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March 29, 2024, 06:48:44 am

Author Topic: Engineering Q+A!  (Read 20348 times)  Share 

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jamonwindeyer

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Engineering Q+A!
« on: November 24, 2017, 02:13:46 pm »
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Today's Q+A: Engineering OPEN NOW!

Welcome! In this thread we’re going to have a few Engineering students, at various stages of various degrees at various universities, here to answer your questions. Obviously this is a huge area, and we can't cover literally every single type of engineering. That said, some of the people we've got answering questions today:

Jamon

Hey! I'm studying Electrical Engineering at UNSW as a Coop Scholar. I've just finished my third year of study and am off to a year of internships in 2018 (I've already got a summer internship under my belt as well). Really enjoying my degree and would be happy to answer any questions related to Electrical Engineering or UNSW in general - I've studied courses in a fair few faculties there ;D also happy to chat about scholarships/scholarship interviews, and I'll hazard an answer to questions about industry training too :)

Rui

I’m Rui, and I actually swapped out of doing business for my computer science degree. I’ve just started my new degree last semester (yes, semester 2) and am already enjoying what I’m learning. I’ve explored quite a few of the majors at UNSW Engineering and have many friends in various other faculties, so I know a little across the whole spectrum. So don’t feel discouraged from asking about something unrelated to computing/software. You can also ask me about transferring and engineering double degrees!

Jacky

I'm Jacky, and I've just finished my first year of a Bachelor of Civil Engineering at the University of Sydney! Would be happy to answer any questions I can :)

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The Q+A will be open all night, so ask away!
« Last Edit: November 24, 2017, 03:54:18 pm by jamonwindeyer »

snowisawesome

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Re: Engineering Q+A!
« Reply #1 on: November 24, 2017, 04:04:05 pm »
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To Jamon
On a scale of 1-10, 10 being the best, what would you rate engineering out of 10?

jamonwindeyer

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Re: Engineering Q+A!
« Reply #2 on: November 24, 2017, 04:08:14 pm »
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To Jamon
On a scale of 1-10, 10 being the best, what would you rate engineering out of 10?

Hmmm - I'd give it like an 8.5 or a 9. It's not all good times, definitely not easy and perhaps a little stressful, but I enjoy the challenge and I enjoy the content and its applications ;D

Brupton

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Re: Engineering Q+A!
« Reply #3 on: November 24, 2017, 04:09:44 pm »
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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?

RuiAce

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Re: Engineering Q+A!
« Reply #4 on: November 24, 2017, 04:11:58 pm »
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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

Iminschool

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Re: Engineering Q+A!
« Reply #5 on: November 24, 2017, 04:28:16 pm »
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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?
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a.rehan

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Re: Engineering Q+A!
« Reply #6 on: November 24, 2017, 04:30:49 pm »
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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.

Jmmalic220

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Re: Engineering Q+A!
« Reply #7 on: November 24, 2017, 04:35:36 pm »
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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)
« Last Edit: November 24, 2017, 04:55:48 pm by keltingmeith »
Biology + Physics + Chemistry + Engineering Studies + Mathematics + English

RuiAce

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Re: Engineering Q+A!
« Reply #8 on: November 24, 2017, 04:38:48 pm »
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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?

——

Re: one above - as soon as I get home I’ll look at some of the WSU majors and then get back to you

Jmmalic220

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Re: Engineering Q+A!
« Reply #9 on: November 24, 2017, 04:39:53 pm »
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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?

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

I originally wanted to do a major in software engineering but then I'm starting to think maybe telecomm or biomedical instead.

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?

Mod edit: merged posts. (keltingmeith)
« Last Edit: November 24, 2017, 04:47:17 pm by keltingmeith »
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RuiAce

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Re: Engineering Q+A!
« Reply #10 on: November 24, 2017, 04:48:51 pm »
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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 :)

Restricting yourself to specifics doesn't always do you a favour. Volunteering in any way is nice because from different volunteering opportunity you gather different skills and traits (that of which, others might not have).

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.

(A bit of foundational statistics might be helpful, but keep in mind this is not taught in HSC 3U/4U.)

I'd imagine telecommunications wouldn't be too far away from what Jamon's doing though, i.e. electrical. For that one, whilst the actual concepts in HSC 3U math are quite useless, you need to be strong with mathematical ability as a whole. 3U+4U integration would be a nice boost. (I'm not sure if 4U complex numbers is really beneficial to telecommunications though.)

Those are just some ideas. But like, you shouldn't really be spending too much of the holidays worrying about that either. So if you're motivated to do some self-learning, do it, but don't pressure yourself into it!

Jmmalic220

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Re: Engineering Q+A!
« Reply #11 on: November 24, 2017, 04:49:13 pm »
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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?
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RuiAce

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Re: Engineering Q+A!
« Reply #12 on: November 24, 2017, 04:50:41 pm »
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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

keltingmeith

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Re: Engineering Q+A!
« Reply #13 on: November 24, 2017, 04:52:26 pm »
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Not from NSW or the HSC, but here's some relevant stuff I have to still contribute:

When do we apply for hecs?

When you're doing your uni entrance stuff (so after you've actually got the offer and are enrolling), they'll ask if you want to defer payment on HECS. You'll be asked to supply a tax file number, but typically you can wait until about week 4 to actually supply it - plenty of time to get one from receiving your application. That being said, if you don't have one, it's better to start the process now - you'll just need to call the ATO to get it sorted.

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?

I know nothing about the geography, but that's totally up to you. I know people who've had to do 2 hour commutes both ways on a daily basis who were fine with it, and people who've had to do 30 minute commutes all up and hated it. It's up to you to decide if a certain amount of travel is doable or not.

harrycarr6

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Re: Engineering Q+A!
« Reply #14 on: November 24, 2017, 04:59:33 pm »
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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