Arts or Commerce? (1 Viewer)

[mimiian]

Hi, i am a current Sydney year 12 student and i absolutely love Canberra and ANU. just wandering how is the Faculty of Arts in ANU, i heard the Faculty of Commerce is rather good. but how is Arts? i am swaying between the two. i really like to do history and politics and philosophy and so on, but friends keep telling me Commerce has a better job prospect plus i am mildly interested in political economy. BTW would Arts/Law be a good combination, or is Commerce/Law better? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Wolfowitz]

AAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAA

Can you please copy this and repost it in the General forum? This would stir up the USyd pigs like blood on the wind.

 

[loquasagacious]

As far as Arts v Commerce goes that's abit tricky different horses for different courses and all. However job prospects alone are a bad way to differentiate.

What kind of career are you after anyway? You seem to be mostly interested in the arts domain of history/pols/phil...

As far as taking political economy I believe the bulk of political economy teaching at ANU is done under POLS (eg arts) are opposed to ECON (eg economics/commerce) - the political economy courses in arts are run by Rick Kuhn our resident communist crank.

It is also pertinet to remember that in a Commerce degree you can do an Arts major.

What degrees excatly are you tossing up between? art, commerce, arts/law, comm/law????

A better idea of what you want to do with yourself would really help.

 

[neo o]

Hi, i am a current Sydney year 12 student and i absolutely love Canberra and ANU. just wandering how is the Faculty of Arts in ANU, i heard the Faculty of Commerce is rather good. but how is Arts? i am swaying between the two. i really like to do history and politics and philosophy and so on, but friends keep telling me Commerce has a better job prospect plus i am mildly interested in political economy. BTW would Arts/Law be a good combination, or is Commerce/Law better? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

As a word of warning, I'm NOT an arts student. I think I know enough to be qualified in what I'm saying though. I'll start with the bad before I get to the good.

History - If you want to do history, particularly ancient history, don't come to the ANU. Go to the university of Sydney. I've been told of numerous funding cuts resulting in fewer courses and fewer quality lecturers. The ANU no longer has courses on Medieval Europe. *sniff*

Politics and Philosophy are two of the ANU's strengths. Since quite a few people who post here do those subjects, I'll let them comment.

I really don't know enough about commerce to comment. I do know enough to say that anyone who says that commerce/law graduates have "better job prospects" are just pulling crap from their proverbial behinds. What would they know? Choose either commerce or arts depending upon what interests YOU.

Law at ANU is solid. While I can't really compare the quality of teaching to other universities, I think that doing single sessions of some subjects (with options to do advanced electives) instead of doing a full year of criminal, contracts and property like at some universities is a plus. First year in particular is quite good, at some Sydney universities they do two law subjects in a year (foundations then torts) while we go through foundations, ethics, contracts and torts. We also get to squeeze more electives into a standard degree.

 

[mimiian]

really thankful, loquasagacious and neo_o, i thought Canberra ppl are helpful when i last visited it.

I am currently tossing between Arts/Law and Commerce/Law in ANU. my friends who is doing Commerce/Law in USyd really recommends me to do the same, he prefers Commerce than Arts cos an accountant or financier is more realistic than an historian or philosopher. i sort of agree with him because i think.. me being a historian? where am i going to get money?

but the problem is i am not very enthusiastic about Commerce, but i really like Arts majors such as history (both ancient and modern) , political science, philosophy and international relations.

say if i do Commerce, how many Commerce major i must choose and how many other subjects can i choose from other Faculty?

for the job prospects, i can't imagine myself being a lawyer, so in case i won't be one, at least i can be an accountant if i do commerce now. here is the dilemma: hobby vs job prospect

again really thankful to ANU ppl.

 

[neo o]

I am currently tossing between Arts/Law and Commerce/Law in ANU. my friends who is doing Commerce/Law in USyd really recommends me to do the same,

What works for your friend may not work for you.

but the problem is i am not very enthusiastic about Commerce, but i really like Arts majors such as history (both ancient and modern) , political science, philosophy and international relations.

It seems like an easy choice then, do arts!

for the job prospects, i can't imagine myself being a lawyer, so in case i won't be one, at least i can be an accountant if i do commerce now. here is the dilemma: hobby vs job prospect

again really thankful to ANU ppl.

he prefers Commerce than Arts cos an accountant or financier is more realistic than an historian or philosopher. i sort of agree with him because i think.. me being a historian? where am i going to get money?

Obviously with an arts degree you wouldn't be limited to becoming either a historian or a philosopher. Research skills that you learn in your arts degree will compliment your law studies. Furthermore, many ANU arts graduates seek out employment in public service, and earn quite good money. Arts offers quite a broad education in histories, politics, philosophy and languages, complimented with your law degree you could earn quite good money, as long as your marks are up to scratch.

And why you would want to be an accountant ?

 

[loquasagacious]

Well seeing as you don't actually want to be a lawyer I would suggets that its an exceedingly bad idea to study Law. It will mean you spend an extra year in uni and spend thousands of dollars on a degree you ahve no interest in. That you dont like it now also probably means you wont do very well in it. In fact given your preferences I would have said that Commerce/Arts would have been a good option for you.

In a straight Commerce degree you do one compulsory 'commerce' major (comprising a selection of introductory first year courses. One core major from commerce (accounting, business information systems, finance, International business, management or marketing). You can then opt to do a second commerce major, a major from another faculty or a randokm mix of courses that interest you.

However bear in mind that in a Comm/Law degree it is impossible for you to do an arts major all your points will be taken up by comm and law subjects.

If however you do Comm/Arts you will be able to do two arts majors. My suggestion being that you do Comm/Arts with majors as follows:
Comm: Commerce AND Accounting OR International Business
Arts: International Relations AND History OR Philosophy

I hope I upheld the ANUs helpful rep

 

[neo o]

I'd have to disagree with you there loq. Law is more of a generalist degree now, alot of people study it without ever intending to practice law. As long as the interest is there, it's awesome.

 

[MissSavage29]

History - If you want to do history, particularly ancient history, don't come to the ANU. Go to the university of Sydney. I've been told of numerous funding cuts resulting in fewer courses and fewer quality lecturers. The ANU no longer has courses on Medieval Europe. *sniff*

Unless you like roman history - which i am a big fan off
Dr Kelly is brillant - he does a first year rome republic to empire course - very good if you like roman history

There are some good moden history courses too - there are alot that are mixed in with politics subjects - i'm doing one next semester politics in russia which is a bit history and politics. So in that respect the anu arts selection is quiet good

 

[loquasagacious]

I'd have to disagree with you there loq. Law is more of a generalist degree now, alot of people study it without ever intending to practice law. As long as the interest is there, it's awesome.

I still think that from what he's said Arts/Comm would be a better option....

 

[boredatmydesk]

Do both- arts/commerce

 

[Wolfowitz]

Ahaha, fuck that.

Just do Commerce - it has all the perks of an Arts degree minus the shitty job prospects.

 

[imsooverskool]

Unless you like roman history - which i am a big fan off
Dr Kelly is brillant - he does a first year rome republic to empire course - very good if you like roman history

There are some good moden history courses too - there are alot that are mixed in with politics subjects - i'm doing one next semester politics in russia which is a bit history and politics. So in that respect the anu arts selection is quiet good

Ben Kelly is an ass, but maybe that comes from the fact that he hated me in his tutes because i didn't find mulling over Roman coinage as erotic as he did