Reasons to re-think ANU. (1 Viewer)

[Dichromate]

Well well, it looks like ANU created a "reasons to choose ANU" page a few months after I posted this thread back in 2015. They got rid of it sometime in the last year but it looks like my effortpost inspired a little marketing response attempting to address the points I made about the reality of studying at ANU.

Funny stuff!

 

[Su_Ramen]

Let me add another perspective as a bitter ANU student. I created an account just for that purpose.

I went to the ANU for my undergraduate degree (graduated in 2015) and currently studying at the ANU for a Master.
I wasn't actually bitter about the ANU even after finishing my undergraduate degree.
I got a job in Japan (studied Asia-Pacific Studies/Economics) and things were fine, for me anyway. Not so much for some of my friends.
I became bitter NOW actually while studying my Master. I don't know if it was because of the postgraduate/undergrad difference, but things are even worse than my undergrad days.
I have never studied at another uni so I can't compare. Here are the things I like and dislike about the ANU

THE BAD PARTS (read: rants)
(1) Lots of people I knew couldn't get a job. Being in Canberra makes it very difficult to get an internship.
An internship is very important for job search especially if you did something like a business degree.
These days, things improved a bit. ANU started sending me emails every now and then listing lots of internships opportunities.
I don't recall having that when I was an undergrad.
Tips: if you can't secure an internship, try 180 Degree Consulting. You HAVE TO do something otherwise it's almost impossible to get a job.

Things also become even more difficult if you don't speak perfect English or having a foreign name. I am an immigrant with a foreign name.
Although I am an Australian citizen, I have got rejected for APS jobs on the basis that they need an Australian citizen.
Tips: try sending out resumes with an English name (e.g John Li, don't go for stupid names like Candy or Rainbow)

(2) University accommodation was ridiculously expensive.
My family lives in Canberra so this was not an issue for me. From the price I heard, it was ridiculously expensive for a tiny room.
Most people went there for the first year to make some friends, then move out because of the price.
The people who stay are mostly rich international students.
Nevertheless, uni accommodation is a good way to make friends. Most newcomers make friends that way.
Actually it's very difficult for local students to make friends because we live at home. I became good friends with people I weren't close with in high school because we were lonely people. (I know, sounds very pathetic)
The only place where I managed to make friends was actually my Japanese class.
Tips: If you're feeling lonely, take a language course.

(3) Courses are very theoretical
My Economics degree was useless for my job, which was in Marketing. I didn't blame ANU for that, I blamed Economics.
However, currently I am studying Master of Management, and the study plan looks really bad.
There are many courses that don't make sense like Technology in Management.
I compared courses across universities for the same degree, but other unis like UMelb and USyd just look better and make more sense.
Due to family circumstances, I'm stuck with the ANU. I was really keen to go to other universities, even contemplating attending USyd while living in Canberra. I was that desperate NOT to study my Master at the ANU.

(4) Lecturers are not very good
Some of the lecturers speak horrible English. One of my courses, EVERYONE I knew told me they couldn't understand.
I gave up going to the lecture or listening to the recording because I couldn't understand anything.
I think only 10 people showed up every week (probably more than 100 people were enrolled in that class).

(5) Too many Chinese studies
I like having international students, being an immigrant myself. But when 95/100 people in ALL of your classes are Chinese, you'll be feeling the same thing as I do. I wouldn't mind so much if 95/100 people come from a variety of countries but unfortunately, they're all Chinese.
I feel like I am studying in China rather than Australia.
Back in my undergraduate days in Economics, it wasn't that bad. In 3rd year, there was only a handful of Asian in some of my classes.
I don't know if ANU has gotten too many Chinese students lately or if it has always been that way in Business degrees.

THE GOOD PARTS (more about Canberra, rather than ANU per se)
(1) Good place for introverts
If you're the quiet type and hate busy cities, I think ANU is good (unless you're in nursing or IT where UC is better).

(2) Good gyms
There's a new gym at ANU, Clublime. It's really good, with a pool and a sauna.
If you're feeling bitter, go there during weekdays before 5pm.
Note: I don't work for Clublime and receive nothing from them.

 

[Dichromate]

(1) Lots of people I knew couldn't get a job. Being in Canberra makes it very difficult to get an internship.

(2) University accommodation was ridiculously expensive.

(3) Courses are very theoretical

(4) Lecturers are not very good

(5) Too many Chinese studies

Yeah these are all very true, (1) is something school leavers have no chance of understanding unless it's explained to them. Canberra is a very difficult city to get a start in, APS grad recruitment is very rigid with set yearly intakes and subject to government decisions. If they decide to thin out the public service the year you graduate and departments that usually take 20 grads take 8, tough luck, and if you're not a Citizen you'll have a very hard time getting anything in government.
The non government professional firms are nowhere near large or numerous enough to take on even a fraction of the grads ANU and UC pump out, and some don't even hire grads in Canberra, they run their grad programs in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and maybe Perth and/or Adelaide, and transfer experienced staff to their small Canberra office when necessary.

(2) is recent. It used to be reasonably affordable, then instead of building more traditional halls/colleges ANU built the first Unilodge, then another, then another, and now they're removing traditional colleges to replace them with more Unilodge style hyper-expensive accommodation pitched toward rich international students. They've destroyed most of the public spaces and places for students to hang out at in the past few years too, I couldn't have imagined when I made this thread in 2015 that student life at ANU could seriously deteriorate any further but apparently it has.

(3) and (4) are basically the same thing. ANU is full of head in the cloud academics who have never and will never work in industry. Because it's a "research university" they'll happily employ lecturers who are terrible at teaching and worse at speaking English if they publish lots of papers.
From your comment it sounds like you had Sirimon.

 

[nsw..wollongong]

5) Too many Chinese studies

you're getting salty over Chinese students...?