Help me choose my courses for Commerce/Science first year. (1 Viewer)

[Pyramid]

Hi, and sorry for this monster post. I'll be starting a combined Commerce/Science degree at UNSW in March. I'd just like some advice on which 8 courses to pick for this coming year. Most course descriptions on the uni site read like advertising so I'd appreciate some BoSer insight.

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The Comm/Sci page (http://www.handbook.unsw.edu.au/undergraduate/programs/2011/3529.html) states that I must complete:

+ 1 first-year math course.
+ 1 statistics course.
+ 3 compulsory core Commerce courses.
+ 4 flexible core Commerce courses.
+ another 7 Commerce courses for a major.
+ at least 14 Science courses.
+ electives

= to make a total of 32 courses over 4 years.

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Within Science, I have considered majoring in:
Physics
Psychology
Computer Science

Within Commerce:
Finance
Financial Economics / Business Economics
Marketing
Human Resources

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I haven't been exposed to much Commerce in school, so my goal in first year is to get as broad a taste of what Commerce offers, then use that experience to decide whether to keep studying Commerce or to drop/transfer.

I'd like advice on picking strong, non-BS courses. I want to learn stuff that's worthwhile regardless of whether I pursue it through to a career. I think Finance and Economics might make for such "worthwhile" specialisations. Please suggest alternatives that you think might be similarly worthwhile, as well as stuff to avoid.

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Considering the above, I've made made my own draft plan for first year:

Semester 1:
+ Accounting & Financial Mgt 1A
+ Microeconomics
+ Managing Organisations&People
(^^^the 3 compulsory Commerce courses)
+ a first-yr Math course (I completed 4U Math for HSC, please suggest)

Semester 2:
+ a Stats course useful for Psych, Physics, Finance and Eco (please suggest)
+ an introductory Finance/Eco course depending on Semester 1 compulsory course I prefer
+ 2 Science courses

Please offer your own suggestions, whether they be large or small, for the short term or long. Cheers

 

[chaminda]

Hi Pyramid,

Ok I'll see what I can do.

 

[deterministic]

First year maths course => Do MATH1131/MATH1141 (1141 if you want to major in Physics and computer science) - for more information, go to unsw maths website
If you major in physics and computer science you may need to do MATH1231/MATH1241 as well. If you want to do computer science, do MATH1081 (Discrete mathematics) as well

If you major in Physics, you need to do PHYS1131 (and PHYS1231 eventually), for computer science, do COMP1911 (If you have no programming experience) or COMP1917 (If you have programmed with C++ before)

For the stats course, do ECON1203 - Business and Economic Statistics (this covers the core for commerce).

If you want a taste of finance, do FINS1612/1613.

 

[Failure_123]

Doing science and commerce doesn't make sense? You want to be a scientist but also a businessman? seriously kids these days. You might as well do law/medicine if they offered it....

 

[kaz1]

1st sem:

Math1131/1141
Phys1131
Econ1101
Fins1613/1612

 

[Shadowdude]

Doing science and commerce doesn't make sense? You want to be a scientist but also a businessman? seriously kids these days. You might as well do law/medicine if they offered it....

Science encompasses mathematics as well, you know.

 

[Lexygirl]

Hi pyramid,

I'm also going start a commerce science degree at UNSW next year (assuming everything goes to plan tonight, ATAR: 98.95). I wasn't exposed to many aspects of commerce in high school either, as I didn't do subjects like accounting, business management, etc. However, I did do economics and I enjoyed it thoroughly.

I chose commerce/science for the following reasons:

- It seems to me that economics graduates mainly work in the public policies sector, and it also appears that you must be truly exceptional to have a rewarding career (i.e. being an advisor for the RBA), as career opportunities are quite limited in comparison to the commerce sector. I'm not sure whether I can reach that level of excellence, so I'm going to see how I go in the macroeconomics course in comparison to finance/actuary courses, and decide whether I stay in commerce to major in finance or whether I transfer to economics.

- For the science degree, I plan to major in statistics as it will be an invaluable degree whether I decide to do finance or economics. The number of mathematics graduates are dwindling, but the "nerve centre" of any financial corporation depends on statistical modellings.

I haven't decided what I will do in first and second semester yet, but similar to your approach, I'm going to try both economics and finance related courses to see where I perform best at. However I'm going to get stuck straight into my statistics major as I'm certain that I will follow down this path.


Oh, and as a finance/stats graduate, I hope to work in investment banking. And if I decide to change to economics, I will most likely go into public policies (and probably transfer to ANU as well).

May I ask what your reasoning is behind your interest in a phsyics/phsyc/comp. sci major along with a commerce degree? Or is 2011 going to be your test-everything year?

 

[Shadowdude]

Hi pyramid,

I'm also going start a commerce science degree at UNSW next year (assuming everything goes to plan tonight, ATAR: 98.95). I wasn't exposed to many aspects of commerce in high school either, as I didn't do subjects like accounting, business management, etc. However, I did do economics and I enjoyed it thoroughly.

I chose commerce/science for the following reasons:

- It seems to me that economics graduates mainly work in the public policies sector, and it also appears that you must be truly exceptional to have a rewarding career (i.e. being an advisor for the RBA), as career opportunities are quite limited in comparison to the commerce sector. I'm not sure whether I can reach that level of excellence, so I'm going to see how I go in the macroeconomics course in comparison to finance/actuary courses, and decide whether I stay in commerce to major in finance or whether I transfer to economics.

- For the science degree, I plan to major in statistics as it will be an invaluable degree whether I decide to do finance or economics. The number of mathematics graduates are dwindling, but the "nerve centre" of any financial corporation depends on statistical modellings.

I haven't decided what I will do in first and second semester yet, but similar to your approach, I'm going to try both economics and finance related courses to see where I perform best at. However I'm going to get stuck straight into my statistics major as I'm certain that I will follow down this path.


Oh, and as a finance/stats graduate, I hope to work in investment banking. And if I decide to change to economics, I will most likely go into public policies (and probably transfer to ANU as well).

May I ask what your reasoning is behind your interest in a phsyics/phsyc/comp. sci major along with a commerce degree? Or is 2011 going to be your test-everything year?

You're also doing Commerce/Science at UNSW? Awesome. I'm doing that too - hopefully =P

The maths subjects you should do are determined by your maths in the HSC. What did you do?

 

[Lexygirl]

You're also doing Commerce/Science at UNSW? Awesome. I'm doing that too - hopefully =P

The maths subjects you should do are determined by your maths in the HSC. What did you do?

good luck! I hope you get in! I'm from QLD, so I did Maths B (I received high VHA's, if marks also determine the course you go into)....do you know what the equivalent in NSW is? What course will they put me in?

What are you planning to major in?

 

[Shadowdude]

Maths B... after a bit of research - it's equivalent to normal Mathematics in NSW. That'll fit you in for the Mathematics 1 if you did very well. I assume that's what high VHA means - because in NSW they only recommend things.

But if you're doing Comm./Sci - you pick your subjects, they [uni] only recommend what courses you do.


I was planning to do a double major in the Science component of Applied Maths and Statistics with perhaps a major in Finance for the Commerce component... but I'm not sure. I'll have to go talk to the maths people there to map out what I need to do.

 

[Pyramid]

Thanks everyone for their replies.

For my first semester courses, I want to do 4 of the following courses:

Math1131 (Mathematics 1A) --or-- Math1141 (Higher Mathematics 1A)
Econ1101 (Microeconomics 1) --or-- Econ1102 (Macroeconomics 1)
Fins1612 (Capital Markets & Institution) --or-- Fins1613 (Business Finance)
Mark1012 (Marketing Fundamentals)
Phys1131 (Physics 1A)
Psyc1001 (Psychology 1A)


Two focussed questions:

1) The UNSW Math website recommends Math1141 only if I got at least a total of 175 in Math X1/X2. I achieved a total of 164 (X1: 88 / X2: 76). Tbh I'm not very passionate about Math. Should I try Math1141 or just stick to 1131?

2) Microeconomics 1 or Macroeconomics 1? Keep in mind that I'll be doing a finance course, so I don't want an Eco course that's too similar.

 

[deterministic]

1) Stick to 1131 then
2) Micro 1 - it is a commerce core (you have to do it for commerce degree)

 

[Pyramid]

1) Stick to 1131 then
2) Micro 1 - it is a commerce core (you have to do it for commerce degree)

Thanks for your thoughts. I think I will stick to those which you've suggested. Can anyone else offer their opinion?

For my first semester courses, I want to do 4 of the following courses:

Math1131 (Mathematics 1A) --or-- Math1141 (Higher Mathematics 1A)
Econ1101 (Microeconomics 1) --or-- Econ1102 (Macroeconomics 1)
Fins1612 (Capital Markets & Institution) --or-- Fins1613 (Business Finance)
Mark1012 (Marketing Fundamentals)
Phys1131 (Physics 1A)
Psyc1001 (Psychology 1A)

One more question: Since I can only choose four courses, which of the above can I afford to leave for second and third semesters? Is it imperative that I do Math1131 alongside or before Physics/Finance/Psych? I'd really prefer to leave Math out initially since I kind of know what to expect from it -- in first semester I'd rather like to try as many NEW things as possible, eg Psych/Marketing.

 

[Studentleader]

Doing science and commerce doesn't make sense? You want to be a scientist but also a businessman? seriously kids these days. You might as well do law/medicine if they offered it....

Rofl you should see how much they pay chemists that know business skills / businessman that know maths.

 

[kaz1]

Thanks for your thoughts. I think I will stick to those which you've suggested. Can anyone else offer their opinion?



One more question: Since I can only choose four courses, which of the above can I afford to leave for second and third semesters? Is it imperative that I do Math1131 alongside or before Physics/Finance/Psych? I'd really prefer to leave Math out initially since I kind of know what to expect from it -- in first semester I'd rather like to try as many NEW things as possible, eg Psych/Marketing.

do maths as you probably have to do Math 1b which has a pre-requisite of Math1131

 

[rx34]

Doing science and commerce doesn't make sense? You want to be a scientist but also a businessman? seriously kids these days. You might as well do law/medicine if they offered it....

lol... haha troll alert