howcanibesmarter
Well-Known Member
Since I finished my last school exam last Friday, I thought I'd take the weekends off to think about which courses to do in uni. I went to the UNSW open day and from what I've gathered only a select few actually interests me. As of right now, these are the main courses I have in mind (tho subject to change), and I have some questions I would like cleared up - somehow all of these came up after the open day 
- compsci/comm
- engineering/compsci
- usyd's engineering honours with space engineering
My main concerns are:
With compsci/comm: I feel like this is just the default course, but also probably the safest. Its decently hard but I think I should be alright since I'm planning to learn the fundamentals beforehand after hsc is over (though this only helps me for the first year at most). The issue I have with compsci is that apparently internships are very competitive, but I know its something you consider during your last few years. Still, because theres so many people doing it every year, what happens if you cant get one? And also, what is the employment rate for compsci since theres so many every year, surely you have to stand out quite a lot to get hired and get a decent pay? Correct me if I'm wrong but from my knowledge salary is like 70-100k for first year grads? Can anyone confirm/correct me?
With engineering/compsci: This is probably the most likely, but I'm afraid it might be too difficult + not sure if engineering and comspci double degree actually provides any benefits since I'm most likely doing mechanical or aerospace/aeronautical if I choose engineering. Mining is also a viable option - I've heard australias pretty big on it, but again, not related at all to compsci. Would it just be better to do engineering by itself or compsci/comm? Also what is roughly the salary expectation for mechanical/mining/aerospace/aeronautical, is it signifcantly lower compared to cs? I know biomed is ridiculously low. Its not a big issue but I'd rather do the higher paying one since both interests me at a similar level - hence why I'm considering doing a double degree for both.
Finally usyds course - I'm curious as to why this course has a selection rank of 99 without adjustments, since all the rest I'm considering are only around low 90s with adjustments. Why is it so hard to get in? Is it because of difficulty? But unsw offers similar courses with a lot lower required selection rank. I've also heard Australia's not that big on aerospace, so employment might be an issue? Could someone please clarify/confirm if thats the case? Since I wouldn't bother going through all that hassle just to barely make it in, then regret it since its hard to find a good paying job. Also not sure what grad salary expectations are.
If anyone's currently doing these courses/ can answer some of my questions, that'll be greatly appreciated
*And if it makes it any difference here are my subjects in order of performance internally:
eng adv, mx1, engineering studies, mx2, eng ext, physics (just to clarify: my physics was above average, but it dropped down because of working scientifically - not knowledge and understanding)
- compsci/comm
- engineering/compsci
- usyd's engineering honours with space engineering
My main concerns are:
With compsci/comm: I feel like this is just the default course, but also probably the safest. Its decently hard but I think I should be alright since I'm planning to learn the fundamentals beforehand after hsc is over (though this only helps me for the first year at most). The issue I have with compsci is that apparently internships are very competitive, but I know its something you consider during your last few years. Still, because theres so many people doing it every year, what happens if you cant get one? And also, what is the employment rate for compsci since theres so many every year, surely you have to stand out quite a lot to get hired and get a decent pay? Correct me if I'm wrong but from my knowledge salary is like 70-100k for first year grads? Can anyone confirm/correct me?
With engineering/compsci: This is probably the most likely, but I'm afraid it might be too difficult + not sure if engineering and comspci double degree actually provides any benefits since I'm most likely doing mechanical or aerospace/aeronautical if I choose engineering. Mining is also a viable option - I've heard australias pretty big on it, but again, not related at all to compsci. Would it just be better to do engineering by itself or compsci/comm? Also what is roughly the salary expectation for mechanical/mining/aerospace/aeronautical, is it signifcantly lower compared to cs? I know biomed is ridiculously low. Its not a big issue but I'd rather do the higher paying one since both interests me at a similar level - hence why I'm considering doing a double degree for both.
Finally usyds course - I'm curious as to why this course has a selection rank of 99 without adjustments, since all the rest I'm considering are only around low 90s with adjustments. Why is it so hard to get in? Is it because of difficulty? But unsw offers similar courses with a lot lower required selection rank. I've also heard Australia's not that big on aerospace, so employment might be an issue? Could someone please clarify/confirm if thats the case? Since I wouldn't bother going through all that hassle just to barely make it in, then regret it since its hard to find a good paying job. Also not sure what grad salary expectations are.
If anyone's currently doing these courses/ can answer some of my questions, that'll be greatly appreciated
*And if it makes it any difference here are my subjects in order of performance internally:
eng adv, mx1, engineering studies, mx2, eng ext, physics (just to clarify: my physics was above average, but it dropped down because of working scientifically - not knowledge and understanding)
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