The UNSW Business School is currently accepting applications for The Future of Change Scholarship program. These scholarships were established to support high-achieving students from India who are looking to undertake undergraduate or postgraduate study at UNSW.

Postgraduate student Saurabh Kaura was a recipient of UNSW's Future of Change scholarship in 2019.

"This scholarship has assisted me financially and has allowed me to achieve so much. The prestige of this scholarship has also helped me secure a job with a start-up within my first few months in Sydney," Saurabh says.

With the support of the Future of Change scholarship, Saurabh was able to enroll in a Master of Commerce degree specialising in international business, economics and finance. His aim is to learn how to manage global businesses, partake in international projects and help businesses expand globally.

Saurabh's experience as an international student at UNSW

"At UNSW, there are over 300 clubs and societies. It's a great opportunity to meet new people and network with students from other faculties and different backgrounds," he says.

To fully embed himself within the UNSW community, Saurabh proactively joined various clubs and societies on campus. In doing so, Saurabh was able to enjoy a holistic university experience and adapt seamlessly to a new learning environment.

"Within my first semester, I signed up to be the Project Manager of UNSW Global Consulting Group as well as the Marketing Manager of UNSW Graduate Students Association (GSA) next term. I'm also part of UNSW Hero program whereby different student groups are formed to collectively solve a problem that the university is facing.

"The Master of Commerce degree at UNSW has provided me with many networking opportunities. Staying at a residential college like New College Postgraduate Village, has also provided me with an additional network group with over 315 postgraduate students coming from various corners of the world under the same roof."

This year, Saurabh is planning to join the Career Accelerator program, namely the global business practicum course taking place in Bangkok and Vietnam – as well as participating in industry internships.

The Career Accelerator program is a suite of opportunities available to both domestic and international postgraduate students at UNSW to help build career skills. Through Career Accelerator, business school students have access to internships, mentoring, networking as well as global opportunities. In 2019 alone, the business school placed 900 students through the Career Accelerator program.

"One thing that drew me to UNSW is its access to many universities overseas. Through the University's exchange program, we can definitely gain a broader cultural experience by undertaking a course or two in one of the 300 partner institutions around the world. I'm currently looking to take full advantage of the exchange program and complete part of my studies in Sweden."

Tips for future applicants interested in applying for this scholarship

 A word of advice from Saurabh is to gain as much industry experience as possible or take part in many extracurricular activities – in addition to academic performance – prior to applying for a Future of Change scholarship. 

"One has to be proactive and have practical experiences before applying for a Future of Change scholarship. You can achieve this by participating in school competitions or through a part-time job.

"When I was in India, I built most of my working experience in various roles such as in event management or NGO projects in order to build transferable skills," he says.

Saurabh also spoke about the importance of demonstrating soft skills such as communication, time management and teamwork – skills which are highly valued in the workplace.

"This is how UNSW'S Career Accelerator program can definitely work in your favour and help you reach your potential faster. The program has many opportunities for you to develop soft skills through internships, consulting projects, business case competitions as well as industry insights workshops."

 About the Future of Change scholarships

Each Future of Change scholarship is valued at a total of $5,000 per year for the minimum duration of a UNSW undergraduate or postgraduate degree program. Should you have any questions, please make an enquiry online to discuss scholarship opportunities available to you.