Student profiles

Many Monash University students attended a secondary school in a rural area or large country town.

We asked some of these students to talk about their experiences at university. They tell you about themselves and how they came to be at Monash University.

Toni - studying arts and law

I attended the local primary school and then went on to secondary school in a nearby town. I enjoy learning and in school reports my teachers usually commented that I should go on to further study.  However no-one in my family had ever gone to university, so I didn't know what to expect. In my final year, the careers counsellor at school encouraged me to apply for a place in higher education, so I nominated several university and TAFE courses that I thought I might find interesting.

My ATAR score was higher than I ever expected, and I accepted a place in Arts at Monash University. My first year at Monash was very successful and I am now doing a combined Arts/Law degree.

Ray - studying engineering

I've always wanted to go on to uni. My home is in a large country town near the borders of three states, so I had a wide choice of universities to go to. I read through the material from the course counsellor at school, and decided to apply for several courses that I'd heard award highly regarded degrees. My first choice was Engineering at Monash University.

Sonja - studying medicine

At my school I was not exactly encouraged to apply for a course such as medicine that has a high cut-off score. Comments such as 'you don't want to raise your hopes' and 'medicine is so hard to get into' were no doubt meant to shield me from possible disappointment, but instead they had the effect of lowering my self confidence. But I gave it a go and put medicine at Monash as my first preference. I was delighted to be called to Monash for an interview with the Faculty of Medicine and to find that with my ATAR score, I had gained a place in the course.

Michelle - studying marketing

I was tossing between several career possibilities when I was at school, so I kept my options open by studying a wide range of subjects. I applied for courses at three different universities, all of which had ATAR scores close to what I expected to get. I was offered two university places and I chose marketing. It's going well and I think I will have good job prospects when I finish my degree.

Mick - studying applied science

I think Applied Science is a good degree to have.

However, before I made my course selection I read all the university brochures available at school. I think it's important to be properly informed about what really is a major decision, and I'd heard that some people had turned up at campuses only to find out that the course they were accepted into was quite different from what they had imagined.

Doing Applied Science at the Gippsland Campus of Monash University is just right for me. It means I can do the course of my choice and live an easy travelling distance from my home.