Just my opinion, but I reckon its the name (prestige). For example, Monash Caufield, was before a crap uni before they rebrand it as monash methinks it was chism (worse than VU (annoying ads as well)), yet now because of the rebrand, many people go to it (same place, resources, lecturers as CHISM, just a rebrand). The *real* monash is the clayton campus (which is why ENTER scores is higher in Clayton than monash caufield (and quality of courses). My uncle helps large Scale Organisations employ people, and in a company at Singapore, they specifically ask for no one from "Monash" Caufield. I also think, the location makes it bad...footscray (many associate that area with asian gangs, stabbings and murder) IMOP all nonsense). Which is why i think stupid Uni rankings are exactly that...stupid (and employers unfortunately fall for these rankings). My cuz goes to VU and she is far smarter than any person I know that goes to Melb U (she lives on her own ever since she finished VCE, and is now in a group of selected people at VU with a excellent avg. to do their last year at Lille, France). I think people are just snobbish to look down on other uni's.
I am currently enrolled to Architecture Monash Clayton, yet i put down VU as my 5 pref. i don't care even if i went there (only asian parents think otherwise) BTW, does anyone know a person that has actually gone to an American Uni from Australia, I heard its as hard as hell