How useful are Economics and Business Studies in Uni? (1 Viewer)

[seremify007]

Just wondering if it'll help or not if I study B Comm at UNSW. I heard there's Macro/Micro economics as core topics in first year so that should theoretically help right? That's pretty much the only useful thing I can think of... as in, useful in terms of what I can use (somehow) after highschool.

 

[Acid]

I've found it extremely useful. I did both Business Studies and Economics for HSC and so far i've found:

1. I knew basic balance sheets/profit and loss statements and their components - accounting
2. I knew the basic performance ratios such as Debt:Equity, ROE, etc, and how to evaluate them - accounting again
3. I knew the theory behind debt/equity and the advantages/disadvantages - accounting
3. I knew most of the economics stuff (both macro and micro) - that includes balance of payments, exchange rate theory, demand/supply curves and how they're constructed/how they move, elasticity, etc etc.

That's all I can think of right now.

Basically, it ensures that you're not thrown into the deep end and allows you to bludge the first year a lot more. First year Commerce basically takes a lot of the stuff you learn in HSC BS and Eco and builds on them exponentially, but the ground work is great to have.

 

[ezzy85]

It helps you bludge maybe a week. High school stuff is very basic and doesnt really give you that much of an advatnage. It just gives you the impression that youre ahead and so you stop working as hard as you would otherwise.

 

[MAICHI]

HSC is too shallow. Uni requires understanding rather than regurgitating. But of course, HSC economics will help you in uni economics more than any other HSC subject can.

 

[Acid]

HSC is too shallow. Uni requires understanding rather than regurgitating. But of course, HSC economics will help you in uni economics more than any other HSC subject can.

Depends how you were taught in school. I'm finding a lot of what I learnt is carrying over quite nicely.

 

[Sarah168]

hsc eco will probably help alot

i didnt do bus studies in yr 12 (just yr 11) but i found acct fairly easy to get a grasp on if taught properly at uni

eco can be hell if u happen to get a bad lecturer and the graphs and theories are flying whoosh! over your head

 

[t-i-m-m-y]

I guess previous exposure won't hurt. But the advantage (if it exists) disappears very, very quickly. Don't rely on previous HSC studies to get you through first year commerce.

From what I gather, HSC economics would probably help you in micro/macro economics. So, if you haven't done HSC economics and/or business studies, don't worry. If you did, thats nice.

 

[Minai]

I remember a quote from my 1st year economics lecturer (Diane Enahoro) - she said that people that never did high school economics tend to do better at macro/micro because they aren't complacent or lazy as those that did economics in HSC.

(thats a generalisation anyway, but still, something to remember)

 

[seremify007]

Hmm.. I gotta make sure I don't become complacent then. I heard that there's alot of graph reading in economics at the start and people who didn't do economics may find it hard to tackle the concepts of S/D graphs, let alone the more complex ones.

*shrugs* I guess we'll see! Thanks for the input. Btw can I ask what majors all you guys picked? I'm leaning towards UNSW's Finance.

 

[Acid]

*shrugs* I guess we'll see! Thanks for the input. Btw can I ask what majors all you guys picked? I'm leaning towards UNSW's Finance.

You dont pick majors till later. At the moment, im heading down the Accounting/Finance path.

 

[seremify007]

Yeh that's what I was intending to do. My sister did Acct/Biz Law and said it wasn't that good.