I'm Scott, I'm studying a Masters of Environmental and Resource Economics at Crawford School of Public Policy.
What did you study in your undergraduate degree?
" For my undergrad, I did a Bachelors of Science in Forest Science."
Why did you apply to Crawford School?
" Coming to the end of my undergrad, I was looking at the options available to me, and further study was quite high on that list and in looking around the potential options, I found the Crawford School of Public Policy."
Why did you choose to study the Master of Environmental and Resource Economics?
"When I was looking at the courses Crawford offered, I knew I wanted to stick somewhere around the environmental sectors and so Masters of Environment and Resource Economics, I thought it was a good option that would build on what I've done previously, but also teaching em some new skills and a new discipline."
What was the process of applying to Crawford School?
" The process to get accepted was very easy, it was very streamlined. I submitted an online application, with a few references in a resume, and within a month, the school got back to me and offered me a spot."
Can you describe a typical day at Crawford School?
"A day in the life of Crawford for me normally starts around 9:00 or 10:00 when I'll get in and I'll normally set the day off with lecture. After that, I might have a few hours off where I'll get together with some friends and study or do some tutorial notes. Maybe aroud mid day, I'll have another lecture or seminar or some other face-to-face engagement and then finish off around 3 or 4 with some study."
How will this degree help you?
"It will open up a lot of opportunities that weren't available to me beforehand. I'll also be able to excel further in certain jobs with a Masters degree, as opposed to just an undergrad, and I hope what I learn and the skills that I take will be useful in my future career."
What is your favourite thing about Crawford School?
" What I love most about my program is that the people that I'm doing it with. There's a strong representation of students from Asia and the Pacific region. I've been able to learn a lot from them and a lot about their culture, and their ways of thinking."
What was it like going straigh from an undergraduate into a masters?
"Going straight from an undergrad to masters was something I did when I was looking at my option once I finished my degree and further study, and further study is something that I decided I wanted to do. As far as the coursework, it's pretty similar, Crawford runs it more of an intense pace and there's more to do on a short period of time but a lot of the skills I learned in undergrad definitely transfers through to Crawford."
What is the IDEC program here at Crawford School?
"IDEC is International Development Economics, and Crawford has a main focus on the Asia and the Pacific regions, and it looks at everything from foreign investment, and building and growing economies, and the sustainable ways to do so. I chose that idea because in my undergrad, I did a bit of economics and it really interested me and the possibilities in the frontier is that you can pursue with economics, especially international and development, throughout this region, it's going to be more and more prevalent going forward. And there's a lot of opportunities of work, not only in Australia in the area, but also internationally.
Do you like living in Canberra?
"Yeah, I really enjoyed living in Canberra while I'm studying in Crawford. The city is very vibrant and alive, the weather's really nice. It has four clear and distinct seasons and it's a pleasure to be in each one of those. The rest of the people that I have met especially local Canberrans are all very friendly and hospitable."
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