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Floatzel98

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ANU Course Questions
« on: July 24, 2015, 08:38:58 pm »
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Hey guys. I've started to look up more courses now since VTAC applications are opening soon and my teachers are making us prepare lists of all our preferences. While i was searching up courses i stumbled upon ANU and had a look through all their courses (I know that they don't use VTAC). At uni I'm planning on doing a Science degree. ANU offers the regular Bachelor of Science, then the Advanced one and finally the PhB. I know I'm not going to be able to get an ATAR high enough for the PhB and i even doubt one high enough for the Bachelor of Science Advanced, just leaving me with the regular science stream realistically. My questions is, is it worth going interstate for uni if I'm only accepted into the regular science degree. Not to discredit the course at all though. I obviously don't know all the similarities and differences between all the degrees. I'm probably just thinking about the courses superficially, probably just judging them on their ATAR requirements, so any advice or experience with the courses at all would be great. Plus what it's like to go to uni away from home. I've read around and seen people say Canberra isn't the most exciting place, but then some people absolutely love it.   

Thanks guys. Any help would be great.
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keltingmeith

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Re: ANU Course Questions
« Reply #1 on: July 24, 2015, 09:12:46 pm »
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It depends on what you want. I will put the disclaimer that I don't study there, BUT I did once spend a couple of weeks around the ANU campus, and when I was in year 12 I spent a lot of time researching different science degrees around Australia.

If I had thought I would've scored higher (funnily enough, what I got was very close to what I expected, so yay for no regrets), so that I could get some scholarships for accommodation, I would applied for UNSW and ANU. Why? They had fantastic facilities for what I wanted. I am, of course, very happy at Monash and transferring is the last thing on my mind - however, there's a difference between becoming comfortable and realising you made a good choice, than there is in making your initial decision.

ANU has fantastic physics departments (best in the country, last I checked), top notch maths facilities and some very good chemistry researchers. However, their life sciences stuff isn't that great - particularly compared to Monash (they're not tooooo terrible, but you can tell that ANU places a much higher emphasis on physics/maths stuff to biology stuff just by checking the amount of majors in both between universities). So, my question is this - what do you like about science/why do you want to study it? Answer this, I can probably give a much better opinion on which universities you should consider. (when I say "which universities you should consider", I will talk about states not including Victoria and the ACT as well. :P)

I know a lot of people who agree that Canberra isn't super exciting, however it has enough places to have fun, and the university runs a LOT of events to make up for the fact that there's little to do around the area. Going to uni away from home I can't really talk about, but I do know that it would depend on the kind of person you are. Some go crying back to their parents very quickly because they're not ready to be apart from them (not a bad thing, no matter how poorly worded I made that), some are super comfortable with it and only see their parents occasionally after it (a friend of mine has only been home for a few weeks since coming to uni early last year). You'll need to do a bit of a self-evaluation on how much you'll cope, and if you think it's for you.

EDIT: Just realised this was a specifically ANU thing/in the ANU boards... But given our extensive list of ANU regulars, I reckon this is still quite relevant, hahah.

mahler004

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Re: ANU Course Questions
« Reply #2 on: July 24, 2015, 09:25:55 pm »
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I grew up in Canberra. I still really like the city, although I won't be moving back there in the near future.

The only difference between the BSc and the BSc (Advanced) is a compulsory Honours year, and they stream you into some 'advanced' courses in first year (which I'm pretty sure that you can do in the regular BSc as well). There's the title, although that doesn't matter. Quite a few of my friends have done the BSc, and seem to have had a good experience on the whole. As Euler said above me, the ANU has great maths, physics and chemistry departments. If you're more interested in biomedical research, there's much more in Melbourne. All this said, don't overly obsess about rankings - the experiences of an undergrad student won't be too different.

So, what's your endgame? Research? Medicine? A postgraduate degree?

As for moving away from home - make sure you're mentally ready for it - especially if you've moving a few hundred kilometres away from home. You can't come back down in a weekend unless you pay for (very expensive) flights. There's a bit of a shock in the first few months, but most people going to ANU end up in a college, so at least you'll be fed and you'll make friends fairly quickly. That said, it's something everyone needs to do eventually, and moving away from home at an early age means that chances are, you'll be more mobile. Everyone copes differently though.

As for Canberra as a city - I grew up in Canberra, so I'm a little biased. Canberra is a funny city - it's a small city, that feels like a country town, with pretensions of a big city. A lot of people at the ANU grew up in Canberra (and can be a bit 'cliquey') but a lot of people move from interstate. ANU (unlike many other universities) thus has a thriving student life.  Canberra is a beautiful city, and if you're into the outdoors, there's a lot to do. It is not, however, Melbourne or Sydney, so don't move to Canberra expecting Melbourne. The cost of living in Canberra is around the same as Melbourne (although rent is a little cheaper).

Remember at the end of the day, you're choosing a place to live as well as a place to study. You need to consider both. ANU may be the best university for whatever you're planning on doing, but if you just wind up hating living in Canberra, there's no point.
« Last Edit: July 24, 2015, 09:33:42 pm by mahler004 »
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Floatzel98

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Re: ANU Course Questions
« Reply #3 on: July 24, 2015, 10:10:46 pm »
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snip
Honestly I feel like i would be fine going away to uni. I never really been away from my family for any reason in my life. Leaving and being on my own is one of the reasons why I'm still looking into it now.

I'm planning on studying maths / physics  if that helps at all. You guys said that they have very good departments in these fields. I know that you have undergrad experiences won't differ too much wherever you go, but say you wanted to follow through with a research pathway once you have finished, how much would a more reputable department help you in terms of post-grad opportunities?

As for why I want to study it / my endgame; I guess i just want to keep learning what I'm passionate about and find fun. Looking at my options from there, it would probably progress to some kind of research career. Not that I've planned it all out, i just can't really see myself doing much else.

Hopefully this is in the right board, I thought it was the most relevant one.

Also, if I am serious about applying for ANU, how do i go about it. I obviously don't think i'd be able to attend any open days for example. Does the UAC system also have a change of preference time once we get our results, so maybe depending on the score i get i can reevaluate my options then and put them into my preferences if i choose?

Thanks for your help guys. I really appreciate it :)
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keltingmeith

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Re: ANU Course Questions
« Reply #4 on: July 24, 2015, 10:26:12 pm »
+2
Honestly I feel like i would be fine going away to uni. I never really been away from my family for any reason in my life. Leaving and being on my own is one of the reasons why I'm still looking into it now.

Then, you should be fine in regards to moving state for university. As for Canberra specifically, mahler's got you covered. Funny thing is, I'm actually at home so little, not much would change if I were to actually move out... So, based on your thoughts now and how I felt in year 12, I think you'd be okay. :P

I'm planning on studying maths / physics  if that helps at all. You guys said that they have very good departments in these fields. I know that you have undergrad experiences won't differ too much wherever you go, but say you wanted to follow through with a research pathway once you have finished, how much would a more reputable department help you in terms of post-grad opportunities?

Department prestige is nice, but I personally find that names are more important. Think about it - if you did honours with the person who found the cure to cancer, and you studied at well-known-but-not-the-best-university, people will see you more highly than if you did it with a person who has no major accomplishments and you studied at best-university-5eva. I also have friends who have gotten job offers -whilst still in undergrad- because of working with a well known and good supervisor for undergrad projects. (before honours, I might add)

I will add, though, that department prestige often has links to how good the undergrad program can be for many reasons. One of them being, if you're good at x, so you want more people to do x so you can stay at the top for x, you'll make your x programme top-notch. (see example: Monash is #1 for chemistry - from what I've seen across various universities, they also have some of the best undergrad programmes for chemistry. Similarly, I've yet to hear a single complaint about ANU physics, but I hear /loads/ from other universities) Also examples in pushing students so you can become the best at x, which can mean leaving behind the rest and having an overall appearance of shittiness for those who can't immediately see things.

There's also the advantage, if you want to do a PhD at ANU eventually, doing undergrad there gives you more time to associate with the lecturers, meet the researchers, etc. and so you'll have a better idea of who you want to work with when that final decision comes.

Basically, no real "official" advantage for picking one undergrad over the other, just a few things that seem to pop up.

As for why I want to study it / my endgame; I guess i just want to keep learning what I'm passionate about and find fun. Looking at my options from there, it would probably progress to some kind of research career. Not that I've planned it all out, i just can't really see myself doing much else.

Have you considered a career in academia?
In that case, you want to try and put yourself into a university where you can be exposed to research - most upper end universities have this, /regardless/ of if you're studying in an advanced degree or not. (clearly PhB has more research opportunities, and at some universities people in advanced degrees get given more opportunities [such as Monash or UQ], but they're present in all of them) So, not really an issue if you go to monash/unimelb/ANU/other university here.

Hopefully this is in the right board, I thought it was the most relevant one.

Sorry, didn't mean to say it wasn't - I just replied as if it were somewhere else, because I read badly, hahah.

Also, if I am serious about applying for ANU, how do i go about it. I obviously don't think i'd be able to attend any open days for example. Does the UAC system also have a change of preference time once we get our results, so maybe depending on the score i get i can reevaluate my options then and put them into my preferences if i choose?

mahler004

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Re: ANU Course Questions
« Reply #5 on: July 24, 2015, 11:04:35 pm »
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Applying to UAC is pretty similar to applying to VTAC. You can change your preferences after you get your ATAR (at least you could back in the day, I can't see why it would change.) I do believe the deadline closes pretty soon though (before VTAC.)

Department prestige is nice, but I personally find that names are more important. Think about it - if you did honours with the person who found the cure to cancer, and you studied at well-known-but-not-the-best-university, people will see you more highly than if you did it with a person who has no major accomplishments and you studied at best-university-5eva. I also have friends who have gotten job offers -whilst still in undergrad- because of working with a well known and good supervisor for undergrad projects. (before honours, I might add)

This is absolutely true, although only matters when it comes time to do Honours/a PhD. This is still a long way off. There are plenty of accomplished physicists at ANU (including one with a Nobel prize,) so you're not wanting here.

The BSc (Advanced) and PhB will direct you into research, earlier. The PhB has (compulsory) research components as early as second year, and the BSc (Advanced) has a compulsory Honours stream. You won't be quite as directed if you're just doing the general BSc, but you can still pick research subjects. Think beyond subjects, though - research experience doesn't have to be for course credit.

There's also the advantage, if you want to do a PhD at ANU eventually, doing undergrad there gives you more time to associate with the lecturers, meet the researchers, etc. and so you'll have a better idea of who you want to work with when that final decision comes.

This is a big advantage. You can obviously move around for a PhD (even for Honours,) but most people seem to stay at the university they did their undergrad in. Once you've got your 'in' with an advisor (in Honours, or as a undergrad,) it makes things much easier.

Have you considered a career in academia?
In that case, you want to try and put yourself into a university where you can be exposed to research - most upper end universities have this, /regardless/ of if you're studying in an advanced degree or not. (clearly PhB has more research opportunities, and at some universities people in advanced degrees get given more opportunities [such as Monash or UQ], but they're present in all of them) So, not really an issue if you go to monash/unimelb/ANU/other university here.

Yep. This is the real advantage of universities like ANU, Monash, Melbourne, over other universities. It's worth really stressing that you often have to seek out research opportunities. They are usually poorly promoted (if promoted at all.)
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