How is the University of Melbourne? What do Alumni Say?

Some people say that the University of Melbourne is a very arrogant little princess. It is the only one of the eight universities in Australia that refuses to recognise the results of the Chinese college entrance exam. However, it is the slowest university that sends out offers every time and the university with the highest application requirements. Some people say that the University of Melbourne is simply too cute. It is located in the centre of Melbourne, Australia, known as the “world’s most liveable city”. It has the most innovative scholarships of any Australian university, worth A$8.5 million a year. Each faculty has its own library for the convenience of students. Let’s take a look at the University of Melbourne in the eyes of its alumni. Three students from the University of Melbourne will answer the questions. They are Yun, Parker and Heli.

What Made You Want to Come to the University of Melbourne in the First Place?

Yun

At that time, I had applied to Edinburgh University in the UK and was rejected. But I didn’t want to go to the Australian National University (ANU). I happened to know that the global ranking of the University of Melbourne was quite impressive. And I thought that I could stay in Australia by chance or something, so I got an offer and came here. After I came here, I have no regrets at all. And I feel that I have improved a lot in all aspects. I would recommend that those who think that Australian education is water, think twice before you come back. The University of Melbourne’s failure will be waiting for you in the near future.

The main thing is to look at the chosen profession, after selecting the ideal profession, then consider the optional school. For example, in my case, I was initially offered Primary Education at the University of Melbourne and Secondary Education at Monash. And after comprehensive consideration, I still felt that Education at the University of Melbourne was slightly better. Primary Education was also my main ideal major, so it was only natural for me to come to study at the University of Melbourne.

Heli

Initially, I chose Monash and UM in Melbourne because I really liked the city of Melbourne. After comparing the offers I received from the four schools. I found that the scholarship at the University of Melbourne was the most generous. So I chose the University of Melbourne.

How is the Location of the School and Will the Climate Here be Adaptable?

Yun

The location of the University of Melbourne is very good, the school is right on the edge of Melbourne city. Melbourne in addition to the city is left in the countryside. In other schools may take a long time to go into the city. And at the University of Melbourne tired of studying and want to go shopping or something takes two stops. The tram is five minutes to the busy business district (but around the University of Melbourne is still very quiet). The environment of the school is beautiful, very old art atmosphere.

Parker

The location of the University of Melbourne is very close to the city centre compared to many Melbourne universities. And the traffic is very convenient. I often have to travel through the city centre on my way to and from school. So it also accelerated my understanding of the local area. As for Melbourne’s climate, four seasons a day is the best way to describe it.

What are the Flavours and Prices of the Restaurants in and Around the School Canteen?

Parker

 

When you come to Melbourne, the last thing you need to worry about is food, Chinese restaurants are everywhere.

Chinatown is not far from the school. And there is also the Queen Victoria Market where you can buy all kinds of vegetables, seafood and meat. It’s very convenient to eat all kinds of flavours from different parts of the country. And it’s also very easy to buy the ingredients for a home-cooked meal at home.

Yun

The University of Melbourne does not have a student canteen. Union House is where most of the international students eat on campus, which is why it is known as the University of Melbourne canteen by the students. Inside the Union House, there are different flavours of food and drinks from different countries. Such as sushi, pizza, noodle shops and dessert shops. It is not only a place to eat, but also has a bookstore, supermarket, pharmacy, hairdressing salon and STA. In Melbourne city, a casual meal will cost you about A$10. However, you can find a lot of food under A$10 or even around A$5 in Union House, such as pancakes and flower rice, which are popular among Chinese students, as well as burgers, meat pies and desserts.

What Kinds of Dormitories Are Available in the School? 

Yun

There are two types of student dormitories within the school. One is a room with two bedrooms inside, which requires shared facilities such as shared bathrooms and kitchens. There is also the one-bedroom type, which is a room with only one bedroom and does not need to share common facilities. The price is higher but the privacy is very good. A two-bedroom room is a little cheaper at around $220 to $270 per week. A one-bedroom house will cost around $300 to $370 per week. Student accommodation in Australia is generally more expensive than renting a room outside, which is why many students choose to rent a room off campus when they apply for student accommodation.

Parker

When I came to Melbourne, I chose to rent my own apartment. I had already chosen a place to live before I came to Melbourne. I was lucky that the landlord and the location of the apartment were very suitable, so I didn’t have to worry much about the accommodation.

How Do You Feel about the School Atmosphere?

Yun

As one of Australia’s top universities, the University of Melbourne has a 160-year history and a strong classical and literary atmosphere. There are also high-class lecture rooms with teaching facilities, full coverage of the campus network, and super-fast wifi in the teaching buildings.

Most importantly, the University of Melbourne has a lot of libraries, and every faculty has a library. And it is almost bursting at the seams.

Heli

The University of Melbourne’s library is one of the oldest and largest libraries in Australia, with a collection of over 3 million books in over 20 languages.

The University also has a Graduate Memorial Book with information on 110,000 graduates. So can it not be a great place to study?

Can You Share How Classes are Conducted at the University of Mexico? 

Yun

Classes are mainly divided into lectures, seminars, workshops, tutorials, experiments, etc. Lecture & seminar means that the teacher is talking in front of the class, while seminar may have fewer students than lecture. And the teacher’s interaction in the seminar will be more. If you want to say something different, there will be more group discussion in the classroom here, which is something I rarely see in China.

Parker

The biggest difference between the education style here and in China is that in China the teacher instils knowledge into the students. But here the students express their own understanding and get more inspiration from the discussion with other students and the teacher, which makes the learning more in-depth.

What Kind of Activities Does the School Organise?

Yun

Orientation week is organised after the start of the school year. There are about 7 aspects of Orientation Week to help new students integrate into campus life faster: study tour, registration, official registration, course selection, orientation for each department and faculty, a series of academic lectures, and an exchange meeting between old and new students.

Parker

In the service of international new students, the teacher who helps with academic writing can give us many suggestions for improving our written expression.

It is understood that the club activities of foreign institutions are still very rich.

What Club Activities Make You Feel Particularly Interested?

Yun

The University of Melbourne has a lot of clubs and societies, but the Chinese Debate Club and the Chinese Culture Club are worth mentioning. The Chinese Debate Society has a good track record in debating, having represented the University of Melbourne in the 2003 International Tertiary Debate Competition, the Asia Pacific Chinese Debate Championships in 2004, 2006, 2007 and 2008, and the Malaysian Chinese Cup Debate Competition in 2009 (awesome). The University of Melbourne campus boasts a wealth of campus activities: enjoy an outdoor barbecue on the South Lawn or watch a free band performance in the North Playground. Enter the University of Melbourne’s Sports Centre for weights or group fitness activities. Take a cultural trip to the Ian Potter Museum of Art or the Unio House Theatre.

Parker

There are a lot of clubs on campus, but I didn’t get involved because I was under a lot of pressure from my classes. As long as you have a strong interest in a certain area and you find a club in that area, I’m sure you’ll be able to make a lot of like-minded friends in that group.

Heli

The University of Melbourne Chinese Students’ Association (UCSA) is a very powerful organisation. It operates on a self-managed basis, growing through recruitment every semester, improving through regular and orderly internal meetings, and progressing through exchanges with sister associations in Melbourne’s major universities and colleges, The University of Melbourne Chinese Students’ Association has long been warmly supported by the Chinese Embassy in Australia and has been invited to participate in Melbourne’s political and business activities as a representative of the Melbourne Chinese Students’ Association for many times, which is widely recognised by Melbourne’s Chinese community.

Do you Have Any Experience Working Outside the Campus?

Yun

The legal minimum wage here is $17.7 per hour, and anything below that is considered black labour. If you are working in a regular job, you have to pay taxes to the government, so you have to go to the Australian taxation office to apply for a Tax file number, because the money earned by international students working part-time is less than the minimum tax standard, every year in September-October, so you can apply for a tax rebate ONLINE.

Parker

After all, it is very close to the city centre, so there are many opportunities for part-time jobs. It’s not hard to find an internship here. My first part-time job was in a massage parlour, and I worked there for about half a year. This job gave me a great feeling is a service attitude, and customer communication skills are really important. I also met a lot of interesting customers, they are very good at evaluating your service and will carefully give you suggestions. The second job is simply to take over the tutoring of many students, and slowly get in touch with my professional field.