Monash University

I had friends that stayed in the dorms at Monash. They are tiny and about an hour by public transport to the city. They all seemed to meet only American students and hang out with only Americans so to me it seemed to lessen their experience abroad.

The best thing is to share an apartment with some Australians, but you need to get there about 10 days before school starts to look around.

I have to begin with our favorite resturant...it is the Sugar Palm, Royal Thai Cuisine. It is located on Bridge rd. in North Richmond. We went there so much I think they started to know what we were going to order before we sat down! There are so many great places to eat and you can get anything you want for basically any price, from Italian to Vietnamese. As for night life, Melbourne provides so many options it is hard to chose. You can go dancing at QBH and Metro, or have a few beers at Bridie O'Rielly's (excellent for St. Patty's day) or take in a footy game at the MCG and then head to the casino. No matter what you do, you will have a great time and there will be something completely different for you to do tomorrow!

Location expenses always come first, so avoid any 'impulsive' transaction.

You should know that although it is Australia it gets really cold in Melbourne in July and August.