hi, so im not sure if im gonna go mq or unsw, but my schoolarship offer for mq is about to expire, so i need to decide quick
for mq, im choosing between 'applied finance / actuarial studies' and 'science / actuarial studies'
if i did science, i would major in maths which is what i enjoy. applied finance seems boring, however i would assume that it is more competitive as a degree vs science. (science doesnt seem to mesh as well with actuarial studies compared to applied finance)
what are your thoughts?
is there much difference in terms of employability / competitiveness?
is it worth sacrificing a bit of enjoyment for a better degree which is more competitive?
if i was u i would pick the degree u want. math + acturial is a good degree anyway, as others have said it would give you access to more of the quantitative world as well as benefiting you in certain financial roles such as quant or trading as well. if you find applied finance boring, you will probably find the job you would get with the degree boring, so theres really not much point in picking it even if it did give you better career prospects.
in terms of mq or unsw, aside from the scholarship i would also consider the commute and the structure of the degree. unsw has trimesters whereas mq doesn't, so the degree would probably be less compacted at mq - might mean the degree is longer, but less intensive study (12 weeks including exam period at unsw, 17 at mq - makes a significant difference imo). unsw is also obviously much more central than mq, so if you live in northwest/north it would definetly be way more convenient to get to mq, the time difference adds up very quickly.
the acturial degree is probably 1:1 at mq and unsw since its standardised, but the math major at unsw has slightly difference structure than at mq - mq doesnt appear to have discrete math (proof writing basically) required and u get a bit more flexability in the classes you pick, eg you can choose to study real analysis or not, whereas at unsw its required. this is both good and bad, since you get to choose which classes you prefer but might also be at a loss as you might not be studying as "traditional" of a curriculum pattern as at unsw, mq appears to be on the more applied/industry side and less about academics though, which is fine since you're study it to go into industry anyway. however, im sure both courses would be fine, some people might say that the course is not as rigorous or is easier than at unsw but so long as you study the subjects deeply enough you will be fine.