Universities in Melbourne

Okay, so now I'll look at universities in Melbourne.

I think I've heard of most of the big ones.—University of Melbourne, Monash University, and Deakin. I'm probably missing something important.

Lord Wiki reminded me that I forgot Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, La Trobe University, and Swinburne University of Technology.

Times Higher Education ranks universities around the world. The University of Melbourne is 22 on the list, and Monash is 34. Harvard is number one. The highest Australia school on the list is Australia National University. Jack showed interest in going there. He hasn't talked about it lately. I'd be very pleased if he chose that as his school!

The University of Melbourne was founded in 1853. It's located north of the CBD.

Alumni names I recognize: Deakin, Holt, Menzies, John Brumby, Nicola Roxon, John So, Weary Dunlop, John Monash, Isaac Isaacs, Elizabeth Blackburn, Geoffrey Blainey, Germaine Greer, Helen Garner, Peter Singer.

Maybe Jack will be interested in this school. They have a page for American and Canadian students. They say 6% of the students at the school are American or Canadian. But I'm not sure if they mean 6% of all the students, or 6% of the international students.

Monash University is fairly new. It was established in 1958. I guess that makes sense. I don't think John Monash was that famous until World War II.

Monash has several campuses. The largest one is Clayton. That's about 30 minutes south-east of the CBD.

Alumni names I recognize: Jim Bacon (but he didn't graduate), the Costello Bros., Simon Crean, Steve Fielding, Julian Burnside, Damien Broderick, Peter Carey, Nick Cave (also didn't graduate), Max Gillies, Paul Jennings, Michael Leunig (a homeschooling dad!), and Tim Flannery.

Lord Wiki says the motto of Monash is I'm Still Learning. I like that.

RMIT (Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology) was founded in 1887. They provide a vocational education. I'm a big believer in this. I think if you're going to go to University, it might as well be to get yourself ready for a career. What's the point of learning medieval literature? I mean THERE is a point in learning medieval literature! Of course. But is it worth spending thousands upon thousands of dollars to learn something you could learn free with books from your local public library? Well, I know people in Australia don't have to pay as much for a University education. In America, we have to pay a ridiculous amount.

RMIT has degree programs in Computing and Informational Science. I think that would be a great career path for Jack. I see him there, or somewhere in the arts. He'd be great in the entertainment industry—especially film and television.

RMIT is north of the CBD, near the University of Melbourne.

Alumni names I recognize: Hamish Blake, Sonya Hartnett, John Safran, and Judith Durham.

This might be a great school for Jack. But I'm not sure if they welcome international students. Maybe? I can't find that information.

Swinburne University of Technology was established in 1908. It has several campuses. I think the main one is the Hawthorne one. That's east of the CBD.

They welcome international students.

I was just thinking of my sort-of Australian cousins. I wonder if they'll go to university in Australia. There's a chance they might return to America someday. But if they do, they might miss they're childhood home. So then they can go back for their higher education. That would be cool.

Swinburne alumni names I recognize: Gillian Armstrong, Michael Leunig, and Sidney Nolan. I think Jack would fit in well with those people...or those types of people (creative!). I know they're not students there anymore. And Nolan is kind of dead. Maybe his ghost hangs out at the school.

Swinburne has a Bachelor of Circus Arts. That is TOO incredibly cool. I'm not sure though if the circus would be a good career for Jack. He hasn't yet shown unusual exceptional ability in that area yet. I know he'd LIKE to have those abilities. Maybe if he keeps working on it.  He could just be a late bloomer when it comes to circus stuff. Who knows. Maybe one day he'll be the top circus performer in the world.

Deakin University is younger than me by two years. They have four campuses. Two are in Geelong, one's in Melbourne, and the other is near The Twelve Apostles area.

The Melbourne campus is in Burwood. It's about thirty minutes east of the CBD.

They have degrees in film and other artistic stuff. I think that would work for Jack.

No. Don't worry. I'll let Jack choose his own path. I'm not going to FORCE him to go to school in Australia. But I can't say I'm not going to try at least a little brainwashing.