AAS (part1) —Being an Awardee
Sabaiydee, I am Sakhone, the AAS Laos Awardee 2024. I am pursuing a Master of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, specializing in Social and Community Entrepreneurship study field. I have written the AAS blog series to share my experiences and tips on applying. The blog series will divided into four parts: 1) Being an AAS awardee, 2) Tips on Essay & Application, 3) IELTs, and 4) Tips on Interview Round (for parts 3 & 4 depending on feedback and my available time).
What is AAS?
Australia Awards Scholarships (AAS) are long-term awards funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), Australian government. Scholarship aims to contribute to the development needs of Australia’s partner countries by providing opportunities to their people to study full-time undergraduate(TVET) or postgraduate study (Master’s and PhD) to strengthen the skills and knowledge to drive change and contribute to development in their own countries.
IAP at VC
After being selected to be the AAS awardee, I was unexpectedly shortlisted into the direct group (I will share the story more in part 3 — IELTS). We had to have a short course preparation called Introductory Academic Preparation (IAP) at the Vientiane College (VC). IAP is a compulsory program prior to the commencement of formal academic studies covering information on living and studying in Australia. During this time, we had a 5-week full-time class studying about referencing, doing assignments, and so on. At the same time, we also prepare other documents, namely, the application for the university, visa, accommodation, and so on.
IAP at UQ
Normally we will travel to Australia one week before the IAP start in order to settle and find permanent accommodation (yeah! The housing crisis in Australia is real. I stayed at hostel for a week and then got the permanent accommodation). The IAP intended to provide awardees with support during their first weeks in Australia; prepare them for study in Australia; enhance their ability to meet the demands of their studies; and maximise the likelihood of success in their course by the scholarship completion date. We have classes from Monday to Friday. We studied about academic preparation, assignments to familiarise with Australian education especially at UQ. For instance, how to borrow book from library, how to print documents, student support (student ID, course enrollment, mental health, homesick, ), and so on. At the end of IAP course, we had the IAP graduation ceremony.
Sometimes, each Friday we will have activities namely visiting a Zoo, playing badminton, visit the State library of Queensland.
Tiktok video visiting the State Library and Museum: https://www.tiktok.com/@sakhone_lunar/video/7341976767038573832?lang=en
Semester 1
My course is the Master of Entrepreneurship and Innovation (MEI). MEI at UQ has 5 study fields. I chose the unique track, Social and Community Entrepreneurship, that other universities don’t have because I want to pursue my career path as a social entrepreneur. I have 24 units in total, divided into eight units per semester. Each semester, I have two core MEI subjects and two study field subjects, while the last semester will have four units of capstone and two subjects of electives.
In the first semester, I mainly focus on study and adaptability to new environment.
Besides studying, as I expected and wrote on essay that I want to participate the industry-related curriculum activity. At UQ, we have a UQ venture. At Ventures, they provide various programmes – from flexing your creative muscles to launching a startup or
social enterprise through our introductory, intermediate and advanced programs. You will find the people, tools and opportunities
to help you develop an entrepreneurial mindset, gain transferable skills and bring your ideas to life. I attended the Sustainability program.
Graduate Certificate
When I graduate, UQ will give me the Graduate Certificate. UQ will assess this from the beginning of the approval offer. In this condition, I need a grade score of 5.00 out of 7.00 (my university grade has seven levels; other universities have different scales). In the end, I not just only passed but also got 6.5 (equal D = distinction). I didn’t the graduation ceremony due to travel to Laos and other States, so I received via post office and then took a photo at the campus.
Semester break (travel to other states and project in Laos)
AAS awardees with a 2-year course are eligible to receive a return home airfare that AAS supports, which can be used after studying for more than 2 semesters. On the other hand, I have had a master’s course for less than 2 years, so I was not eligible for this opportunity. So I need to cover the cost on my own. I travelled to other states and returned to Laos for two weeks. Moreover, I implemented a social project called the Fail Forward Workshop at the American Center Thatdam on behalf of the End It-Stop Bullying and Global Shapers and partnered with Gamlangchai.
Semester 2
Semester 1 is like a honeymoon period, but the reality is that it is this semester. From a chance to get an honours degree to trying to survive failure (F grade), the assignments are difficult in terms of both quality and quantity.
For UQ Venture program, I try to challenge myself by stepping up to study more advance course, which is UQ Validate Program. Validate is the next step for those progressing from the Ventures Curiosity program or for students already working on a project. This program is designed to bring together student founders from all faculties, providing the tools and insights needed to refine, test, and validate their ideas.
This semester, I can learn more from other industry-related curriculum activities this semester. I applied for the consultant position at UQ with 180 Degree Consulting (180DC) by completing the business case and interviewing right after the competition. At first, I was an alternate and then selected to be a consultant on a project.
In addition, my friend asked me to join the student committee at my faculty, the MEI Student Committee (MEI SC). Our team has four main members, and we divided our tasks based on our strengths. I was the Activity Lead, responsible for designing the activity idea and concept and ensuring that the activity went smoothly.
AAS P2P Sharing During
The Summer Break
During the late semester 2, I applied the SHAPE Asia Pacific Conference which will be this coming March at Adelaide. Then, during the summer break, I recieved the congratulation email and this conference I also apply the Supplementary Academic Support(SAS) Fund to cover the cost. Can’t wait and look for it.
Life at Brisbane
Queensland has a nickname as the Sunshine State; the temperature is around 30 Celsius, but it is hot similar to 35–40 Celsius in Laos because the Ozone layer is thin and UVA & UVB are very strong. The Brisbane City was designed according to the Brisbane River, which flows along the city plan.
The main public transportation are bus, ferry, and train, while the metro is coming soon. The public transportation costs around AUD 2–3 per ride, but it will be a price concession for students. During these months, Brisbane has 50 cents for all kinds of passengers and will return to normal price in February/March. Brisbane has a reasonable cost of living compared to other cities. I have lived at the sharehouse(s), which cost around AUD220 and then rose to AUD250. Sharehouse will be around 200+ for each, but living in an apartment or university accommodation with air conditioning will cost around 300+ or 400+. In addition, living in other big cities like Melbourne and Sydney will cost more.
My classes are mainly held during the evening from 5–8 pm. I studied at home in the morning, reading case studies, and then went to some places with air conditioning in the afternoon because the weather was hot. On the days that I have class, I will go to university. But on the days that I don’t have class, I prefer to go to the regional library (libraries are mostly located in the shopping mall of the suburb) in the afternoon, and then I can buy groceries at the mall at the same place after that. During the sunset, I might go for a walk in the parks.
Visit other states
Canberra
One common mistake is that many people think Sydney or Melbourne is the Capital of Australia. It is Canberra. This city is peaceful (because night time is very quiet) with massive scale museums (I really enjoy exploring museums).
Sydney
Sydney is a city with an Australian landmark, the Opera House, and many kinds of tourist attractions. During the first-semester break during the same period, I visited a festival called Vivid Sydney.
Melbourne
A city with many cafés and free tram circles at CBD; however, travel outside the CBD is costly. Melbourne also has many kinds of travel places — museums, art galleries, small cities outside the CBD, and so on. I visited during the one of tennis grand slam the Australian Open (AO).
Next semester
This blog was written during my summer break, so next semester will be the last semester. I will update this blog again when I graduate.
For more information about AAS UQ: https://global-partnerships.uq.edu.au/files/108792/Australia%20Awards%20Study%20Guide.pdf
Thank you so much for your reading.
My next 3 parts of this blog series will mainly focus on the procedures for applying for the AAS. The part 2 will be about AAS application and essays. Please, stay tune!
