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Author Topic: Unimelb Data Science or Monash Eng/Comm  (Read 1936 times)  Share 

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thinkingface

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Unimelb Data Science or Monash Eng/Comm
« on: January 17, 2020, 06:34:42 pm »
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Hey all,

I'm currently trying to decide between the Science/M.Data Science graduate degree package at Unimelb and the B. Eng(Hons)/Comm at Monash. There are a range of pros and cons for each which is making it very difficult for me to make a decision. I'm not 100% on engineering or data science, however, the primary reason for me choosing engineering is that I'm familiar with calculus and would like to utilise and apply it to the real world. Computing and algorithms on the other hand are very unfamiliar to me and I can't wrap my head around even the introductory lectures on youtube which makes me think I'll struggle a lot. I've chosen commerce as more of a safety net as it will open more opportunities. I'm thinking of doing software engineering at Monash for context.

A list of my pros and cons for each uni are summarised below.

Unimelb
Pros
- I've heard they have a very good statistics and comp sci department
- Prestige/Career outcome (data science)
- Can use breadth subjects for language (I plan on studying a dip.lang)
- Masters can be shortened to 1.5 years if I major in data science
- Guaranteed masters spot (does this mean anything? How competitive is it anyway to get into the unimelb masters program?)
- More exchange partners
- Come out with a bachelors and masters degree
- I loved methods/spesh statistics
- Comp sci looks much easier than engineering as they both get more advanced (lower difficulty ceiling)
- 4.5 years b.sci + masters

Cons
- Location (I live 1 hours away by PTV)
- B.Sci by itself isn't very useful so I'll be forced to do postgrad
- Heard the overall social environment isn't very good
- Might end up hating comp sci and regretting my decision
- If I change my mind all I'll have is a B.Sci compared to if I went to Monash, where I could drop a degree
- No industry placement?
- Unfamiliar with discrete maths/coding and am very bad at it based on watching introductory videos
- Campus is kinda old?

Monash
Pros
- Industry placement
- 2 bachelors degrees
- Location (I'm a 20 minute bus ride and 15 minute drive)
- Supposedly better at STEM and engineering
- Friends (a lot more than melb)
- More industry connections?
- Familiar with eng calculus
- 2 useful bachelors degrees

Cons
- No electives so have to add one year to study diploma of languages
- Do not enjoy physics very much
- 6 year degree
- Relative career outcome (insignificant but it seems data scientists are in demand)
- Engineering building is also kinda old (but it looks like new ones are being made)


As you can see, I'm kind of making the decision harder than it should be but this is such an important choice so I'm trying to choose right with minimal regret. Also my parents are saying unimelb but they know more about commerce so I'm not sure if I should take their advice.

Anyone who's chosen one of these courses/decided between unimelb and monash for these fields, please help me out!

Thank you!

thinkingface

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Re: Unimelb Data Science or Monash Eng/Comm
« Reply #1 on: January 21, 2020, 03:30:23 am »
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Sorry bump! I have to make a decision soon..

AngelWings

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Re: Unimelb Data Science or Monash Eng/Comm
« Reply #2 on: January 21, 2020, 11:41:16 pm »
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I’m not great at the data science vs engineering degrees, so hopefully someone else who knows the area more can respond soon. However, ultimately, the decision does have to come from you.

In saying this, I will put my opinion here and will try to be as unbiased as possible.

the primary reason for me choosing engineering is that I'm familiar with calculus and would like to utilise and apply it to the real world.
I’m going to assume that you have a deep interest in the area, because “being familiar with something” isn’t usually the best reason for doing a degree.

I'm thinking of doing software engineering for context
So, why have you chosen software engineering? If you can understand your reasons for it, it might help to clarify if this would be the right choice for you.

I’ve put some comments in the quote below in italics.
Unimelb
Pros
- I've heard they have a very good statistics and comp sci department - I don’t know much about this, so I’ll leave this alone
- Prestige/Career outcome (data science) - Not sure if prestige matters in the context of data science
- Can use breadth subjects for language (I plan on studying a dip.lang)
- Masters can be shortened to 1.5 years if I major in data science
- Guaranteed masters spot (does this mean anything? How competitive is it anyway to get into the unimelb masters program?) - Not sure about this situation but the two Masters  offers I received at Monash were not overly difficult to get into.
- More exchange partners
- Come out with a bachelors and masters degree - This can be both a curse and a blessing depending on how you see it and what your intentions are.
- I loved methods/spesh statistics
- Comp sci looks much easier than engineering as they both get more advanced (lower difficulty ceiling)
- 4.5 years b.sci + masters

Cons
- Location (I live 1 hours away by PTV) - location and convenience can play a role in terms of how much of a life you can have beyond uni.
- B.Sci by itself isn't very useful so I'll be forced to do postgrad
- Heard the overall social environment isn't very good - how much weight do you want to put into this?
- Might end up hating comp sci and regretting my decision - transferring is a thing.
- If I change my mind all I'll have is a B.Sci compared to if I went to Monash, where I could drop a degree
- No industry placement? - not sure on this front, although you can easily search this up via the course map or Handbook entries.
- Unfamiliar with discrete maths/coding and am very bad at it based on watching introductory videos
- Campus is kinda old? - do you want to put much weight into this?

Monash
Pros
- Industry placement
- 2 bachelors degrees
- Location (I'm a 20 minute bus ride and 15 minute drive)
- Supposedly better at STEM and engineering
- Friends (a lot more than melb)
- More industry connections?
- Familiar with eng calculus
- 2 useful bachelors degrees

Cons
- No electives so have to add one year to study diploma of languages
- Do not enjoy physics very much - not sure but this might be a bit of an issue
- 6 year degree
- Relative career outcome (insignificant but it seems data scientists are in demand)
- Engineering building is also kinda old (but it looks like new ones are being made)

Not sure if that helps at all, but hopefully there’s a bit more insight for you.
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thinkingface

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Re: Unimelb Data Science or Monash Eng/Comm
« Reply #3 on: January 22, 2020, 02:33:41 am »
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Thank you for the reply!
Could you explain what you mean by a masters being both a blessing and a curse?

AngelWings

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Re: Unimelb Data Science or Monash Eng/Comm
« Reply #4 on: January 26, 2020, 12:49:42 am »
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Thank you for the reply!
Could you explain what you mean by a masters being both a blessing and a curse?
Pros:
- get to explore more areas and in more depth (if the Masters is in the same area as the Bachelors before it)
- slightly more 'prestige' due to it being a higher degree
- sometimes better pay/ higher position when you finally hit employment in the long term (key word: sometimes)
- sometimes necessary for a qualification/ accreditation

Cons:   
- Cost-wise, a year in Masters costs more than a year in Bachelors.
- Some sectors may not care whether you have a Masters or not, making you exactly the same in terms of skills as someone who just graduated undergrad in the same area when it comes to employment.
- Rumour has it that postgrad degrees like Masters will make you 'overqualified' for certain positions, so some employers might hesitate a bit on hiring them - I don't know how accurate this is.
- Less time to gain valuable experience (what employers do care about) than someone who did the Bachelor equivalent.

Note: As stated in quote above, whether a Masters will be good for you really depends on your interests, intentions and situation. Everyone is different.
« Last Edit: January 26, 2020, 12:52:08 am by AngelWings »
VCE: Psych | Eng Lang | LOTE | Methods | Further | Chem                 
Uni: Bachelor of Science (Hons) - genetics
Current: working (sporadically on AN)
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