Subject selection help (1 Viewer)

[720YoloSwagScope]

Hey guys,

I'm going to be starting engineering+commerce this year, was wondering how the subject selection works when there's two courses.
Looking at the handbook (http://www.handbook.unsw.edu.au/undergraduate/programs/2015/3764.html), for first year it only shows what engineering subjects I need to choose
How do I know what to choose for commerce? Or is there no commerce classes for year 1?

Also are semester 1 & 2 timetables both chosen at the start of year or is semester 2 chosen later in the year?

Help is appreciated Thanks

 

[p0llex]

I'm in the same situation as you and had some of those questions answered on this thread. Essentially they recommend you do all engineering in year 1 but you don't have to follow what they say - I think I'm going to do half engineering and half commerce (or maybe 3 engineering and 1 commerce) just so I can get a feel for both.

You only need to choose your semester 1 subjects and timetable for now, semester 2 choices happen later.

 

[720YoloSwagScope]

I'm in the same situation as you and had some of those questions answered on this thread. Essentially they recommend you do all engineering in year 1 but you don't have to follow what they say - I think I'm going to do half engineering and half commerce (or maybe 3 engineering and 1 commerce) just so I can get a feel for both.

You only need to choose your semester 1 subjects and timetable for now, semester 2 choices happen later.

Cool. Thanks for the information
If I were to split and do engineering and commerce in first year when do I do my first year engineering subjects since second year commerce subjects are done in first year?
I'm really lost in knowing when to do each subject.

Could you maybe share how you're structuring your year(s)?

 

[purpleapple]

I'll most likely be starting in Engg/comm too this year though if I do I'll most likely stick to the old suggested program, in which I do Comm in my 2nd and 3rd year electives (totalling 4 comm courses) and then spending my 5th and 5.5th(?) year all on comm. There are 8 flexible core courses in comm so I'd do 4 of those in my 2nd and 3rd years, and the remaining 4 in the first half of year 5, before starting on my commerce major.

What I have heard from a senior student who does engineering is that if you do a double degree with engineering, it is better to structure your program in a way such that it resembles the single engineering degree more, this way you can basically stay with the friends you make since day 1. She reckons that it might be a bit harder making new friends in later years as most people would have found a group of friends, and if you stay with the friends you have from the start then it is easier to help each other and a lot more likely for them to share resources with you, such as past papers etc. She emphasised on how it can be annoying to see your friends do later year courses when you are still trying to catch up on earlier ones. So essentially you'd want to start and finish engineering with the same group of people. Obviously people are different, some might find the aforementioned things not that big of a deal etc. I suppose the same argument can be made from the commerce point of view, although I guess pre-requisites are less of a hassle in commerce than engineering? Plus you might meet a group of people in your flexible core courses but many might go off and major in something else.

 

[D94]

Stick with engineering for the first year, you could replace a first year elective with a commerce core but the rest should be engineering cores. Engineering is fairly rigid in structure, so ensuring you do your first year courses early on means you shouldn't be in a situation where you have not enough courses to do in later years due to prerequisites.

 

[720YoloSwagScope]

Thanks for the replies. So I can do two engineering first year electives and one commerce core rather than three electives?

If I want to do the least engineering possible in the first year what's my go-to plan? Without leaving myself stuck without enough courses.
I don't want to waste the whole year of engineering if I end up deciding to drop engineering after first year.
Also how many hours per week roughly is engineering in the first year? I'm not sure what it means by 6 indicative contact hours/wk in the handbook. Is this supposed to be multiplied/added with something?

 

[720YoloSwagScope]

Bump(?) If I end up dropping engineering in year 2 do my first year engineering go to waste?
If so how can I reduce wasting subjects?
Thanks

 

[p0llex]

Bump(?) If I end up dropping engineering in year 2 do my first year engineering go to waste?
If so how can I reduce wasting subjects?
Thanks

It all depends:
If you drop to straight commerce, MATH1131/MATH1141 replaces ECON1203 from your commerce degree so that wouldn't be wasted. You should also be able to count 2 courses as general education so they wouldn't be wasted either.
If you swap from engineering to something like science then possibly nothing would be wasted.

I'm still going through all my options to make sure I won't get stuck with pre-reqs (will post some possible progressions once I finish them), but if you take the subjects they recommend for 1st year and split them over 2 years, along with 8 commerce subjects, then you should be fine. You just need to be very very very careful that the subjects you want are offered in the right semester.

As an example if you wanted to do electrical engineering you could choose (not the only option, don't take me on faith, etc):
S1: MATH1141 and COMP1917
S2: MATH1241 and MATH1081
S3: PHYS1131 and ENGG1000
S4: PHYS1231 and ELEC1111
And fill in the rest with commerce subjects (pre-reqs are much easier to manage in commerce). You'd then go in to year 3 with the same engineering subjects under your belt as anybody else going into 2nd year, while having less wasted subjects if you decide to bail.
There are caveats to this like those discussed on the thread I linked earlier and the fact that you don't experience much engineering, so be sure to think carefully and draw up a spreadsheet of the subjects you are thinking of choosing.

Actual UNSW students pls correct anything I've said wrong


Edit: It's not specifically explained in the handbook as far as I can see but you may need both MATH1131/41 and MATH1231/41 to replace ECON1203, I'm really not sure

 

[720YoloSwagScope]

I see, thanks so much for the information.
For the first two years, theres 12 Engineering subjects and 4 commerce subject isn't there? I'm confused about the 8 commerce subjects that can be split over 2 years :s
Also, (just in case I was wrong the whole time) there's 8 subjects/year?

 

[p0llex]

I was only talking about splitting the first year of subjects (which is all engineering) and choosing any 8 commerce subjects you want (likely the compulsory ones, some flexi cores, and some from your major). Have a read of the handbook, everything is there even if it takes a while to find.

Yep you're correct, 8 subjects each year.