When Patricia Migallos attended graduate school at the University of Melbourne in 2006, she enjoyed it so much that she didn’t want to leave. Today, Migallos is part of the university’s student recruitment team, working as regional manager for the Philippines and Japan, guiding students who want to go to the school and the city she has fallen in love with.

The University of Melbourne, established in 1853, is one of the top schools in Australia, No. 32 in the world and ranked sixth globally for graduate employability. Each year, 60,000 students from 130 countries study there, 150 Filipinos among them.

Why more Filipino students are choosing this Australian university — The University of Melbourne looks for diversity and welcomes students from all over the world.

While the United States and the United Kingdom have been the usual options for Filipinos looking to study abroad, Australia has grown in popularity in the past couple of years, according to Migallos, who went to the Ateneo de Manila University for her undergraduate degree.

“The University of Melbourne is looking for diversity. We welcome students from everywhere and from different backgrounds. It’s inclusive,” she said.

Admissions

The Australian admissions process is different, Migallos said. “We just look at the number. For IB (International Baccalaureate) students, we just look at the IB score.” Students need the IB or the US High School Diploma (with SAT/ACT and APs). There’s no entrance exam; they won’t look at your extracurricular activities and you won’t need to submit an essay or recommendation letters.

At the University of Melbourne, there are over 100 undergraduate majors and 300 graduate programs to choose from.

General bachelor degrees are completed in three years or six semesters. Choosing a major is a decision students don’t have to make immediately.

“You have about a year and a half, two years to figure out what you want. And by the time you’re in third year, that’s all you’ll focus on,” said Migallos.

Filipino students at the university come from Manila, Cebu, Davao, Bacolod and other provinces.

“The students we get are quite adventurous,” said Migallos. “In some markets, everyone wants to study the same thing. Filipino students tend to go for a bunch of different things. Their interests are quite varied, which I think is a credit to Filipino education. I think we are pushed to explore different things, which I think is a good fit for Melbourne.”

300 clubs

Students get to explore their different passions at the university—with 300 clubs to choose from. “We have clubs for chocolate lovers, for surfing, skiing … there are also more serious clubs that focus on the courses. They help you transition through the different stages of your degree.”

Student housing, or “university accommodations,” has many options. “There are mostly student apartments … We never make you share a room so you don’t get roomies but you get flatmates, which is nice, because you get your privacy, but you’re also not alone.”

Concerned parents will be happy to know that students can make requests. “For example, if you are a girl and you only want to live with another girl, you can do that.”

Another option would be the residential colleges. “We have 10 residential colleges,” said Migallos. “They have sports, musical programs, tutorials … They have an intercollegiate tournament. They have college colors. The colleges range in size from 150 to 400 people.”

Migallos chose to live in Newman College for a year while studying at the University of Melbourne. “I lived there because it was Jesuit and, because I’m Atenean, I like that. And also, Newman was designed by Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin, who also designed Canberra. It’s heritage-listed and because I’m a history nerd, this mattered to me. It was very cool living in such a good building. I made many friends. My two kids have godmothers who went to college with me.”

The university can help make living arrangements for students even while they’re still in the Philippines.

Campus and city life

Students who attend the university will enjoy a vibrant campus life and experience Melbourne living, too, since the school is located in the middle of the city.

While Filipino students will get the chance to make friends with people from all over the world, they can also interact with the Filipino community at the university. There are two Filipino clubs—one established by postgrad students, another for Filipinos born in Australia.

What’s Migallos’ advice to parents who are hesitant to send their kids abroad? “Keep an open mind. It’s safe in Australia. And children are more capable than they think, it’s just that they don’t have the opportunity to show it. Children are resilient.” Besides, she added, Melbourne is only eight hours away.

The Australian calendar works well for Filipino students, said Migallos. “Our summer is in Christmas so they get three months off over Christmas. They don’t have to be back for class until the end of February.”

IDP Education Limited or Kokos International can provide assistance for those interested in applying. “They’re a free service for students. We pay them when they help a student. We acknowledge that it’s hard to navigate a fully different system.”

As for financial assistance and scholarships for students, Migallos said: “The students with the best grades get
the scholarships, essentially. There’s no separate application. We rely on a system where we can equitably look at everybody. It’s transparent.”

Exceptional students can also look forward to getting support from the university. “You’ve done all this leadership stuff and you want to go back to the Philippines to start an NGO? There’s a grant so you can do that. Or you want to go on an exchange overseas? There’s a grant so you can go overseas.”

The Australian government also has scholarships for Filipino graduate students, like the Endeavor Leadership Program and Australia Awards.

One of the joys of Migallos’ job is getting to track the progress of Filipino students at the university. She ends up building relationships with the students and their parents. “I’ve watched people graduate. It’s really nice. And families usually end up referring me to their friends.”

For Migallos, a good first step would be to visit Melbourne. “We have campus tours throughout the year except for January because it’s summer. We have them on Mondays and Fridays for an hour. It’s run by a student. Just go on holiday. See what it’s like.”