Should I do a major in maths? (1 Viewer)

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Well I just completed the HSC and got an atar of 93.6. With this atar, I got a guaranteed offer into UNSW combined commerce (which is what I've wanted to do for a while now). I have been thinking of doing com/sci and while I was looking through the majors, maths stood out to me. What I want to know is whether I'll be capable of doing it since I got 91 in maths and 39/50 for ext 1.

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D94

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39/50 in Ext 1 means you probably got around 60% raw in the exam. Do you know where you lost those marks? If you can identify that, then maybe you could consider a mathematics major. Many students who do a mathematics major achieve scores in the high 40s (/50), which is around 85-90% raw. Frankly, there is a gap in your understanding of Ext 1, and the mathematics in Ext 1 is quite elementary at uni.

This is not to put you off from doing a mathematics major, but you do need to be well informed.
 
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So would you recommend another course to go with commerce (was thinking arts) or would a different major suffice (maybe statistics) or is that also too hard?

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D94

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So would you recommend another course to go with commerce (was thinking arts) or would a different major suffice (maybe statistics) or is that also too hard?

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You can certainly try mathematics or statistics, you just need to be aware of what you will be facing.

It's not up to me or others to recommend a degree. It should be what you want to do and what you are capable of doing.

May not be the advice you want to hear, but this is research that you need to do by yourself because we don't really know where your interests lie. Maybe do a google search for "unsw [name of degree/major] handbook 2017" (e.g. for Mathematics). It will come up with results for the Handbook, which is basically a guide to which courses (subjects) you need to do to fulfil the requirements of your degree. Have a look at the courses that you might be undertaking - that will give you a rough guide and it will be far better advice than what anyone can give.
 

si2136

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I don't think mathematics would be recommended with the 3U marks. You could always try it out, but unless you wish to apply mathematics into your career, then a mathematics degree would be pointless if you're not passionate and dedicated about spending years of your time towards a maths degree.
 

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