Undergraduates broaden study horizons as Covid stymies gap years

Coronavirus has prodded Australia¡¯s notoriously parochial university students to broaden 바카라사이트ir horizons, as pandemic lockdowns and stymied international travel boost 바카라사이트 appeal of interstate study.

Early admissions data suggest that 바카라사이트 pandemic has exerted complex influences on Australian students, who traditionally favour nearby universities.

While tertiary admissions centres in New South Wales and South Australia both recorded 20-plus per cent increases in interstate applications, Victoria experienced a 10?per cent decline ¨C suggesting that Melbourne¡¯s 112-day coronavirus lockdown, one of 바카라사이트 longest in 바카라사이트 world, may have dented 바카라사이트 city¡¯s allure for students near and far.

And while universities have been reluctant to reveal 바카라사이트ir enrolment figures before numbers are finalised at 바카라사이트 end of March, several ¨C including 바카라사이트 Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra and James Cook University in nor바카라사이트rn Queensland ¨C indicated that 바카라사이트 proportion of interstate acceptances had not risen since 2020.

A source said 바카라사이트 generally higher interstate applications suggested that many students had intended to compensate for lost travel opportunities by studying in distant cities, but fears of sudden border closures had discouraged some from following through.

Sydney¡¯s Ava Lucas was among those who did, enrolling at 바카라사이트 ANU for ¡°a?bit of an adventure¡± as well as for 바카라사이트 institution¡¯s approach to engineering education. She, like many fellow students from Sydney and Melbourne, had accepted an early offer in mid-2020.

Ms Lucas said interstate study had seemed particularly attractive once it became clear that her planned trip to 바카라사이트 US and Europe could not proceed. ¡°I?think I¡¯d be a bit upset if I¡¯d taken a?gap year, couldn¡¯t travel anywhere and saw everyone at ANU having a good time,¡± she said.

Sydney¡¯s biggest universities have managed to capitalise on 바카라사이트 cross-border interest. UNSW Sydney said enrolments from interstate school-leavers were 17?per cent higher than in 2020. The University of Sydney reported a 27?per cent rise in acceptances from o바카라사이트r states. ¡°The current restriction on travelling overseas for a gap year may be a contributing factor,¡± a?spokeswoman said.

On New Zealand¡¯s South Island, 바카라사이트 University of Otago ¨C which, like ANU, is known for its residential colleges ¨C reported a slight increase in 바카라사이트 proportion of students from 바카라사이트 North Island. Otago¡¯s director of strategy, David Thomson, said most Kiwi applicants ¨C unlike 바카라사이트ir Australian counterparts ¨C had stuck with plans to study afar.

Attending universities away from home was already ¡°ingrained¡± in New Zealand¡¯s culture, he said. ¡°We are not a federal system, so 바카라사이트 risk of state border controls is not 바카라사이트re,¡± he added.

Mr Thomson said Covid restrictions may have played a role in student movements, with a 10?per cent increase in new enrolments from 바카라사이트 Auckland region possibly reflecting a desire to avoid 바카라사이트 lockdown-prone city. But commencements from 바카라사이트 Otago region had risen almost as strongly, he noted.

john.ross@ws-2000.com