MQ Actuarial vs UTS Business/Law (2 Viewers)

[jack2230]

1, 2, 3, Go!


Note to self: should have just taken combined commerce at New South

 

[BLIT2014]

Do you want to transfer?

Did you do extension 2 mathematics/perform well at it?

Do you enjoy mathematics?


What career/job do you want to do?

How important is job security for you?

 

[jack2230]

Do you want to transfer?

Did you do extension 2 mathematics/perform well at it?

Do you enjoy mathematics?


What career/job do you want to do?

How important is job security for you?

Thankyou for taking the time to respond to my highly open ended thread so I will answer those questions you gave me.

1. Do you want to transfer? Potentially yes, assuming I was one of the many who ultimately find actuarial is not for them, then I would end up transferring out of the degree into something else, most likely business related such as Commerce/Commerce & Law/Economics/Applied Finance etc. So this would be one case. I know Macquarie allow you to transfer from Actuarial to Commerce without a GPA requirement however transferring into another course at Macquarie or another Uni would be much more competitive and potentially quite difficult with below par Actuarial marks. Also I know UNSW/USYD (maybe even UTS to a certain degree?) would have better job prospects in those other fields mentioned above than Macquarie although at the end of the day any degree/uni experience is what you make of it as a student. Alternatively, if I were to pursue the UTS Business/Law course I would most likely be fairly content however I would be willing to transfer to USYD/UNSW Commerce/Law if that became an option. I also ultimately realise this would be extremely competitive and that external transfers of this nature are rare but possible requiring WAMS of 80+, UNSW's new LAT test potentially becomes a factor etc. If job prospects would be better in just UNSW/USYD Commerce even that is also another option and I could potentially enter that mid-year using my ATAR alone which was competitive for Feb entry this year if that is possible/advisable or just wait and attempt that after 1 year of study at UTS.

2. Did you perform well in Maths? I did extension two maths and found the course engaging but challenging and difficult at times. I also didn't receive an E4 in the course but rather got an E3. Extension 1 Math was fairly straight forward and I performed better in it. I just went to an average, low ranked high school and didn't go to any tutoring colleges or what not that seem quite popular with people on this forum but I don't blame any of that for lack of performance thereof, just providing some context to say that I wasn't spoon-fed or the like by any means. I know Uni Maths is extremely different to that at school but it does seem daunting when you have people whom score 99+ ATARS and get exceptionally great marks in Extension 2 (95+) who then claim Actuarial is very challenging or have even dropped out of the degree etc. Even if one is to meet the degree requirements you are then competing with these people for the very few jobs available, and it seems like these sorts of gifted, guns would ultimately be the ones who thrive in the degree and get the best jobs.

3. Did you enjoy Maths? Sort of touched on it above. It was generally quite enjoyable although I also liked Economics a considerable amount. Overall I find the Actuarial coursework interesting (applying Maths to business problems) although some of it does look difficult. I have just gone through subject outlines and some past exams available on the Macquarie Library website so I have a rough yet somewhat superficial idea of what might be involved throughout the degree. In comparison the UTS Business course looks much easier, somewhat interesting but less challenging if you know what I mean. I could probably do reasonably well in it without feeling as extended so that fulfillment probably isn't there yet they are like comparing apples to oranges and are very different by their nature.

4. Most likely something in finance or accounting. Work in an investment bank looks extremely interesting however they prefer GO8's hence the reason to move across from UTS Business/Law to GO8 Comm/Law or even just Commerce to get a short. Otherwise similar sort of financial roles in the big 4 banks look similarly engaging although without the prestige and even accounting work to a certain degree appeals to me. I have thought about potentially practicing as a lawyer however this is extremely competitive and frankly a bit of a mess at the moment however the focus is more on the financial/business side of things. I enjoy and are competent utilising maths/computers yet at the some time like working with clients and co-workers and just general interaction with people.

5. Job security is quite important although I do understand almost any field has its risks and the global economy is quite turbulent at present only adding further uncertainty.


Thanks in advance and sorry for any mistakes/spelling in advance. Wrote this really quickly and did not proof read.