Hi, I'll do the best I can to address your questions, with respect to my particular experiences
1. Lectures & tutes are pretty diverse. First year core subjects are generally pretty good. Lectures tend to be much larger and more full than later year subjects once you've chosen your major(s). Tutorials vary greatly in terms of quality, but on the whole they are pretty useful. Some have an attendance component of the marks and take a roll, but in later years less subjects mark rolls or require attendance. I can speak for first year subjects and subjects in both the Accounting and Economics majors. First year lectures were pretty good in my opinion, presenting at time challenging material in a way which is pretty engaging and informative. My Accounting subject lecturers have all been pretty good and again do a decent job explaining more complex concepts in a clear way. Economics subjects have been ok, not great though. The whole major was redesigned for this year and they are certainly still ironing out some issues with some subjects I have done. Now doubt it will continue to improve in coming semesters. It also doesn't help that I don't really like maths and this is a fairly big component of the new major at UTS. I'm interested in understanding Economic ideas, but not using maths to actually calculate things haha.
2. The courses, both BBus and BAcc are regarded pretty well in industry. For accounting, UTS rates highly among Sydney based unis. Prestige doesn't really mean much when your studying accounting. It's more important when studying law and you want to access top tier firms IMO. I think the Finance major is quite well regarded but perhaps prestige plays a slight bit more of a role here than with Accounting. Get good marks, decent extracurricular activites and relevant work experience and where you went to uni wont matter when it comes to the job market (unless employees at a particular firm are biased towards are uni of which they are alumni).
3. Location is a big drawcard for UTS. Close proximity to Central station makes it an appealing prospect if you are coming from most parts of Sydney. I come from Penrith and whilst I really liked UNSW, the extra bus ride would have added an extra 20 minutes or so to what is already an hour on the train, plus potentially walking time from home to the station.
4. I have enjoyed my course so far. To be totally honest, I'm now just really looking forward to working. I'm a pretty 'relaxed' student haha and enjoy getting involved in things outside of study moreso than the study itself. Uni however is what you make of it and I guess that is the best thing about no longer being in high school. You have to decide whether or not you will attend classes and what you need to do to pass or get whatever mark you are aiming for in a subject. Can be quite an adjustment for some people and the new found freedom can be a bit overwhelming.
5. Workload is fine if you do 4 subjects a semester in a regular business degree. I have done summer school twice and 5 subjects during a semester in first year. 5 first year subjects is definitely more difficult but if you are pretty diligent you will be able to handle it. I'm not academic standout just to make it clear, but you can get through 5 subjects without failing with a bit of effort.
6. As above, I major in Accounting with a sub-major in Economics plus 4 electives. I will be looking for graduate work in Accounting and enjoy this major more than I did initially. I was enrolled in an Economics major and was doing 5 subjects this semester (3 Accounting & 2 Economics) and with other things going on in my life it was too much. I dropped to the sub-major, and whilst I enjoy Economics, the maths side of it does not interest me (and I'm pretty bad at it haha). As I said in Q5, if you do a regular BBus, there is no reason to ever attempt 5 subjects in a semester unless you fail some, but even then you're better off doing it in summer school. A popular choice for majors is a double major in Accounting & Finance, as for Corporate Finance in particular a solid understanding of Accounting concepts is useful.
7. Factors that should be used to decide where you study undergraduate Business or Commerce:
*ATAR (obviously is a factor but don't instantly assume the course with the highest ATAR cutoff is best for you. Simply put, Higher ATAR = Higher demand only)
*Location/Travel options (Will you be catching a train, bus, driving, walking or cycling to uni? Will you be moving out of home to attend uni? Which uni is closest?)
*Flexibility of timetable scheduling (UTS in particular and UNSW tend to excel here, as a fair number of students have Accounting cadetships or other work arrangements, so classes are offered at night to accomdate this)
*Recommendations for friends, family or a particular employer you might like to work for (Things to consider, but ultimately you must make your own decision based on your own research)
*Access to scholarships (Both UTS and UNSW offer co-op programs for certain majors)
Hopefully this has given you some insight into both studying Business at UTS, but choosing a course in general. Feel free to write back with any further questions
Also if you are interested in studying Accounting, please see the link in my sig regarding the UTS Bachelor of Accounting 2012 intake!
