. We care about each other and often make meals together just like a family. Finding nice housemates is very important I think. Apart from this, choosing a place to live is also crucial. For me, I chose a house near the station and not far from the shopping center, so I can go to university by train and buy food conveniently.

About my social life, I think the best way to get involved with the environment is participating in social activities, for example go to a church. People in the church are all very nice and friendly. They are willing to help you. I became a Christian here and go to a church regularly. As time goes by, I have made good friends from church. I enjoy spending time spending with them. This year, I joined the worship team, which has been an unforgettable experience in my life. For new students, especially oversea students, joining university clubs is a good way to meet friends. Don't always stay at home alone. Going out and making friends will make your life colorful.