Finance Electives (1 Viewer)

[fortune_cookie]

I am on to picking electives and I am not quite sure what to do.

I am currently looking at:

- FINS3635 Options, Futures & Risk Mgmt
- FINS3625 Applied Corporate Finance
- FINS3636 Interest Rate Risk Mgmt
- FINS3630 Bank Financial Mgmt
- FINS3641 Security Analysis and Valuation

I am definately doing the first two but I am not quite sure on the others. I need to pick four subjects all together.

I need some past experiences from people that have done the other three.

Has anyone done Interest Rate Risk Mgmt? It seems like it could get a little boring. 12 weeks on just interest rates, seems like it could be a tad boring.

Bank Financial Mgmt seems like a relatively easy content course (similiar to FINS1612, and 1612 was extremely easy) , and according to the 2011 course outline it is 100% assessed by multiple choice ( 4 tutorial tests and a final all with MCQ). Can anyone confirm if it is still 100% multiple choice assessed (is anyone doing it this semester?)

Security Analysis and Valuation seems like it could be interesting, but it looks like Henry Yip is taking it next semester. Apparently he sets really hard tests. I am thinking of probably putting off SAV until semester 1 2013 and hopefully there is a different lecturer taking it lol.

I also don't really have any specific finance jobs in mind. I am not the sort of person that just wants to be an investment banker, I just want a general finance education. I am doing a double major in finance and actuarial studies, so I don't think I really need to specialise in the finance side of things.

 

[Shadowdude]

What are the course codes to these subjects?

 

[fortune_cookie]

What are the course codes to these subjects?

Initial post editted

 

[ct92]

I'm doing FINS3630 this semester, and it is still multiple choice. There are four short quizzes and a final, as well as participation marks. I've found it an interesting subject with lots of talk about risk management, but I will agree that it's not difficult.

I would also like to know which other finance electives people recommend. I've enrolled into FINS3625 (Applied Corporate Finance) for the next semester, though I know people say that's not an easy subject. Then there's one more to choose, and I'm thinking FINS3650 (International Banking) but I'm not sure.

 

[fortune_cookie]

I would also like to know which other finance electives people recommend. I've enrolled into FINS3625 (Applied Corporate Finance) for the next semester, though I know people say that's not an easy subject. .

FINS3625 has a group presentation worth 15% by the look of it (from past course outlines). Other than that, I don't think it would be too bad. I think it is like FINS1613 but in more depth.'

I have also found that Security Analysis and Valuation involves group assignment and presentation worth 20% all together.

It's all about getting the mix of interesting subjects , but also relatively easy subjects. I don't want to do Security Analysis and Valuation and then get screwed over on the group assignment when I could have done Bank Financial Mgmt and secured an easy, high HD. I just can't ignore an easy HD subject.

 

[ct92]

Though I don't like group assignments much, it's only 15% and I'll agree that FINS3625 doesn't look too hard, and it's the only one that fits into my timetable this semester. It might be somewhat useful as well, which is a nice perk.

 

[deterministic]

Has anyone done Interest Rate Risk Mgmt? It seems like it could get a little boring. 12 weeks on just interest rates, seems like it could be a tad boring.

Bank Financial Mgmt seems like a relatively easy content course (similiar to FINS1612, and 1612 was extremely easy) , and according to the 2011 course outline it is 100% assessed by multiple choice ( 4 tutorial tests and a final all with MCQ). Can anyone confirm if it is still 100% multiple choice assessed (is anyone doing it this semester?)

Security Analysis and Valuation seems like it could be interesting, but it looks like Henry Yip is taking it next semester. Apparently he sets really hard tests. I am thinking of probably putting off SAV until semester 1 2013 and hopefully there is a different lecturer taking it lol.

I did SAV and IRRM, both of which are pretty easy. None of them really that interesting to be honest. It doesn't really matter which finance course you choose as they are generally good WAM boosters. Henry Yip's tests aren't hard and he scales pretty generously too.

 

[seremify007]

I did FINS3630 BFM and it was peace of cake. The lecturer was a bit of an idiot and doesn't know much about banking (nor how to lecture), and he lectured on securitisation based on what he read on Wikipedia (great eh?)... that being said, the textbook (whilst full of errors) and the content, I felt was quite interesting and was very relevant to anyone who plans to work in financial services. It touches on a lot of concepts and ideas but never really goes into much depth- but you'll learn what you need on the job anyway.

 

[Shadowdude]

Finance... WAM boosters

oh you people

 

[fortune_cookie]

Finance... WAM boosters

oh you people

Finance subjects are relatively easy. Especially the first year finance subjects. FINS1612 is a gift from the gods

It's just that some people don't seem to appreciate them. I am doing FINS1612 this semester and some people just don't seem to understand how much a good mark in FINS1612 can boost your WAM. We just had the final lecture yesterday and we were talking about hints for the final exam and one student went up to the lecturer and asked him if he would be given an unsatisfactory fail if he got 50% overall, but only got 10% on the final exam. It's like "god, how can you be so stupid?". These are the easiest marks you will ever get in your degree, why would you just give them up? It is going to be a lot harder to improve your WAM on a 3rd year subject. Just because the subject is easy, doesn't mean you should slack off. If anything you should be working even harder to ensure you get all the easy marks.

 

[seremify007]

Given how many people talk up their ability at FINS1612, I ask how many people here got an HD in it.

 

[fortune_cookie]

Given how many people talk up their ability at FINS1612, I ask how many people here got an HD in it.

I will be able to tell you when the results for this semester come out.

I got 28/30 for Quiz1 and 41/45 for Quiz2.

It should have been 42/45 for Quiz2, but the lecturer isn't willing to admit that he worded one of the questions incorrectly. His defense is that I "should have know that I was not on the right track because my answer was significantly different to the 4 choices given". He gave us a question that involved a "profit" figure. He did not specify before tax or after tax. I made the very reasonable assumption that it was after tax, and all of the answer options relied on it being interpreted as "before tax".

I am definately looking at a HD for 1612.

Quiz 1 worth 20%
Quiz 2 worth 30%
Tutorial Participation worth 5% (Fairly sure my tutor will give me 5/5)
Final exam worth 45%

 

[ct92]

Given how many people talk up their ability at FINS1612, I ask how many people here got an HD in it.

Almost - I got 80. I did get an HD in FINS1613 though.

 

[Shadowdude]

Well, I got 72 in FINS1613 and 75 in FINS1612.

You might go "ohhh they're so easy - how could you possibly stuff that up"

Simple. I have zero motivation for those subjects.

So my advice if you're going to pick subjects as 'WAM boosters' is: "Make sure you're interested in the subject in the first place, so you'll actually study for them".

 

[halapenyo]

Well, I got 72 in FINS1613 and 75 in FINS1612.

You might go "ohhh they're so easy - how could you possibly stuff that up"

Simple. I have zero motivation for those subjects.

So my advice if you're going to pick subjects as 'WAM boosters' is: "Make sure you're interested in the subject in the first place, so you'll actually study for them".

wow you did pretty well considering you didnt study for it. i would be extremely happy with 72 and 75

 

[Shadowdude]

wow you did pretty well considering you didnt study for it. i would be extremely happy with 72 and 75

Thanks! But... 72 and 75, yeah... there are a few reasons why I wasn't happy with that.

But then again you have some people who are just happy to pass - I, ideally, want 75+ or 80+ in all my subjects. Just how people differ, I guess.

 

[fortune_cookie]

Well, I got 72 in FINS1613 and 75 in FINS1612.

You might go "ohhh they're so easy - how could you possibly stuff that up"

Simple. I have zero motivation for those subjects.

So my advice if you're going to pick subjects as 'WAM boosters' is: "Make sure you're interested in the subject in the first place, so you'll actually study for them".

I never knew finance was that much harder than advanced maths. Would have thought someone good at maths would have killed finance. Like 30-40% of 1613 and 1612 is basic mathematical calculations.

 

[Shadowdude]

I never knew finance was that much harder than advanced maths. Would have thought someone good at maths would have killed finance. Like 30-40% of 1613 and 1612 is basic mathematical calculations.

Keep reading: "I have zero motivation for those subjects".

Yes, the maths is easy - but pretty much the only homework I did was just cramming before the exam. But it takes more than 'having the ability to do well in the subject' to do well in the subject itself. You need motivation, and drive to take time out and say, "I'm going to study for this".

 

[seremify007]

Well I put a lot of effort into 1612 and got an HD. Agreed it was nowhere near as hard as some of the later finance subjects but it still required quite a lot of effort.

On another note to the above, finance can be broadly split into two categories- the quantitative and the qualitative subjects. Me being rubbish at maths and so forth went for the qualitative route doing subjects like wealth management, bank financial management, international corporate governance... and they were far easier for me than if I had picked things which actually involved maths. Admittedly I might've been better off if I had learnt about Black Scholes in uni rather than at work but ultimately anything you need in practice you'll learn from experience.

 

[Shadowdude]

Ah, we just learned Black-Scholes today in FINS2624 (Portfolio Management)