Monash Malaysia – A Virtual Tour

Selemat Datang!

That’s ‘welcome’ in Malay! It is great that you can join me again! 😊

If you have read my last post (and if not, you should, there is a picture a cute dog after all!) you would know that this year I was supposed to be studying in tropical Malaysia as part of my Global Sustainable Development degree.

You would also know that things haven’t exactly gone to plan…

Still, whilst I am sitting here, on one of the hottest days of the year, I can’t help but be reminded about the short time I did get to spend there.

So, I thought, what better time to share my experiences of Monash Malaysia?

Monash University

I should probably start by introducing Monash University.

Monash is a world-class university which is based primarily in Melbourne, Australia. However, as an ‘international university’, Monash has campuses all over the world. One of these is in Kuala Lumpur, and this is where I was supposed to be studying in March 2020.

We all know however that things since March have been especially… interesting to say the least. However, whilst I didn’t get the full experience of studying at Monash, I did get to spend nearly 8 weeks there.

So today, I want to give you a quick tour around the university.

The Campus

This is Monash Malaysia Front Entrance. It’s probably not the first thing you’ll see when you arrive, but it is as a good place as any to start!

The first thing to mention about Monash Malaysia is that unlike other Monash Campuses, the one in KL is very small! You can walk from one side to other in just two minutes, which can feel very unusual when you are familiar with a much larger campus like Warwick’s.

Once you go through the main gate you will find yourself in the centre of campus.

The campus is very compact, and you can see from the picture above that all of the academic buildings are relatively tall. This allows room for the pleasant, well-shaded open spaces between the buildings, which are full of benches, tropical plants and slowly rotating fans.

It was quiet when I took this photo and sadly, I never got to experience what this space would have been like during term time. I like to think it would have been very lively.

Apart from the academic buildings that border campus, there is also a sports centre, a very popular cafeteria, a library, and a bank.

The campus is also not far away from the ‘Pyramid Shopping Centre’ and is just down the road from the best hospital and doctor’s surgery in the country.

The Accommodation

If you keep walking across campus, you’ll soon get to Sunway Monash Residents (SMR for short). Here you will find a big tower block which you will call home if you choose to study at Monash Malaysia.

I liked my accommodation. I was in a flat of 10 on the 9 Floor. We had a kitchenette, shower rooms, toilets and most importantly air conditioning!

One interesting custom in Malaysia, which took a while to get used to was the practice of leaving your footwear on a communal shoe rack by the front door. Truthfully, I never did manage to get the hang of it and would forever be looking for my shoes in my room!

My room was typical of university accommodation. There was a bed, some shelves, and a cupboard for clothes. Nothing fancy. We did have a mini-fridge though, which we could use to store food or, more importantly, cold water!

Because of the quickly unfurling Covid-19 pandemic, many of my neighbours never arrived on campus so unfortunately, I never got to meet them. However, the handful that I did meet were all very nice. My neighbour Chan, a Malaysian from the city of Ipoh, even told me he had thought Warwick was the best university in the world! News travels fast I guess!

Most of the people living at SMR are local students studying at Monash University or the nearby Sunway College. However, there were also lots of Australians from Monash campuses in Melbourne and even some students from Warwick and other universities across Europe!

Social Spaces

Apart from the accommodation, SMR also had lots of activity and social spaces.

This is the area where I met most of my friends before we went out anywhere. In the background there was a great restaurant that served cheap and yummy Nasi Goreng, a Malaysian rice dish.

Upstairs, there was a small shop, a games room, a gym and a common room with a slide! The common room was a great social space and lots of people met up to chat and play games. We even had a game of Mafia with 50+ people at one point!

Finally, there was the pool. The pool was great! The pool was very popular (especially after a hot day). And best of all, it was free!

So, there we go, virtual tour finito! A quick glimpse into what studying at Monash Malaysia could be like for you.

I hope you have enjoyed today’s post, especially the pictures, there aren’t that many online to look at!

 In my next post, I hope to share everything students can enjoy when they study at Monash Malaysia.

Until the next time! Have a great day!