Science & Maths at USyd vs UNSW (1 Viewer)

[John Wick]

Hey guys!

I've been given confirmation that I will given offers for the Bachelor of Science/Advanced Studies (Advanced) at Usyd and Bachelor of Science Advanced (Honours) at UNSW. I'm not too sure which one to pick as I don't know much about what happens at Usyd or UNSW. I missed my E12 cut-off for the Dalyell scholars stream for USyd so thats a bummer.

I'm planning to major in maths + physics or computer science but I don't want to be locked in straight away, I want be given flexibility to change my classes. I'm quite keen for clubs but don't know the the culture or environments for clubs at either uni.

Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[Drdusk]

Hey guys!

I've been given confirmation that I will given offers for the Bachelor of Science/Advanced Studies (Advanced) at Usyd and Bachelor of Science Advanced (Honours) at UNSW. I'm not too sure which one to pick as I don't know much about what happens at Usyd or UNSW. I missed my E12 cut-off for the Dalyell scholars stream for USyd so thats a bummer.

I'm planning to major in maths + physics or computer science but I don't want to be locked in straight away, I want be given flexibility to change my classes. I'm quite keen for clubs but don't know the the culture or environments for clubs at either uni.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Well Usyd and Unsw generally tend to be less flexible than other unis. What do you mean by you don't want to be locked in straight away?

 

[John Wick]

Well Usyd and Unsw generally tend to be less flexible than other unis. What do you mean by you don't want to be locked in straight away?

I don't want to be locked into my majors when I pick them.

 

[Drdusk]

I don't want to be locked into my majors when I pick them.

Well you kinda have to. If your debating between Physics or Comp sci you have to be locked in. Both are from different faculties. If both were engineering you could've done a flexible first year but otherwise it's not really flexible...

 

[sida1049]

Actually, USYD is pretty flexible about majors; you can change your majors at any time (though obviously you'd want to make up your mind by the end of your second year). On top of that, advanced studies makes it so you can pick a major from faculties outside of science, e.g. even philosophy or economics, if you like.

Even if you've done a fair amount of a major but change your mind, you can still scrap those credit points into a minor.

Have a good day, Mr Wick.

 

[sida1049]

Oh yeah, you can definitely do a double major + minor with maths, computer science and physics. Just start off doing all three and decide in second/third year which one you like the least.

 

[John Wick]

Oh yeah, you can definitely do a double major + minor with maths, computer science and physics. Just start off doing all three and decide in second/third year which one you like the least.

That would be pretty cool except math is my favourite out of them all so I'm definitely going to major in math! Would a double major in maths and physics + minor in computer science work? And does that take up all my elective units? Because I just want to explore a lot more than just stem hence why I am very keen in clubs.

 

[nts]

Actually, USYD is pretty flexible about majors; you can change your majors at any time (though obviously you'd want to make up your mind by the end of your second year). On top of that, advanced studies makes it so you can pick a major from faculties outside of science, e.g. even philosophy or economics, if you like.

Even if you've done a fair amount of a major but change your mind, you can still scrap those credit points into a minor.

Have a good day, Mr Wick.

Can second this, I do elec engi/advanced science (physics). They're both pretty solid choices (maths + physics/maths+comp sci). You will do your head in but it's worthwhile. Also at USYD you can still do advanced later, just make sure you read the guidelines for advanced versions of the majors in the handbook.
At USYD club vibes are generally pretty chill from my experience. In engineering it's a lot of pub crawls/BBQ's/free food events and (less so) hackathons and networking nights. Science is more diversified as you have interest items (e.g. talks from academics), cruises and the famous Bucky Ball (& sometimes free food). Don't really know about UNSW since I don't go there but I've heard there's good vibes generally... though it does seem some people go nuts with societies because it looks good on their resume and they want an internship in second year....

 

[Drdusk]

Oh yeah I forgot to clarify my answer was regards to Unsw ;-;

 

[nts]

That would be pretty cool except math is my favourite out of them all so I'm definitely going to major in math! Would a double major in maths and physics + minor in computer science work? And does that take up all my elective units? Because I just want to explore a lot more than just stem hence why I am very keen in clubs.

Don't worry you'll have electives (not sure how many though tbh, ask Sida he should know). I think you can now do electives in other faculties too so you can try out arts units, law units, ...

 

[sida1049]

That would be pretty cool except math is my favourite out of them all so I'm definitely going to major in math! Would a double major in maths and physics + minor in computer science work? And does that take up all my elective units? Because I just want to explore a lot more than just stem hence why I am very keen in clubs.

Enjoy maths dude.

The maths + physics and maths + comp sci combo are somewhat common. But people do who maths + physics usually do so in order to get into physics research, while people who do maths + comp sci typically go job hunting after graduation or honours. The latter is definitely more employable. But of course if you're going to study all three, then that's also cool.

At minimum, two majors and a minor typically adds up to 48+48+36 = 132 credit points out of 192cp for a 4-year degree. You also have to do 12cp of Open Learning Environment units (small, exam-less units that can be chosen from any faculty), meaning you will have at most 48 credit points left. Theoretically, it's possible to shove a third major, but that might be too exhausting. A second minor is definitely doable, meaning you still have 12cp (two courses) worth of electives. But if you don't want a second minor, then you can just have all those units as electives.

And yes, it is also possible to do 3 majors under B. Sci/B. Adv Studies. The only problem with this is little flexibility for other units you might wanna do, and for example, if you really enjoy maths, you'd want to spend more than just the 48cp minimum on maths (e.g. I did something like 66 credit points of maths units). But I guess if by the end of third year, you realise you really enjoy all three subject areas, then a triple major could be worth it if you can still fit it in by then.

Edit: Oh yeah, btw if you're doing honours, then your 4th year will be your honours year, so you should try to fit all majors and minors into the first 3 years, i.e. 144 credit points.

 

[John Wick]

Enjoy maths dude.

The maths + physics and maths + comp sci combo are somewhat common. But people do who maths + physics usually do so in order to get into physics research, while people who do maths + comp sci typically go job hunting after graduation or honours. The latter is definitely more employable. But of course if you're going to study all three, then that's also cool.

At minimum, two majors and a minor typically adds up to 48+48+36 = 132 credit points out of 192cp for a 4-year degree. You also have to do 12cp of Open Learning Environment units (small, exam-less units that can be chosen from any faculty), meaning you will have at most 48 credit points left. Theoretically, it's possible to shove a third major, but that might be too exhausting. A second minor is definitely doable, meaning you still have 12cp (two courses) worth of electives. But if you don't want a second minor, then you can just have all those units as electives.

And yes, it is also possible to do 3 majors under B. Sci/B. Adv Studies. The only problem with this is little flexibility for other units you might wanna do, and for example, if you really enjoy maths, you'd want to spend more than just the 48cp minimum on maths (e.g. I did something like 66 credit points of maths units). But I guess if by the end of third year, you realise you really enjoy all three subject areas, then a triple major could be worth it if you can still fit it in by then.

Thanks so much for all the advice! Helped me way more than looking at the websites and handbooks. I'm definitely leaning more towards Usyd now for its flexibility.

I appreciate all the help. Have a good day!