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Briony Ranasinghe is getting ready for more than one career

Briony wanted a postgraduate degree that would help her build her skills in research and writing. Her Master of Liberal Arts is preparing her to pursue a range of careers in areas she’s passionate about.

You’re studying Master of Liberal Arts (Western Civilization). What made you choose this area of study, and why did you want to study at ACU?

Before I came to ACU, I studied a Bachelor of Arts and I did honors in Greek and Roman studies actually. I just loved it. I also learned Latin. So for my master’s, I wanted to do something that was about social justice and how language works and how Latin in particular can be used to study social justice. The ACU course seemed really interesting because it focused on lots of different things — not just history and languages but also material literature. I liked the broadness of it. It was also quite affordable, so that was a big impact.

You also received an ACU scholarship. How has that shaped your international study experience?

I did. I received the International Student Scholarship, which covers 50% of my fees. It’s amazing because a lot of scholarships don’t give you more than about 10%, so to get a good scholarship, that made it so much easier because it removes the financial burden on my family. It was a very easy application process, actually. It didn't seem like it when I was looking through the website, but when I went to the application, it was very easy to apply for it. As a scholarship holder, you need to keep your grades up, so it’s forcing me to pay a lot of attention to my studies.

What has it been like to study at ACU so far? Is there a lot of support for international students?

There’s a little bit of a period where you’re transitioning from home to here, but there is a lot of support. I've used the Academic Skills Unit and the CareerHub, and even the international student advisor, who is responsible for supporting international students on campus. So there’s a lot of support. I'm happy with ACU.

ACU has a really diverse and friendly student community. Have you made any new friends?

I've met some really nice people, including the other students in my course. And because it’s a diverse campus, I’ve been exposed to a lot of new ideas and a lot of people who talk in new ways. It’s great. Back home, sometimes you end up with people who think the same way as you, so it's nice to be exposed to new things in a new way.

You’ll finish your degree next year. What are you hoping to do next?

I have two potential career paths. I previously worked as a researcher, and I like doing research. I also love writing, and I would love to share that with people as a writing teacher. So it’s not set in stone in terms of what I want to do. I just know I want to do something I love. Having that option, having the knowledge that I think I'm going to get from my degree, and being open to new things means that I can do whatever I want to do when I graduate. That’s a great thing.

ACU graduates enjoy strong graduate employment outcomes and are ranked #1 in Australia for their collaborative skills¹. Talk to our international student support team to find out where an ACU master’s degree can take you.

¹QILT Employer Satisfaction Survey, 2022