ATAR Notes: Forum
Uni Stuff => Universities - Victoria => Monash University => Topic started by: Chromeo33 on April 02, 2011, 11:41:10 pm
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The plan is to do a double degree at Monash, but that would mean 5 years of travelling to and from Monash whilst living in the west.
I was just hoping I could home in on how fellow "westerners" handle the commute to Clayton.
And was it, in any way, a contributing factor in your decision to go to - or, god forbid, transfer from - Monash?
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Monash has a habit of giving away scholarships to 'convince' people. There are a few 'fortunate' westies who are going to Monash. You can probably pm them for advice.
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I have the convenience of being located right next to a freeway so some travel time is cut however I average about a 40 minute drive to uni each day. I found it's not the drive that's hard to get used to, but it's the having to wake up early that kills you. For a 9am lecture, I need to leave here by 7:30 to avoid all the bad traffic which means waking up at 6:30/7 to be able to get ready on time. It's not that great when you're consistently going to bed at 1am and end up sleeping in so you miss all your lectures. I am actually considering moving out in a few months so I'll be closer to uni so I don't have to wake up so early.
As for the decision to go to Monash in the first place, the fact they offered scholarships enticed me however my final decision was based on the course offered and I've made the right decision
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They hand out scholarships like candy to people living on the west side of melbourne, but I think travel time isn't that bad considering you can read a book/chat with mates etc. Additionally you'll end up making friends that can drive you back home on some days (which I presume is around 40 mins), and once you get older, you can car pool.
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i live in the west and didnt get a candy :(
meh imo just tough it out no other advice really can help you wake up in the morning to get to Monash. motivate yourself
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It's true, having to wake up early is the hardest part. Would be better if you drive, but if you dont, then you have to patiently bear it for as long as it takes. I assume it would take two trains and a bus?
If you are lucky to get a scholarship, I'm sure you can turn a blind eye..:)
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It's like no one knows Monash Parkville exists (its very close to melb uni)
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It's true, having to wake up early is the hardest part. Would be better if you drive, but if you dont, then you have to patiently bear it for as long as it takes. I assume it would take two trains and a bus?
If you are lucky to get a scholarship, I'm sure you can turn a blind eye..:)
Yeah, its a train to Flinders, then the train to Huntingdale (I think?). Then a bus.
Just out of curiosity, would Monash inform me if I've received a scholarship before I've made my course decision? Or do I have to choose a Monash degree to even be eligible for scholarship?
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It's like no one knows Monash Parkville exists (its very close to melb uni)
Yeah, but the course I'm interested in is at Clayton.. *sigh..
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lol yeah i was joking around, but seriously many ppl don't know parkville exists.
how long would it take to travel? for me its 5 mins drive from home to station, 35-50 mins train (depending on peak, express, waiting time etc), 15 mins tram to uni
you get used to it, but i wouldn't recommend going for 5 days a week (you find that you're losing a lot of time especially when u get home at like 6 and cbs doing work)
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lol yeah i was joking around, but seriously many ppl don't know parkville exists.
how long would it take to travel? for me its 5 mins drive from home to station, 35-50 mins train (depending on peak, express, waiting time etc), 15 mins tram to uni
you get used to it, but i wouldn't recommend going for 5 days a week (you find that you're losing a lot of time especially when u get home at like 6 and cbs doing work)
Right now, I'm getting home at like 5 and I'm finding it annoying.. let alone getting home at 6..
Travel for me would take 5 mins to station from home, about a 40min train ride to Flinders, then about a 10min wait for the next train, then probs another 40min ride to Huntingdale, then the bus to the Clayton campus..
Times that by 2 (for the commute back) and that's most likely what a typical day would be like @ Monash for me (if I choose Monash)...
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Yeah, its a train to Flinders, then the train to Huntingdale (I think?). Then a bus.
Just out of curiosity, would Monash inform me if I've received a scholarship before I've made my course decision? Or do I have to choose a Monash degree to even be eligible for scholarship?
Yes, they will inform you on ATAR day. If you have listed Monash in your preference, then they will..and the only eligibility of recieving that scholarship is that if you accept being enrolled in it, or they accept you.
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Yeah, its a train to Flinders, then the train to Huntingdale (I think?). Then a bus.
Just out of curiosity, would Monash inform me if I've received a scholarship before I've made my course decision? Or do I have to choose a Monash degree to even be eligible for scholarship?
Yes, they will inform you on ATAR day. If you have listed Monash in your preference, then they will..and the only eligibility of recieving that scholarship is that if you accept being enrolled in it, or they accept you.
Oh, OK. So I just have to put it as a preference for them to consider me?
Do I have to put that course as my first preference? Does it matter which priority I give to that course? If I put it as 2nd preference would they still consider me for a scholarship?
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Good question. I'm not 100% sure but mostly likely no, only because when You do the applications through VTAC, Monash will know that you are interested but wouldn't know if it's your first or second pref (I assume anyway). If you happen to write it as your second, and you qualify for the requirements for your first and second, VTAC will send you your first pref, not the second.
Besides, during the ATAR time you will have time to modify your preferences if you want as that process is a lot later than the ATAR.
So by that you wouldn't need to write it as first pref to be considered for a scholarship.
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Shouldn't say like candy. Equity and Excellence generally needs high 96-low 97 + to get, and living in the west/going to school in the west increases your chance of qualifying for it.
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Shouldn't say like candy. Equity and Excellence generally needs high 96-low 97 + to get, and living in the west/going to school in the west increases your chance of qualifying for it.
Ooo, I actually don't go to school in the west, I go to Melbourne High...
So I'm guessing.. there goes my chance for a scholarship?
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Shouldn't say like candy. Equity and Excellence generally needs high 96-low 97 + to get, and living in the west/going to school in the west increases your chance of qualifying for it.
Ooo, I actually don't go to school in the west, I go to Melbourne High...
So I'm guessing.. there goes my chance for a scholarship?
I got 98.95 and live in the south east and didn't get a scholarship, so if "fortunate" people from the west with 96-97 are getting it, I'd say it significantly increases your chances.
It takes me a 20ish (in peak hour) drive, 45 minute train trip, and 10 minute tram to get to uni, and it does get exhausting. I only go in three days a week but generally I try to get all my work done on my 4 day weekend because I get home from uni so exhausted. It's doable though. If you're concerned, it's probably better to consider moving out than changing universities.
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Shouldn't say like candy. Equity and Excellence generally needs high 96-low 97 + to get, and living in the west/going to school in the west increases your chance of qualifying for it.
Ooo, I actually don't go to school in the west, I go to Melbourne High...
So I'm guessing.. there goes my chance for a scholarship?
Oh I went there too :)
In that case you can get an equity scholarship if you are on youth allowance, or have a low household wage and some other criteria. If that's not the case, you just gotta get a high ATAR :)
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Shouldn't say like candy. Equity and Excellence generally needs high 96-low 97 + to get, and living in the west/going to school in the west increases your chance of qualifying for it.
Ooo, I actually don't go to school in the west, I go to Melbourne High...
So I'm guessing.. there goes my chance for a scholarship?
Oh I went there too :)
In that case you can get an equity scholarship if you are on youth allowance, or have a low household wage and some other criteria. If that's not the case, you just gotta get a high ATAR :)
Haha it's easier to say :|
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lol i was hoping for a scholarship due to the fact that i live in the middle of nowhere but i don't qualify because i've not moved out. hmph.
for the record im not in the western suburbs, i'm in the outer (outer outer) north eastern suburbs -- to the extent where i'm not even IN the suburbs anymore. it's an hour and a half out in the morning and an hour in the afternoon by car, unless im stuck in peak hour traffic. it is roughly a hundred kilometre round trip every day. no. i'm not exaggerating!! otherwise, its a 15 minute drive, and two hours by train, and then a bus ride of i'm not sure how long. needless to say i don't take public transport.
i go to uni 4 days a week, starting at 9 every morning. it is tiring, i won't lie. especially with tutoring on top. but i gotta make petrol money somehow, and tutoring is better value for money than most other jobs i could get.
it's doable, though, by making the most of your breaks at uni, and using my days off for studying.
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The plan is to do a double degree at Monash, but that would mean 5 years of travelling to and from Monash whilst living in the west.
I was just hoping I could home in on how fellow "westerners" handle the commute to Clayton.
And was it, in any way, a contributing factor in your decision to go to - or, god forbid, transfer from - Monash?
yeah i live deep in the western suburbs and go to monash, travelling is annoying but yeah i manage lol
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Are there any westerners out there who don't find the travel to Monash any bother at all?
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Ladies and gentlemen. I'm into year two of a five year double. I live in Tullamarine, but went to a private school closer to the city. I was not given an equity/excellence scholarship (perhaps due to the school I attended). Every day is a battle. Studies themselves are a challenge, let alone worrying about transport and stuff. On average, I spend 3.5 hours a day on buses and trains. This time spent in transit physically and mentally drains me. I come home and have no energy for things I like to do, let alone study. I get moody at the thought of even going into uni. I have not enjoyed one second of my education since exams in year 12. For instance, tomorrow I'm there from 8-5, but will leave home at 6am and get home at 7ish. I cling to the hope that it is the best investment I could possibly make into my future at my age.
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Spizza, you ever thought about living on campus? Monash's accommodation? Probs like stay on campus for the weekdays and come home for the weekend?
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I live in Delahey so I can sorta relate..
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I have no patience for the 5 hours daily (2.5 hours each way) it takes me to travel to Monash via public transport (20min walk, 2 trains and a bus).
I drive instead, so it takes an hour each way. It's obviously more expensive, but I consider the time saved (and sleep gained) as being worth the extra cash. My time is worth about $22/h to me though... if you earn less than that, then perhaps public transport is the better option. Each to their own.
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I have no patience for the 5 hours daily (2.5 hours each way) it takes me to travel to Monash via public transport (20min walk, 2 trains and a bus).
I drive instead, so it takes an hour each way. It's obviously more expensive, but I consider the time saved (and sleep gained) as being worth the extra cash. My time is worth about $22/h to me though... if you earn less than that, then perhaps public transport is the better option. Each to their own.
Fyrefly weighing up the opportunity costs
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Yeah I'm starting to like UoM Biomed now..
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I have no patience for the 5 hours daily (2.5 hours each way) it takes me to travel to Monash via public transport (20min walk, 2 trains and a bus).
I drive instead, so it takes an hour each way. It's obviously more expensive, but I consider the time saved (and sleep gained) as being worth the extra cash. My time is worth about $22/h to me though... if you earn less than that, then perhaps public transport is the better option. Each to their own.
Fyrefly weighing up the opportunity costs
Side-effect of accounting.
Another dangerous side-effect is the tendency to laugh at accounting jokes.
Consider this fair warning.
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You Monash people seem nicer than those Melbourne people...
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You Monash people seem nicer than those Melbourne people...
Oh really? :P
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.. and funnier :)
just putting it out there
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Then I better delete my post in your thread in the UoM forum because I'm apparently not nice. :P haha jokes
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Well i like on the Sydenham line if that counts (Sunshine to be exact).
20 minutes from Sunshine Station > Flinders Street Station
Note that you can ONLY go to the east via Flinders....its lame because if i go to Melbourne Central (which it will stop pass first) to get some snacks, i gotta catch the train from Melbourne Central to Flinders to travel to the east....
Depending on which train i take in the morning, i could wait either roughly 0 minutes to 15 minutes (stupid train delays haha)
Roughly 25 minutes from Flinders > Huntingdale Station
Wait time can vary from 0 minutes to 5 minutes, depending on when the shuttle buses come
Roughly 6 minutes from Huntingdale Station > Monash University Clayton
Yeah been going there for 5 weeks now. Its not too bad the travel times, it really depends on how your timetable is scheduled. My classes start at 11am, so i catch the train with very sweaty men trying to go to work at 8:10, i normally arrive there at 9:40. My classes finish at 3pm so when i get back to Flinders, its packed with school kids trying to go home, hence, sweaty men trying to go home hahaha.
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^ Sweats = Eww, but true. :(
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Well i like on the Sydenham line if that counts (Sunshine to be exact).
20 minutes from Sunshine Station > Flinders Street Station
Note that you can ONLY go to the east via Flinders....its lame because if i go to Melbourne Central (which it will stop pass first) to get some snacks, i gotta catch the train from Melbourne Central to Flinders to travel to the east....
Depending on which train i take in the morning, i could wait either roughly 0 minutes to 15 minutes (stupid train delays haha)
Roughly 25 minutes from Flinders > Huntingdale Station
Wait time can vary from 0 minutes to 5 minutes, depending on when the shuttle buses come
Roughly 6 minutes from Huntingdale Station > Monash University Clayton
Yeah been going there for 5 weeks now. Its not too bad the travel times, it really depends on how your timetable is scheduled. My classes start at 11am, so i catch the train with very sweaty men trying to go to work at 8:10, i normally arrive there at 9:40. My classes finish at 3pm so when i get back to Flinders, its packed with school kids trying to go home, hence, sweaty men trying to go home hahaha.
Oh I but I have to get on at Watergardens (the end of the line) so that might add to the time as well..
But yeah you seem to be the only westsider who's OK with the travel times.
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Ah yeah thats an additional 20 minutes. Yeah at first i really bitched about it hard, but after a week or two you sorta get used to it. Yeah it does kill your usual routine, cause essentially you are killing 2 hours a day on travel. I normally use it to catch up on my sleep however. I know a couple of people who live in Keilor Plains and don't mind travelling, my friend has 9am classes so she has to get up at 5:30 3 days a week and still goes. It really comes from how motivated you are. I personally chose Monash because of the atmospheric difference, is it worth travelling? Hellz yeah! Nothing beats sleep haha. There is open day coming mid this year, you could try yourself how long it would take from watergardens to monash. Some people don't mind, some people ranted like no tomorrow (me). But yeah good experience haha
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if you like recreational reading / writing etc. travelling is a really good time to catch up on it, I read so much more on the train than I do anywhere else
- from someone who travels 3 hours to/from work 3 days a week and will never stop bitching about it
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Yeah I might just do that and go to the Open Day (and I do like reading/studying on the train).
I guess there'd be more seats available on the train if you're going to Monash since you're catching such an early train compared to travelling to UoM. If you're going to UoM, you'd most likely be travelling during peak hour..
Shit its getting difficult to choose a uni..
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I haven't actually read most of this thread so forgive me if ive missed something.
I live in the west and i go to monash. I think i can also a good perspective since im a first year student and i've only been there for about 6 weeks now.I won't lie to you, it isn't easy, however it isn't terrible either.
Try to push your timetable as forward into the afternoon as you can, it's what i did, become a master at it when the time comes. I start at 10am 3 times a week and 11 am 2 times a week. For that i have to get up at about 650 or 720 ish respectively and leave about 750-810am.So it does suck, its worse than what i got in high-school to be honest and i thought i had it bad then getting up at 715. I kinda hoped come uni id only need to go for a couple days a week and a couple hours every day, that fantasy was sadly smashed. More likely than not you will be there 5 days a week (4 if you can swing it well).
That said i kind of have adjusted to it and i don't honestly mind the actual travel, it's just getting up that early but occasionally i do miss the odd class (which is fine if you listen to the recording in my opinion anyway, most classes at Monash are recorded. I tried my hardest to avoid early classes but i have this one 8am class on a wednesday, i just skip it and listen to the recording.) Even then if you adjust your sleep patterns accordingly shouldn't be too much of a problem. (Unless you're a major night owl like me)
I tried to read non fiction books (im interested in some artsy type things but i didnt have any room so i read books like that) but i've switched to fiction (sherlock holmes ftw) and the time seems to breeze past. This might sound a bit silly to you but in the two hours it takes me, its also prime time to like read your textbook or do some small section of your homework or something. You can't really procrastinate on the train either so in the 4 hours total travel in a day you could learn a lot from your textbook and hopefully (lazily) improve your grades.
I usually get a seat on the train, make sure you get a concession card though, i got busted 3 times and talked my way out of it 3 times before i got one. I get on at stab albans station.4 hours travel is a lot of downtime though every day, however if monash is what you really want then go for it. I still don't really like the travel time and transferring to melbourne was on the cards before i even took my first regular trip to monash, all this travel business isnt helping.
In the end though it is really up to you.
TL;DR
I live in the west.
Waking up early does suck and it might even be worse than highschool for you. More likely than not youll be at uni 4-5 days a week. (I come home at 7pm most days)
Try adjust your timetable so your classes are in the afternoon, make an art of it.
It's alright to miss the odd class if you listen to a recording.
Time flies on the train if you read a book (if thats your thing) or you can read your textbook or do your work so you have less at home.
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Thanks for the advice kingpomba
Cos I go to Melbourne High, I'm kinda used to getting up early for the train in the morning anyways, but then again you do get home later.
On a side-note, I thought your timetable was predetermined depending on what course you do (and that the student has no say in when their classes are scheduled)?
And just out of curiosity, in your signature, it says you had the option of Science @ Melbourne! Is there a reason why you chose Monash over Melbourne in this instance? Is Monash a better uni than Melbourne in terms of its science faculty?
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Nah haha it says S2 as in semester 2, i might transfer.
It isn't predetermined.
Go to MUTTS(One half of the Monash timetabling system) and log in as a guest(theres a link to do that near the bottom). Click 2011 timetable on the left, view unit and just type in a unit, BIO1011 for example. Add it to "View this unit" and click generate grid timetable down the bottom.
The unit guide for BIO1011 says you only need to go to 2 lectures are week, lectures are in pink if you didnt figure it out. There are more than 2 there so the rest are repeats, you need to pick one that starts with 01 and one that starts with 02. I chose 12pm monday and 4pm thursday. So there is room to choose (mostly).
Some subjects will only have one stream and one set of times however, especially the less popular subjects with a lower amount of students. Although you can be pretty much guaranteed that general subjects will have a large amount of students and a couple different times, like biology and chemistry, general things like that a lot of people need to take.
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Wait, melbourne high? Add an additional 20 minutes of travel and then you get to Clayton haha
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I'm not sure where melbourne high is but i get off at flinders and it takes 30 minutes from there at least and then you gotta wait around for a bus
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Nevermind guys, I think after today's weather I'm set to choose Melbourne.
If we ever get another day like today, I'd rather be coming home from the CBD than Clayton (and it's Melbourne so we'll most likely get days like this again!)
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I don't understand that logic really mate haha cant you just invest in an umbrella?
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haha. the topic of this reminded me of a lecture I had for ENG1030 - Electrical Systems....
If anyone can be bothered, go onto the online lecture system at.. http://www.mulo.monash.edu.au/
and go to the lecture from Monday 14 March and listen from about 47:30 to 50:30
Then you'll all see how it relates to this post :P
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Lol we can't, we're not Monash students
:)
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haha. the topic of this reminded me of a lecture I had for ENG1030 - Electrical Systems....
If anyone can be bothered, go onto the online lecture system at.. http://www.mulo.monash.edu.au/
and go to the lecture from Monday 14 March and listen from about 47:30 to 50:30
Then you'll all see how it relates to this post :P
lolll he draws epic toilets...
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i would have gone to vu just for the distance, but i didnt like their arts course...so i chose caulfield monash, i didnt get into melbourne cos my atar wasnt high enough...but it depends how badly you want to get into that course.
it takes me about 2 hours to get there, from the western suburbs, but i like it. and you can totally be productive on the train. like for me, its not like the same as when you're in a car for that long and you can get car sick...i do do like my readings and stuff like that on the train, so its not too bad.
and i dont have a scholarship either, its just the course i am doing, i really do think it's worth it.
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I have some friends from Melbourne who visit Monash on a regular basis, and they have confirmed that the girls and guys are hotter at Monash. Hence it is worth the travel.
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i would have gone to vu just for the distance, but i didnt like their arts course...so i chose caulfield monash, i didnt get into melbourne cos my atar wasnt high enough...but it depends how badly you want to get into that course.
You also live in the west?
All my friends who went to highschool and other highschools around here could of easily went to VU if we all cared about just distance haha but almost everyone didn't go to VU. The only people who went to VU were people who i reckon don't belong at uni anyway (they did nothing at school and complained how they hated work and wanted out..so they sign up for uni..? fail logic).
I also do a lot of my work on the train (haha usually if its due that day and i havent done it).
If you really hate the distance and find out you can't hack it, try it out for a semester then switch to Melbourne if you don't like it.
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I think I've been asking the wrong questions!
Does anyone REGRET choosing Monash based solely on the distance alone?
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Man, I am so friggin ready for uni.. I'm over VCE already..
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Does anyone REGRET choosing Monash based solely on the distance alone?
Well, honestly, it's still a pretty silly question... What other viable options are there?
The only two closer options are Victoria and Melbourne Universities. Nearly everybody rules out Victoria University for obvious reasons, and if you rule out, can't get into or simply don't want to go to Melbourne, Monash is the next best option. Deakin (Burwood) and La Trobe (Bundoora) take roughly the same amount of time to get to as Monash (Clayton) if you live in the west.
I live in the west too but I'm really starting to get irritated with people who complain about the distance. Every year we get different people whining and moaning about it constantly. If you think living in the west is bad, one of my closest friends lives in Albury-Wodonga and goes to Monash (Clayton) twice a week... I've never heard him complain once about the distance.
If distance is such a big deal, go to Melbourne/VU, move to the east, or shut up. :|
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I'll shut up then
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Does anyone REGRET choosing Monash based solely on the distance alone?
Well, honestly, it's still a pretty silly question... What other viable options are there?
The only two closer options are Victoria and Melbourne Universities. Nearly everybody rules out Victoria University for obvious reasons, and if you rule out, can't get into or simply don't want to go to Melbourne, Monash is the next best option. Deakin (Burwood) and La Trobe (Bundoora) take roughly the same amount of time to get to as Monash (Clayton) if you live in the west.
I live in the west too but I'm really starting to get irritated with people who complain about the distance. Every year we get different people whining and moaning about it constantly. If you think living in the west is bad, one of my closest friends lives in Albury-Wodonga and goes to Monash (Clayton) twice a week... I've never heard him complain once about the distance.
If distance is such a big deal, go to Melbourne/VU, move to the east, or shut up. :|
He wasn't complaining; he was asking for our opinion.
While we may not complain in daily life about the burdens of traveling so far, we've given our honest opinions in this thread so Chromeo can properly evaluate his options. So how about you shut up instead, k? If you don't like this thread, then just stay out of it... there was no need for you to be rude.
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Naw, he was just playin
No love lost :)
But yeah honestly since some people are coming from further away and aren't complaining, I really have no right to argue over distance. Whatevs trevs..