Hi everyone.

I've got a question.

In your opinion, what are the pros and cons of studying in Singapore's universities (mainly NUS or NTU) and Australia's universities (mainly Group of 8 universities)?

I ask because right now, I am in kind of a special position.

I was born in Australia but raised in Malaysia. After all these years, I am forced to migrate back to Australia and honestly, I hate it here. But the thing is, Australia's universities are probably thought of as more prestigious than Malaysia's universities. I do not know how true that is as I do not have facts to support the claim, however it really seems as though Australian universities are perceived to be better than Malaysian universities.

Anyway, I want a Malaysian lifestyle AND a good education. So I turned to Singapore's NUS and NTU. High quality education from prestigious universities combined with a very "Malaysian" lifestyle. Best of both worlds.

So back to the question. What are the pros and cons of studying in Singapore and Australia, if money and admission into the universities are assumed to be not an issue?

I know. I just want to know more about the difference(s) of studying in Singapore and Australia. I'll probably go back to Malaysia to live one day, assuming it still remains a good place to be in the future.

Yeah that's why I specified NUS and NTU in Singapore. Near-Malaysian lifestyle plus good education.

Hey LightningFist. It's you again. Nice to see you're still here!

I would risk a guess that it would be competitive to enter any Go8 universities, NUS and NTU, since all these universities are highly reputable. I want to know if, in my position, it would be wise and/or logical to leave Australia and go for Singapore universities (NUS/NTU).

Rant:

Yes it's different, I get to enjoy significantly cheaper tuition fees as a local.

I'm actually living in a suburb north of Sydney. Restaurants in this area do not close on 5PM. The ones I've been to actually close quite late, about 9PM I think. The food here is, surprisingly, quite good, although it is very expensive when compared to Malaysian food. Eating out may slowly become a luxury here.

Negative temperatures? I don't think Australia has negative temperatures, does it? The lowest I've seen here is just a little under 10 degrees. Many of my friends think Australia has snow too, which isn't true.

But then again, maybe I just don't have any friends here. Life had to drag me more than 4000 miles away from my friends to make me realize how important friends are.

Last year, I was indeed aiming for uber-competitive medicine. But now I guess I'm gonna go for business studies or whatever floats my boat, although I did take the 2012 UMAT exam. Coming from a family of doctors, I don't see how being a doctor aligns with my interests. And the doctors in my family proved that.

However, if I were to be offered a place in medicine, I guess there's no harm trying for at least one semester and see if it suits me.

Oh, and I also want you to know how nice it is to have someone finally understands my situation. I feel like nobody knows what I'm talking about when I tell my friends my "story" in Australia, although it is forgivable since none of them really came to Australia in the first place and all of them seem to think Australia is "the best".

I really hope that spring will be better. I've never been happy for even once since I migrated (forcefully) here. Life is trying to shove some of its lessons down my throat and believe me, it is extremely hard and excruciating to swallow it. Mere words cannot express the difficulty of my current situation, I'm afraid. I just hope no human has to go through what I'm going through.

Like I mention to LightningFist just now, I guess it's difficult because I don't have any friends here. Maybe I would live to love Australia 6 months later when university starts and I start to find new friends. But until then, the following 6 months will be the most arduous journey I'll have to walk in my life.

I have friends that say my situation is not that bad since I am here with my family. Oh they are so wrong I do not even know how and where to start correcting them. I want them to understand and feel what I'm feeling and going through, but then they're my friends and I wouldn't want any human to actually go through all this.

Anyway, I'm pretty sure we're way off topic now. But it feels so much better to rant about it and have someone understand me. For that, I thank both of you seniors, LightningFist and limeuu.

Spoilers added to quotes to ease viewing.

People say Sydney is a great place, but I don't understand why. There's nothing in the city of Sydney, save for the IMAX Theatre. I can't even think of a reason to go.

It's not negative-cold, but still it's very cold. Winter's piercing winds kills any mood to go out (not that there's anywhere to go, actually).

Yeah, I had to lose everything I have to begin truly appreciating everything back in Malaysia. Many people think Australia is awesome and all that, but I beg to differ. However, I think it sucks only because I don't have friends here. Maybe things will change 6 months later, that is IF I can survive the next 6 months.

Back to my question, I think people might perceive studying in Australia as more prestigious than studying in Singapore. Maybe Singapore is when people cannot afford further places of studying, i.e. UK, US or Australia. With that said, it would be ironic for me to go back and study in Singapore since I have the opportunity to study in Australia. Would job prospects be better if one graduates from Australia?

There is no difference in studying a degree in any of Monash's campus?

Is the degree to be awarded "valued" equally if one got the degree from Malaysia and another from Australia?

This post has been edited by SRLee: Aug 8 2012, 09:33 AM

I did plan to go back to Malaysia. Heck, I wanted to go back just a week after I arrive in Australia.

But for reasons that are too complicated to express here, I could not.

I see. So the main advantage of having a degree from an Australian institution is the opportunity to work in more countries, including Australia itself? This is a huge advantage, is it not? More places available to go is always better than being stuck in one place.

That being said, I now think it is wiser and more logical for me to get a degree from an Australian institute, disregarding the environment. If that is so, I guess this thread can be closed.