University of Melbourne : an excellent university for research

University of New South Wales

7.9(13 Reviews)

Reason for choosing my college

• A better scholarship offer with medical health coverage and a relocation allowance provided by the University of Melbourne.
• In addition, the University of Melbourne had a more extensive department of earth sciences with a focus on geology, Atmospheric and spheres of physical and human geography.

University of Reading

7.1(9 Reviews)

University of Bristol

7.3(12 Reviews)

Reason for Rejection

• It is a much more competitive process to get selected in the UK Doctoral System.
• We usually have to apply through programs called Doctoral Training Partnerships (DTPs), which get a massive amount of applications from some of the best students across the world.
• In addition, not all the projects advertised in the DTPs get funded, so it is often possible that even if your interview goes well, the project may not receive funding that year.

• For applying for a PhD, you must highlight a genuine interest in why you wish to do a PhD and how you think doing a PhD in this institute will help in your career progression.
• Have a brief idea of the research area you wish to pursue and before applying for the PhD, you need to contact a potential supervisor.
• Make sure to choose a supervisor whose work aligns with your research interests, as this is the person who you will spend the most time with discussing your research.
• It is okay to keep the scholarship essay/research proposal a little general at the beginning. The most important thing is the letter of recommendation.
• Make sure to ask for letters of support from any of your past supervisors or past employers who provide a positive recommendation on not only your work but your character as well.

• Australia and specifically Melbourne, is one of the best places in the world to live and study.
• In addition, the University of Melbourne is one of the best research institutions in the world.
• Australia has one of the largest and most well-funded climate research consortiums in the world, the ARC Centre of Excellence for Weather of the 21st Century and it provides training, internships and exposure to graduate researchers to network with researchers both within and outside Australia.
• Australian universities also have some of the highest employability rankings in the world and are a great place to study and engage in extra-curricular activities with a vibrant academic community.
• My overall experience has been extremely positive. The people in Melbourne are extremely welcoming; there are tonnes of opportunities to engage in life outside of work and a great work-life balance.
• The campus is one of the most beautiful campuses, especially during the fall season. There is also a healthy Indian student diaspora on campus and in Melbourne so it seldom feels like you are too far from home.

• For each course, there are usually no more than 2-3 hours of lectures and 2 hours of tutorial sessions each week.
• Class timings can be quite variable, with some classes early morning at 8am or some even at 7pm in the evening, and it strongly depends on the availability of the course coordinators.
• The average strength is usually limited to 50-60, and in these cases, there is usually a tutor present in the class in addition to the main coordinator of the subject.

• A PhD degree does not have any coursework requirements and hence it is hard for me to comment on this.
• However, in general, most subjects in the Faculty of Science have a slightly low faculty-to-student ratio. But the faculty are extremely approachable and the tutors are always ready to help students who have any trouble with the coursework.

• The Parkville campus has amazing sports facilities with a heated Olympic-size swimming pool, a big cricket stadium, a massive gymnasium and much more.
• At the beginning of each semester, there is a massive orientation week where you get the opportunity to meet many new students and PhD students get a faculty and school-level orientation to network with other new PhD students.

• In a PhD, it is extremely common to work in the role of a tutor for faculty-wide subjects.
• Most Indian PhD students prefer this option; however, there are also several Indian PhD students who apply for part-time jobs off-campus.
• Tutoring positions are quite competitive as they involve filling in an application and expression of interest to help with a particular subject.
• The application is screened and only the most relevant ones are selected and it is usually 10-1 odds of being selected.

• There are many on-campus roles available for both master's and PhD students, including TA roles and other roles within the library and faculty level.
• These usually pay from 30 to 50 AUD/hour.
• These are great opportunities to learn new skills, build your network and earn some extra money.
• They are quite competitive and tough to get but strong candidates are always given an opportunity.

• After a PhD, there are opportunities to continue in academia via postdoc or in industry.
• Typically 90% of the PhD students get an opportunity well within 6 months of submitting their thesis.
• The average salary for postdoc students is typically 100,000 AUD per annum before tax and is close to 105-110k AUD per annum in industry positions before tax.
• Jobs typically come through connections and networking and also through applying online in relevant positions or by contacting researchers around the world that you wish to work with.

• UniMelb offers a few on-campus accommodation options and they are excellent options especially if you want to get the vibe of a campus accommodation; however, they are a bit on the expensive side.
• Typically the easiest way to find off-campus accommodation is through websites such as flatmates.com.au or realestate.com.au.