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University of Melbourne (UM)

129 reviews
4.19 / 5 based on 129 reviews
Useful  |  0
M B
University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
Psychology and Behavioural Sciences, Undergraduate, Independent
Expenses
Main source of funding:
Personal savings
Other sources of funding:
Personal savings
Work opportunities:
I didn't explore any work options
Personal spending habits
Australia is the now one of the most expensive countries to live in, in the world.
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Food, Telephone, Overall, Nightlife, Travel, Housing:
was more expensive than at home.
Accessibility of student needs
Second-hand text books
Second-hand household items
Computers / Internet
Administrative
Money from home
Personal comments
Yes. Don't study in Australia.
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Useful  |  9
M B
University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
Psychology and Behavioural Sciences, Undergraduate, Independent
Academic
Course recommendations
This school is ranked 600 on a list of 700 universities in terms of student faculty ratio. It is highly overranked: the quality of pedagogy is poor, especially for a University that charges so much money for International Students. If Graduate Students are telling you that they regret ever setting foot inside this University, you know that something is terribly wrong.
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My academic experiences
Quality of courses
Variety of courses
Access to resources
Interaction with teachers
Interaction with international students
Interaction with local students
Personal comments
The faculty to student-ratio is appalling for a school that likes to think of itself as the creme de la creme of Australian Education. Also, even though I got H1s when I had GOOD, intelligent instructors, the school also assigns 24-year-old TAs to mark essays who are wholly ignorant of the subject they are supposed to be teaching. The APS should also note that Uni Melb regularly EXCEEDS the 25 student maximum in tutorials that is required to keep their courses accredited. I have studied in some extremely amazing universities before, where Nobel laureates will actively engage you in scientific inquiry and teach you how to think. The university of Melbourne wants International Student money to pump into its coffers whilst giving you Powerpoint slides, classes that have over 700 people in it and extremely inexperienced graduate student instructors marking your papers, sticking stupid criteria. If you want to learn anything, only take classes with Jeanette Lawrence, Nick Haslam and nobody else. Professors do not engage with students to encourage active inquiry: they're there to fill out numbers and quotas. So even though you've given me an H1, UniMelb, I give you a FAIL: failure to provide support for students, failure to address the concerns of International students and failure to engage in pedagogy: these guys earn money to make Powerpoint slides and put them up on blackboard. Not worth the 30k AUD. Not by a longshot.
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My opinion of the university assessment
Exams at end of course
Exams throughout the course
Essays and/or projects at the end of course
Essays and/or projects throughout the course
Overall
Useful  |  1
M B
University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
Psychology and Behavioural Sciences, Undergraduate, Independent
Languages
Language of instruction: English
Was learning English a key decision factor?
No, it wasn't.
Language difficulties
Social
Educational
Administrative / Institutional
Overall
Personal comments
I can speak English, no issues.
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Useful  |  3
M B
University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
Psychology and Behavioural Sciences, Undergraduate, Independent
Housing
Type of housing: Apartment/House
Arranged by: Independently - I had no other choice
If returning, I would choose: Costs
Why?
I lived in College Square, near Uni Melb and I booked my apartment on the web. Never again! They charge exorbitant sums, tell you they give you a one bedroom when it really is a shoebox and you have no rights as a tenant.
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Personal assessment
Cost
Facilities
Location
Cleanliness
Space
Personal comments
This university is a corporation that is out to make money from International Students. An International Student's tuition is 7 times that of a local students and there are no reasonably priced on campus accommodations. Poor, very poor.
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Useful  |  1
M B
University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
Psychology and Behavioural Sciences, Undergraduate, Independent
Student life
Describe host city:
Student life dominates the city
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Activities, Travel: Takes place mostly outside the university/student environment
Nightlife: Takes place both within and outside of the university/student environment
Personal social experience
Activities
Nightlife
Travel
Overall
Personal comments
Go to Fitzroy. Period.
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Useful  |  18
M B
University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
Psychology and Behavioural Sciences, Undergraduate, Independent
Overall
I wish I had known...
Yes. I wish I had known that the University of Melbourne charges the most out of all the educational institutions in the world while providing the least. I will go to Columbia next year because the cost of tuition is the same and the student faculty ratio is 1-6 compared to 1-107 in Unimelb.
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In my opinion:
Stay home.
Important factors in my choice
(1) Unimportant – (4) Very important
Academic reasons
4
Culture
4
Costs
1
Activities
4
Campus life
1
Party / people
2
Weather / location
4
Personal recommendation
They need international reforms, they are highly overrated and their tuition is too much for what they actually provide. I could have taken a distance course and learned as much, save for the presence of Jeanette Lawrence and Nick Haslam.
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During my experience abroad, I ...
(1) Never – (4) A lot
Became familiar with another culture
4
Traveled
4
Improved language skills
4
Met people from other countries
4
Became more independent
4
Partied a lot
4
Experienced a change in life
4
Advanced my studies & career
3
Final comments
I am posting this not as a vitriolic attack but to help and guide future students who are seriously considering this university. Ask yourself: do you want to be taught at or do you want to be in an environment that promotes ACTIVE learning and inquiry, one that doesn't teach science like a bunch of Creationist adhering to outdated canon. Go to Columbia: for the same amount of money you will be treated better, be exposed to better faculty and you will not be taught primarily by LMS and powerpoint slides.
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