Chinese as breadth at Melbourne Uni; worth doing?

[vox nihili]

Sadly enough, only music appeals to me out of all of those above, and I had already discounted music as breadth in my first post because I didn't particularly enjoy learning about musical history, general knowledge for exams and music theory in general.

I also do not particularly like alcohol; I've sipped wine off a chopstick around six years ago and I was socially coerced into drinking a shot of whatever that 40% alcohol by volume was at my valedictory dinner. Other than that, I've refused to have any. I appreciate the intention though (:

Well hopefully you can try some of these things out, because science as it is in the work force will always involve more than just science itself. It involves all of those things.

[LeviLamp]

Please just try something, nobody can help you any further D:

[Russ]

Something that is supported by all of the data. At UniMelb there are >90% non-government students, which climbs as you get into courses with higher ATAR requires like commerce and Biomed. But, in terms of performance, students from public schools tend to do a hell of a lot better.

[citation required]

I saw a study on this a while back but it certainly wasn't what I'd say is "supported by all of the data"

[Stick]

I don't follow; what was so funny about the exam timetable? I heard the exams were all packed together.

Sadly enough, only music appeals to me out of all of those above, and I had already discounted music as breadth in my first post because I didn't particularly enjoy learning about musical history, general knowledge for exams and music theory in general.

I also do not particularly like alcohol; I've sipped wine off a chopstick around six years ago and I was socially coerced into drinking a shot of whatever that 40% alcohol by volume was at my valedictory dinner. Other than that, I've refused to have any. I appreciate the intention though (:

As I already suggested, there are Geography subjects that you can take as breadth if they're offered by the Faculty of Arts. This ties in with your scientific interests in a rather unique way.

[vox nihili]

[citation required]

I saw a study on this a while back but it certainly wasn't what I'd say is "supported by all of the data"

They're quite difficult things to test and when it was reported a few years back, the newspapers took it for a ride with the whole "spoon fed" type of thing. Sure, there are a lot more resources available to students in the non-government system but the very best have had to exploit the heck out of them, which is much the same for students in the government system, so the whole spoon fed rubbish is that, rubbish.

[LeviLamp]

@Stick: Geography is in both the Arts and Science faculties and accordingly nearly every subject is not breadth-accredited for the BSc.

[Stick]

The key word there is "nearly." I believe there are a couple that can still be taken.

[Lasercookie]

You mentioned something or rather about not liking commerce due to some Year 10 rote learning subject you took. Generally you won't find a lot of rote learning at uni so you can probably treat most things with a fresh outlook provided you have some interest in the area.

I'm not entirely versed on this breadth business, so someone might be able to correct me, but my understanding is that they work exactly like electives. The UoM handbook seems to list for every subject what degrees you can take it as a breadth subject in - not necessarily just those listed in the 'breadth tracks' section. When I was trying to figure out what subjects to do, I more or less had a look at the later year subjects that seemed interesting and would like to do in some future year, and then looked at the assumed knowledge for it. Generally you'll find that it'll have recommended subjects that cover the background knowledge for it, so that'd be a couple of subjects decided.

I don't really want to push suggestions onto you beyond an idea on how to figure out subjects you might like to do, but to illustrate what I'm trying to get at, you might find a logic subject such as this https://handbook.unimelb.edu.au/view/2014/PHIL30043 might be up your alley. A lot of that stuff is quite closely related to mathematics as well (I know ANU offers a similar sounding subject to that one under the mathematics faculty). Whilst there isn't any strict prerequisite for that subject, there are a couple of recommended background knowledge subjects there, which means that that's about 2 breadth subjects you might like to do. That in turn, completing those subjects might open up more subjects in that major you might be interested in taking, or give you enough familiarity with how assessment/expectations in that particular degree work so you might afterwards be confident enough to take up another later year subject that doesn't have strict prerequisites. 

[Turtle]

I went to a private school, and I find uni exactly the same in terms of help with work, independent learning, etc..

Not all private school kids are "spoon fed"...it's just the media playing things up 

No matter where you go to school or uni, in the end, we all have to work hard at uni to achieve good results 

[b^3]

Ok guys, before this turns into another whole public vs private school thread (in which I'd probably go on for hours and hours for on the public school side of things), let's keep this on topic. Most of that argument is generalisations (which I guess in the end turns out to be the average over the state), and considering that not all private schools are the same, and not all public schools are the same, (yes there are some bad private schools out there as well), then we start getting into a circular argument that's been had on here time after time.

So yeah, stay on topic guys... that took me a lot of restraint not to go flat out into that argument.

[brenden]

I

I'll get more sleep

HAHAAAAAAAA

[lzxnl]

Ok how much sleep do you guys normally get? Surely more than five hours per day.

Back on topic: I have a month to go breadth hunting then.

[LeviLamp]

Often less than five hours of sleep per day, actually But I don't speak for sensible, well-organised students when I say that.
Also, you have three months and change

[charmanderp]

Ok how much sleep do you guys normally get? Surely more than five hours per day.

Yeah. Nah.

[b^3]

It'll be the constant sleep debt built up over the semester that'll get to you, so say over 9 weeks (12 weeks semester, there is a 'mid'-sem break where the 'middle' of the 12 week semester is after week 9, (although it's supposively the middle of the 12 weeks+exams, but then first sem doesn't run it like that...).. anyways). So yeah as low as 5 hours a night (sometimes lower), and then add in the all-nighters that you might have to pull even if you have kept up with the course, to actually get assessments submitted on time. You might be able to run at max for a little while doing this, but over the course of the semester (and swotvac... swotvac can be painful) it takes it's toll.

It's probably a little easier in first year, I was pretty drained but had 3-4 hours of travel time each day. Second year it steps up a few notches, and even living 10 minutes away from uni I was still pushing it on sleep and rest.

I should note not all uni students do this, but most of those who do well in the end seem to. Uni is another whole step up from VCE, VCE seems so easygoing relative to uni (although as the others have said you get long as holidays).

EDIT: If anything, just look back at posts from first years on here from a little while ago, you'll see the difference compared to VCE.