Vandana Thutupalli

Vandana is studying the Master of Biotechnology at the University of Melbourne. Vandana was attracted to the University as she’s always had a penchant to learn about life and living things.

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I was attracted to study science at the University of Melbourne because Science has always been a part of me. Ever since my childhood, I've always had a penchant to learn about life and living things. In my pursuit to gain more experience and delve into biology, I investigated various universities to give me the best opportunity.

At the University of Melbourne, I learnt about the course structure for the Master of Biotechnology after interacting with the faculty at an education fair back home in India. I was so thrilled to know about the Industry Placement module in the course. I was extremely excited to study here. The University of Melbourne offers the Master of Biotechnology as a coursework degree, aiming at industry employment in the future. I found this captivating as not many Universities have this goal of employment integrated in the main course structure. As I am personally not oriented to conducting research, this course caught my eye.

I am inspired by Biotechnology as it delves into the technical aspects of biological science. It is such a fascinating field, and not many people know that Biotechnology is extremely diverse. Mathematicians, physicists, data scientists, programmers and even business executives have diverse roles in this sector. The field of Biotechnology is so welcoming and warm, it integrates everyone as its own. I am oriented towards the pharmaceutical sector, as I developed a keen interest in the same during my undergraduate studies. I'm looking forward to delving deeper into this and forming my own career path here.

I have several favourite experiences as a science student here at the University of Melbourne. Being a first semester student who has recently started my studies at Uni, I find that studies here are very enriching. The courses are way different from what we have back home. Here, I can not only learn theoretically, but I'm also able to apply these basics into tackling various problems that may arise in daily life. The assignments are so accurately framed that an individual will be able to apply the knowledge and skills to solve them. It has been a completely enriching experience so far and I'm craving for more.

Receiving the Science Graduate Scholarship has been of impact to my studies. I'm able to manage my finances with a lesser burden. My advice to anyone wanting to study biotechnology Just go for it. Get out of your comfort zone, learn new skills and meet new people. Stay passionate about whatever you wish to study, and trust me, University of Melbourne will have a place for you.

Find out more

  • Master of Biotechnology
  • Biotechnology major