KUCHING – Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak held its orientation week on campus recently for more than 100 of its new first-year March intake students.
Known as the ‘Knowing Week’, the five-day orientation programme gave students the opportunity to participate in social and academic activities designed to introduce university life and learning at Swinburne. The programme, an essential part of every new students’ transition into tertiary education, is held for Swinburne’s first-year university students to learn more about the campus community, explore the available facilities and survey prospective student clubs to join.
A total of 144 new students comprising 70% Malaysian students and 30% international students are enrolled in various degree and Masters courses. The international students originate from countries such as Australia, Brunei, Indonesia, Denmark, Germany, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, China, South Korea and Nigeria.
During the orientation, students enrolled in their respective classes through Allocate Plus, a web based class allocation system that allows students to create their preferred timetable. They also took part in information sessions where they learned about support services such as Student Services, Students’ Association of Swinburne Sarawak (SASS), Library Information Resources, Sports and Recreational Amenities and IT Services.
Through the Faculty and Academic Information Sessions, students seized the chance to meet programme coordinators and leaders from each discipline namely business, design, computing, science and engineering. Additionally, there were also International Student Sessions for international students involved in the International Exchange programme and International Study Abroad programme.
On top of that, students were able to explore the 29 student clubs involved in the recruitment drive event and gained information from external exhibitors such as Malaysia Airlines, Pullman Hotel, TM Unifi and CIMB Bank. Other fun activities the students were able to enjoy during Knowing Week were ‘Scavenger Hunts’ in the library as well as the Fun@City Tour to experience Kuching city.
Exchange student from Australia Alex Bolton.
Commenting on his campus experience, Bachelor of Business student Alex Bolton, 23, chose to go on an exchange programme at Swinburne Sarawak to experience new culture and different learning environment. The advertising major student who has been pursuing his degree at the Swinburne’s Melbourne campus over the past three years has had a positive experience on campus and in Kuching, stating that the people are friendly and welcoming.
Indonesian student Bella Febria Januar.
Having both campuses in Kuching and Melbourne is one of the deciding factors for Indonesian lass Bella Febria Januar, 20. The Bachelor of Business (Marketing) student who found out about Swinburne from a Swinburne alumnus opted to pursue her studies at the Kuching campus as the fees are affordable and students are awarded the same Australian qualifications as their Melbourne counterparts.
Vanessa Ann, a student from Johor Bahru.
Civil engineering student Vanessa Ann, 23, from Johor Bahru decided to further her tertiary education at Swinburne directly without the need to do a twinning programme. Vanessa is confident that she’s made the right choice as she finds the laidback social environment in Kuching is different from other parts of Malaysia. Meanwhile, Kuching native Bernadette anak Francis, 22, said Swinburne was her first choice as the university offers quality Australian education closer to home. She added that studying at Swinburne enables her to gain valuable experience in meeting students of different nationalities and cultures.
Kuching lass Bernadette anak Francis.
Swinburne is currently ranked among the top 3% worldwide by the 2019 QS World University Rankings. In the recently published Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2019 by Subject, Swinburne ranks highly in various disciplines. Its Engineering and Technology subject is ranked in the Top 250, Computer Science and Arts and Humanities subjects in the Top 400, and Business and Economics in the Top 500 in the world.
For more information about Swinburne, visit www.swinburne.edu.my, Facebook page (@swinburnesarawak), Instagram (@swinburnesarawak), Twitter page (@Swinburne_Swk) or YouTube channel (Swinburne Sarawak).