Ricardo Villegas

“My wife and I decided we wanted to do further study. With our two children we wanted to live in a nice, safe, English-speaking country. Sydney offered that with the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. We live in Glebe, in the heart of the city, and I can ride a bike to work and to UTS. We really like the cosmopolitan feel of the city of Sydney itself. The local council has done amazing things with the festivals, events, concerts, and kid’s activities; it’s just fantastic.

I love being in class, listening to the lecturers, getting information. When I came to study my Masters at UTS, there were only one or two other mature aged students, the rest were in their early 20’s. It was strange to study with other half my age, but I really enjoy that energy. Getting their fresh point of view and trying to mix with them is really interesting. In the end we have a job to do, so we work together. The people you meet in class are very international, so I now have friends from all over the world.

My favourite lecturers are very distinguished, well-published academics. They aren’t afraid to take questions in class, even questions from left-field. They also try to incorporate more inclusive, pedagogical techniques like activities, role-plays, which you often don’t see at a Masters level.

I’m very happy I’ve also been able to do cross-institutional study between UTS and the University of Sydney. I’ve been able to pick classes that have appealed to me such as trademarking and copyright law. I’m glad I had the option to tailor my Masters to things that I’m interested in.”