Enroling, choosing subjects etc help (1 Viewer)

[Comrade nathan]

Ok i have done my preferences and if i get the extra points for the EAS thing i will most likely be going to uni. I dont have a clue how this all works, i haven't check up anything properly and i didnt go to the uni inform days on the 4th and 5th because i told my parents i know all there was to know.

Questions

1) The 16th we get offers mailed to us?
2) If we dont make it we dont get mail?
3)How do we accept?
I hope to be doing B arts or B social Science, because i want to do anthropology. How many
4) How manye subjects do i choose for the degree?
5) Do i have to do minor and major, and how many?
6) On here http://ccdb.newcastle.edu.au/courseinfo/displayprogram.cfm?docid=392&FOS=2&UGPG=13 it says i have to do 240 units over the 3 years, what does this mean?
7) On that website under each subject title there is a list of topics, do i have to choose thoose topics or are the prescribed?
8) When do i choose the subject?

So as you can see im a bit of a jackass and i am not prepared, so any answers will help, thanks.

 

[andyk]

Questions

1) The 16th we get offers mailed to us?
2) If we dont make it we dont get mail?
3)How do we accept?
I hope to be doing B arts or B social Science, because i want to do anthropology. How many
4) How manye subjects do i choose for the degree?
5) Do i have to do minor and major, and how many?
6) On here http://ccdb.newcastle.edu.au/courseinfo/displayprogram.cfm?docid=392&FOS=2&UGPG=13 it says i have to do 240 units over the 3 years, what does this mean?
7) On that website under each subject title there is a list of topics, do i have to choose thoose topics or are the prescribed?
8) When do i choose the subject?

Always make sure you find out more than you need to know; your time at uni will involve lots of planning, and not just in studying. e.g. there could be administrative problems and it'll be up to you to know who to approach and how to deal with it. Better to be prepared.

Nevertheless, here's a lengthy general explanation:

1,2,3) UAC will mail you regardless. They will show you your preference list and indicate which, if any, course has been offered to you. UAC will also supply the directions to accepting an offer.

8) You will formally enrol at a time set by the Uni. It is usually then that you choose your subjects. You would also by this time know or be introduced to your Course Advisor/Co-ordinator who is like your year advisor throughout your entire course of study - they deal with your study as a whole, and will guide you through choosing subjects.

4,5,6,7) Subjects or units are like the subjects you do in high school (but obviously different in other ways). The HSC required >10units, and each subject counted for either 1 or 2 units. Similarly, a Degree Course requires a certain amount of units that you need to study and pass before you can graduate, and every subject represents a certain amount of units/credit/points, depending on the Uni's system.

Most subjects are studied for one semester; and you'd usually study four subjects per semester. So over several years, you 'collect' enough subjects, units, credits et al. which qualifies you to graduate.

Majors and minors represent a 'group' of related subjects. Studying the minimum amount of subjects in these 'groups' indicates to the uni that you have gained in-depth knowledge in that area. e.g. A Psychology Major would be a group of subjects/units that represent an in-depth study in Psychology.

Most Degree Courses will require you to study in at least one Major. In some cases, the entire degree course is one big Major study. Arts and SocSci degrees give you the flexibilty to choose. So in your case, nathan, this will be Anthropology, and there will be a set/group of subjects that you must study if you are to be recognised as having studied Anthropology in-depth.

Also there are Core or Prescribed subjects. These are the subjects you *must* study *in addition* to your chosen Major study; they usually provide a general foundation knowledge, or as 'capstone' units such as final-year projects.

You may choose to do additional Major or Minor studies. For example, if a course requires you to study 240 units, and each subject counts as 10 each, and one Major requires a minimum 8 subjects, then to complete a Major study means you'd have to complete 80 units, with another 160units left to go, and say the Core subjects total another 80units, in which case you'd have another 80units to go. You could study those remaining units on more subjects from the same Major, furthering your knowledge in that area, or you could do something from another area.

Your Course Advisor should be able to tell you which subjects comprise which 'group' of Major/Minor studies or are Core subjects, and will help you enrol in the correct ones for what you want. You won't choose all the subjects you would be studying over the 3(or howmany) years; you'd enrol and select the subjects for the first semester, usually the ones designed to be easier before progressing to more difficult subjects (again the Course Advisor should be able to tell you which ones).

By 2nd semester, you'd know how it works, so I guess what to do now (nathan, and anyone else in the same position) is to think about the area or topic you'd like to study, if you haven't already.

I hope I haven't complicated things with such a long explanation, but I wanted to cover everything (I knew a fellow student who enrolled in subjects from four different Majors, thinking it was possible to study four Majors in-depth over 3 years. Obviously by 2nd semester he had to choose which areas would be his specialisations)

But the Golden Rule is:
Talk to your Course Advisor (when you know who he/she is). If they seem lost too (they won't though), find a fellow student who knows what they're doing.

-andy

 

[Comrade nathan]

Ok thanks i really appreciate that.

 

[Timmay]

so do you just get an offer for your 1st preference (if you get the uai for it) or do you get one for all the preferences you got the uai for?

 

[acmilan]

Just your first if you got accepted to it

 

[Kazuya]

hmm i also have a question

say you're doing a single degree with a double major, so you have a set number of courses/credit points to use (eg. 42 for each major). What happens when you reach the CP limit, but still want to do some more elective courses from one of your majors?

 

[andyk]

hmm i also have a question

say you're doing a single degree with a double major, so you have a set number of courses/credit points to use (eg. 42 for each major). What happens when you reach the CP limit, but still want to do some more elective courses from one of your majors?

I guess this will depend on the rules for the degree course.

If there is a maximum CP limit for any one major, then you cannot do any more under the same area. Some degrees have this to ensure you study 'liberally' ie not under one area.

Usually, the amount of CP specified for a Major is the *minimum* rather than the maximum; in which case you are free to choose more electives from the same area. If you're required to do two majors, then of course you'd need to set aside enough CP to be able to complete both.

There is a CP requirement for completion of an entire course though. In this case, once you've reached enough CP and have also completed all mandatory subjects for your course, then you are eligible to graduate. Sometimes, you might reach full CP and not be eligible (particularly if you change your major area of study through the course and need to do more subjects to complete at least one major) so will need to exceed the amount of CP for the degree. In this case, and depending on the uni again, the uni will determine which subjects are most relevent and count them as part of the degree, whilst the remaining subjects you have completed are counted outside your degree (non-award), which could be used as credit if you decide to do another degree course.

As my above post, your Course Advisor would be able to guide you through all this.

-andy