Generic University Questions (1 Viewer)

[Scinery]

Could current uni students please answer the following questions:

1) How many Majors/Minors are we allowed to do?

2) How many Majors and Minors do people usually do?

3) How long do "6 Units of Credit" usually take to complete, and how much do we learn?

4) If we can choose our timetable, is it better to group tutes/lectures together, or spread them across the week? Considering I live far away BUT i have many friends going to UNSW.

5) How many people actually do listen to lectures online? (After missing the lecture)

6) How many people are accepted into Honours? Is it really hard?

7) Is it true that uni textbooks are really expensive, and i should start buying from older students NOW?

8) How many people keep their jobs in uni? How many hours a week do most people work and what kind of work do people do? I currently have 3 jobs and i don't know whether to quit or which ones!

8) Medicine and Law students excepted, does anyone actually stick to the same plan they had in high school? Or does everyone change their mind?

At the moment I have a good idea of what majors i'm going to do, honours, and masters, and then career. Is this a good thing? or am I likely to change my mind?

(commerce/science; major in marketing or HR // psychology; masters in organizational psychology)

Thanks to anyone who can answer one or many of the above questions

 

[melsc]

Could current uni students please answer the following questions:

1) How many Majors/Minors are we allowed to do?

2) How many Majors and Minors do people usually do?

3) How long do "6 Units of Credit" usually take to complete, and how much do we learn?

4) If we can choose our timetable, is it better to group tutes/lectures together, or spread them across the week? Considering I live far away BUT i have many friends going to UNSW.

5) How many people actually do listen to lectures online? (After missing the lecture)

6) How many people are accepted into Honours? Is it really hard?

7) Is it true that uni textbooks are really expensive, and i should start buying from older students NOW?

8) How many people keep their jobs in uni? How many hours a week do most people work and what kind of work do people do? I currently have 3 jobs and i don't know whether to quit or which ones!

8) Medicine and Law students excepted, does anyone actually stick to the same plan they had in high school? Or does everyone change their mind?

At the moment I have a good idea of what majors i'm going to do, honours, and masters, and then career. Is this a good thing? or am I likely to change my mind?

(commerce/science; major in marketing or HR // psychology; masters in organizational psychology)

Thanks to anyone who can answer one or many of the above questions

1. Depends on the degree
2. Depends on the degree.
3.Depends on the course and unit
4. Personal preference. I prefer to get it all over with and its easier to go when you have a few classes rather than just an hr or 2 but again its personal preference.
5.At MQ...lots of people but I find it need to go, I am not that good at listening without being there.
6. Depends on the course and uni arts all you needed was a credit average at MQ whereas law its higher but you only do one honours subject rather than a whole year.
7. Depends on the subject matter, Law books are very expensive I usually spend something like $400-$1000 per semester. Be careful of older editions, if its not the same edition as set, the page numbers will be different, making doing the set readings harder and it may be out of date. Just wait till you know more about the course and then see how you go. Do not by recommended texts until you start the course and see what the lecturer says about them. I rarely buy them.
8. Most people work although the amount you will be able to work depends on the person and the course, its better to cut back a fair bit when you start out as its hard to adjust to uni life. I work between 8-16hrs, I occasionally pick up an extra day when I have time.

To give you better answers you need to be specific, courses vary heaps as do unis and its hard to give general info

 

[spence]

Could current uni students please answer the following questions:

1) How many Majors/Minors are we allowed to do?

2) How many Majors and Minors do people usually do?

3) How long do "6 Units of Credit" usually take to complete, and how much do we learn?

4) If we can choose our timetable, is it better to group tutes/lectures together, or spread them across the week? Considering I live far away BUT i have many friends going to UNSW.

5) How many people actually do listen to lectures online? (After missing the lecture)

6) How many people are accepted into Honours? Is it really hard?

7) Is it true that uni textbooks are really expensive, and i should start buying from older students NOW?

8) How many people keep their jobs in uni? How many hours a week do most people work and what kind of work do people do? I currently have 3 jobs and i don't know whether to quit or which ones!

8) Medicine and Law students excepted, does anyone actually stick to the same plan they had in high school? Or does everyone change their mind?

At the moment I have a good idea of what majors i'm going to do, honours, and masters, and then career. Is this a good thing? or am I likely to change my mind?

(commerce/science; major in marketing or HR // psychology; masters in organizational psychology)

Thanks to anyone who can answer one or many of the above questions

As melsc said, most depend on the uni/subject/person.
For 8), I work about 24 hours per week, which would be more than most people, but a lot of people do work

 

[missanonymous7]

Could current uni students please answer the following questions:

4) If we can choose our timetable, is it better to group tutes/lectures together, or spread them across the week? Considering I live far away BUT i have many friends going to UNSW.

Depends on personal preference, but I (and a lot of people I know) prefer to group them together, with a few breaks in between. The less time spent on campus, the better IMO!

5) How many people actually do listen to lectures online? (After missing the lecture)

Despite best intentions, a lot of people don't. It's a bit like new years resolutions.

7) Is it true that uni textbooks are really expensive, and i should start buying from older students NOW?

They are pretty expensive. Try and wait until one or two weeks into semester before you think about buying them, because sometimes you might hardly use a set textbook at all, and so it's not worth buying in the first place. Get as many textbooks secondhand as you can because you save a LOT of money this way!

At the moment I have a good idea of what majors i'm going to do, honours, and masters, and then career. Is this a good thing? or am I likely to change my mind?

Depends how much you like your courses once you start them

 

[hotdimsim]

8) How many people keep their jobs in uni? How many hours a week do most people work and what kind of work do people do? I currently have 3 jobs and i don't know whether to quit or which ones!

8) Medicine and Law students excepted, does anyone actually stick to the same plan they had in high school? Or does everyone change their mind?

At the moment I have a good idea of what majors i'm going to do, honours, and masters, and then career. Is this a good thing? or am I likely to change my mind?

(commerce/science; major in marketing or HR // psychology; masters in organizational psychology)

Thanks to anyone who can answer one or many of the above questions

Unless you can support yourself without working then by all means do it. I live at home and i work 15 hours a week which pays for my social life, petrol and my phone bill. Work is also great to break the monotony of uni

No person can say whether you will change your mind. Its personal, and you may or may not.
Some (probably lucky) people get to uni, find what their doing is brilliant and go through life in high school -> uni -> postgrad/job without changing their minds. Others (me) find what their studying isnt what they thought it was they wanted to do and need to discover what they want to do.
One person isnt better off or worse off that the other (except for a possible higher hecs debt) it just proves that you dont know what the future will hold.

 

[Davo1111]

1) How many Majors/Minors are we allowed to do?
With a single bachelor degree, you will usually do 2 majors (thats the norm). Minors jumble shit up, and it changes between unis.


2) How many Majors and Minors do people usually do?

as per above.

3) How long do "6 Units of Credit" usually take to complete, and how much do we learn?


6 units changes between universities. ANU uses 6 units to classify a standard course. A fulltime student will do 4 units per semester * 2 semesters = 8 a year.

the number of hours for each class changes, depending on what course you do. Generally arts based courses have 1-3 hrs of lectures/tutes per course, where science will have 5-8 hrs.

4) If we can choose our timetable, is it better to group tutes/lectures together, or spread them across the week? Considering I live far away BUT i have many friends going to UNSW.
put them all into one hump imo. I spread mine out too far and it was crap having all these 1hr breaks. But you have to be organised, no leaving shit to the last minute.


5) How many people actually do listen to lectures online? (After missing the lecture)

oh gawd - alot.

6) How many people are accepted into Honours? Is it really hard?

depends on course, usually the HD kids, possibly the D kids depending on the course. C kids, in courses where its really easy

7) Is it true that uni textbooks are really expensive, and i should start buying from older students NOW?
nope. wait till the teacher tells you what u need. just get their numbers.

People whinge about the price of text books, but its not that bad.
Just be smart and dont buy every book they "suggest". most books are available for 2hr loan in the library


8) How many people keep their jobs in uni? How many hours a week do most people work and what kind of work do people do? I currently have 3 jobs and i don't know whether to quit or which ones!

25%

8) Medicine and Law students excepted, does anyone actually stick to the same plan they had in high school? Or does everyone change their mind?

30-40% of first years change... (i think)

At the moment I have a good idea of what majors i'm going to do, honours, and masters, and then career. Is this a good thing? or am I likely to change my mind?

yes and yes. but keep your options open.

 

[Josie]

Could current uni students please answer the following questions:

1) How many Majors/Minors are we allowed to do?

2) How many Majors and Minors do people usually do?

3) How long do "6 Units of Credit" usually take to complete, and how much do we learn?

4) If we can choose our timetable, is it better to group tutes/lectures together, or spread them across the week? Considering I live far away BUT i have many friends going to UNSW.

5) How many people actually do listen to lectures online? (After missing the lecture)

6) How many people are accepted into Honours? Is it really hard?

7) Is it true that uni textbooks are really expensive, and i should start buying from older students NOW?

8) How many people keep their jobs in uni? How many hours a week do most people work and what kind of work do people do? I currently have 3 jobs and i don't know whether to quit or which ones!

8) Medicine and Law students excepted, does anyone actually stick to the same plan they had in high school? Or does everyone change their mind?

At the moment I have a good idea of what majors i'm going to do, honours, and masters, and then career. Is this a good thing? or am I likely to change my mind?

(commerce/science; major in marketing or HR // psychology; masters in organizational psychology)

Thanks to anyone who can answer one or many of the above questions

1/2 : depends on your university/degree, but for example, I did two majors and a minor.
3 : depends on university/degree, but it's usually spread across a semester, so you'll do for example 24 units of credit in a semester which would be 3-4 subjects.
4: it's really personal preference. I spread mine out across the week because I live 5 minuts walk from uni. I also have the advantage of being in all the same classes (just about) as my friends /housemates.
For you, if you can handle it, I'd recommend squishing them up so you don't have as much travel time.
5: personal preference, and it depends on a) how much you care about the subject b) if there are even lectures online (none of mine are) c) if you'll need the lecture context for exams/assessments, or if you can get away with readings/tutorials.
6) varies depending on university/course, but for example Politics/History Honours at UoW this year had about 8 candidates. Of those, only one person completed on time, the rest went part time so they could have an extension. This is partially to do with the structure of the course. It's probably hardest in a time-management sense, an Arts Honours at UoW has the 15,000+ word thesis plus two 12 credit point subjects to be completed within 8 months.
7 : depends on course/university again, but buy textbooks second hand if you can, there may be times where you cannot, such as changes in editions affecting exercises/tutorial questions. Textbooks are certainly more expensive than normal books, and I find as an Arts student I spent about $500 in the year, and our costs are nothing like science/medicine/etc.
8 : most people I know work some sort of job at university, around 8-16 hours a week. I personally work 10 hours a week, but am quitting to focus more time on honours as well as some university research work.

I think it is good to have goals, but it is also good to be flexible in those goals. For example, I initially studied Architecture, then transferred to Arts with the intention of doing History/English and teaching, but I ended up completing my degree in Politics/Sociology, and after Honours/some full time work, I hope to go back to do my PhD. Never say never!

 

[Scinery]

Thanks very much everyone! Very helpful comments


Can someone also please tell me when the mid-year HOLIDAYS generally start and finish? For UNSW especially?

I want to plan a holiday!

 

[babikakez]

I'm not going to comment on a lot of this, because I don't go to UNSW and others have answered those questions fine.

5) How many people actually do listen to lectures online? (After missing the lecture)

I do. Lots of people don't bother, but I'd say my marks were better because of that effort.

7) Is it true that uni textbooks are really expensive, and i should start buying from older students NOW?

Textbooks are expensive, but lecturers/unit coordinators are ALWAYS changing the textbook, so don't buy too far in advance. That said, I picked up a Politics reader last year (brand new) for a unit I'm doing this year for $5. That way if a lot of content changes, I'm not too much out of pocket, but if not I've got a good deal.

8) How many people keep their jobs in uni? How many hours a week do most people work and what kind of work do people do? I currently have 3 jobs and i don't know whether to quit or which ones!

Most people I know have jobs. And the ones that don't don't neccessarily do any better, they just have more time to waste. Keep the most flexible ones.

 

[Andi0390]

Could current uni students please answer the following questions:

1) How many Majors/Minors are we allowed to do?

The standard is different at different unis. Some its standard to do two majors, but the sort of minimum people seem to do is a major and a minor. Remember you will have to do a certain amount of a few courses to get the required credits at the correct level. Like you can't just do your major and all the rest of your units first years all the way through - and most things beyond first year have pre-requisites. It will also differ depending on your degree.


3) How long do "6 Units of Credit" usually take to complete, and how much do we learn?

I was under the impression that each semester block is usually work "6" credits. So each year you do 48. I believe that is the standard for most courses, but I just do arts, so I can't be sure. It will be like a full, reasonably stand alone, semester course with essays, tute participation, tests and possibly oral presentations. You will be required to learn a certain amount but also do your own research into a more specialised area for your essays or something.

4) If we can choose our timetable, is it better to group tutes/lectures together, or spread them across the week? Considering I live far away BUT i have many friends going to UNSW.

This is tricky and its something that I can never quite decide. Lumping all your classes together is three days, back to back, can be great. You turn up, do it all, and then leave. At the same time I find after the fourth hour of class/lecture I do not absorb anything any more, and often I cut the end of and leave early, or get so hungry I skip a lecture. Also, I have found that if I have a two hour break its not enough time to go home, but good for going to the library and studying. What I ended up doing was setting "full days" for myself. Like if I had to turn up three days a week I would go from 9am - 5pm, and do my lectures but in the spare 4 hours or whatever I would go the library and study. Then I could have the rest of the week/weekend feeling less guilty.

Its more fun for you having them lumped, but you're more successful with gaps between. I think two hours is the optimum gap. Make sure you have study times, its no use having gaps if you're going to hang out with friends, you might as well just lump.

5) How many people actually do listen to lectures online? (After missing the lecture)

No one. Come exam week you'll try and listen to the ones they drop hints about, but you'll get 10 mins in and then decide the course readings will have to do. Its really hard to turn up for lectures, and its so easy saying you'll listen to them later. But you won't. And you'll fall behind. Its only like 45 minutes out of your life, go to the lecture.

6) How many people are accepted into Honours? Is it really hard?

I was under the impression you just needed a distinction average, which requires dedication, but isn't really that hard. My GPA would be significantly higher if I handed assignments in on time, and went to tutes.

7) Is it true that uni textbooks are really expensive, and i should start buying from older students NOW?

Depends on your course. Some you won't even need ones, some you'll need heaps and they can be pricey. I keep all my books though, I sort of view it as an investment in the future. After all I meant to know all this when I leave, I want references. So I buy them new and take care of them.

8) How many people keep their jobs in uni? How many hours a week do most people work and what kind of work do people do? I currently have 3 jobs and i don't know whether to quit or which ones!

You can easily hold down a casual job but come test time you might need a few weeks off. Remember you are meant to devote like 8 - 10 hours a week to each individual subject you do. No matter how many promises you make to yourself, you will not do this on weekends.

8) Medicine and Law students excepted, does anyone actually stick to the same plan they had in high school? Or does everyone change their mind?

I changed my mind, and I know some who did and some who didn't. Don't stress, if you are in a fairly flexible degree you should be fine. Go with the flow.

At the moment I have a good idea of what majors i'm going to do, honours, and masters, and then career. Is this a good thing? or am I likely to change my mind?

(commerce/science; major in marketing or HR // psychology; masters in organizational psychology)

Stop thinking about that. Its going to stress you out, and if you decide that you want to change your mind then you'll feel lost, and unsure about a lot of things. Pick your first year subjects, with marketing, psych and two others that interest you. After the first semester then re-evaluate. Its rather ridiculous planning that far ahead. Try your best, get your best marks and that will keep as many options open as possible. Aim high but don't seduced by the idea of something. The reality and the idea of things, especially university courses, is often very different. Keep an open mind and do the best you can, and hopefully you'll have an open future. If you are just leaving high school now I don't think its physically possible to actually know what you want to do in the future, because you change so much so often.

Thanks to anyone who can answer one or many of the above questions

Hope that helped at all.

 

[Triangulum]

Thanks very much everyone! Very helpful comments


Can someone also please tell me when the mid-year HOLIDAYS generally start and finish? For UNSW especially?

I want to plan a holiday!

it's usually most of july. this varies a bit from uni to uni (specially UNSW because they have shorter semesters than other unis) so check on the website.

 

[Davo1111]

Thanks very much everyone! Very helpful comments


Can someone also please tell me when the mid-year HOLIDAYS generally start and finish? For UNSW especially?

I want to plan a holiday!

its on the website dude, you're a big boy now

 

[rx34]

Hey was wondering whether anyone could help me out on this. I wish to practise law overseas, but the country I wish to apply to states that I have to be top 30% of my cohort (at least 2nd lower honours). What grades do I need to get? Hopefully I will be doing combined law in USyd, ANU or Monash.

Currently my GPA for just a single degree commerce is 6.25, WAM is 79.50.

 

[Scinery]

thanks again

 

[Josie]

https://my.unsw.edu.au/student/resources/AcademicCalendar.html