poloktim
\(^o^)/
They didn't ask me if I was satisfied.
Most universities have what you described. I think UTS is the only one with the bustling city part because it's kind-of spread out in the city.ok, I like UOW, I'm going into my 4th year of a 3 year degree (yeah, a few fails and course change)... it's a great uni to go to in the sense that the environment, the culture, the way of life is very relaxed and inviting. Basically it's a nice place to go to uni rather than having to deal with a bustling city with strict guidelines and stressful environments.
Get Internet at home. Use the Internet on campus for campus purposes. Also, last time I was near building 17 (a while ago), there was a "net cafe" there. Why couldn't you just use that for random browsing. For the on-campus one, you should ask Chariot yourself what options you have. They can be accommodating if you say that you're a power-user.Buuuut, here's what I hate about UOW:
1) The IT infrastructure
--- We have a 500MB download limit per session (1st year I used this in 1 week)
--- We have a 14MB email limit running on an extremely old-school software script
--- The "eLearning" system which is the main software platform to get access to lecture slides and other materials for subjects, is a piece of shit. It is some pre-1999 era, java system that crashes, and is overall a pain in the arse to use
--- First year I lived on-campus (Campus East), and to get Internet access I had to pay $25 for 500MB of download (run-out, buy more) or on a per hour basis... since they were running through an ISP called Chariot which had/has a monopoly over the on-campus net access. That year I must have spent over $1000 for simple Net access
14MB email? Why not get yourself GMail and forward stuff to your gmail. If you start to reach your quota, since you've got everything on gmail, you can clean up your mirapoint box.
Not everybody is your friend. Some people have other things to deal with that day. In classes with a large number of students they have other students to see. They'll provide you with some help, but they won't waste a lot of their time on you.2) The staff
--- I haven't had too much contact with faculty staff, but when I have, I've always felt the full effect of the "business". They don't care about individuals within the university system. They only care about getting the numbers to run the subjects, to pay the professors, and to push the students through the system out the other end with a piece of paper ready for some company to pick them up and have them work to reach upper-middle management.
Perhaps the advice is sound? Specialise in something so if you fail miserably like a lot of would-be entrepeneurs do, you can at least save face and get a job doing your specialy. Adding yourself to the corporate machine because the taxpayer won't fund your failures forever. If you succeed then at least you have sound knowledge in one field and hiring people won't be as hard since you'll be good at management/HR/accounting/BIS/BA/whatever.My degree is a Bach of Business Administration. I was doing Computer Engineering and Commerce before but since my goal is to become an entrepreneur I wanted to do an all-round degree in business. I went to the Dean of Commerce and was basically told my decision was stupid, that I should specialise and something about 10 years down the track I will regret my decision. Fat prick of a Dean he was. 10 years down the track he'll have heart disease
It sounds like the Dean was preparing you for a statistical possibility that you'll fail.
Sadly for some people there's a point where they stop caring about what they do, and only come in because - as you put it - they're slaves to the machine. That being said, they might be more focused (and interested in) the research aspect and are only teaching so that they can continue their research.--- I have had a few professors who see through the university system and actually want to teach and excel students, not just regurgitate the facts in the textbook.
Drop out. Solved.3) The business/commerce degree
--- Out-dated, not for me
You don't have to do commerce or business, though. Enslavement implies there's no choice. You're choosing to do this outdated and droning degree.--- Both the Bach of business admin and Bach of commerce are the same here: they appear to be structured to train a mindless workforce for those wanting to get jobs at most in upper-middle management in large firms... that is not education people, that is modern-day enslavement
In Computer Science you must learn C/C++. A lot of students argue that those languages are outdated and memory-management is deprecated because .NET and Java can do all that for you. The argument which wins is the one you yourself mentioned: you need to know the core basics. To write an efficient program you need to learn how to manage memory properly. I suspect in Commerce to understand how accounting works and to see any shotty accounting that could be done, you need to know enough about it. Two subjects is what it is because it's not any easier to learn the basics than it was twenty years ago.--- The perfect example of the degree being out-dated is the mandatory 2 subjects worth of manual accounting. Yeah, the type of accounting not even accountants have used since the computer was invented. Yes it is nice to know the core basics of accounting, but not 2 subjects worth, and especially when I'm not planning to become an accountant. If I'm thinking of issuing shares or going public with a company, I'm going to employ a f$%king accountant to do that.
Be an entrepeneur. Propose an entrepeneurship degree.--- No entrepreneurship degree??! WTF is that. And they only have 1 entrepreneurship subject which I did as an elective. Um, entrepreneurship is the foundation and core of business. Oh no, that's right, they're only training people for upper-middle management.
Email or ring the lecturers. Turn up to the first lecture. Enrol in the subject, download the course outline, then if you don't like it unenrol. I think I unenrolled from more subjects than I completed.4) The "Course Handbook"
--- Students are spending $900+ per subject and the best we can find out about a subject before studying it is the title and a one paragraph description full of ambiguities.
--- e.g. find a subject, have a read: Course Handbook @ UOW
Grow a set and take the bus or train. Or just ride your bike or walk. If people stop associating public transport in Wollongong with the undesirables of society then it'll become a viable form of transport. The bus networks are comprehensive enough to go to UOW - there's even an interchange there! Stop your bitching and take one. There's a bus from North Wollongong station to UOW (if you're that lazy that a five minute walk will kill you).5) Parking
--- Don't bother. If you live within an hour walk/ride you may as well ditch the car, parking spaces are a rarity
The only people I can understand driving are those who need to work straight after uni so have to drive quickly to wherever it is and public transport would fail to get them to work on time (who wouldn't need to drive when they don't have work); the disabled who drive because they've got no choice; and those who live in an area that is not serviced by adequate public transport (for example, Campbelltown's bus to Wollongong imo is unsatisfactory).
Don't join them. Leave the members to their own devices and if they want to use clubs and societies to bolster their political standing, that's their choice.6) Clubs and societies
--- ... are all too politicised and "formal" to actually work