In 2002, Beth, a Canadian, and Matt, an Australian, co-founded OzTREKK educational services in Canada. Beth and Matt’s unique philosophy of life is what helped them create OzTREKK.
Incoming Canadians into the Sydney Medical School and Sydney Dental School enjoy an OzTREKK Welcome Breakfast
“In everything we do, we believe in challenging society and the status quo. We believe in thinking differently. We believe that there is no feat in being ordinary; we believe in being extraordinary. We believe in chasing and fulfilling dreams, and enriching lives with incredible experiences that will be treasured for a lifetime.
“The way we fulfill dreams and enrich lives, with incredible experiences, is by creating a process that is easy to use, streamlined and efficient, which educates, provides knowledge and intelligence, enabling informed decisions. OzTREKK prepares you for a journey that will change your life, through careful planning by an engaged and thoughtful team of extraordinary people.”
“It’s confusing and daunting trying to get into medical school, especially overseas, OzTREKK made the decision and preparation easy and actually enjoyable! …goes above and beyond, highly recommended to anyone thinking of going to Australia for their studies. If you need a reference for people who are thinking of applying through OzTREKK, but want to hear from other OzTREKKers, you can e-mail me, and I’ll contact them and let them know how good of a job you (Beth) and Matt do. Anyways, thanks again….” M Cordeau, (Lakehead University grad), University of Queensland, Bachelor of Medicine/Bachelor of Surgery, 2013
Both Beth and Matt have lived, worked, travelled and studied overseas, and they decided to start an organization that makes it easy for Canadians to fulfill their dreams and discover experiences that would stay with them forever.
OzTREKK Shuttle brings incoming Canadian James Cook University Medical School students shopping!
They both share a unique philosophy: life is a journey. And when it comes time to reflect on your life, what will your book of life look like? What will your pages be filled with? The world is such an amazing place and when you study internationally you enrich your life and experience different points of view, you gain a worldwide network of colleagues and friends, and you gain an experience that will stay with you for the rest of your life.
Together, Beth and Matt are part of a team of nine extraordinary people, who share their philosophy, and are knowledgeable, caring, helpful and compassionate. They have helped more than 1,000 Canadians successfully enroll in an Australian university, have handed out in excess of $600,000 in bursaries and scholarships, and have received countless success stories from students.
So with that vision in mind, there are three main goals OzTREKK achieves: Beth and Matt set out to establish an organization that offers a stress-free approach to study in Australia; create an organization that has all the latest information about your destination and about your varied selection of Australian universities and programs; and build an organization that cares about your well-being and has your goals at the forefront.
Canadian University of Queensland Medical School students enjoy OzTREKK Orientations—and the weather!
One of the three goals is to demonstrate care and responsiveness to our students, and to give back to our students as much as possible. In 2008, OzTREKK set up the OzTREKK Scholarship fund, whereby every OzTREKK student who commenced his or her program at one of OzTREKK‘s Australian university partners would receive a $500 scholarship. It is just our way to provide you with as much assistance as possible so that you can reach your goals and fulfill your dreams—and we know that every little bit helps!
In 2009, OzTREKK began the popular and extremely helpful OzTREKK Orientations, which are held in Australia at your Australian university campus prior to the commencement of your studies, and your journey.
OzTREKK also runs a very handy OzTREKK Shuttle. Need groceries? Need a cell phone? Need to look for an apartment? Need to find something? Let OzTREKK “shuttle” you around!
“…it is nice to know that us internationals have you (Beth) and Matt at our side! P.S. Please thank Matt for me with helping me locate and find my lost luggage. He went far beyond what I would have expected from a friend.” D Soutar, (Dalhousie University grad), University of Queensland, Bachelor of Medicine/Bachelor of Surgery, 2013
As former international students, Beth and Matt know that every little bit of funding helps when you are studying. They each paid their own way to study overseas, and had to access loans and work part time during their studies to make it happen.
New JCU dentistry students from Canada gather for OzTREKK Orientation—a great way to make new friends!
Each OzTREKK student who qualifies for an OzTREKK Scholarship will receive one $500 scholarship during the first year of study. The OzTREKK Scholarship will be paid directly toward your Australian university tuition.
Every student who applies (and accepts) via OzTREKK and commences his/her studies at an OzTREKK Australian university will receive a $500 scholarship from OzTREKK.
What are the OzTREKK Orientations, you may ask? Well, the Orientations are in place to make sure that you are well prepared, organized and ready to tackle your studies and get the most of your time in Australia and overseas.
Basic, right? Well, picture yourself arriving in a new country. You have just flown for 24 hours. You are jet-lagged. You are in an unfamiliar place, and you don’t know anyone! You become lonely and homesick. You check Facebook and see that all your friends back home are having a great time and you miss them and your family.
You would be amazed at how many students arrive in Australia, move in to their accommodations, and rarely leave their rooms. Why? They don’t know anyone—they don’t have anyone to spend time with.
“The way we fulfill dreams and enrich lives, with incredible experiences, is by creating a process that is easy to use, streamlined and efficient, which educates, provides knowledge and intelligence, enabling informed decisions.” OzTREKK Director Matt Miernik
University of Melbourne students using the OzTREKK Shuttle
Well, don’t worry. As part of the OzTREKK Orientations, we host a welcome breakfast, lunch or dinner. It is a great way to meet other new Canadian students, so that you can establish a network and friends right away. It’s also a great way to meet upper-year Canadians who can show you the ropes and share their experiences with you so that you know what to expect.
The welcome events are fantastic, as by the end of the event, you have shared contact details with your new mates and have instant friends! You start to go through your journey with someone else, which is so much fun!
“What made you guys stand out was the fact that not only is this your business, but it is your passion in what you do. It’s hard to find people who really love what they do—but the team at OzTREKK really do!” H Lo, (University of Toronto grad), University of Melbourne, Doctor of Dental Surgery, 2013
Knowing firsthand what it takes to move to the other side of the planet and get yourself prepared for your studies, Beth and Matt set up the ever-popular OzTREKK Shuttle.
What exactly is the OzTREKK Shuttle?
Imagine your own personal taxi service—without the fee! Beth and Matt pick you up in their van and take you to wherever you need to go. Need groceries? No dramas! Need to find accommodation? No dramas! Need to open a bank account? No dramas! Just need to get the lay of the land? No worries, mate! The OzTREKK Shuttle is there to pick you up and take you wherever you need to go.
Why?
We know how important it is for you to be well established, organized and set up before you commence your studies. Your success depends on how ready you are for your studies and the only way to be ready is to have everything organized!
OzTREKK Shuttle brings new University of Queensland Medical School students where they need to go
Having a local Australian on the ground in Australia also helps as there are many differences between Canada and Australia. From little things like walking and driving on the other side of the street to buying transit passes, mobile phones and hooking up internet connections. What is a dunny? Do I tip? OzTREKK is here to help you understand the Aussie way of life.
Running the OzTREKK Orientations is the best job in the world!
The only downside is the few students who don’t apply via OzTREKK and are therefore not OzTREKK students. Why? Because many of them arrive on campus unprepared. Not knowing anyone and struggling in the first few weeks of studies is really like being behind the “8 ball.” When they meet with the OzTREKK students, they then all wish that they applied via OzTREKK as they regret being unprepared and missing the social interaction. It is so unfortunate to see….
The OzTREKK mission is to prepare students for a first-class international educational experience in Australia. We are your Canadian connection to Study in Australia! All of our goals support the OzTREKK philosophy: life is a journey. Enjoy yours!
