PhD Mathematics
What is your advice to others?
"My advice: UniSA is one of the best universities you can choose. I advise any student who wants to study in Adelaide to consider UniSA as a first option. I have some friends who are studying at other universities in Adelaide and chose some courses from UniSA. They are impressed about the facilities and the flexibility that UniSA offers and liked the study environment here."
Why did you choose to study at the University of South Australia (UniSA)?
"I decided to study with UniSA for these reasons:
- The flexibility in dealing with international students. The Graduate Research Centre was very co-operative, they sent me an application form (special for Iraqi candidates). They didn't ask for any application fees like other universities. They responded very quickly to any enquires I needed, and compared with other universities - I got the final approval very quickly.
- They have a full package program for international students including an academic English course provided by CELUSA which is equivalent to the IELTS test. This solved a big problem for me because the IELTS exam is one of the essential conditions to review the student's application in some universities, and in Iraq we did not have centres to conduct this kind of English test.
- I found a very good supervisor who suits my research's interest. My research is not only focusing on theoretical mathematics but it has a very interesting application in communication, transportation and manufacturing networks."
What are the benefits of UniSA and their teaching staff?
"I most enjoy the study environment where everything related to my research is provided by the University.
At UniSA everything is a highlight. I have enjoyed my time at UniSA so far and I am learning new things every day. I like the experience of studying in another country where I can work with others and learn from them and I found what I need with the staff and facilities at UniSA.
I have been involved in casual teaching for the School of Mathematics and attended some conferences in Australia. Personally and academically, teaching experience is a valuable opportunity. The School of Mathematics here is focusing more on applied mathematics (mathematics for engineering and industry). This gives me a new look on the mathematics that I used to learn and teach. I will try to transfer this experience to my school in Iraq. I'm using some academic services at UniSA. For instance, Campus Central officers are very helpful with any enquiry that students need related to their enrolments or courses. The Learning and Teaching Unit is one of the important academic services. I got a lot of help from the Learning and Teaching Unit when I was writing my research proposal. They provided me one of their staff members who helped me with the academic writing of my proposal since English is not my first language. Furthermore, the Learning and Teaching Unit conduct some workshops every year for higher degree students concentrating on writing skills, how to write a research proposal, a paper and thesis.
I like UniSA's library especially the one in Mawson Lakes campus. It is very big and has three levels with huge spaces to study and there are also study rooms where one can book in advance for a group of students or individually. There are countless books available and for postgraduate students we can request any book or paper which is not available in the library and the library will buy it and send it to us. I have requested copies of so many papers and the library bought and sent them to me in a short time. Also, I requested some books which are not available in the library and within less than two weeks I got them.
I enjoy the time at Mawson Lakes campus. It is so quiet, big, highly updated and suitable for doing research. I have my own office where I can spend enough time to study.
Also, in each campus at UniSA there is a prayer room so we can pray at university."
