Advanced Science [U NSW or U Sydney?] (1 Viewer)

[LoneShadow]

I'm planning to do advanced science {later on specialise in physics}. I have had hard time deciding which uni will be best suited for my needs and my future scientific path. I like practical works and reasearch....and love theoritical works as much. I'm more interested in structure of matter [sub-atomic level]. In one word...I like "BIG" and hard to swollow science....I'm not gonna be intrested in finding ways to save the forest [not dat i dont care about nature]...to be frank.

so yeah......from what I have said in the above paragraph......which uni do u think is most suitable for me?


thnx a lot in advance

 

[bobin]

i think sydney uni would be best suited towards your unusual needs

 

[Survivor39]

i think sydney uni would be best suited towards your unusual needs

that's up to individual opinions of course.

Loneshadow, try to look around the School of Physics website from both uni and see what kinds of subjects they offer.
For UNSW: www.phys.unsw.edu.au
For USyd: www.physics.usyd.edu.au

 

[doe]

if you are looking at doing a phd i would say either is fine. you wont get to do much research till you do honours and/or a phd. pick which one appeals to you more

 

[LoneShadow]

if you are looking at doing a phd i would say either is fine. you wont get to do much research till you do honours and/or a phd. pick which one appeals to you more

u might be rite...but from wat i've read.....UNSW seems more intrested in research.....their research starts b4 honour or PhD years.....hmmm...i dunno. UNSW sounds a bit too cheesie when describing it's skool.

thnx for ur opinion all. Hoping to see them coming

 

[xiao1985]

usyd offers a tsp for truly talented and interested students... basically u start ur research in 1st yr...

 

[Survivor39]

usyd offers a tsp for truly talented and interested students... basically u start ur research in 1st yr...

so does UNSW....

 

[doe]

yeah normally i would say unsw but one of my best friends is doing a phd in physics at usyd and im fairly good friends with another guy doing a phd in physics there. both of them are working on world class projects, my best friend has just spend 3 months in england and 3 months in india doing research, so it seems to be on par. both of them work in real physics research labratories too, not just doing uni/phd stuff, so theres also a market for them in the workplace.

 

[Slidey]

Wouldn't it be better to do a Ph.D at an Ivy League?

 

[doe]

well, only to impress n00bs (which can be important sometimes). for people who have a working knowledge in your area what you did (or are doing) and to a lesser extent who your supervisor was/is are far more important. you can be pretty sure that people who are going to hire phds will have a working knowledge of the field. crap phds are easy to spot, theres been some absolute shockers in computing. many people seem to do them not because they genuinely want to do research but cause they couldnt get a job and/or want the "prestige". i know people who fall into both these categories. getting a phd (or any degree really) is mostly a function of hard work rather than of "being smart". The most important thing in doing a phd is your supervisor.

 

[LoneShadow]

well, only to impress n00bs (which can be important sometimes). for people who have a working knowledge in your area what you did (or are doing) and to a lesser extent who your supervisor was/is are far more important. you can be pretty sure that people who are going to hire phds will have a working knowledge of the field. crap phds are easy to spot, theres been some absolute shockers in computing. many people seem to do them not because they genuinely want to do research but cause they couldnt get a job and/or want the "prestige". i know people who fall into both these categories. getting a phd (or any degree really) is mostly a function of hard work rather than of "being smart". The most important thing in doing a phd is your supervisor.

I completely agree with u here.... and this is actually one of my concerns...I know it might sound foolish to worry about my future professors or supervisors before I have even been accepted into uni....but I think it's important to put some consideration on it. A uni with lots of facilities and economical support will be nothing...(almost)....to a student if the student does not have a proper teacher.

Any opinion of current adv science students at either usyd or unsw....is greately apretiated.

As I said before...my intrests are in quantum and neuclear physics....so yeah....keep those replies comming on which uni might be better....thnx a lot

 

[lukebennett]

apparently unsw is 4yrs and usyd is 3yrs

 

[Survivor39]

apparently unsw is 4yrs and usyd is 3yrs

UNSW - includes an additional honours year, which is what LoneShadow wants anyway because once you completed your Honours, you can go straight to you PhD.

 

[§eraphim]

this thread has digressed somewhat

i think in terms of performing well at honours it would be usyd. unsw awards honours (1st class, 2nd class upper, 2nd class lower, 3rd class) based on wam over the 4 yrs of ur degree (>85 for 1st class). however, usyd's adv sci is just like a normal sci degree with hnrs in that honours class is awarded on the wam of ur hnrs yr only. i guess this would b more advantageous as it doesnt include all the shit marks u would have got from bludging at the start plus u would tend to work harder in that hnrs yr. also, i reckon that the thesis project to b awarded hnrs (only 24uoc - 25% of normal yrs worth of work) isnt as good as a full half-yr and that you havent learn enuff about research methods etc to perform satisfactorily (this is based on my assessment of UNSW BComm/BSc (Adv Sci - Maths & Finance)) . [I'm not sure about the other adv sci degrees at unsw or usyd so no comment]

i think the usyd ssp and tsp program sound good - like a research sampler. but while usyd is more about catering[training] for undergrad newbies [paraphrases usyd friend], unsw is definitely more recognised for its research. so if u want a more structured approach (pure coursework then nearly pure research[theres some coursework too]), i recommend you come to unsw.

 

[Super Pig]

As far as physics is concerned (as well as many other areas), I think USYD and UNSW are pretty much neck and neck. The major research strength of USYD physics lies in photonics/fibre optics, astronomy/astrophysics and applied/plasma physics. The school houses a substantial number (at least 4) of Federation Fellows (the most prestigous research award funded by the government, $250k pa salary), including 2 recent PM's Award for the Physical Scientist of the Year winners. One of the Fellows does quantum physics stuff I think. So you need not worrying about finding a decent supervisor. The nuclear physics group is relatively small which is hardly surprising. All its "labs" are overseas since we don't really have the means to build massive accelerators here. The PhD ppl work overseas for several months each year, which is nice. The school does not have any trouble in attracting research funding. This allows it to offer a large number of vacation scholarships for undergraduates (I was lucky enough to get one in 1st year). So you will have numerous opportunities (e.g. TSP) to get exposed to real research in your early uni careers. I find the overall atmosphere in the physics building fun and supportive. I am not too sure about UNSW physics though. It is probably as good. You just need to find out what they specialise in. Good luck.

 

[LoneShadow]

thnx

thnx a lot Seraphim and Super Pig. Your Comments are very helpful. Apretiate it lots!


keep those comments coming plz...specially from current adv science students @ usyd and unsw.

Regards