Competition Winner takes off

AIM Overseas' 'Win a Flight to London on AirAsiaX' competition winner, Suzanne Chang, has just taken off for Europe. Over the coming weeks during her trip, Suzanne will be sending us back updates on all the fun she's having. 

Here's Suzanne's first update:

"With the exception of a delayed flight because the plane had to divert to Alice Springs, I am here in Malaysia unharmed as of yet. Still have this odd feeling that I have forgotten something in my luggage, but I figure I can buy everything I actually need. Both flights were relatively okay, just the waiting and transit gets awfully boring!"

Merry Christmas from everyone here at AIM Overseas and see you in 2011!

Mobillity article in the Financial Review: 8th November 2010

The Financial Review published a positive article about the outbound mobility of Australian students on Monday 8th November, 2010.

AIM Overseas 2011-2012 Program List

AIM Overseas has announced its provisional 2011-2012 program list. Please note that this list is subject to change and will not be updated on this blog. For more information and the up-to-date list see www.aimoverseas.com.au

AIM Overseas 2011-2012 Program List

Winter Holidays 2011 (July 2011)
Program Name	Country	Duration
Global Leadership Program (Prague)	Czech Republic	4.5 weeks
Global Leadership Program (Panama)	Panama	4.5 weeks
Oxford Creative Writing Summer School	UK	3 weeks
Oxford English Literature Summer School	UK	3 weeks
Oxford International Politics Program	UK	2 weeks
Oxford International Human Rights Law Prog.	UK	4 weeks
Oxford History, Politics and Society Program	UK	3 weeks
Cambridge Summer Schools: Interdisciplinary, History, Medieval Studies, Sciences, Literature	UK	Up to 4 weeks
International Security in the Modern World	Czech Republic	3 weeks
Indigenous Studies	New Zealand	3 weeks
International Business and Advertising	France	3 weeks
Italian Business Excellence and Culture	Italy	4 weeks
International Trade and Finance	Hong Kong	3 weeks
International Environmental Law	The Netherlands	3 weeks
Intensive French	France	3 weeks +
Intensive Spanish in Spain	Spain	4 weeks
Intensive German	Germany	3 weeks +
Intensive Arabic in Jordan or Morocco	Various	4 weeks

Summer Holidays 2012 (January/February)
Program Name	Country	Duration
Teacher Education and Practice	USA	3 weeks
International Law and Human Rights	Czech Republic	3 weeks
International Relations and Politics in the EU: Peace, Conflicts and Human Rights	The Netherlands	3 weeks
Israel and Palestine: Understanding the conflict	Israel	3 weeks
Environmental Sciences: Desert, mountains and sea	Ecuador	3 weeks
Mining, Energy and Nature	Chile	3 weeks
Engineering and Sustainable Development	Germany	3 weeks
International Business and Advertising	France	3 weeks
Health Care in Mexico	Mexico	4 weeks
Real-world IT simulation	France	4 weeks
Intensive French	France	3 weeks +
Intensive Spanish in Mexico	Mexico	4 weeks
Intensive German	Germany	3 weeks +

Lessons from Oxford...

Well I am back into the swing of things at home after what now feels like a very surreal two weeks studying at Oxford University. I can’t actually believe how quick the time came and went and how much I have missed going to the morning seminars and lectures, seeing the other students at meal times, hearing the church bell tower chiming out the hours and even spending time studying in the College library…sigh... I guess it all had to end sometime. The College put on a farewell dinner for us all on the final night and we celebrated surviving the two weeks with everybody's cameras getting a good work out during the night.

Apart from the jetlag and the 200+ photos, I have come back from this trip with so much more than what I had expected. With some twenty nationalities represented at the Oxford International Politics Summer Program, the different perspectives and personal experiences that each participant contributed were invaluable and, for me, the embodiment of the whole program. To have been able to listen to and learn from some of the most respected and renowned academics in their fields was also a memorable and inspiring part of the program, which I feel very privileged to have experienced. This trip has also reinforced my enthusiasm for promoting overseas study opportunities to our university students, not least because of the academic challenge that they involve and the personal growth that results. This was certainly the case for me on this trip, despite only being away for two weeks.

Although I learnt so much about my chosen area of study, African politics, one of the most important lessons I took away from Oxford is summed up perfectly by a quote appearing on a magnet I bought as a souvenir:

“Readers are plentiful, thinkers are rare”.

My experience at Oxford has certainly made me appreciate the difference and inspired me to become a thinker!

Thank you to AIM Overseas, Oxford University and AirAsiaX for giving me this unique opportunity.



Natalie Ilott is the Study Abroad/Exchange Officer from Edith Cowan University. She travels to the University of Oxford summer school courtesy of the University of Oxford, AirAsiaX and AIM Overseas.



Read Natalie's other posts on her Oxford experience:
And off to Oxford I go
Welcome to Oxford
I survived the first week
The last day in Oxford

AIM Overseas gives $1000 to Pakistan Flood Relief

AIM Overseas has made a $1000 donation to the 2010 Red Cross Pakistan Monsoon Floods Appeal.

The situation there is desperate - please give generously.

Last day in Oxford...

by Natalie Ilott, Edith Cowan University

Friday 13 August


Another week has flown by and unfortunately my time in Oxford is drawing to a close. This week has been just as, if not more, intense and demanding as the first, with a typical student-like last minute rush to finish my paper and presentation for Wednesday morning (I didn’t make it to bed until 2am!). This week’s seminars and lectures have lived up to the first week’s and as I walked away from my last seminar this morning it struck me how strange it is going to be not to see everyone on Monday morning. As some of my classmates have described it, it feels like we have been living in a bubble these last two weeks, with our days so structured and centred within the College. But unfortunately that bubble is about to burst as we all start preparing for our travels after Oxford.



As well as being very studious, I also managed to see a little more of Oxford this week, visiting the Covered Markets (where they do amazing pies and milkshakes), the centuries old Bodleian Library, Christ Church College (which contains the Great Hall where scenes from Harry Potter were filmed), the house where author J.R.R. Tolkien used to live and Blenheim Palace (the birthplace of Winston Churchill). Although I’m feeling a little worse for wear after last night’s celebrations (down at the local Royal Oak and out for some dancing) I am planning to head into the city centre for some last minute shopping and to pick up some souvenirs.


Tonight will be the farewell dinner, how time flies, it doesn’t seem that long ago that we were meeting each other for the first time, all filled with expectations and hope for what the two weeks would hold. Now we can look back and reflect on what we have gained from this incredible experience. I’ll save my individual reflection, however, for my final blog, but right now it’s time for one last walk into the city, now where's my trusty umbrella?...














Natalie Ilott is the Study Abroad/Exchange Officer from Edith Cowan University. She travels to the University of Oxford summer school courtesy of the University of Oxford, AirAsiaX and AIM Overseas.



Read Natalie's other posts on her Oxford experience:
And off to Oxford I go
Welcome to Oxford
I survived the first week
Lessons from Oxford

I survived the first week at Oxford!

by Natalie Ilott, Edith Cowan University

Sunday 8 August

It’s Sunday evening and I am on my third cup of tea for the day as I relax in a comfy chair in one of the High Street cafés and attempt to make a start on my essay. I frustratingly write and rewrite the first paragraph several times before I decide instead to update my blog…


Well what a week it has been. My days have been filled with thought-provoking seminars on African politics, plenary lectures given by Oxford scholars who are leaders in their respective fields followed by four to five hours of self study in the library. The Oxford ethic is intense and the amount of information you are expected to take in is, at times, a little overwhelming. But if I am feeling somewhat challenged then I am also feeling immensely inspired. The professor is impressively accomplished, although I am learning as much fromthe regular dinner table conversations as from the seminars (well not quite as much!). My classmates are themselves an elite bunch, completing their Masters, PhDs, working in government positions, for NGOs and a range of other interesting occupations.

St Antony’s College is easy to settle into and the college library, at least, is starting to feel like home. The weather has been pretty average, and by that I mean grey skies and drizzle, but today the sun was out in full force and the skies were blue for most of the day (my prayers have been answered!). After a fairly routine and focused week I have managed to get out and explore Oxford this weekend, along with all of the other tourists who seem to have invaded the city. It is quite a small, quaint place with the different University Colleges scattered throughout. Carfax Tower, the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford Castle, the Alice Shop and the Botanic Gardens are just some of the sites that I have taken in, as well as a quick punt up the Oxford canal, a typical English afternoon tea of jam and scones and a ½ pint of lager at the Eagle and Child pub. I am feeling like a right Brit!

Although I still have a paper to hand in and a presentation to give, I am proud that I have made it through this first week, and on that note I finish my cup of tea and turn my thoughts back to my essay…





Natalie Ilott is the Study Abroad/Exchange Officer from Edith Cowan University. She travels to the University of Oxford summer school courtesy of the University of Oxford, AirAsiaX and AIM Overseas. 

 Read Natalie's other posts about her Oxford experience:
And off to Oxford I go
Welcome to Oxford
The last day in Oxford
Lessons from Oxford

Welcome to Oxford...

by Natalie Ilott, Edith Cowan University

Sunday 1^st August

After a very seamless 21 hours of travelling I eventually arrive in London, largely well rested thanks to the comfort of the new flatbeds on AirAsiaX, how will I fly Economy again?! The train ride to Oxford is also rather uneventful, a bit of last minute reading and some silent prayers to the weather gods in hope that the English sun will make at least some appearance in the next two weeks. And then I find myself standing (expectantly) in front of the arched wooden door that is the entrance to St Anthony’s College. This is it…

After the administration side of my arrival is complete I am left to move into my room, located on the third floor of an old building. As I drag my belongings up the three flights of stairs I quietly thank my sister for not allowing me to bring the bigger suitcase I wanted! My room is huge with a view overlooking the narrow lane outside, and as I unpack my clothes and textbooks I start to think that it may not be so difficult to find my student roots again.

After a quick power nap I am able to meet and mingle with the professor and other students in my program at the orientation session and welcome dinner, we turn out to be an eclectic bunch of cultures and backgrounds, which should make for some interesting discussions in our African Politics seminars. If first impressions are anything to go by I think I am definitely in for a very inspiring two weeks.

It’s not long though before jetlag starts to set in and I am falling asleep to the sound of the bell tower across the road chiming out the ninth hour. Welcome to Oxford….

Natalie Ilott is the Study Abroad/Exchange Officer from Edith Cowan University. She travels to the University of Oxford summer school courtesy of the University of Oxford, AirAsiaX and AIM Overseas. 

 Read Natalie's other posts about her Oxford experience:

And off to Oxford I go
I survived the first week at Oxford

The last day in Oxford
Lessons from Oxford

And off to Oxford I go...

by Natalie Ilott, Edith Cowan University

Friday 30 July 9pm

It's the night before the morning I fly out and as usual I have left my packing to the last minute!! Luckily for me I have my sister, an experienced backpacker, on hand to help keep my luggage to the bare minimum. The last couple of weeks have been so hectic that I haven't had a chance to really think about my upcoming trip, but as I roll up my clothes and fit them jigsaw-like in my suitcase I can feel my excitement growing. I feel like one of our students before they head off on their overseas study adventures.

So where am I going? Well I have been fortunate enough to secure a place on the University of Oxford Summer Program through the AIM Overseas competition run last year for university staff across Australia. It was one of those competitions that you enter thinking 'wouldn't that be great to win' but never expect to stand a chance. As I sit on my suitcase and finally zip it up I can't believe that I am going to study at Oxford, somebody pinch me!!

To say that I am a little nervous would be an understatement, it's Oxford after all! But my anticipation is definitely starting to outweigh my nerves. I have chosen the Oxford International Politics Summer Program focusing on Democratisation in Africa, which will run for two weeks. It's been a couple of years since I graduated so let's just say that it has taken more than a little motivational effort to get back into 'student' mode :) I have already received a detailed reading list from the university, which I am slowly making my way through. The program will involve a combination of lectures, seminars and group discussions, along with time for private study and hopefully some 'extracurricular' activities :) I will be staying in St Anthony's College, the most international of Oxford's graduate colleges, so the prospect of meeting a range of other international students is hugely appealing, as is, of course, being part of such a prestigious and historic tradition that is the University of Oxford.

So I am packed and ready to go, I have my passport, tickets and high hopes for the two weeks that lay ahead. As I finally crawl into bed at 11pm I cringe at the thought of getting up in five hours, but as I remember where I will be in just over 24, sleep is the last thing on my mind...
 

Natalie Ilott is the Study Abroad/Exchange Officer from Edith Cowan University. She travels to the University of Oxford summer school courtesy of the University of Oxford, AirAsiaX and AIM Overseas. 

 Read Natalie's other posts about her Oxford experience:

Welcome to Oxford
I survived the first week at Oxford

The last day in Oxford

Global Leadership Program In the Czech Republic

In July 2010, a group of students from the universities across Australia joined the Global Leadership Program in Prague.

How awesome is the program? Well...I 'll let the photos speak for themselves!

Beginning of the program, this was where the students stayed the first 2 nights.

Meet other participants from around the world!

(Photos provided by Sarah, Griffith University)

Trip to Budapest

Puppet show

(photos provided by Jaimi, Griffith University)

Prague!!

(photos provided by Chris, University of Canberra)

Community service

retreat

(photos provided by Julie, Griffith University)

To be continued...

For more information about short courses overseas, please go to AIM Overseas website.