Monash rocks!

Jamie Alarcon

Philippines

Monash University, Australia

Master of Environment and Sustainability

Level of study: Postgraduate

Year of graduation: 2009

rating

ratingOverall experience

I love Monash University. It has everything I want in a university: a vibrant, culturally diverse community of students and staff; a reputation for academic excellence; a high level of environmental awareness; the desire to continue onward and upward (hence the motto Ancora imparo, Latin for "I am still learning"); and, last but not least, fantastic vegetarian fare!

ratingSelection process and gaining admission

Submitting entry requirements was easy: I did everything online, by myself. They responded within a month. As I was on an AusAID scholarship, it was easy to obtain a visa; the hardest part was probably complying with the strict new standards for passport photos. My advice for anyone applying for admission to any educational institution would be to start early, so that you have enough time to gather all the documentation you need.

ratingFunding and scholarships

From the beginning, I was set on applying for an AusAID scholarship, so I didn't really explore any other options. However, I'm sure there are plenty of other ways to get financial assistance from Monash or other organisations working with Monash.

ratingYour study experience

I hold the Monash School of Geography and Environmental Science (in the Arts faculty) in high regard. One thing that I noticed right away was their strong focus on sustainability and multidisciplinarity. The only reason I didn't give a 5 for this criterion is because I believe three semesters are not enough to study all the things I want!

ratingYour life experience

Getting to the main Monash campus from the Melbourne central business district involves a fair bit of commuting, but it's worth it. The campuses are large, beautiful, and have fantastic facilities for study, research, and recreation. They take good care of their international students, and there's even an office called Monash Abroad to make it as easy as possible for every single student (local or international) to take some of their classes outside Australia.

ratingJob prospects

Yes! A Monash qualification is great on its own, but there's definitely a lot of value added to it in terms of networking. For example, the School of Geography and Environmental Science sends out several job listings every week to students. I also participated in the Green Steps program, an initiative of Monash students that now covers the whole of Australia and is sponsored by the Commonwealth government, that includes industry placements for environment students.

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