Joining ANU from Shandong University in China, Kejie is in his final year of the Bachelor of Advanced Computing (Honours). A partnership between the two universities has enabled Kejie to complete the final two years of his degree at ANU.

“It’s great, because I will spend the same amount of time as other people but I will get two bachelor degrees from ANU and Shandong University respectively,” says Kejie.

Aside from the partnership with the two universities, Kejie chose ANU for its world-renowned reputation in the field of computer science, as well as the research focus as part of his honours degree.

“While software engineering or IT degrees focus on software practice, the bachelor of Advanced Computing (Honours) was able to provide courses introducing the fundamental knowledge of computer science, such as Theory of Computation and the Advanced Knowledge (e.g. artificial intelligence and machine learning).”

During his honours project, Kejie has enjoyed the opportunities to interact with his lecturers and tutors.

“The lecturers and tutors are nice guys, and the workload is reasonable if you organise your time effectively!

The honours project is an excellent opportunity for students considering being a researcher in the future. I have enjoyed my honours project so far - even though there have been some frustrating moments along the way, I have gained valuable experience from the guidance of my supervisor. The results of my honours project are close to being state of art result for the topic,” says Kejie.

Kejie’s favourite part of his student experience has been the flexibility.

“I like the flexibility, I can organise my schedule based on my study habits. An average day for me begins at the gym, before heading to the Brian Anderson Building and working on my research project until 5pm, unless I have lectures or tutorials that I need to attend during the day.”

Coming from a big city in China, Kejie is adjusting well to life in Canberra.

“Don’t be surprised that Canberra, as the national capital of Australia is a small town. From the perspective of a student, it is a nice place to study with few distractions. You will enjoy the peaceful life in Canberra, for example the light traffic, which allows you to reach any point in Canberra from the city in half an hour.”

Kejie has been enjoyed the research aspect of his degree, and once he graduates, is considering undertaking his PhD at ANU too. His ultimate career goal is to conduct significant research, contributing to the development of Artificial Intelligence.

Kejie’s advice for computer science students?

“Be interested in what you are going to study. Try to aim high with your results, so you are able to undertake a PhD at ANU, as ANU is great for research. Ask questions if you are confused; people around you are brilliant, they can give you lots of helpful ideas, and be sure to get to know the academics and their research areas, so you can collaborate with them.”