Masters in Earth Sciences: Student Profile

Matthew Gatzoubaros, 26, is about to begin a Masters in Earth Sciences at ETH Zurich. He got a taste for studying abroad during his undergraduate degree at the University of Melbourne, when he spent a year at the University of New Brunswick in Canada.

“It made me realize that there is more to university than academic study. There are cultural and social aspects of development that students are thrust into when studying abroad. This is the challenge that interests me most about studying abroad.”

He is undaunted by the idea of having to live away from his family and friends as he feels it is a part and parcel of studying the subject of earth sciences.

No 'great leap'

After completing his undergraduate degree, he worked as a geoscientist with the mining company, Rio Tinto, for three-and-a-half years. “It has been an exciting time, with extensive travel and challenging work,” he says, insisting that one must be willing to go to remote places and take a global perspective of things.

Studying or working abroad, he argues, shouldn’t be seen as “the great leap” like in the past. He believes that in today’s global world where distances are melting, one should consider studying abroad as an “essential” rather than “recommended”.

He says that having heard his elder sister discuss her experiences of teaching English abroad helped him gain an insight into the emotions one goes through when away from home.

“From the initial excitement to tackling cultural shock, from the yearning to return home to the feeling of stability and comfort—it was a good warning for me,” he says. Having experienced the same emotions as a working professional staying away from home, he feels he is ‘getting into the groove’.

“I have no doubt I will experience it again at ETH, but at least now I will approach it with less trepidation.”

Finding funding

For Matthew, who completed his Combined Bachelor of Geomatic Engineering and Science in 2007, opting to work before embarking on a master’s degree was a conscious decision. “I made a strong commitment to being able to support myself financially, at least in terms of start-up costs of moving and relocating.”

Although he received an offer from the University of Cambridge to do a PhD, he had to let go of it purely because of lack of funds and his inability to secure a scholarship.

“ETH Zurich was the more affordable option and my motivations at the time were more in line with doing a master’s program rather than a PhD,” he says, adding that he isn’t sure what his choice would have been between ETH and Cambridge had he been successful in securing the required funding to study in the UK. “Both were equally good opportunities.”

He was lucky enough to be granted The Excellence Scholarship and Opportunity Award for International Masters students at ETH, which made his decision simpler. The scholarship was granted to him for the quality of research proposal he had submitted and will partly cover his tuition fee, while offering a monthly stipend to cover his living costs.

Extensive planning

But it wasn’t just the funding bit which made him zero in on Switzerland. He knew that he would be happy spending two years studying his master’s program in Europe than anywhere else. However, he took his time to discuss and be recommended by colleagues and contacts at both the University of Melbourne and within the industry on which university and course to choose.

“ETH happened to have the best mix of coursework and research with a strong links to industry,” he says.  He applied to the top universities in the subject of his choice only after deeply investigating the courses they were offering. He also studied the university rankings.

Matthew had done his homework well in advance to have a smooth journey as far as applying to universities was concerned. In fact, he began “more than 12 months in advance” in his bid to get things done on time. “I contacted professors at the University of Melbourne requesting references, began working on my letter of motivation and also had some idea of a research proposal,” he says.

After so much of preparation, it was a moment of jubilation for him when he received his Letter of Acceptance or when the scholarship was granted to him.

Matthew is now eager and enthusiastic about attending a university. “I’m only two months away from a complete change in lifestyle and surroundings. And it is a change I have been planning for more than 12 months, so I’m glad that the time has finally come.”

He is also looking forward to facing the challenge of returning to a university - "older and after a few years of working in the industry" as well as educating himself about a new culture and language. “I’m looking forward to stimulating my academic mind once again with research but I’m also looking forward to learning Swiss German and seeing the country and experiencing what it is like to live in Europe.”