Uniprep: The best pathway to an international education

Uniprep: The best pathway to an international education

Australia creates a lot of interest among Indonesian students wishing to continue with their higher education overseas. In the land of the kangaroo, the number of students from Indonesia is rapidly increasing year by year. And from the large number of higher-education institutions in Australia, The University of New South Wales (UNSW) is the first choice for most.

Since Uniprep was established in Jakarta in 1994, over 360 students have graduated, with 82 percent meeting Australian university entry requirements.

Run by private university UniSadhuGuna in Jakarta, in partnership with The University of New South Wales, Uniprep conducts an identical university foundation program to that of University Foundation Year (UFY) in Sydney. All the lecturers are experienced Australian or British teachers with international qualifications, and the program is monitored and assessed by UNSW with all examinations set and marked in Sydney.

Uniprep Director John Olney said, "Indonesian and international students are receiving the same high quality university preparation as they would receive in Australia. Furthermore, the teaching style at Uniprep encourages students to think critically and develop self-discipline, skills they will need when studying at university level overseas."

Uniprep has four streams of study -- Commerce, Arts, Design and Science -- leading to any Australian university course. "We are the only foundation course in Jakarta offering this diversity of course choice," Olney pointed out. The most popular university choice upon leaving Uniprep is the prestigious UNSW. However, Uniprep students have also been accepted into 17 other Australian universities, including Monash and Melbourne universities.

In 1999, Uniprep launched the first university-preparation Design stream in Jakarta, with all nine students in the group gaining places in the best Design faculties in Australia at UNSW, Monash and RMIT, taking courses in Media and Communications, Multimedia, Design and Electronic Publishing.

The majority of students coming into Uniprep are from third year of Indonesian Senior High School (SMU). It is expected that over 80 students will enroll in June this year. This Uniprep intake offers a six-month time saving compared to taking foundation in Australia. "Students can enter Uniprep as soon as they finish senior high school in June, and they are then ready to start university in Australia in February 2001. If they went to Sydney or Melbourne to do Foundation Studies they would start university one semester later," Olney said. Uniprep also has a regular September intake for SMU students, where they will follow the same timetable as in Sydney, finishing in time to enter university in July 2001.

Uniprep also conducts a special intensive fast-track course for students who have taken "O" levels or Year 11 in Singapore, Malaysia or Australia. "This year's intake, which started in January, gives students the opportunity to enter university six months earlier than their peers," said Olney.

Another intensive course is scheduled to begin in the second week of December 2000. The course will finish in early June next year, enabling students to enroll in university in Australia in July 2001.

Besides offering a quality university preparation program that enables students to fast track their entry into the best overseas universities, Uniprep has another big advantage. Students continue to live at home in Jakarta for the duration of the Uniprep program, which means a saving on expensive overseas living costs.

Uniprep students also benefit from smaller class sizes. "The courses are the same as those in Australia, but there is more personalized attention here," Olney said.

Uniprep now has over 70 alumni who have completed their first degree. Some are continuing with Honors or Masters degrees. These alumni also praise the program for preparing them for the challenges of university life. "Uniprep was a big help," said one graduate now completing a Commerce degree at UNSW. "While many foreign students feel confused when they start their university course, Uniprep has taught us how to listen and take notes in lectures and how to make good use of tutorials and to approach tutors and lecturers for assistance."

For further information about Uniprep, please contact Ms. Surya, Susy or Coni at telephone 2524068, fax 2524058, or e-mail uniprep@vision.net.id. Otherwise, visit the Uniprep premises and view our up-to-date facilities, including a modern computer laboratory with full Internet access. Uniprep is located at S. Widjojo Center, Mezzanine Floor, Jl. Jend. Sudirman, Kav. 71, Jakarta Selatan.