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March 29, 2024, 11:49:21 pm

Author Topic: ANU or Monash or somewhere else?  (Read 2439 times)  Share 

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gie.nich

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ANU or Monash or somewhere else?
« on: April 25, 2018, 10:39:11 pm »
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Hi, I've never posted before so hopefully this is okay. I was hoping to get some advice or info or anything on what I should do about changing course/uni
I'm currently doing first year Global Studies at Monash Clayton, specialising in International Relations. IR is definitely my passion and I'd love to pursue a career in it, but the course definitely isn't for me - I can't stand the compulsory units, and apart from those units it's the same as a normal Arts degree. So I'm considering a few different things
1. Arts at Monash - not much difference to what I'm doing now, just without the annoying compulsory units, and I'd have more room to study other things like politics units, philosophy etc.
2. Law/Arts at Monash - same as above, and I feel like Law, while not necessary could still really help with pursuing a career in IR stuff. I'm not as passionate about Law as i am IR but really enjoyed doing it in high school and having conversations with my friends in Law it sounds like I would enjoy it, though I know it'd be a lot more work. I'm doing fairly well so far but definitely don't have 100% confidence that I'd be able to get in, however, since internal transfers to Law are really competitive.
3. Bachelor of IR at ANU - This course sounds really amazing and ANU is ranked really well for politics and IR, as well as having the most employable graduates. If it was in Melbourne I'd take it in a heartbeat, but I'm not too sure about moving interstate. I'm living on campus at Monash now because I'm from rural Victoria, so the moving part isn't too much of a worry. But I would be really far away from family and friends, and Canberra doesn't seem like the most exciting place to live, though I did think it was nice to visit when I went there a few years ago.
4. Law/Arts somewhere else - if I don't do quite well enough to get into it at Monash, I think I can get into most of the other Unis that offer it in Melbourne on ATAR (since RMIT and UniMelb don't have undergrad law).

If anyone has any advice or thoughts I would love to hear them as I'm totally lost on what to do right now!! I'd especially love to hear from anyone who's at ANU about what it's like. Thanks :)

PhoenixxFire

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Re: ANU or Monash or somewhere else?
« Reply #1 on: April 25, 2018, 11:06:56 pm »
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Strawberries goes to ANU. She might see this, otherwise you could try PMing her.
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kani

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Re: ANU or Monash or somewhere else?
« Reply #2 on: April 25, 2018, 11:50:13 pm »
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Hey! 2nd year ANU student here studying Law/International Security Studies, so although I can't offer any help on Monash/other Melbourne unis hopefully I can offer some of my thoughts on ANU :)

I'm not doing IR myself (ISS has many overlaps though) but I have quite a few friends doing it and most of them really enjoy it! Some courses can be quite theory-based and dry, but generally they're pretty insightful and there are MANY interesting electives. ANU has a really great range of subjects IMO, and the IR/ISS students societies also have amazing events like visits from foreign ambassadors, visits to embassies and networking events with big employers including government departments. The teaching staff also have some amazing credentials - e.g. I'm doing a course in security intelligence this semester, and my tutor is an ex-ambassador currently working at the central government intelligence agency, so you get really great insights into the actual application of the knowledge and their expertise.

Living and moving interstate wise - honestly, I feel Canberra is not as bad as it's made out to be;;; (but I'm not exactly the most social/outgoing of people so please take that with a grain of salt :x) I personally like the size of the city and how almost everything is conveniently located a short walk away lol. Even for the people who don't enjoy Canberra as much, every mid-semester break is two weeks and semester break is about a month, so you can go home for two/four weeks for every six weeks of study if you really want ;) honestly sometimes I feel like I never moved away from Melbourne cos I go back so often ahaha;;;

On the downside, the costs of living can get pretty high and the rental market is very competitive (on-campus accommodation is limited and also has pretty fierce competition after the first-year guarantee). The city is a lot quieter compared to Syd/Mel and there's significantly less entertainment. The weather and temperatures can also be pretty brutal. It can also be really daunting to move away from your current social circle/have to make new friends, but on that note, almost everyone is from interstate so really we're all in this together  8)

Overall, if you really want to do IR (Law/IR is also a really popular combo that you might like to consider!) I would definitely encourage you to consider ANU. Moving interstate was a huge step for me, but I've never looked back. Of course, it's definitely not for everyone. Maybe you could try coming up for Open Day to get a feel for the uni/city?
Just my two cents but hope that helps a little!  :D
« Last Edit: April 25, 2018, 11:54:32 pm by kani »
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gie.nich

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Re: ANU or Monash or somewhere else?
« Reply #3 on: April 26, 2018, 12:00:54 am »
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@Kani Thank you so much, that really helps!!

LOVEPHYSICS

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Re: ANU or Monash or somewhere else?
« Reply #4 on: April 26, 2018, 05:20:49 am »
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If you don't feel like committing to Law, then I would suggest you think twice before doing it. ANU has a good arts course (be that PPE, general arts, or IR) and there is quite a range of courses so I am sure you will find what you like - especially for politics, IR stuff. ANU law is good but I cant help but mention that the recent changes to the banding system (very high numerical marks) is quite undesirable. I find living there fine, but some people do struggle a bit with living away from home and the bigger cities.
Arts/Law (ANU)

strawberries

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Re: ANU or Monash or somewhere else?
« Reply #5 on: April 26, 2018, 07:49:02 pm »
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Okay...so yeah to properly reply to this thread: I'm currently a 2nd year student at the ANU from Melbourne. Doing a lot of IR and politics subjects. Initially considered Monash.

I'll be honest though, whilst ANU is very well-known for their IR faculty (or even just arts in general), it is still not easy to get a job in this field like if you're looking to do DFAT and stuff. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't consider coming here. Personally I love the stuff we're learning and even if I end up working in an unrelated field I'll remember I had a good time 8). There are tonnes of courses/units you can choose in the political science/international relations field alone. In fact, there's so many that if I were to do all of the ones I wanted to I'd be here forever. Also consider taking courses in the College of Asia and the Pacific where they produce a lot of great research as well.

Re social life in Canberra, I don't really go out much but I pretty much like it more than Melbourne. It's quiet (but not too quiet), very convenient to get to anywhere cos it's all super close. The only thing to consider is how convenient or inconvenient it would be to visit home on a regular basis.

If you have any more questions feel free to ask, esp re the Bachelor of IR degree :)
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gie.nich

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Re: ANU or Monash or somewhere else?
« Reply #6 on: April 28, 2018, 10:27:12 pm »
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If you have any more questions feel free to ask, esp re the Bachelor of IR degree :)
I was wondering a couple of things, if you don't mind
Generally, how are contact hours and class sizes?? I've been really disappointed with Monash so far, all my classes are only a 1hr lecture and a 1hr tut with like 30 people, so if ANU is better or similar that'd be good to know!
Is it a bit snobby because of the prestige? A few of my friends are adamant it would be and idk if I could stand that ahahah
Thanks!!! :)

strawberries

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Re: ANU or Monash or somewhere else?
« Reply #7 on: April 30, 2018, 07:47:57 am »
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I was wondering a couple of things, if you don't mind
Generally, how are contact hours and class sizes?? I've been really disappointed with Monash so far, all my classes are only a 1hr lecture and a 1hr tut with like 30 people, so if ANU is better or similar that'd be good to know!
Is it a bit snobby because of the prestige? A few of my friends are adamant it would be and idk if I could stand that ahahah
Thanks!!! :)

no worries feel free to ask :)

contact honours for pretty much all subjects in the arts/social sciences faculty (as well as most? in the asia/pacific fac)  are 2hr lects and 1hr tutes (a single 2hr lecture not 2x1hr lectures usually). if you do a language the class structure is a bit different (like 3x1hr classes each week + computer labs which you can do at home, but the process might be different if you study at an advanced level). Tutorials generally have like 15-20 ppl, maybe some have max 25 but yeah most are less than 20.

re snobbiness...I personally don't think so but that's partially because I don't really talk to many people :P
if you find that people are snobby you can always try to surround yourself with others haha :) there's probably 'snobby' ppl at all unis anyway :P

feel free to ask if you have anything else :) 
VCE '15
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