Louise studies Pharmaceutical Science at Monash University’s Parkville campus. You can read her university journey journal here, and check out more university resources here.
University. When you think of the word, you think of a lot of buildings clustered together in a seemingly unordered way. To me, this isn’t the case! My university campus is only 5 buildings big, 4 of which are interconnected, and is one of the smaller Monash campuses. This makes me extremely lucky, as this Monash campus is actually in Parkville, which is closer to home, in comparison to Clayton and Caulfield!
What are the social dynamics at Parkville like?
Being a tiny campus, only a few specialist degrees are taught there. This is pretty unique as my campus is its own faculty – so there’s no need for me to find the correct student services desk or lounge to chill in! Speaking of small, so are my classes – everyone in my cohort knows each other, and a lot of us know the year levels above and below us, and even some of the pharmacy people. It definitely feels like we’re a close-knit cohort, who I can happily hang with in the campus games room (which recently had its pool tables redone!), or I can ask for/give help. It’s also kind of funny, we’ve continued the lecture seating arrangement we had from last year – as there’s only four lecture theatres that I know of on campus, and everyone has ‘their’ spot. On the topic of closeness, we have a only a handful of clubs on campus – some that are degree-specific, and a couple that are just for fun, both categories hold regular events for us, that allow us to relax or network.
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Where do you study on campus, and do you have classes and/or study at other campuses?
Studying on campus, I have a couple of the options – study at the library, sit in the cafeteria and games room or use the only dedicated computer lab on campus. The library is great, except the only drawbacks are that it is closed on weekends and it has shorter opening hours, in comparison to the other Monash libraries. Thankfully the caf (that’s what we Parkville kids call the cafeteria) and the computer lab are both 24/7, so if I need to, I can study in both those areas at any time of the day! I haven’t personally studied at the other campus libraries, as they’re further away and not as convenient for me to go to, even though all my exams are held at the Caulfield Racecourse, which is not at all far from the Caulfield campus. I also don’t have any classes outside of Parkville, but my friends that do the pharmaceutical science/chemical engineering double degree, spend three of their five years at Clayton.
Being on a small campus, do you feel isolated?
Honestly, not at all! I have all the support I need (university-wise) on campus, and I can definitely ask for help whenever I need to. Sometimes my timetable which the faculty make for me allocates me to a different lab/tutorial/workshop time to my best uni friends (who won’t let me forget that one time I ate entirely too much cheese), but it doesn’t matter as my cohort is pretty close-knit, I can get along with others and we all learn from each other.
Also Monash don’t just leave us alone, we get a lot of the services from the bigger campuses, such as the free counselling, the residential assistance, and Monash Sport (who provide boxing and yoga classes). If I have some spare time, I sometimes attempt to catch-up with my other friends from unis nearby, such as UniMelb, RMIT and Deakin, or I invite them to some events on campus, because I love trying to include everyone, regardless if they’re students on campus or not!
What facilities do you have on campus, and how do they compare with other larger university campuses?
Foodwise, coffee, and hot chocolate wise: I have three options – the actual cafeteria in the caf (opening during the academic week, I personally like their stir-fries); the café in building 4 which I think has the best hot choc in Parkville (also only open during the academic week); and the coffee cart motorcycle that has the better coffee, which is there most mornings I’ve been on campus this semester. I also have the nearby Barkly Square in Brunswick, which is four tram stops down, a sushi place and another coffee place across the road from campus, as well as the nearby Melbourne Central and UniMelb food places. I also have access to a locker (which normally costs $5, but I got a free one this year due to being a peer mentor this year- score!), which I currently keep a stash of instant noodles in, for busy times. Obviously there’s not a lot on campus, compared to Clayton’s campus centre, but being so close to so many different food options, I don’t see the need for me to complain!
Library: as mentioned earlier, the Parkville library has less opening hours than the big libraries at Clayton and Caulfield. This is also true in size, as it is only a single-level library, situated in building three (the Manning building). It’s pretty cool that I can usually find a quiet study spot at any time, considering the number of students campus-wide, in comparison to the number of quiet study spots!
Courtyards: we have a couple of courtyards, including an area for barbecues, a fake turf area, an enclosed deck area, and half a basketball court (we’re that small!). All of these spaces are pretty well utilised, and there’s plenty of space for everyone. Compare this to the massive lawns at Clayton and UniMelb. You could probably fit my whole campus 3-4 times over in each of those lawns!
Student services: also mentioned earlier, but I have full access to all the Monash services, even if they have to call in someone from the bigger campuses if needed. Occasionally career connect also come around and give us seminars, which is pretty neat!
For more university resources and reviews, uninotes.com is the place to be!
