UoM commerce pathway

[manutd]

Hi,
I'm currently in year 12 and have a passion for commerce.Next year, I really want to study commerce at UoM; but I dont meet the methods prerequisite. What are alternatives pathways which can lead me into commerce.
Also, what are the networking and career hubs like. How easy is it to get an internship/job after graduating.
 

[Orb]

Hi,
I'm currently in year 12 and have a passion for commerce.Next year, I really want to study commerce at UoM; but I dont meet the methods prerequisite. What are alternatives pathways which can lead me into commerce.
Also, what are the networking and career hubs like. How easy is it to get an internship/job after graduating.
 

Study Arts and transfer with a WAM > 70.

You'll need that WAM to be competitive for internships/jobs anyway. It's not easy, especially if you want to enter IB/MC, but they're the two hardest lines to get into for a reason. Networking and career hubs at Unimelb is one of the best in Australia, but you need to be proactive and search for what you want.

P.S Most comm jobs (exception of IB) are easily accessible by Arts students.

[manutd]

If I transfer to commerce via arts, does that mean I don't have to do any methods type of bridging course. Also what are you referring to when stating " IB/MC"?

[appleandbee]

If I transfer to commerce via arts, does that mean I don't have to do any methods type of bridging course. Also what are you referring to when stating " IB/MC"?

You would still have to do the Methods bridging course within your arts degree to transfer. IB is investment banking and MC is management consulting.

[wobblywobbly]

If I transfer to commerce via arts, does that mean I don't have to do any methods type of bridging course. Also what are you referring to when stating " IB/MC"?

You must do one of the options as described in this link. They all cost money, so choose wisely. The last option, MAST10012, can be done as an elective in your Arts degree (only if you have done Methods 1/2 or have coordinator approval) and so can be put onto your HECS.

[manutd]

With these "online courses", is there an exam at the end of it or is it just based on your online scores? Also, how difficult is it to achieve a WAM of 75 in an arts degree. With respect to this, is there any preference given to transferring students who are currently enrolled in a Unimelb degree.

[junyper]

With these "online courses", is there an exam at the end of it or is it just based on your online scores? Also, how difficult is it to achieve a WAM of 75 in an arts degree. With respect to this, is there any preference given to transferring students who are currently enrolled in a Unimelb degree.

I did Unilearn Senior Mathematics to get into Bcom - it took a few months and it wasn't too hard
There are online exercises you need to complete and a final exam (they provided a mock exam for practice)

[Orb]

With these "online courses", is there an exam at the end of it or is it just based on your online scores? Also, how difficult is it to achieve a WAM of 75 in an arts degree. With respect to this, is there any preference given to transferring students who are currently enrolled in a Unimelb degree.

Not much easier/harder than getting a 75 in BCom. If you study hard and consistently you'll get a 75

[manutd]

Out of all the online courses, which option is the "easiest'? I am currently on a 90% average for further mathematics in a really strong cohort, do you think I can do well in the methods online courses. Also, suppose I achieve an 86 atar and get accepted into Arts at UoM. If I apply for a midyear transfer, would my atar be competitive for a place in commerce. In other words, I don't want to waste my time doing a course without a guarantee to an extent - should I start a business degree @ monash and then transfer. This will not only give me possible credits towards my degree but an alternative route if I don't get accepted in Bcomm @ UoM. 

[Orb]

Out of all the online courses, which option is the "easiest'? I am currently on a 90% average for further mathematics in a really strong cohort, do you think I can do well in the methods online courses. Also, suppose I achieve an 86 atar and get accepted into Arts at UoM. If I apply for a midyear transfer, would my atar be competitive for a place in commerce. In other words, I don't want to waste my time doing a course without a guarantee to an extent - should I start a business degree @ monash and then transfer. This will not only give me possible credits towards my degree but an alternative route if I don't get accepted in Bcomm @ UoM. 

These days there's virtually no difference employability wise between doing a Bachelor of Arts and majoring in Economics vs a BCom. Do a BA, work hard and if you can't get the WAM to transfer (eg. <65) then even if you started off in BCom you would find it difficult to find a good job. A Business degree at Monash is less employable at many places than a Bach Arts at Melb.

[Aqualim]

These days there's virtually no difference employability wise between doing a Bachelor of Arts and majoring in Economics vs a BCom. Do a BA, work hard and if you can't get the WAM to transfer (eg. <65) then even if you started off in BCom you would find it difficult to find a good job. A Business degree at Monash is less employable at many places than a Bach Arts at Melb.

I agree, but this is only for some of the top tier "Big 4" auditing firms. (however, I do know a lot of people who got positions going to La Trobe University and Deakin University - they had really good extra-curricular activities though). Ultimately it comes down to what you want to do after Uni, plenty of the Big 4 firms state that they aren't accounting firms and want people with a variety of skills. At this day and age and where the world is heading, I'd almost recommend people to stay clear of generic commerce or business degrees and pick up a science degree specialising in some form of IT or Mathematics discipline. The industry needs people to be very, very good with computers and just knowing how to use the Microsoft Suite really won't save you in the long run as everything will be automated. So to save yourself, I'd strongly recommend completing a Computer Science degree or if that's not your cup of tea, do the Diploma in Mathematics on the side of whatever you are doing. Having some STEM skills will really open up the job market for you and separate you from the other Commerce students.

As someone who interviews students for graduate positions, barely any student has experience using applications aside from Word and Excel. You will be strongly considered if you've used applications that are used in the real world e.g. Accounting - MYOB and Xero. Data Science - Python, R, SAS, SPSS etc. I understand universities don't place a lot of emphasis on this (They should though), but even going out of your way to learn these things will really, really separate you from the other graduates.

TL:DR. Your degree doesn't really matter for general graduate positions, particularly at Big 4 firms, however getting experience related to the industry is highly sought after, and we will choose someone who has experience with these applications (even if it's self-taught - we will test you on it though) with a 70 WAM vs. someone who has zero experience with an 85 WAM. It's sad, but it's true. So ultimately think about what you want to do and really find out what you'll be doing in the position so you can start building your resume around that.

[Orb]

This would depend on your definition of a 'good job'.

Try getting an interview at McKinsey, BCG or Goldman Sachs telling them that you have a 70 WAM, but you're amazing at Python, R, MYOB (or relevant consulting skills like powerpoint/excel) and Xero and have decent ECs. 
On the other hand, it is very possible to get an interview with an 85 WAM + decent ECs with no mention of the above.

P.S Agree that having the above is a ridiculously elitist way of thinking about 'good jobs', but there are many BCom students who think this way

[Aqualim]

This would depend on your definition of a 'good job'.

Try getting an interview at McKinsey, BCG or Goldman Sachs telling them that you have a 70 WAM, but you're amazing at Python, R, MYOB (or relevant consulting skills like powerpoint/excel) and Xero and have decent ECs. 
On the other hand, it is very possible to get an interview with an 85 WAM + decent ECs with no mention of the above.

P.S Agree that having the above is a ridiculously elitist way of thinking about 'good jobs', but there are many BCom students who think this way

Yes, but McKinsey and the like have very high WAM requirements, I'm just talking about your standard Big 4 here, where the WAM reqiurement is 65-70 with good ECs and 80-85 without ECs. But then again, everyone is different, I've known people to get amazing jobs and had a WAM of 55, but were very social and took control over a room when they spoke. I'm just saying that in order to give yourself the best possible chance of securing a high calibre job, whether thats in management consulting, auditing, IB etc. You'll obviously need a very good WAM, 80+, relevent experience through internships (go to a g8 university like Monash or Melbourne especially for IB, because Credit Suisse, UBS and the like are very elitist), experience with relevant programming languages and software and in general being a good interviewer and you'll be set as you'll be in the top 1% of the 5,000+ people that are applying for the same position.

Keeping in mind, what I listed isn't easy to do. Be prepared to start smashing your goals from day 1 of university. But I think I'd be preaching to the choir saying that here based on majority of the UniMelb results I've been seeing.

[manutd]

If I done a commerce/computer science (double degree) , how employable would that make me ; provided I take this route, what career pathways are open to me. I also plan to work overseas, maybe a couple of internships - so employability as a whole is a prime factor when I am researching courses.

[manutd]

Also, what is EC?