Macquarie is best for Actuarial Studies. If you go to UNSW to do Actuarial Studies, it's like going to K-Mart to buy bread, when you have a bakery next door; sure, K-Mart might be better than the bakery next door for most other things, but for bread, the bakery is better!
On a more serious note, Macquarie has an internationally recognised Actuarial program and has been around since the late 1960s. And being the first in Australia, you'll find the vast majority of actuaries are from Macq, if they studied through a uni. Employers know what to expect from an actuarial who has graduated from Macq. Well, maybe Macq isn't the best place for actuarial if you consider how hard it is. It's too hard, imo. Well, it prepares you much better as an actuary than UNSW, consequently. (On second thoughts, go to UNSW, it's easier and less competitive there!)
Macq "created" the Control Cycle, which is used for Part II (and is "the" one the Institute uses for it's Distant Education for Part II).
If you want to be an actuary, go to Macq. If you want an actuarial degree but don't really want to be an actuary, go to UNSW.
Oh, and the Head of the UNSW Actuarial Deptment was poached from Macq (too bad they couldn't poach John Pollard or Shepherd).
