NZ Universities offer top quality courses
SARAWAK TRIBUNE THURSDAY • AUGUST 15 2002

Over twelve thousand international students currently study at Universities in New Zealand, including over a thousand from Malaysia. Every student will have different reasons why they chose to study in New Zealand, but three reasons are brought up again and again: the world-class quality of its degrees; the cost-effectiveness of both tuition and living costs in New Zealand; and the unique and magical natural environment.

1. A world-class qualification

Quality is the foremost consideration in choosing any course of study. A New Zealand education will give you a world-recognised qualification, cutting-edge knowledge, and creative thinking and problem-solving skills that will propel you into new world class.

University education in New Zealand is based on the British model of research-based teaching. This means you will be studying in the most prestigious education system in the world. All university staff are expected to be engaged in original research, in creating new knowledge, and in the publishing of papers in their area of expertise. Even at undergraduate level and certainly at post-graduate level, students can expect to be taught by teachers who are at the frontier of knowledge in their discipline.

How can you check this? If you don't have the university's catalogue, the best way is through the web. Look at the research pages, and the lists of publications on departmental web pages. Are these people just teaching what they have always taught - or are they cutting-edge researchers who are being published internationally? Checking the web pages is particularly important for postgraduate research students, who are often not looking so much for a course, but for a person who as a supervisor will be able to push them on to be the best in the world in their discipline. While the teaching in New Zealand is excellent, students are also encouraged to be intellectually curious and independent. New Zealand graduates are known around the world for fresh thinking and a creative, hands-on approach to challenges. For a small country New Zealand has made a remarkable contribution to fields as diverse as physics (Sir Ernest Rutherford, the first person to split the atom, did his first two degrees at a New Zealand university), engineering (New Zealanders invented and devel-oped the jet boat and the world-beating Britten motorcycle), and computer science (for example world-exporting company Tait Electronics, and internationally renowned graphics developer Animation Research Ltd). Our graduates are extremely mobile and sought after by employers throughout the world.
Many work in key positions in Europe, the USA, and Asia.

New Zealand has been welcoming students from Malaysia for more then forty years, many of them under the Colombo Plan, which has just celebrated its 50th anniversary. One Malaysian Colombo scholar, Dr Mazlan Othman, received a PhD in Astrophysics from New Zealand and is now Director of the United Nation's Office for Outer Space Affairs. Proof that with a New Zealand degree in your hands, the sky is not the limit!

New Zealand universities are state funded and quality controlled. All educational institutions must adhere to a Code of Practice for pastoral support and service delivery to international students. University faculties are made up of staff from around the world, as are the student bodies. All the universities offer excellent support programmes, academic counselling, medical services, a state of the art recreation centre and gym, and a lively Students Association. Each campus has a different flavour, but all provide top quality courses in a friendly and relaxed environment. What more can one say?

2. Cost

A second important factor to consider is cost. A favourable exchange rate means that tuition fees are approximately half those of an equivalent quality course in the US or the UK. Living costs are also much lower. The lower cost does not mean compromise on quality. New Zealand offers students a world class and prestigious education system without the expense and inconvenience of living in the Northern Hemisphere.

We are a modern and technologically developed society.

3. Location

Where you choose to spend those crucial years of your life while you gain your qualifications and your intellectual training is an important question. New Zealand offers a safe and inspirational environment that enables` students to excel beyond their dreams. New Zealand's beautiful and unspoiled natural environments legendary. This is, one reason why the, hit movie Lord of the Rings was filmed in New Zealan d (the other reason is because of New Zealanders' creative magic and technical skill, which helped the movie earn 13 Oscar nominations!). In a country about 70% of the size of Japan, New Zealand has everything. from golden sand beaches, ice-carved fiords, volcanic and thermal areas, to the lakes and mountains of the, Southern Alps. No wonder tourism is one of New Zealand's biggest export earners!

New Zealand is a modern and technologically advanced country, but it can also be a relaxing place to, live. There are few class distinctions, and attitudes' and manners are friendly and informal. International students Can easily make friends and feel included in New Zealand's multi-cultural and open society. It is a safe, tolerant, and politically stable country.

First class qualifications, an extremely cost-effective destination, a beautiful and welcoming place: these combine to place New Zealand firmly on any prospective student's wish list.

Come find out more about New Zealand universities at the NZ Universities Fait at Crowne Plaza Riverside. Kuching on Thursday, 22 August from 2pm to 7pm.

Five of the universities will be present to talk to interested students and parents at the fair. There will also be a generic seminar between 4pm - 5pm. For `more, information, please contact the New Zealand Education Centre at 03-2078 4612.