TThe University of Sydney is an Australian public research university in Sydney, founded in 1850. International students are welcome at USyd, as long as you meet their enrollment criteria. The university offers many different degrees in a range of majors including. There are areas of specialization avalable in the Bachelor of Science and the Bachelor of Advanced Studies including (but not limited to) animal health, disease and welfare; genetics and genomics; immunology and pathology; and nanoscience and technology. The University of Sydney has so much to offer and to read more about the application process, click here!
Thank you so much to Colin Wallace for writing this great piece on her graduate program at the University of Sydney! Read below to learn more about her experience. The College Sage also had the opportunity to visit the University of Sydney so be sure to scroll to the bottom of the blog to see photos.
As I wrap up the first year of my Master’s Degree in Development Studies at the University of Sydney, I find myself reflecting on how I wound up in graduate school approximately 9,509 miles away from home. It’s helpful to first provide a little bit of my background. As a high-school student at Porter-Gaud, I was engaged in many different community service activities in the Charleston community, ranging from Miracle League to Pet Helpers. I was dipping my feet into the pool of community service, unsure of any direction but just sticking to what I knew made me feel good. I was introduced to my passion for international service and development work when I was able to travel to Moshi, Tanzania working in primary schools through PG’s James T. Richards memorial fund. While at the age of 16 the prospect of flying alone to Africa seemed a bit daunting, I would argue today it was one of the best decisions I could’ve made. While working with the community in Moshi provided immense perspective in how fortunate I was and incredible, it also taught me how people all over the world are able to connect, despite their differences in background. Most of all, this experience taught me the importance of jumping in and going for opportunities even when you may not know the outcome.
During my undergraduate degree at Washington and Lee University, I majored in Global Politics with a minor in Poverty and Human Capability Studies. I was active as Philanthropy Chair of my sorority for three years. During college, I was able to apply more of an academic background to my passion for service, learning the importance of sustainability and cultural respect. Washington and Lee gave me networking opportunities for philanthropy and development, which manifested in my two summers that I spent in Washington D.C. working as an intern at two NGOs as well as on Capitol Hill for Senator Scott. That being said, both Porter-Gaud and Washington and Lee provided ample opportunities for me to pursue service and discover potential future career paths. At the end of my Junior year at W&L, I skimmed over an email with various grant and fellowship opportunities. I had skipped through so many emails like this in the past but was immediately interested when I saw the listing for Rotary International’s Skelton-Jones Scholarship.
Rotary District’s 7570 Skelton-Jones Scholarship funds one year of post-baccalaureate study at a recognized university in any country other than USA or Canada. One of the main requirements were that applicants are planning to study in a field that leads to “sustainable, high- impact outcomes in one of the following six areas of focus: peace and conflict prevention/resolution, disease prevention and treatment, water and sanitation, maternal and child health, basic education and literacy, economic and community development.” I knew this was exactly up my alley, so I chose my preferred program, filled out the application, and pushed it to the back of my mind. I got a call for the interview, and in the next few weeks I heard the news that I would be moving to Sydney, Australia the following summer.
Thus far, my scholarship experience has taught me more than I could have anticipated. My course has adequately covered the challenges of sustainable human development on a local, national, and global scale. I have gained a solid foundation in development studies through the program, as my course work has explored some of the most significant global issues faced by individuals today, including poverty, general inequality, political instability, resource security, and other contributing factors. While acknowledging that these issues are convoluted, my university studies have revealed various different perspectives and opinions as to how to go about ameliorating these issues. I have been provided theoretical foundations and opportunities for a "practice-based" understanding of development policy, programs and outcomes.
My scholarship experience has also provided me professional experience through an internship at the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) here in Sydney. IEP’s main goal is to analyse peace and quantify its economic value, in order to project a more positive, tangible, and achievable measure of human well-being and development. Through an understanding of positive peace, the think-tank calculates the economic cost of violence in order to show that attaining peace is not only more tangible than commonly perceived, but also a positive and achievable measure.
Applying theoretical knowledge of social justice gained from my university studies to the work I undertook in my placement at IEP was quite tangible, as both IEP’s Positive Peace framework and Global Peace Index (GPI) are formed around social theorists and conceptions of economic development and peace that I have studied. I am now continuing to do some work remotely with IEP centred on fragile statehood and state legitimacy, although my internship ended in January. Additionally, I am undertaking a research-based supervised dissertation on the role of peace-building theory on women's economic position in South Africa. Though still in the early stages, I am learning the significance in communicating research in a palpable and clear manner to others in order to contribute valuable work.
While my journey is far from over, I already feel I have learned so much. I feel fortunate to be able to study something that I am so passionate about and recognize the importance in taking risks and pursuing something that keeps you engaged and interested.
Program info: https://sydney.edu.au/courses/courses/pc/master-of-development-studies.html
