Life at Monash

I want my blog to serve as a resource for other students that may consider studying abroad in Australia, specifically in Melbourne and at Monash University. Therefore I must not solely focus on the exciting trips and the positive aspects of this experience, but I must encompass a variety of pros and cons that cross my path. Now, let me preface this by expressing just how much I love the country of Australia; the people are warm, often outlandish, and this creates a unique and stimulating environment in which to learn and grow. However, I have found that Monash University exists outside of this unique environment, or rather inside of its own mundane bubble within said environment.

Monash is located in a suburb called Clayton, and to get to the city of Melbourne requires a bus, a train and forty-five minutes of boredom. Saying that we study in Melbourne is like saying you live in Manhattan but really live on the east side of Long Island; it is most certainly not the same place. There is nothing immediately outside of campus with the exception of industrial warehouses and a McDonald’s, or “Macka’s” as the Aussies call it. Over 27,000 students study at Monash Clayton, but there are only five residence halls, leading it to be quite the commuter school. This leaves little fun to be had on campus, requiring my friends and I to venture out to the city for any sort of worthwhile experience.

Though it might sound as though I have been complaining up until this point, the blandness of life at Monash may serve as a blessing in disguise, for if it was as much fun as I had hoped it would be, I may have never left. Monash University is the dry toast of the breakfast buffet that is the beautiful country of Australia, and sometimes you need dry toast just to realize how delicious everything else is.