Semester 2 Chatter Thread 2014. (4 Viewers)

[antheung]

Any idea what you want to specialise in yet?

Unfortunately, I keep changing my mind and I seem to be facing a dilemma between pure/applied maths.

Sometimes I prefer applied maths since it's less abstract, while sometimes I find pure maths more attractive since it virtually doesn't require any knowledge outside mathematics (if you work on mathematical biology, for example, you will have to know a fair bit of biology to even start thinking about modelling).

My preference also changes throughout the semester as I receive grades for my assessments - if you do better in applied maths than in pure maths you will start thinking about specialising in applied maths, and vice versa.

But I think I'll have a better picture of my future when I receive my grades for this semester, when I can determine whether I do better in applied or pure in general.

 

[antheung]

How about MATH3066? It would serve as an introduction to some of the pure mathematics concepts you would learn later on (MATH3962 I think), plus it's a normal level unit which you can use as a WAM booster. I planned to do it the year after next before I did MATH3962.

I thought you needed at least 6 credit points in mathematics as a prerequisite? Or has RealiseNothing already done some intermediate units in maths already?

 

[Amleops]

Is there really that much biology/physics knowledge assumed for some of those applied units? I assumed they would teach you the relevant stuff you needed to know during the lectures.

And yeah I think from memory Realise is doing MATH2988 this semester.

 

[pokka]

Don't believe there is; there are minimum requirements but I don't think there's a maximum.

Trust me, there's a maximum if you're in advanced degree. I got a warning for exceeding 48 credit points of junior units (they told me the semester after I did the extra junior unit) and to make up for it I needed to do another intermediate/senior unit to keep my degree. Since I didn't want to overload this semester, I underloaded my senior units this semester and choosing to do the rest of units in my final year next year.

Unless you do a normal Science degree where the max is 60 lol

Yep that's what I'll be doing too, along with STAT2911.

Haha did that exact same combo of units last year XD

 

[Amleops]

Trust me, there's a maximum if you're in advanced degree. I got a warning for exceeding 48 credit points of junior units (they told me the semester after I did the extra junior unit) and to make up for it I needed to do another intermediate/senior unit to keep my degree. Since I didn't want to overload this semester, I underloaded my senior units this semester and choosing to do the rest of units in my final year next year.

Unless you do a normal Science degree where the max is 60 lol

Haha did that exact same combo of units last year XD

That's a maximum for junior units though? Not senior?

And yeah you don't have a lot of choice for first semester intermediate math/stat units haha.

 

[pokka]

That's a maximum for junior units though? Not senior?

And yeah you don't have a lot of choice for first semester intermediate math/stat units haha.

Ok, just checked yeah you're right

 

[antheung]

Is there really that much biology/physics knowledge assumed for some of those applied units? I assumed they would teach you the relevant stuff you needed to know during the lectures.

And yeah I think from memory Realise is doing MATH2988 this semester.

To pass exams you don't, but to do research in those areas (say, at Honours level) I believe you do, or at least you need to have the motivation to learn new stuff.

 

[Amleops]

Ah OK, that's understandable. I haven't done too many units in the hard sciences because I try to avoid practicals as much as possible, but I'd be more than happy to teach the theory to myself. One area I've been thinking I might go into at the moment is financial maths; just started thinking it might be worth my while taking a few finance and economics electives seeing as quite a few of them are offered in Summer/Winter School.

Ahhhhh there's another 20K down the drain haha.

 

[antheung]

I haven't done too many units in the hard sciences because I try to avoid practicals as much as possible

Same here!

One area I've been thinking I might go into at the moment is financial maths

Yeah I think financial maths might lead you to a lucrative career if you don't end up in academia. I would've focussed on financial maths if I'd had a better background in probability and statistics, especially stochastic processes. Sadly, however, I find the 3rd year financial maths unit quite boring and I don't really know what's going on there.

 

[passionxmusic]

Gets a 3000 Word essay/report to write up and managed to answer the question (and tried to follow the set criteria) in approx 1800 words... now for a 1200 worded conclusion. >__<" Seriously... bruh.

 

[antheung]

Gets a 3000 Word essay/report to write up and managed to answer the question (and tried to follow the set criteria) in approx 1800 words... now for a 1200 worded conclusion. >__<" Seriously... bruh.

The longest English essay I've ever written in my life was less than 1000 words in length. I can't imagine how you write 3000 words!

 

[passionxmusic]

The longest English essay I've ever written in my life was less than 1000 words in length. I can't imagine how you write 3000 words!

If references count it'd take me up to approx 2100-2200. :'( It's a critically analyse type essay.

 

[antheung]

If references count it'd take me up to approx 2100-2200. :'( It's a critically analyse type essay.

Which unit of study are you writing that essay for?

 

[passionxmusic]

Which unit of study are you writing that essay for?

Haha. I don't want to say the unit's name. It's a good unit just a bit tedious. It involves cells and lots of them... (no, it ain't biology - I wish it was).

 

[madharris]

Gets a 3000 Word essay/report to write up and managed to answer the question (and tried to follow the set criteria) in approx 1800 words... now for a 1200 worded conclusion. >__<" Seriously... bruh.

Yeah I've got a 3k essay due as well.
I don't even know how to write an essay. All my bad results come from essays

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk

 

[passionxmusic]

Yeah I've got a 3k essay due as well.
I don't even know how to write an essay. All my bad results come from essays

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk

Teach me how to reach the word count without repeating myself hahaha. Good luck, madharris. I'm about to fall asleep reviewing what content I have on this essay.

 

[antheung]

Haha. I don't want to say the unit's name. It's a good unit just a bit tedious. It involves cells and lots of them... (no, it ain't biology - I wish it was).

That's why I do maths - it's a science subject which has no experiments, no laboratory reports, and no essays!

 

[passionxmusic]

That's why I do maths - it's a science subject which has no experiments, no laboratory reports, and no essays!

And to be the sour cherry topping on the already melting sundae below is a philosophy essay... I am more motivated to do research on that essay than this. Ahhh, you're in luck then.

 

[antheung]

And to be the sour cherry topping on the already melting sundae below is a philosophy essay... I am more motivated to do research on that essay than this. Ahhh, you're in luck then.

That's tough. Your doing combined Science and Arts?

 

[passionxmusic]

That's tough. Your doing combined Science and Arts?

You could say so. but not as tough as the assessments I've seen from my BioChem, NEUR and PHSI friends.