Bai Cua Nguyen-2.docx

Studying in Victoria, Australia is a dream of many international students. Victoria has become a popular destination because of its multiculturalism, affordable tuition and great atmosphere. Tanawat, who is a Thai student, is looking for a university in Victoria. However, he has some needs and requirements which should be considered. This report will discuss three universities in Victoria: the University of Melbourne (UM), Monash University (MU) and the University of Ballarat (UB). It focuses on some features such as ranking, tuition and living cost, location and transport options, and supporting services.

There are similarities and differences between the three universities, including ranking, course fee and living cost. About ranking, UM which was established in 1857 is the highest ranking of the three universities. While UM reached the 41st ranking, MU is the 60th and UB is not available. They have some differences in ranking between the three universities but tuition of the three universities is very similar. It costs from $87.000 to $89.000 per 3 years in nursing major which Tanawat wants to study. However, all of them differ with respect to living cost. UB has the lower living cost than both UM and MU. While UM is very expensive, the living cost of MU is feasible for international students.

All of them are very different from location and transport options. For international students, UM is the best location of the three universities because it takes about 5 minutes to the CBD by walking. In addition, the public transport like trams and buses are very convenient. In contrast, both MU and UB are very far from the CBD. While MU is located 23 kilometers from the CBD, UB is 115 kilometers away. MU does not have any options of transport, except for buses whereas FU has both buses and train to choose.

Supporting services of the three universities are slightly different. Both of UM and UB have International Student Advisor but MU only has online services to help international students. However, MU has a service which is called peer mentoring. It is a service which some older international students help the new one with their experiences adapting to the new life. In addition, both of them offer language classes and it is free.

In conclusion, the three universities have great features. If Tanawat wants to save time, he should choose UM. However, if he can’t afford living cost, he should consider between MU and FU. MU is nearer to the CBD than UB and the living cost of MU is more reasonable. For these reasons, MU is likely to suit Tanawat’s needs and requirements.