I was in the same situation as you were leont, being accepted by UNSW, Monash and UTAS.
In the end I opted for Monash because it was a much better choice financially, and I honestly prefer the shorter course. True, the commute to/from the city can be quite irritating, but there are other points to take into consideration. If you choose to live on campus, you could try applying to the new halls that were just opened this year. They are kinda like mini hotel rooms with en suite kitchenettes/toilets/showers and extremely high-speed internet. Several major super markets are a 15 minute bus ride away. If you want to catch a movie or shop (major labels included), there's always Chadstone SC which is about 20 minutes away. Sure, Melbourne City is wonderful, but it's not THAT inaccessible. And what with studying and all that, I hardly think you'd want to be distracted.
Also, in Year 3, if you're lucky enough to get Alfred Hospital for your clinical placement, you could opt to live in the city as well, since most learning during the clinical years takes place in the Hospitals. Of course, that's provided you get a place there (which is something practically everybody wants). One of my seniors got posted to Dandenong Hospital, and she has to drive for over an hour everyday to get there from the city. Luck of the draw. That said, a couple of my friends who are international students are living in the city, and don't mind driving or even taking public transportation everyday to get to school. It really is up to you how you want to approach this.
I have quite alot to say about the curriculum. But I shall restrain myself. It has its ups and downs. Frankly, I get quite annoyed during some lectures, a couple of which are just simply professors that read off the slides which they will then upload for us later on. I think you need to approach university in a different way as you would high school. You will be treated like an intelligent adult and will be expected to do your own reading. It's not like high school where you will have past year papers or special cheat sheet notes prepared for you by your teachers. If anything, it's other students/seniors who you'll be relying on the most for help. Don't expect to be spoon-fed. There will be numerous books written about one subject as opposed to one textbook (unlike in high school), and you will need to choose what works best for you. Don't expect your lecturers/tutors to help you do well. In essence, Med School is tough, and there's only so much someone else can help you with.
As far as the international community and the international-local interaction goes, here's what I have to say about it. Most of the international students in Monash Med for the 2012 batch come from Singapore (about half), following which are Malaysians. They are a tight-knit community. During tutorials like CBL, which rely heavily on a class effort, you'll have plenty of time to mingle with the locals. At the end of the day, whether or not you make friends has more to do with you as a person, than you as an international student.
We have quite an enthusiastic medical society. The main body MUMUS organises many useful things like book sales, equipment sales, etc. Lectures, talks, etc. And some fun events like MedCamp, MedBall... the list goes on. We have the annual MedRevue (drama night), Med Orchestra, Med Choir, Surgical Interest Group (which organises a couple of workshops every year). Overall, the life here isn't really that dull.
Frankly, either of the universities you choose would be fine. The dynamics ought not to be THAT different. I'm happy with where I am, and have no regrets about not picking UNSW.
In the end I opted for Monash because it was a much better choice financially, and I honestly prefer the shorter course. True, the commute to/from the city can be quite irritating, but there are other points to take into consideration. If you choose to live on campus, you could try applying to the new halls that were just opened this year. They are kinda like mini hotel rooms with en suite kitchenettes/toilets/showers and extremely high-speed internet. Several major super markets are a 15 minute bus ride away. If you want to catch a movie or shop (major labels included), there's always Chadstone SC which is about 20 minutes away. Sure, Melbourne City is wonderful, but it's not THAT inaccessible. And what with studying and all that, I hardly think you'd want to be distracted.
Also, in Year 3, if you're lucky enough to get Alfred Hospital for your clinical placement, you could opt to live in the city as well, since most learning during the clinical years takes place in the Hospitals. Of course, that's provided you get a place there (which is something practically everybody wants). One of my seniors got posted to Dandenong Hospital, and she has to drive for over an hour everyday to get there from the city. Luck of the draw. That said, a couple of my friends who are international students are living in the city, and don't mind driving or even taking public transportation everyday to get to school. It really is up to you how you want to approach this.
I have quite alot to say about the curriculum. But I shall restrain myself. It has its ups and downs. Frankly, I get quite annoyed during some lectures, a couple of which are just simply professors that read off the slides which they will then upload for us later on. I think you need to approach university in a different way as you would high school. You will be treated like an intelligent adult and will be expected to do your own reading. It's not like high school where you will have past year papers or special cheat sheet notes prepared for you by your teachers. If anything, it's other students/seniors who you'll be relying on the most for help. Don't expect to be spoon-fed. There will be numerous books written about one subject as opposed to one textbook (unlike in high school), and you will need to choose what works best for you. Don't expect your lecturers/tutors to help you do well. In essence, Med School is tough, and there's only so much someone else can help you with.
As far as the international community and the international-local interaction goes, here's what I have to say about it. Most of the international students in Monash Med for the 2012 batch come from Singapore (about half), following which are Malaysians. They are a tight-knit community. During tutorials like CBL, which rely heavily on a class effort, you'll have plenty of time to mingle with the locals. At the end of the day, whether or not you make friends has more to do with you as a person, than you as an international student.
We have quite an enthusiastic medical society. The main body MUMUS organises many useful things like book sales, equipment sales, etc. Lectures, talks, etc. And some fun events like MedCamp, MedBall... the list goes on. We have the annual MedRevue (drama night), Med Orchestra, Med Choir, Surgical Interest Group (which organises a couple of workshops every year). Overall, the life here isn't really that dull.
Frankly, either of the universities you choose would be fine. The dynamics ought not to be THAT different. I'm happy with where I am, and have no regrets about not picking UNSW.
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