To Jamon
On a scale of 1-10, 10 being the best, what would you rate engineering out of 10?
Is the workload for a bachelor of civil as much as people say it is? How does it compare to HSC? Are ext 1 math concepts completely essential in the course and are they used much?I’ll let Jacky take most of this one, but I just want to remark that almost every degree is more work than the HSC by nature. One of the hundreds of things that make uni different to HSC is that you choose how much work you want to put into it, so you can play it out however you want to
I only did Advanced Mathematics in Year 12 but the assumed knowledge in almost every engineering course is maths extension 1. How do I get through an engineering course with only having learned advanced maths?It really depends on what major you want to do in engineering as to what might be recommended. What major are you thinking?
It really depends on what major you want to do in engineering as to what might be recommended. What major are you thinking?
——
Re: one above - as soon as I get home I’ll look at some of the WSU majors and then get back to you
What types of volunteering can I do to show my interest in engineering as someone who has just finished year 12 but unfortunately has really no work experience at all except in year 10 at an aged care centre?This one is quite simple. Because the answer is any form of volunteering will look good :)
I originally wanted to do a major in software engineering but then I'm starting to think maybe telecomm or biomedical instead.For something such as biomedical you won't need too much on top of what's done in 2U. To make your life easier you might like to consider certain parts of 3U (e.g. harder growth and decay) for extra revision. The thing about most engineering disciplines is that they make you do math in first year, which can be effort, but then you don't really need it later on.
I'll be missing Info Day as I'm having an overseas trip. How vital is it that a person is present at Info Day and what information is given at unis that day?Not vital at all. Info day is literally that - information day. It just talks more about the degree and etc.; very little about what you'd be learning/examined on
When do we apply for hecs?
I live in Artarmon and I'm planning on studying in either UNSW, USYD, UTS or Macquarie. Is it better to live in-campus or just commute back and forth to Artarmon?
Hi guys, I really want to do the bachelor of business / bachelor of engineering at Western Sydney University. I am really confused with which majors I should select for the business degree (and if the business degree is useless as some people have told me ). Also, which discipline of engineering is the best to select in terms of job opportunities and workload Any help would be very much appreciated.So firstly, I just want to look at the bracketed bit. I dropped actuarial, which falls under business, but not once have I ever felt it was USELESS. It might've not been fun for me in the end, but uselessness is a different level. People who tell you that "it's useless" are usually people that just don't seem themSELVES using it. Some people just prefer engineering over business, and that's fine (in fact, that's me right now). But on the other hand, I've seen others who absolutely loved HSC physics and math who eventually ditched engineering in FAVOUR of business. For them, business was more their calling. So when people tell you it's useless, really think about if it's biased. The bias isn't unjustified, but not influential, i.e. something you should act on - at most, it's just something to know.
Hi! I'm looking at doing engineering at ANU. They don't offer the typical majors of Civil, Structural or Electrical but rather "mechanical and material systems, electronic and communication systems and biomedical systems" as examples.Not at all. They will ultimately equip you with the same skillset you need to join the workforce, and then once you're working you'll just do what everyone else does and pick up on what's leftover. Most likely they just chose to have fancier names.
Do you think there is a disadvantage for not doing a "normal" engineering course?
Cheers
Hi guys,Keen to hear what other's have to say, but this is my genuine opinion. Don't focus on the job prospects and believe ENTIRELY in your genuine passion.
I personally have done engineering from year 8 to year 12 and i love it. I am really interested in biomedical engineering as I have a passion for both health and engineering. But, I have heard jobs are low in this industry. What should i do? I have a genuine passion in this industry, but i think the only thing holding me back is job prospects. I want to do it at Sydney Uni, is there any industry connections that can mean i get a job?
Thanks so much
Hi guys,
I personally have done engineering from year 8 to year 12 and i love it. I am really interested in biomedical engineering as I have a passion for both health and engineering. But, I have heard jobs are low in this industry. What should i do? I have a genuine passion in this industry, but i think the only thing holding me back is job prospects. I want to do it at Sydney Uni, is there any industry connections that can mean i get a job?
Thanks so much
Hi guys,
I personally have done engineering from year 8 to year 12 and i love it. I am really interested in biomedical engineering as I have a passion for both health and engineering. But, I have heard jobs are low in this industry. What should i do? I have a genuine passion in this industry, but i think the only thing holding me back is job prospects. I want to do it at Sydney Uni, is there any industry connections that can mean i get a job?
Thanks so much
Sorry, got more q's:
1. Can you please tell us the routine that you have as a student who is studying engineering at a uni?
2. Can you please tell us what type of work you currently do and how you manage it along with personal life in accordance to your schedule and studying required for engineering at uni?
3. Any tips on what to put in a resume for engineering? (i.e. a template)
4. What uni do you personally like the most in NSW? (esp. for enginering)
5. Thank you to this highly accessible, very friendly, reliable, knowledgable, really great group of people at ATARNotes. You have really helped me a lot in my HSC year as I didn't really get any help from the people around me, no tutors, friends(?) and you have definitely been super kind to be this generous; sparing time to aspiring year 12s who have almost lost hope and courage in themselves. I have attended a lot of your lectures this year and I hope many more year 12s, both present and future may experience your heartwarming service. Not everyone, honestly are well-off and your free resources are very much appreciated. These may all sound really cheesy and I am cringing at myself too but if I could meet any of you again physically, I would really like to express this great gratitude and respect for being such nice and wonderful people. Best of everything to you all at ATARNotes.
Is the workload for a bachelor of civil as much as people say it is? How does it compare to HSC? Are ext 1 math concepts completely essential in the course and are they used much?
I really want to do mechatronic engineering but I've heard that it has a lot of coding and I'm not sure how good at that I'd be. I've never tried coding before and don't know whether that would affect my performance at a mechatronic engineering degree. What's coding like? Is it hard? How do I know that I won't hate it before I enroll in a degree that has a lot of it?On a personal scale:
Also, I've asked this before on AN but I'd like to know whether anyone has any info on space engineering at Usyd? It's taken as a major and I find it incredibly interesting. I've read over the course outline and units of study, but want to know more about the course before I take any further steps. Does anyone have any advice on this?
TIA
“Alright, so with selecting your business major, think about what you want to do with it. Are you picking business because you prefer the managerial roles, or the monetary aspects of it? That can narrow things down a lot if you think about it hard enough; for me, I'd have easily chosen money. It's alright if you don't know - you can just reply back. But try to mention some of the thoughts that have been going on your head when choosing.Keep in mind that a degree can also indirectly complement what you do instead of being something you directly use. Economics is a lot about decision making, but you'll gain the skills to quantify decisions by considering their relative values. International business, on the other hand, can be good for connections.
Once you have some idea, we'll move onto specifics :)”
I was thinking of the monetary aspects as well. I have studied hsc economics and enjoyed it throughout year 12 . It is because of this I wanted to study economics. However, I am worried that economics at uni will be much harder . That’s why I am tossing up between international business and economics. But have no idea about how they can help with engineering jobs / roles.
Regards
On a personal scale:
Barely coded in my life (never coded before first year second sem). Transferred into it just one semester go. Found it really easy.
But here's the thing, you just might not know. Because coding can be hard, OR it can be easy - it'll vary from person to person. Some people dive into computer science having actually never coded in their life. A half of them come to like it, and the other half don't.
So what you can do to minimise this annoyance is to try learning some over the break. Try to code only very simple things (prints, basic computations and control flow statements) and play around with it. Try solving some very small to average sized problems with the code instead of just meaningless coding (e.g as a challenge, do something that can compute 10-factorial or even n-factorial for you). Explore with some of the syntax but don't overdo it - only a tiny bit of syntax will be enough to give you an idea on how you feel about coding.
Coding is related to solutions in two ways in my opinion. The first is in actually solving the problem, and the second is figuring out an implementation. Try to think about how much you like those two things as well.
I'm thinking of studying a double degree of electrical engineering and computer science at UNSW. Such a clique question but is the maths as killer as everyone says it is? Also what are the best and worst aspects of studying engineering? Also do you actually get to learn through doing stuff eg. soldering, breadboard, programing, CAD etc. or is it more theory?You may be surprised to find that the math in computer science actually ain't that bad. It's electrical engineering that's the king of math in the engineering faculty, so I'll let Jamon talk about that.
Thanks XD
Thank you!The internet is your friend 8)
Do you know any resources I can use to teach myself how to code?
Currently thinking of majoring in engineering, but I don't know too much about what each entails (I plan on doing more research).For me, computers was the way to go and I discovered my like for it (ironically) THROUGH doing actuarial. The coding component was small, but it was one of the most amusing things for me in the discipline.
So my question is: why did you pick that type of engineering and what do you enjoy / hate most about it? (Alternatively, what kind of engineering do you enjoy the most and what did you like / dislike about it?)
The internet is your friend 8)
Cliche, but it's especially true with coding. Give it a search; you'll find heaps of resources out there for you. (Books are also really nice but in my opinion unnecessary, given that the internet already exists.)
I'm also happy to supply a select few lab exercises if you decide to use C, because that's what they teach in the first computing course at UNSW
Hi,Highly recommended? Absolutely. Necessary? Not always the case.
I am a year 10 student and I am planning to study engineering after completing hsc. I want to ask whether chemistry, physics and 3u maths are necessary for engineering or not? And what would happen if I drop chemistry?
Which coding language do you recommend I learn? Should I start with C bc it's usually one of the first ones taught at uni, or something else like Java?Play it easy when starting. C and python are pretty good starting points. You'll get through to Java, HTML etc. as you progress
Hey guys, I appreciate the opportunity you have given us inorder to ask you guys questions. These questions are for Jacky specifically as I'd like to study at USYD myself. Anyways,
1.How many hours a week/fortnight (whichever is more relavent) is your schedule?
2. In my first year would I be able to work for 20 hours per week?
3. Since I didn't study Ext.1 maths in yr 12, only in yr 11, would you recommend that I either learn specific concepts from Ext.1 that you've used/experienced, undertake a bridging course, or seek the alternatives that USYD offer?
Hi guys,
I personally have done engineering from year 8 to year 12 and i love it. I am really interested in biomedical engineering as I have a passion for both health and engineering. But, I have heard jobs are low in this industry. What should i do? I have a genuine passion in this industry, but i think the only thing holding me back is job prospects. I want to do it at Sydney Uni, is there any industry connections that can mean i get a job?
Thanks so much
Hey there!Thank you very much for your responses, really good to know. Since you recommended for me to undertake a bridging course, would you recommend an online one?
So with usyd essentially in your first year you will have around 18 contact hours, more if you choose alternative to the ones that were suggested. In terms of work hours, you would find it difficult to keep up the 20'hours of work at the same time as keeping up with your study. 10 hours is what I will recommend, leave some time to Society networking events and relaxation as well. And yes you will definitely need a bridging course if you haven't done ext maths in year 12 if you wanna do an engineering degree (first year maths would be similar to ext 2 maths for differential calc and integral calc)
Would it be valuable / worth it to pursue a diploma in informatics to complement engineering / maths? (I believe it's essentially equivalent to a major in computing).If anything, the "interesting and useful" bit answers your question. Why not :P
"It offers skills in programming, designing online solutions and developing web applications, and gives you the tools to solve information related problems in a range of areas."
More info / context:
It requires 8 computing subjects, so essentially a whole year. Up to 4 can be cross-credited from my degree, and as I'm in science I could do a lot of these in second year. This would mean only doing 4 extra subjects. If I were to do it, I wouldn't want to add any extra time onto my degree, instead overloading / taking summer subjects.
I'm currently planning on majoring in maths in my Bachelor, then doing an engineering Masters (which would essentially require a major in engineering in my Bachelor as well). So it would be doing a double major + diploma in 3 years. It'd be a lot of extra work but also interesting and useful, so is it worth it?
There are too many things I'd like to study :P
I'm thinking of studying a double degree of electrical engineering and computer science at UNSW. Such a clique question but is the maths as killer as everyone says it is? Also what are the best and worst aspects of studying engineering? Also do you actually get to learn through doing stuff eg. soldering, breadboard, programing, CAD etc. or is it more theory?
Thanks XD
Play it easy when starting. C and python are pretty good starting points. You'll get through to Java, HTML etc. as you progress
Thank you very much for your responses, really good to know. Since you recommended for me to undertake a bridging course, would you recommend an online one?
I only did Advanced Mathematics in Year 12 but the assumed knowledge in almost every engineering course is maths extension 1. How do I get through an engineering course with only having learned advanced maths?
Can you recommend any materials I could read or look up in advance to be prepared for any engineering course in general?
Mod edit: merged posts. (keltingmeith)
Hi! I'm looking at doing engineering at ANU. They don't offer the typical majors of Civil, Structural or Electrical but rather "mechanical and material systems, electronic and communication systems and biomedical systems" as examples.
Do you think there is a disadvantage for not doing a "normal" engineering course?
Cheers
I really want to do mechatronic engineering but I've heard that it has a lot of coding and I'm not sure how good at that I'd be. I've never tried coding before and don't know whether that would affect my performance at a mechatronic engineering degree. What's coding like? Is it hard? How do I know that I won't hate it before I enroll in a degree that has a lot of it?
Also, I've asked this before on AN but I'd like to know whether anyone has any info on space engineering at Usyd? It's taken as a major and I find it incredibly interesting. I've read over the course outline and units of study, but want to know more about the course before I take any further steps. Does anyone have any advice on this?
TIA
Hi!
I would really appreciate it if the three of you answer some of my questions and give me different perspectives 😊
Some info and context:
I finished my hsc this year and I want to do aerospace engineering in the future. I’m really interested in this kind of field and I would love to do a major in physics as well as I really love all space related stuff and even went to space camp in USA when I was in year 11 so I’m really passionate about it.
Now the really dilemma (well they are few lol) I only did general maths and haven’t done physics in highschool. I only came here to Australia 2 years ago and I didn’t know the whole system here and I did not know the difference in maths levels here, on the other side, I did a lot of physics when I was in my country so I don’t feel very disadvantaged not doing it.
(1) How would you recommend doing engineering with no 2 unit knowledge whatsoever? Would I be able to survive if I go over calculus this holidays before uni start? Do unis help ppl in this kind of condition or should I really re-consider engineering as a whole?
I got an srs offer from WSU to do Engineering majoring in robotics and mechatronics. I already accepted the offer and I was planning to enroll and do well in first year there and transfer to unsw. I know that unsw is renowned for eng and computer science and they are really active in those fields. However, I found out from wsu that im not eligible for hecs help or fee help because im a permeant resident and still have 2 years to go to be eligible for hecs or fee help. So basically, if I want to do first yeat at wsu and then transfer to unsw. I would pay upfront fee ($9000 yearly) and apply to unsw and even if I got accepted, I would re-do first year because there is no credit transfer between wsu and unsw (correct me if im wrong).UNSW is, of course, brilliant. Because we're UNSW.
So I have two options, either stay at wsu and do the full degree, or waste ($9000) in the first year and hopefully get into unsw and re-do first year eng in unsw (well if I got into unsw, I would do double eng/science so I can major in aero and physics)
The other day, I found out that there is a third option, so unsw has this program which is called UPP basically it is a uni prep program for people aged from (17-19) and you have to write a personal statement stating why you want to do it. It offers an engineering stream where they teach maths, physics and eng units. The program is 18 months and could be 1 year for people who show good results and after that you can transfer to unsw first year eng. The good thing about the program is it guarantees you a spot in eng first year (if you pass your units), the units you take in the prep year is credit transferable and most importantly (in my case) is it is fully funded from the gov for the whole year. so, I would only pay the student service fee ($250)
(2) – In the end I only have 3 options, either stay at wsu and do robotics for 4 years and pay upfront fees every year.
- do first year in wsu and waste ($9000) and transfer to unsw to re-do first year to do aero/physics
- Do Unsw prep program, pass everything, use the time to work and save up some money and transfer to first year eng.
- Any other ideas or options would be really appreciated 😊
Thank you for taking the time to read all of this :D
(1) How would you recommend doing engineering with no 2 unit knowledge whatsoever? Would I be able to survive if I go over calculus this holidays before uni start? Do unis help ppl in this kind of condition or should I really re-consider engineering as a whole?
(2) – In the end I only have 3 options, either stay at wsu and do robotics for 4 years and pay upfront fees every year.
- do first year in wsu and waste ($9000) and transfer to unsw to re-do first year to do aero/physics
- Do Unsw prep program, pass everything, use the time to work and save up some money and transfer to first year eng.
- Any other ideas or options would be really appreciated 😊
I just finished the HSC and am planning on doing the B Electrical/M Electrical integrated degree at UNSW. I have a keen interest in physics and maths. My question is whether it is worth doing the 5 year integrated degree to obtain both an undergraduate and postgraduate qualification OR just simply going with the 4 year B Electrical degree. Is there a large difference which puts me in a better position with the masters degree OR does it not affect my employability? Also, what happens if i fail the integrated degree >> do i get pushed down into the normal B engo degree (the 4 yr one)?
Thanks in advance, I appreciate the work that goes into these forums :)
Hi Jamon/Rui/Jacky. Thanks for answering my questions :)
1) What do you think of a computer science/law double degree? Do you know anyone who has studied this/how common is this degree choice?
2) I've heard that the workload for both engineering and law is quite large, so do you think this combination is manageable?
3) Would you know how many hours per week I'd be likely to spend in lectures/tutorials for this double degree?
Thanks again!!
Hey Rui,Hi there =)
I REALLY have my heart set on doing Computer Science at UNSW when i finish year 12 (2018), but as every student is, im concerned about the ATAR requirement (92), how do i get into Computer Science if i do NOT get the atar requirements?
Hey Rui,Sorry I couldn't reply sooner - I've been on a plane ahaha
I REALLY have my heart set on doing Computer Science at UNSW when i finish year 12 (2018), but as every student is, im concerned about the ATAR requirement (92), how do i get into Computer Science if i do NOT get the atar requirements?
Hi Jamon/Rui/Jacky. Thanks for answering my questions :)Let's see:
1) What do you think of a computer science/law double degree? Do you know anyone who has studied this/how common is this degree choice?
2) I've heard that the workload for both engineering and law is quite large, so do you think this combination is manageable?
3) Would you know how many hours per week I'd be likely to spend in lectures/tutorials for this double degree?
Thanks again!!
Hi, is it possible to do engineering without having learnt physics before and only ext. 1 maths? If not, do you guys have any recommendations for online bridging courses (as I'll be going overseas)?Statistically this has generally been sufficient. MX1 is generally regarded as the bare minimum (the assumed knowledge) and HSC physics isn't really the most relevant.
Awesome! Thats really comforting knowing the world isnt over if i dont get that ATAR requirement :D.Will get back to this :) I have to dash now; as a thing to learn it's pretty awesome but I'll give something more descriptive later
Whats Computer Science like?
Awesome! Thats really comforting knowing the world isnt over if i dont get that ATAR requirement :D.So, for me the content is really fun :D
Whats Computer Science like?
Hi,
I'm trying to figure out whether to attend UNSW or USYD for engineering. I've considered Macquarie University, and although convenient for me, I don't have much faith in its engineering faculty, and additionally they don't offer the 'flexible first year' program I'm keen on.
I think I want to study software engineering, but I'm not completely set on that path, because electrical, mechatronic and biomedical also seem interesting. USYD offers all four of these disciplines as part of their 'flexible first year' program, whereas UNSW only offers mechatronic and electrical for this program. Would it make more sense to attend USYD, although their engineering reputation isn't nearly as strong as that of UNSW? (I understand that both of these universities are fantastic, I'm just nit-picking ;D)
Because if I finished the 'flexible first year' program at UNSW and ended up not liking either electrical nor mechatronic, I would have to spend another year doing first year software, unless I switched out early in the year and did some MAD catch-up work. (biomed is only offered as a masters program at UNSW).
Also, I know many UNSW engineering students, and although they all agree UNSW is great for engineering, none of them have mentioned a single word about campus life being great. Do you guys know any USYD engineering students, and what their opinion of campus life (clubs, societies, social activities, etc) is?
Thanks! :)