Usyd/ Monash/ Anu. Which One? (1 Viewer)

[Ruchir]

Hi everyone,

I am a student from India. I got pointed to this forum from another forums.

I'm planning to study in Australia beginning next year around Feb 2005.

Now, I have already got offer letters from Monash University and University of Sydney, with the decision from Australian National University pending. Chances are though that I'll get in, or atleast that is what my agent says. University of New South Wales offered me a seat provided I do a foundation course first and hence I'm not considering it as an option. Its one more year that I'll have to do you see. I will be pursuing Bachelors of Computer Science and Technology.

I also have offers from RMIT and Swinburne, but considering the other universities I've been able to get into, I've not kept them as options.

The help I need is that I need to know your opinions about the universities. Please help me make a decision as to which of the three universities should I select to study. I have by now a few notions in my mind and its a bit towards USYD, but I'll be pleased to know what you people as locals or students think. Be it campus, environment, culture or anything, please tell me what your opinion is. If you don't think you can give me an opinion, can you guide me to someone or some site/forums where I can get genuine opinions?

I am doing my own research to make my decision and this is a part of it. So if you can be a bit generous in helping a student get to the right place, it'd be the best thing you can do for me. This is extremely important for my career.

Thanks a lot for reading this and trying to help,
Ruchir

 

[clairegirl]

I don't know much about Monash but I do know ANU and USYD .......

Personally I would go to Australian National University, it's the best university in Australia.

I don't like USYD because
*Everything is soo spaced out
*I don't like the atmosphere there

USYD and ANU both have excellent academic reputations..... i guess thats up to you

I don't like USYD also because it's in the city and catching the train there and walking there is enough to give you a black lung (so many car fumes), however this isn't an issue for most people but it is to me.

 

[clairegirl]

That being said, did you look at UTS? I love that uni!! It has the nicest lounges and their library is open 24 hours

 

[lukebennett]

if you live in at usyd its quite convenient. ANU is also in canberra and some people dont like the nightlife compared to usyd. ANU and Usyd would both give you a great education but its also more than that considering youll be living in australia, and you want to find a place to suit you.

 

[theone123]

some many offers 8) anyhow, i think ANU wound be a goo d option

 

[doe]

usyd comp sci is one of the worse programs out there. anu would crap all over it, but its in canberra.

you're moreorless useless when you graduate with a comp sci degree anyway, so it doesnt really matter. the industry doesnt really care where you got your degree from, just that you have a degree, so usyd would probably be fine.

monash is in melbourne which is a great city, especially if you're young.

 

[Ruchir]

Hi,

Thanks again to all those who replied.

clairegirl, If i select the university, I'll probably be living on campus. So that gets out the problems you mentioned(Though they are genuine concerns, and thanks for bringing them out).

lukebennett, a lot of people have told me about canberra being two boring a place to live at. I'm more concerned about the university education as such. But yeah, thanks for the insight.
thanks to you too theone123.

doe, i'm planning to do my undergrad with honours(hopefully) or combine another degree with it, and I'll definitely be doing Post grad as well. So, I'm not offering myself up for jobs after my bachelors. But doe, you've really put me in a spot of confusion when you said usyd comp sci is one of the worse programs out there. Lets see, I'll have to talk to more people..

USYD allows combinging a degree in the fourth year or doing honours and that is something that is taking me towards it. Other universites don't give both the options.... or I really haven't heard about it as such.

There are a few things that are taking me towards and against the universities and I think more opinions here will be really helpful.

So, I'm still open to everyone's opinion and even better if you know about these universities first hand. Please tell me what you think.

Thanks again for the help,
Ruchir

 

[golfstick]

Wouldn't RMIT be good for your kind of degree?

you really need to find some comp sci people who know what they're talking about. I'm comm/law so can't really help

 

[clairegirl]

If i was doing a computer science degree i'de goto UTS (University of Technology Sydney)

and I agree with doe USYD's computer science degree is pretty crap, i heard their facilities arn't so great... my friend Greg (jlh) did it at USYD he's a member of this website too so maybe he'll post, he transferred out of the degree and came to macquarie to do a bachlors of applied finance/economics

Goto ANU!!! I'de rather go there than any of the universities here and ANU is NOT boring, it just depends how good your social skills are

 

[doe]

ruchir, out of the uni's you mentioned usyd is one of the worse. it doesnt mean its "bad", just the others will offer more. my boss has a compsci degree from usyd and ive just finished one at macquarie uni and we've discussed this and we both came to the conclusion that the usyd program can have serious holes.

you can combine degrees at macuni too, i think they just call it something else. two of my friends are doing combination BBA/CompSci though the comp sci thing is called a BCIS (mainly for marketing, it offers all the same units as a normal comp sci degree). you can also do honours at any uni. so i dont think usyd is too unique, youll just have to look at the degrees a bit closer cause most unis offer combinations.

id also be very careful about doing postgrad stuff with no experience, unless you want to be a career academic (ie work at universities/research for the rest of your life). if not you will have a lot of trouble finding work as people will claim you're overqualified. dont forget that a university degree is an academic qualification and has little relevance to the workplace. this is why i say comp sci grads are pretty useless till they get a few years experience (cause its true ). it doesnt really matter where you go to uni as long as its half decent (which the unis you mentioned all are).

id say choose anu for quality, monash for lifestyle, usyd for the buildings (badoom tish)

 

[doe]

http://ask.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=131372&threshold=3&mode=thread&commentsort=0&op=Change

 

[Ruchir]

Hi,

golfstick, I've heard RMIT are particularly good for design courses and other things. And the reputation of these three universities is better than RMIT's(or atleast thats what I've found out). Thanks for the opinion though.

clairegirl, I'm a bit too late to apply to UTS now, but the point you put is good. I may just consider ANU now for I am not really worried about the social life as such. Education comes above everything. Thanks a lot.

doe, your post has been extremely helpful. What you point out about experience is very significant, and I think I'll definitely have that option open, always! Also, what you speak about USYD's comp sci is starting to give me jitters, and now I'm getting eager to know the decision of ANU. You've really helped and thanks a lot for it.

The opinions have been wonderful, and it'd be even better if I still get more opinions about the course and the universities. More opinions are definitely welcome.

Thanks to all of you again,
Ruchir

 

[shannonm]

if those 3 unis are your only choices, and you dont mind the general crappiness of canberra, of course go to ANU

 

[lukebennett]

yeah id say go with ANU since you arent wanting or searching for social stuff at the same time. it has a great reputation. some ranking system this year (not sure which) has put it at the top of australias unis. id go with ANU. i think for most of us the problem is being used to sydney and main cities, and it would be hard to leave. but for you (since youre leaving anyway) id go to ANU.

 

[ziggyboy]

Ruchir you are coming here as an international student, am I correct? If so then you will be paying a lot more than Australian students which means about $20,000 per year upfront (cash, no loads whatsoever for int'l students). Also you'd be paying for your living expenses unless you work. That said, you are here to study and not to muck around. Education should be your first and foremost priority so take the uni that would best benefit your career, which is ANU. ANU is more recognised worldwide than any other uni here. Since you're an int'l student and not a resident this means you may or may not end up working here. Just in case you don't, ANU will be (by far) the better choice.

Also, f--k experience unless you want to work here. On an more global scale, a degree from a well-known university is better. I know someone who worked at Silicon Valley in America but Aussie companies won't recognise his work experience. Personally it's bull...that's Silicon Valley for chrissakes. Something is terribly wrong with how this country assesses experience.

PS. I'm not studying, have studied or ever plan to study at ANU. I'm not advertising for them, just giving out my personal opinion.

 

[doe]

maybe that thing about your mate is true but it would depend on a lot of factors. if anything IT is a good international industry as the same products are used worldwide. i moved from australia to the uk and found employment in IT solely on my experience. you're dreaming if you think other countries have any idea on the quality of individual universities in australia. you would be lucky if they could point out sydney (or canberra) on a map. anyway, im not saying he should try to get experience vs getting a degree, all im saying is the perceived "quality" of a university doesnt matter much when it comes to IT.

ive said before ANU will have the best course. but seriously, canberra is a shithole. i lived there for a year. its a nice place to visit for a few days but the lack of anything going on gets depressingly scary. you just cant imagine it unless youve been exposed to it. the only people who like canberra seem to be people raised in canberra and are used to it.

education is important but university should more than working towards getting a piece of paper. its about growing up to be an intelligent adult, part of which involves gaining life experience which you can later draw on. learn how to take risks while you're young and the stakes are relatively low. if i were you i would go to melbourne.

my $0.02

 

[ziggyboy]

My follow-up 2c is. If you're coming here to spend a fortune, make sure it's worth it and think about it very very carefully. I'm not saying that getting a degree in Monash or USyd will not get you a job overseas, but from those who do look at degrees will recognise one from ANU.

 

[Ruchir]

Hello,

shannonm, thanks a lot for telling me what you think. That puts one more vote for ANU.

lukebenett, the ranking you mention is the Times Higher Education Supplement which ranked ANU as the 16th best in the world, and the top in Australia. I do realise that, but I had heard a few things about USYD which was pushing me towards it, and that being said, I still don't have an offer from ANU as yet. But, thanks for bringing out the point about social life.

ziggyboy, what you say is true. I will be paying about that sum upfront every year. That is exactly the reason why education is my first preference. Everything else is secondary. Your opinion about ANU is significant, and even I know, what difference the name 'Australian NATIONAL University' makes. Thanks a lot for your opinion.

doe, I live in a state where Alcohol is banned for residents of the state. Having said that, you can imagine what kind of a night life would exist in my city. We just have 2 discos'. We do have a lot of means of entertainment, multiplexes, hangout places, cafes and everything.... but its not the best one can get. So as far as I think, canberra would be a touch better than where I am. Thus the social factor doesn't concern me that much, and I'm willing to go anywhere for quality education. Also, what you mention about experience is true, and like I told you before, its an option I'll keep open. Thanks again, for the help that you've given me.

Thank you to all those who've helped and I'm open to more suggestions. The forums been a great help to me, and I don't mind at all if more help comes my way

Ruchir