USYD degree concern (1 Viewer)

[Thisisnkt]

hey guys, im not sure where i should’ve posted this but oh well

so i’m currently in year 12 and aspire to study law/comm at usyd - however i’m not sure whether i should major in finance. i dropped standard maths at the end of yr12 not because i was incompetent, but rather that i had a really bad teacher and i had to sacrifice a subject. i saw that there are online courses offered by usyd prior to commencing my studies in which i can undertake the MOOC course which is pretty much everything u need to know for maths advanced assumed knowledge units. my only concern is, do you think i should steer clear from finance/a comm degree? lots of people say that i can def get in and achieve a Credit Average if i put in the effort, although im not sure i’ll be able to keep up with all the top private school and selective school kids who did extension 1&2 maths etc.

maths advanced used to be a prerequisite for usyd commerce, but they removed that two years ago and it’s not even assumed knowledge except for 1-2 core units (along w maths ext1). i found it pretty dumb at first, but if the MOOC is worthwhile and actually useful, i would def go ahead w it. i’ve read some responses on ppl’s experience w MOOC, but im not sure if their circumstances were similar to mine

for background, i’m doing english adv, legal studies, business studies, ancient history and society & culture. at first i wanted to do international relations & politics (arts degree) but recently changed to finance as i find that more interesting, practical and useful. i want to go into corporate law but i think having that finance degree is also a good backup.

what do you think i should do? i haven’t done maths in a long time (pretty much slept in all my lessons bc my teacher was hopeless) and i’m worried the MOOC course (and the finance units as a whole, esp core units) will be too maths-intensive, especially for someone like me who has never done advanced maths

this concern heavily relies in the fact that i won’t be able to achieve a HD, let alone a D if im surrounded by a bunch of competitive maths nerds while trying to secure internships, competitions, moots etc.

thank u for reading and any insightful replies would be AMAZING.

 

[MoeyNeeds90+]

hey guys, im not sure where i should’ve posted this but oh well

so i’m currently in year 12 and aspire to study law/comm at usyd - however i’m not sure whether i should major in finance. i dropped standard maths at the end of yr12 not because i was incompetent, but rather that i had a really bad teacher and i had to sacrifice a subject. i saw that there are online courses offered by usyd prior to commencing my studies in which i can undertake the MOOC course which is pretty much everything u need to know for maths advanced assumed knowledge units. my only concern is, do you think i should steer clear from finance/a comm degree? lots of people say that i can def get in and achieve a Credif Average if i put in the effort, although im not sure i’ll be able to keep up with all the top private school and selective school kids who did extension 1&2 maths etc.

maths advanced used to be a prerequisite for usyd commerce, but they removed that two years ago and it’s not even assumed knowledge except for 1-2 core units (along w maths ext1). i found it pretty dumb at first, but if the MOOC is worthwhile and actually useful, i would def go ahead w it. i’ve read some responses on ppl’s experience w MOOC, but im not sure if their circumstances were similar to mine

for background, i’m doing english adv, legal studies, business studies, ancient history and society & culture. at first i wanted to do international relations & politics (arts degree) but recently changed to finance as i find that more interesting, practical and useful. i want to go into corporate law but i think having that finance degree is also a good backup.

what do you think i should do? i haven’t done maths in a long time (pretty much slept in all my lessons bc my teacher was hopeless) and i’m worried the MOOC course (and the finance units as a whole, esp core units) will be too maths-intensive, especially for someone like me who has never done advanced maths

this concern heavily relies in the fact that i won’t be able to achieve a HD, let alone a D if im surrounded by a bunch of competitive maths nerds while trying to secure internships, competitions, moots etc.

thank u for reading and any insightful replies would be AMAZING.

USYD dropped advanced maths prerequisites for alot of commerce degrees, so if you’re willing to catch thru a MOOC + extra support, you’re fine . u won’t be penalized for not having taken extension maths, since they’ve made targeted help to level the playing field. if fiancne and what not interests you, and its practical for corporate law, then major in it without worrying about competing with math comepters and wtv. Just be prepared to put in extra work to 4 ur maths , and you’ll be fine. you'll need to complete a MOOC and allocate ~6–8 extra hours per week to self-study btw its not that hard

 

[idkkdi]

hey guys, im not sure where i should’ve posted this but oh well

so i’m currently in year 12 and aspire to study law/comm at usyd - however i’m not sure whether i should major in finance. i dropped standard maths at the end of yr12 not because i was incompetent, but rather that i had a really bad teacher and i had to sacrifice a subject. i saw that there are online courses offered by usyd prior to commencing my studies in which i can undertake the MOOC course which is pretty much everything u need to know for maths advanced assumed knowledge units. my only concern is, do you think i should steer clear from finance/a comm degree? lots of people say that i can def get in and achieve a Credif Average if i put in the effort, although im not sure i’ll be able to keep up with all the top private school and selective school kids who did extension 1&2 maths etc.

maths advanced used to be a prerequisite for usyd commerce, but they removed that two years ago and it’s not even assumed knowledge except for 1-2 core units (along w maths ext1). i found it pretty dumb at first, but if the MOOC is worthwhile and actually useful, i would def go ahead w it. i’ve read some responses on ppl’s experience w MOOC, but im not sure if their circumstances were similar to mine

for background, i’m doing english adv, legal studies, business studies, ancient history and society & culture. at first i wanted to do international relations & politics (arts degree) but recently changed to finance as i find that more interesting, practical and useful. i want to go into corporate law but i think having that finance degree is also a good backup.

what do you think i should do? i haven’t done maths in a long time (pretty much slept in all my lessons bc my teacher was hopeless) and i’m worried the MOOC course (and the finance units as a whole, esp core units) will be too maths-intensive, especially for someone like me who has never done advanced maths

this concern heavily relies in the fact that i won’t be able to achieve a HD, let alone a D if im surrounded by a bunch of competitive maths nerds while trying to secure internships, competitions, moots etc.

thank u for reading and any insightful replies would be AMAZING.

competitive maths nerds would be in maths/cs/phys going for quant.

finance maths wont involve much but itll not be easy to get to the 82+ wam required for internal law transfer. pretty sure international relations marks easier (not too sure) so consider doing IR if you really want law, and switch to finance if u dont make the law transfer.

if u really want to do law maybe consider just doing law straight away somewhere else. theres a good argument to be made that the same student at usyd would be doing better for clerkships etc at uts (instead of getting lost in the competition at usyd)

 

[rh_06]

idk much abt commerce but ik that eco (which Ill assume covers same if not similar units) has some level of maths to it. U can go in with economics level maths which is slightly different to adv maths, but its still 'recommended' (not assumed or a pre req) to take the bridging course or some introductory unit. I wouldn't rely solely on the bridging course as its essentially a jam packed course thats accelerated. Maybe do some self-study for now. Theres plenty of resources online.

 

[Katsumi]

I am doing my masters in commerce at UNSW with a general maths background almost 10yrs ago the the units are not too out of my depth. You just need to put in some more effort.

I think that a Law / Finance dual degree is strong and gives you more optionality in your career. A law graduate is considered strong to hiring managers in finance since it means you are less likely to lose the company money due to doing something dumb.

I know I would favour a law graduate even though my occupation is sales and financial analysis. Not law in any way.

Let's say you did pivot to finance, have you had a thought about what interested you? Would you be inclined to be a banker or more like an analyst?

 

[Thisisnkt]

idk much abt commerce but ik that eco (which Ill assume covers same if not similar units) has some level of maths to it. U can go in with economics level maths which is slightly different to adv maths, but its still 'recommended' (not assumed or a pre req) to take the bridging course or some introductory unit. I wouldn't rely solely on the bridging course as its essentially a jam packed course thats accelerated. Maybe do some self-study for now. Theres plenty of resources online.

when saying "self-study for now" are you referring to doing the year 11 or year 12 adv maths textbook? and do u think i should do from start to finish or specific topics? i was initially considering that before i found out about MOOC but thought it was unnecessarily gonna stress me out doing all that without any guidance / knowing if im doing the work right (also dont know where i would find the time to do self-study during the hsc + cramming from the 4 month break we get till uni)

 

[Thisisnkt]

competitive maths nerds would be in maths/cs/phys going for quant.

finance maths wont involve much but itll not be easy to get to the 82+ wam required for internal law transfer. pretty sure international relations marks easier (not too sure) so consider doing IR if you really want law, and switch to finance if u dont make the law transfer.

if u really want to do law maybe consider just doing law straight away somewhere else. theres a good argument to be made that the same student at usyd would be doing better for clerkships etc at uts (instead of getting lost in the competition at usyd)

wdym 82+ wam required for internal law transfer? i thought at usyd u do the bachelor of laws/bachelor of commerce combined degree and work on graduating from ur non-law degree for the first 2-3 years and then u transfer to solely ur law degree (without needing a specific wam) seeing as u kinda already do some law subjects alongside the non-law degree.

 

[Thisisnkt]

I am doing my masters in commerce at UNSW with a general maths background almost 10yrs ago the the units are not too out of my depth. You just need to put in some more effort.

I think that a Law / Finance dual degree is strong and gives you more optionality in your career. A law graduate is considered strong to hiring managers in finance since it means you are less likely to lose the company money due to doing something dumb.

I know I would favour a law graduate even though my occupation is sales and financial analysis. Not law in any way.

Let's say you did pivot to finance, have you had a thought about what interested you? Would you be inclined to be a banker or more like an analyst?

yeah i specifically chose the finance major bc of its job prospects. i rlly enjoy studying businesses and love the whole corporate environment (debatable tho). even if i dont wanna practice law, the finance degree would be great as a safety net for something in banking or financial management

 

[carrotsss]

heard they do times tables in commerce pre tough

 

[Katsumi]

yeah i specifically chose the finance major bc of its job prospects. i rlly enjoy studying businesses and love the whole corporate environment (debatable tho). even if i dont wanna practice law, the finance degree would be great as a safety net for something in banking or financial management

My analyst experience is in mid market commercial banking (think $5M to $100M deal sizing). All of the mathematics was done by a system and my job was to input the data, interpret the ratios and write commentary to tell a story and recommend risk approvals. This could be done with general math. That job pulls around $100K to $120K on base.

My sell side experience is as a banker and commercial broker specialising in the $1M+ market segment. Earnings potential is around the $120K to $200K mark on average depending on how good you are. Early career may be a bit lower. A tenured banker can have an analyst do most of the math stuff for you and you're focused on pipeline.

Now I build sales teams in that segment which involves recruiting for similar roles. My mature opinion is that being a math whiz is not required to make good money in the field. I wouldn't let it hold back any finance dreams you have (even if held in your back pocket in favour of law). I can't speak on the undergrad coursework but if you can pass, you'll have career prospects even if you're like me and a solid 5/10 in math.

Unlike a few years ago, you can use Chat GPT to break down and explain math concepts in a way that's adapted to your learning style so that's something to consider too. It will be even more juiced by the time it matters.

 

[rh_06]

when saying "self-study for now" are you referring to doing the year 11 or year 12 adv maths textbook? and do u think i should do from start to finish or specific topics? i was initially considering that before i found out about MOOC but thought it was unnecessarily gonna stress me out doing all that without any guidance / knowing if im doing the work right (also dont know where i would find the time to do self-study during the hsc + cramming from the 4 month break we get till uni)

Make sure to prioritise your HSC. I was in a similar predicament except with Chemistry. My course didnt require it nor was it assumed knowledge, but it was recommended for "student who did not do HSC Chemistry or equivalent should take the bridging courses." I only started paying attention to chem once my HSC was done.

When I say self study, yes I am referring to going over yr11 and yr12 topics from the textbook. U can find some here
I think wether u choose ot go through all the topics or specific ones depends on the amount of time you have or wish to dedicate for this you. If you do choose to go through only certain tpics rather than all of them, go off the info provided in the unit outline on the USYD page and check the weekly schedule + learning outcomes. That can guide u into what you sort of need to know.

wdym 82+ wam required for internal law transfer? i thought at usyd u do the bachelor of laws/bachelor of commerce combined degree and work on graduating from ur non-law degree for the first 2-3 years and then u transfer to solely ur law degree (without needing a specific wam) seeing as u kinda already do some law subjects alongside the non-law degree.

I'm not sure where you got this so u may or may not be correct, but the other 'standard' entry into law (aside form direct obviously) is IPT which means you take any degree e.g. arts, do well in your first year and achieve a WAM of 70 or 75+ (But to be competitive and have a chance of getting in, you need a WAM of 82+. That 70-75+ WAM is just a benchmark/requirment), and transfer. The amonut of units transferrable form your first yr depends on what you started with. I.e. a Bachelor of music has no relation to B//Law so some credits may not be transferrable (I think)

 

[idkkdi]

wdym 82+ wam required for internal law transfer? i thought at usyd u do the bachelor of laws/bachelor of commerce combined degree and work on graduating from ur non-law degree for the first 2-3 years and then u transfer to solely ur law degree (without needing a specific wam) seeing as u kinda already do some law subjects alongside the non-law degree.

oh dw i thought u were wondering about the alternative pathway. the above doesnt apply to the combined degree that u get into with atar.

 

[Thisisnkt]

My analyst experience is in mid market commercial banking (think $5M to $100M deal sizing). All of the mathematics was done by a system and my job was to input the data, interpret the ratios and write commentary to tell a story and recommend risk approvals. This could be done with general math. That job pulls around $100K to $120K on base.

My sell side experience is as a banker and commercial broker specialising in the $1M+ market segment. Earnings potential is around the $120K to $200K mark on average depending on how good you are. Early career may be a bit lower. A tenured banker can have an analyst do most of the math stuff for you and you're focused on pipeline.

Now I build sales teams in that segment which involves recruiting for similar roles. My mature opinion is that being a math whiz is not required to make good money in the field. I wouldn't let it hold back any finance dreams you have (even if held in your back pocket in favour of law). I can't speak on the undergrad coursework but if you can pass, you'll have career prospects even if you're like me and a solid 5/10 in math.

Unlike a few years ago, you can use Chat GPT to break down and explain math concepts in a way that's adapted to your learning style so that's something to consider too. It will be even more juiced by the time it matters.

i love u pls don’t ever die
all seriousness tho, thank u sm for clearing things up and taking away that unnecessary stress i had

 

[Thisisnkt]

oh dw i thought u were wondering about the alternative pathway. the above doesnt apply to the combined degree that u get into with atar.

okayy thank u for ur comment!!

 

[Katsumi]

i love u pls don’t ever die
all seriousness tho, thank u sm for clearing things up and taking away that unnecessary stress i had

Yeah don't stress, as long as you're willing to work hard things tend to work out.

There's a lesser known but viable strategy in the industry to skip your bachelor's all together, get three years of experience and then do a 9 month Graduate Certificate into a 1.5 year masters - all part time study and completed within that period.

 

[Eagle Mum]

lots of people say that i can def get in and achieve a Credit Average if i put in the effort, although im not sure i’ll be able to keep up with all the top private school and selective school kids who did extension 1&2 maths etc.

Whilst the use of ATARs and the segregation of students by the OC/SS unit have unfortunately made secondary school education an arms race, uni education is not a competition, but about how well you master the course content and meet the learning objectives.

Three to four months between the end of high school and start of Uni should provide adequate time to master the relevant components of the Yr 12 Standard maths course if you are diligent and focused (and use sites such as BoS to get help for ‘difficult’ concepts). You could then reevaluate your uni course preference(s) closer to enrolment and if necessary, drop out of the finance maths course before the census date so that it doesn’t impact your WAM.