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March 28, 2024, 09:28:17 pm

Author Topic: Studying abroad, student exchange: what, why, how  (Read 20903 times)  Share 

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Joseph41

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Re: Studying abroad, student exchange: what, why, how
« Reply #30 on: May 08, 2018, 10:55:24 am »
0
...

This is a really great post, incidentally. Would love to hear more about your experiences studying in Malaysia if you get the chance. :)

Just wondering can you do a Diploma of Languages completely in another country while on exchange?

Hey! So, my understanding is this (diplomas are a little tricky):

It's theoretically possible, but might be difficult; I don't think your faculty will give credit for all units to the point that it's been fully completed overseas. Another option would be to study a diploma at the uni overseas - so, not Monash.

Your best bet is probably to speak to the Faculty of Arts directly, though, pertaining to the flexibility of their language diploma. There are also some OS-HELP and visa restrictions you might like to ask about (I don't know much about this myself). :)

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Joseph41

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Re: Studying abroad, student exchange: what, why, how
« Reply #31 on: September 07, 2018, 09:16:51 am »
+5
Hi all! :) I received a PM regarding Monash Malaysia recently, and I'm going to answer the questions here so that other people can benefit. I really, really recommend popping into Monash Abroad if you're on the fence - Monash Malaysia is such a fantastic experience.

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I'll probably be staying at SMR, but noticed you mentioned that there was only a microwave in the kitchen. How did cooking/eating work? Did you have to eat out every day or could you buy a slow cooker or something to make meals with?

SMR is certainly the most popular choice. As you've mentioned, there were no cooking facilities in our apartments. For food, I'd basically go:

Breakfast - cereal or similar. Obviously doesn't require cooking facilities. You have both personal and communal storage where you can keep stuff like this, plus a fridge in your room for milk or whatever else you need.

Lunch - I was usually on campus, and ate at the canteen from memory. But there are lots of options not too far off campus, and this is what a lot of people did.

Dinner - there's a restaurant practically on campus (like, directly next to the SMR accommodation - part of the same complex), which was super easy and convenient. But again, otherwise there are lots of options for eating close to campus. The Rock was a popular choice, which had a number of different options available.

So to answer your question, I pretty much ate out every day, and this was just part of the fun. When I couldn't be bothered or was tired, getting takeaway food from the restaurant and having it in our apartment/my room was easy. Food is so cheap that I never even really considered the financial aspect.

Slow cooker? I don't think we were allowed - I'm pretty sure we couldn't "cook" in our rooms at all (probs safety concerns?). But things might have changed, and I'd recommend chatting to the good people at Monash Abroad for more info on the specifics here.

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Also, what's is like living in Sunway City? It seems quite far away from Kuala Lumpur, or is it quick/easy to get to the city?

It's pretty cool! I definitely felt welcome, and there are lots of other students around; further to the Monash campus, Sunway University is also really close by (in fact, some people would go there for lunch haha). You have pretty much everything you need there. Sunway Pyramid (probs like a 15-minute walk - the best thing about this is the walkway that goes directly to Pyramid is entirely covered, so even if it's absolutely pissing down (not unlikely), you can get from your room to Pyramid and back without getting wet) is a big shopping complex where you can stock up etc. You're also close to Casa Subang, which is good for shopping options (Mydin).

You're right in that it's not Kuala Lumpur, and you're not right in the heart of the city. But I actually think I liked this, and it added to the "living on campus" sort of experience (which was new to me).

Getting to KL from Monash is wayyyyyyyyy easier than it used to be. You can now get the BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) from directly outside Monash to Setia Jaya (can't exactly remember how long this takes - maybe 10-15 minutes?). Then from Setia Jaya, you can get the KTM (slowish train) to KL Sentral. With the BRT, which is extremely well air-conditioned haha, the commute is pretty direct and doesn't take that long. In saying that, it's not as easy as just crossing the road to get into KL. Over the course of the semester, I probably went into Sentral like five times? But I'd been to KL a few times before, so didn't feel I needed to do some of the touristy stuff other people were, and many weekends were spent travelling to other parts of Malaysia (or elsewhere).

Really, really happy to answer any more questions at all. :)

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Joseph41

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Re: Studying abroad, student exchange: what, why, how
« Reply #32 on: July 17, 2019, 08:15:35 am »
+1
Today marks exactly four years since I left for exchange, which was absolutely one of my better decisions in my uni "career".

Anybody considering exchange atm for future semesters? Or on exchange now? Or recently returned? :)

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Bri MT

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Re: Studying abroad, student exchange: what, why, how
« Reply #33 on: July 17, 2019, 02:01:40 pm »
+2
Today marks exactly four years since I left for exchange, which was absolutely one of my better decisions in my uni "career".

Anybody considering exchange atm for future semesters? Or on exchange now? Or recently returned? :)

Hmmm... I feel slightly targeted :P

I didn't go on exchange but I did recently return from the Global Leaders Experience where I got to stay on res at Monash Malaysia for a week and it was amazing.

We had theory on leadership and cultural intelligence (which tbh I already knew from my course and previous leadership experiences), talked with notable people making things happen in Kuala Lumpur (entrepreneurs, academic, founders of non-profits etc.) and went out to visit businesses and NGOs, and came up with and pitched plans to tackle issues faced by global cities such as KL. (this component of the program happened in just 4 days)

Crucially, the participants were a combination of students from Monash Australia (such as myself), Monash Malaysia, and Warwick (in the UK); the main value I got from the program has been connecting with great people. To say I'm grateful to the Monash-Warwick Alliance, Monash Abroad, and Access Monash is an understatement.

I'd never been overseas before and after completing this program I'm definitely keen to go overseas again. Next time probably won't be all expenses paid (so I'll need to save up) but I'm keen to explore more, meet up with the friends I've made, and make new ones. Hopefully I can land an international internship in Asia as I think the potential for environmental impact there is huge and the intersection with socioeconomic and political issues is fascinating.

If I wasn't living out of home (and thus needing to consider my lease, storage of my stuff etc.) I would apply for exchange for next year.


This is the first year the GLE has ran and I hope it runs for many more years so other students can have the opportunities I've had.

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Re: Studying abroad, student exchange: what, why, how
« Reply #34 on: July 17, 2019, 02:13:28 pm »
+1
Today marks exactly four years since I left for exchange, which was absolutely one of my better decisions in my uni "career".

Anybody considering exchange atm for future semesters? Or on exchange now? Or recently returned? :)
I'm currently in year 12 and one of the main reasons why I'm leaning towards UoM rather than Monash is UoM offers an exchange at a certain university whereas Monash doesn't and they offer 12 month long exchanges as well. It's a pretty illegitimate reason but yeah I've been thinking about going on exchange since year 10 and hope to during 2nd year uni in either Japan or Singapore (or both :p ). Looking forward to it as it's one of the only things keeping my head up during the stress and pain of year 12!
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Joseph41

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Re: Studying abroad, student exchange: what, why, how
« Reply #35 on: July 17, 2019, 02:16:39 pm »
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I'm currently in year 12 and one of the main reasons why I'm leaning towards UoM rather than Monash is UoM offers an exchange at a certain university whereas Monash doesn't and they offer 12 month long exchanges as well. It's a pretty illegitimate reason but yeah I've been thinking about going on exchange since year 10 and hope to during 2nd year uni in either Japan or Singapore (or both :p ). Looking forward to it as it's one of the only things keeping my head up during the stress and pain of year 12!

Why so set on that particular uni, out of interest?

(Cool - sounds exciting for you!)

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Bri MT

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Re: Studying abroad, student exchange: what, why, how
« Reply #36 on: July 17, 2019, 02:21:52 pm »
+1
I'm currently in year 12 and one of the main reasons why I'm leaning towards UoM rather than Monash is UoM offers an exchange at a certain university whereas Monash doesn't and they offer 12 month long exchanges as well. It's a pretty illegitimate reason but yeah I've been thinking about going on exchange since year 10 and hope to during 2nd year uni in either Japan or Singapore (or both :p ). Looking forward to it as it's one of the only things keeping my head up during the stress and pain of year 12!

I don't know enough about your circumstances to know if UoM or Monash would be a better fit for you but it's definitely not the worst reason to pick a uni that I've seen. Monash does seem to only offer exchange to Japan if you study Japanese so it might be worth checking UniMelb's rules around this as well (if you haven't already). What makes draws you to Japan and Singapore?

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Re: Studying abroad, student exchange: what, why, how
« Reply #37 on: July 17, 2019, 02:44:46 pm »
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Why so set on that particular uni, out of interest?

(Cool - sounds exciting for you!)
When I was in year 10 I did a language exchange to Japan for 2 weeks where I studied at a high school linked to a uni. It was an amazing experience and I have some friends there who will/already are studying at that uni and I would love to go back for an exchange in the future.

I don't know enough about your circumstances to know if UoM or Monash would be a better fit for you but it's definitely not the worst reason to pick a uni that I've seen. Monash does seem to only offer exchange to Japan if you study Japanese so it might be worth checking UniMelb's rules around this as well (if you haven't already). What makes draws you to Japan and Singapore?

Actually I've been studying Japanese since year 7 :p Right now I'm planning on doing either commerce or science then a master of engineering at UoM (I know, engineering is probably better taught at Monash) or a Bachelor of Data Science/Engineering at Monash. The only thing I'm set on studying is a Diploma of Languages. So pretty much the problem is that I'll probably take my degree overseas after I finish uni, and I'm not sure about international competitiveness when it comes to a degree at either Melbourne or Monash so I'm leaning more towards Melbourne. Also I feel like I'd like the atmosphere more at Melbourne since there are more clubs and extracurriculars that look appealing to me. So the decision comes to whether I want to get straight from point A to B with a degree at Monash or do a general degree at Melbourne then potentially do a masters (not very time efficient).

As for why I want to study in Japan and Singapore; I mentioned why I wanted to go to Japan in my response to Joseph41 and Singapore looks like a great place to study at and I'm thinking about doing a post-grad/PhD there so I'd like to scout it out before committing.
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Re: Studying abroad, student exchange: what, why, how
« Reply #38 on: January 23, 2020, 10:38:39 pm »
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Hey! Bumping this post. So I was wondering how difficult it would be to go on exchange for 6 months if not 1 year while doing a double degree. Since I pretty much have 0 electives, I've been told that the units I take overseas have to be very similar for me to get credit for them. Is there any form of leniency/actions I can take to get credit?

Also, I was wondering if I could do 4 language units for my DipLang in my first 4 semesters, then do the last 4 (non-language units) when I go on exchange to bypass the core unit problem I have?

Also, how much of a say do I have in where I want to exchange at? Because it looks like Japanese unis are becoming increasingly harder to go to. Thanks!
2018 Methods
2019 English | Chemistry | Economics | Specialist  | Japanese SL

2020 B.Eng/Comm
2021 - 2025 B.CS/Comm Diplang in Japanese @ Monash