Yuan-Po Ku - Taiwan, 17 October, 2024 | Yu-Po Ku Taiwan
My pathway to QUT
I chose QUT because it's one of the best universities in Queensland. Another reason for choosing QUT comes from the opinions of people around me, in particular, my younger brother, who is currently studying a Bachelor of Nursing at QUT. From his experience, QUT's care for students is not only reflected in their academic studies, but also in students' physical and mental experience on campus. QUT provides sound teaching resources and libraries for students to access and use. University student clubs often organise various events that bring more fun to university life.
My passion for engineering
I chose to study Master of Engineering Management because during my bachelor studies, several professors and supervisors with rich experience emphasised communication as the most important thing to learn besides professional knowledge. They said that no engineering work can be accomplished by just one single person, but rather accomplished with great teamwork and good coordination. This became even more profound after I participated in a real engineering project after graduating from my bachelor degree. I chose a degree in Engineering Management because having a greater understanding of project overview and mastering system operation in an engineering project will give me an advantage as I progress in my career.
What ‘real-world’ learning looks like in my engineering course
I think my course is the best proof of "real world". In reality, engineering projects may involve engineers from more than one engineering field, and stakeholders such as owners, main contractors, sub-contractors, and even third-party supervisory agencies, all of whom focus on different values and directions. Therefore, unifying management process to successfully advance the project to each stage is a problem that almost every project will encounter. In the Master of Engineering Management, I learned about risk assessment and prevention methods. In this course, we learn to understand the needs of each party from the perspective of different stakeholders, techniques which will help in the real world.
My favourite part of the course
I like this course because I have had the pleasure of meeting people from different engineering backgrounds, depth of professional experience and nationalities. I like the feeling that my vision is broadening by the knowledge I gain from classes and people in this course. In the four units I took in the last semester, we had the chance to design an Enterprise Resource Planning system, started a management research project, developed a Business Case Report and completed short-term research. These experiences are very valuable to me because we learned about the nature, creation, process, conduct methods, and final reporting model of an engineering research project in one semester. This is a rare experience and the reason I like this course the most.
Support services
I think the most helpful service for me at QUT is from HiQ, and I recommend that every new student knows the location and opening hours online and on their own campus. The staff at HiQ are friendly and very knowledgeable about facilities and support on campus. This is very helpful for first-year students like me.
Student life beyond the classroom
I joined QUT Taiwanese Student Association (TSA), an international student club for Taiwanese students on the recommendation of my brother. International students can encounter many problems abroad, more than we can imagine, so sometimes everyone needs to help each other. This is the warmth I felt at TSA.
Developing global friendships
One very surprising thing is that there are many international students in this course. You can get to know people from many different countries. This is an excellent opportunity to promote mutual understanding and broaden our knowledge. I was able to communicate in a language other than my native language with many people I didn't know before, we got to know the country of Australia more deeply together as visitors. My friends at QUT are mainly from classes. Because we had similar schooling experiences and interests, we were able to develop a relationship as friends. Usually in class, I take the initiative to say hello to people I don’t know and chat with them in a friendly and polite manner to get to know each other better.
