Prospective students take the tour

December 19, 2006

Prospective students from as far away as far north Queensland have taken the tour at the University of New England.

Campus tours, which are being conducted three times a week during December and January, give prospective students and their families a close-up look at lecture theatres, laboratories, libraries and sporting facilities. They also visit UNE's historic Booloominbah homestead, where they learn about the heritage of Australia's oldest regional university.

More than 100 prospective students visited the campus in December alone, with many more expected in January. They have come from throughout NSW and southern Queensland, with one even making the trip from a property 300km north of Townsville.

Ryan Brown, 17, from Downlands College in Toowoomba, said he intended to study economics at UNE and was particularly impressed with the tour of Sport UNE.

“The facilities were great, and everyone was really nice,” he said.

Ryan said he liked UNE’s rural aspect. “I didn’t really want to go to a big city,” he said.

While many students were interested in sporting facilities and the university radio station, parents wanted to know about safety, security and transport, according to Abbey Johnson, one of UNE’s Schools Liaison Officers, who conduct the tours.

“Everyone wanted to know about the college lifestyle and see the size of the rooms,” she said.

“Many of them were impressed with the size of the campus and how green it is.”

While most of the prospective students taking the tour were school-leavers intending to study on campus, several mature-age and distance education students also visited the campus, she said.

“We even had a 16-year-old girl who’s coming to UNE next year,” she said.

UNE has the largest residential college system of any university in Australia. About half of all students who study on campus choose to live on campus as well. First-rate resources and support are within easy reach and there are significant cost advantages to living on campus.

Formal tours of the colleges and the university campus will continue until the end of January, and informal tours can be arranged throughout the year. To make a booking for a campus tour phone the Freecall number: 1800 818 865.

For more information contact Leon Braun (UNE Public Relations) on (02) 6773 3771. A photograph is available to accompany this story.

Posted by Leon Braun at December 19, 2006 10:51 AM