Turning childhood dreams into reality with civil engineering student Olayinka

Study Civil Engineering

 

For Nigerian student Olayinka Abioye, pursuing his Master of Civil Engineering is fulfilling a childhood dream. “Ever since I was a child, I have always wanted to know what the design is beneath structures,” says the engineering student. “Especially structures like bridges, roads and skyscrapers.”

This passion for fundamental understanding has seen Olayinka complete a Bachelor of Civil Engineering, and gain the drive to pursue postgraduate study. “I believe the zeal to learn more about this field made me to proceed to master’s level.”

The advantage of studying with Flinders

Olayinka was attracted to Flinders reputation for excellence, and the focus on real-world industry experience while studying. 

 “First, Flinders is a top ranked institution in the world and one of the top 2% in the world,” he says. “I chose Flinders because the structural engineering topics and especially because of the Engineering Work Experience element.” 

Students are required and aided in finding a work placement of up to 12-weeks, on any aspect of civil engineering. This is one of the longest engineering placements in Australia, and is highly desirable to students, employers and industry alike. Since starting the master program, Olayinka also sees his peers finding work immediately after graduation. “I have seen evidence of Flinders students landing a job immediately after graduation as a result of the work placement.” Discover more about Flinders Work Integrated Learning experience here.

Check out Master of Civil Engineering alumnus Ben Bai – who is now celebrating a year of employment at his own work placement company – here.

 “I chose to study at Flinders because of the quality of education and the quality of accreditation,” he says. “Importantly, the friendliness of the learning environment allows for better opportunities to enjoy interaction with different kinds of people from all over the world – especially within my field.”

Flinders Tonsley Campus
Flinders Tonsley Campus

The beautiful, calm campus, and modern facilities, help Olayinka focus on his studies and enjoy each day. “The learning environment is serene and conducive to concentrating. The facilities available at Flinders Tonsley Campus – like the Civil Engineering lab  – make engineering more interesting. Teaching and research in Flinders are done with cutting edge technology,” he says. 

Flinders staff are always keen to support students, says Olayinka. “The lecturers are friendly and ready to assist students to achieve the best in their academics. Flinders is ranked number one in Australia for international student support. The collaboration session whereby students’ lecturers collaborate is also fascinating,” he says. 

Living in ‘student-friendly Adelaide’ is a wonderful lifestyle

Like so many international students, Olayinka finds it easy to make the most of the wonderful Adelaide lifestyle. “It’s really easy to get around, with connections from the university to many places in the city and beaches through bus and trains,” he says. This is set to be even easier with the opening of the brand new Flinders Train station in late 2020, with a commute time to the city of just 20-minutes.

“The weather is favourable, it is not usually cold as compared to what is experienced in Europe.” Adelaide is famous for its Mediterranean climate; with hot, dry summers and cool, mild winters. 

Discover our top tips to keep cool in an Adelaide summer – here.

“Adelaide is a city to be recommended to all international students coming to Australia. The people are friendly, and the cost of living is relatively low compared to other major cities in Australia.” Importantly, for Olayinka, who is new to the country, “I have met and made friends with people from different cultural backgrounds. There are a lot of sightseeing places – especially the beaches and it is a multicultural community.”

Click here to discover the multicultural and community support on offer at OASIS Centre, both online and in-person at Flinders Bedford Park.

Adelaide student lifestyle
Students relaxing riverside in Adelaide city

Global graduate success

Olayinka knows that his Master of Civil Engineering will prepare him for work, and that he’ll find it easy to move straight into a career after graduation. “A master’s degree especially from an Australian institution like Flinders would afford me to achieve my aim of getting into the oil and gas sector in my home country.” 

The course provides graduates with research skills that can be applied to advanced industrial problems, while developing engineering solutions appropriate to the social, political, international, economic and environmental contexts. 

 “The oil and gas sector is one of the most lucrative sectors in Nigeria,” says Olayinka. “I can guarantee that having graduated from Flinders I will be qualified to practice as a Civil Engineer in any multinational companies across the globe”.

Flinders International Civil Engineering student

Strong support for all students during COVID-19

Olayinka started on-campus just before the COVID-19 epidemic first hit Australia. “I didn’t get much time on-campus before our classes went online,” he says, admitting that online learning took some adjusting to at the beginning.

“Online learning was challenging to begin with. But it has its own benefits I have discovered. It’s made me much more independent in my learning and has given me more time to study.” These kinds of resilience developing soft-skills are both highly adaptable to the workplace and desirable to employers.

“We were lucky with Flinders keeping the campuses open during the pandemic, it meant I could come into Tonsley Campus and do my study and learning. I live with a few other students, so it was good to have the facilities available.” Olayinka’s tips for online study to fellow students are simple.

“It’s all about multitasking! I am studying four topics, so I’ve really improved in keeping many things on the go at once, it’s a balancing act.”

For Olayinka, the support he and other international students received during the early stages of the pandemic – and continuing forwards –  has made a truly positive  difference in his experience in being far from home.

“I would honestly recommend Flinders University to international students,” he says. “They have shown great support to me and my fellow international students during this COVID -19 period. They have given us financial support, and provided all the degree support one needs to excel in their academics.”

If you are a current student looking for support take a look at your options here. If you would like to speak to Flinders International about your study options get in touch with our friendly team – here.
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