Hi, my name is Xinrui Wu, I'm from China and I'm doing a Master of Urban and Regional Planning at The University of Queensland. I'm also a UQ International Student Ambassador.
Why did you choose to study in Australia and specifically at UQ?
Primarily speaking, I chose UQ because of its great reputation and standing as a world’s top 50 university for some time now.
I knew previous graduates from UQ who highly recommended studying here. Coming to UQ confirmed that the university has a strong academic standing and remarkable atmosphere that I was fascinated by. This all reinforced my decision to study at this beautiful university.
What are your thoughts on studying in Australia and Brisbane?
Choosing Brisbane over other famous cities in Australia was actually quite a simple decision for me to make. What drew me here was the slower pace and lifestyle of living in Brisbane, not to mention the warm weather throughout the entire year.
Do you feel at home here and have you made friends?
Of course I have made friends here! In fact, since moving here, I’ve made a lot of friends at UQ who come from a variety of countries and have different cultural backgrounds and native languages. We all get along well with each other and aim to progress and make the most of our time studying in Brisbane, both academically and in life generally.
People at UQ are always friendly and kind, so you never have anything to worry about, especially with day to day living and accommodation as people are welcoming and polite.
What are the best things about your program at UQ?
Urban and regional planning is about improving the quality of cities and regions with professional planners assisting communities, companies and governments to integrate the environmental, economic and social aspects of development. This program provides students with a wealth of planning knowledge, and I think the best thing is that it produces professionally competent graduates who are familiar with planning concepts, ideas and techniques.
Moreover, the Master of Urban and Regional Planning is Queensland’s first master’s program accredited by the Australian Planning Institute (PIA). On top of this, the extracurricular activities that I undertook during semester also helped me to improve my social skills, which has contributed to my success.
What is your career goal?
My professional ambition is to be an excellent urban planner. I can use the knowledge gained during my studies here to contribute back to my country and help transform our urban and regional environments.
UQ has given me a valuable learning experience, both in a theoretical sense and in practice, which has led to me developing a deeper level of expertise in my field.
What advice would you give people from other countries about studying at UQ?
Be confident and grateful for everything you will experience. If you’re ever unsure of something in class or don’t understand a concept, always ask questions as there will always be someone willing to help you out.
Try as many university activities as you can, I can guarantee you will enjoy them and learn from it.
One last thing – don't be shy! Make friends here and they will become your friends for life.
