UNSW General Chat

[DrDusk]

Hello,
I just received an offer to electrical engineering/comp sci but I am confused by how the timetable works. Any advice for me please? Thanks

Go to the handbook for each of your two degrees separately. Click on your major and scroll down and you'll find a section which gives levels for courses like level 1, level 2 ... You usually do 3 courses a term and you decide based on these levels as level 1 is usually done first, then level 2 etc...

For your first term some common courses usually taken are:
Math1131, Comp1511. All level 1.

[david.wang28]

Go to the handbook for each of your two degrees separately. Click on your major and scroll down and you'll find a section which gives levels for courses like level 1, level 2 ... You usually do 3 courses a term and you decide based on these levels as level 1 is usually done first, then level 2 etc...

For your first term some common courses usually taken are:
Math1131, Comp1511. All level 1.

Any advice on what courses to put for my first, second and third terms?

[blasonduo]

Any advice on what courses to put for my first, second and third terms?

Hey! This document might have some great use for you, it basically sets out all your courses in each term for you.

https://www.engineering.unsw.edu.au/electrical-engineering/sites/elec/files/ELECAH3785%20BE%20BCSc%20oct19_0.pdf

[david.wang28]

I heard math1131 and math1141 are similar, but what is the main difference between them?

[blasonduo]

I heard math1131 and math1141 are similar, but what is the main difference between them?

"• Apply ideas in the syllabus to unfamiliar contexts,
• Recognise and create valid mathematical arguments.
In MATH1141 there will be greater emphasis on these than in MATH1131" (from the uni)

Basically, most of the content is the same, but in 1141, your questions will be slightly harder, and you'll go into a bit more depth on some topics. When I did Math1A, 1131 and 1141's final exam shared the same questions for the first half, but then 1141's last half had different, more difficult questions. If in doubt, you could always register for 1141 and drop down to 1131 if you're not feeling it.

[david.wang28]

What are the differences between comp1511/comp1911 and phys1121/phys1131 then?

[blasonduo]

What are the differences between comp1511/comp1911 and phys1121/phys1131 then?

For physics 1A, it basically is identical to Math1A, the only difference really is the difficulty of questions, your weekly quizzes will have harder questions in them, and your final exam will have a harder section.

For comp1511 and 1911, I can't say since I've never done them, or heard much about them. It seems to me as if 1911 is for people who are completely new to programming whilst 1511 is for people who kind of have the basics down. There are course outlines for both these courses, and I recommend you read through both of them.

(Edited to correct, find it weird that that "1A" is the easier version than "Introduction to Programming" but hey, who am I to judge)

[david.wang28]

Sorry for being a pest, but I have one more question for today; I put down electrical engineering and computer science, but I'm still not sure which to major in (although I am interested in electrical, mechanical, mechatronic and possibly civil). How should I structure out my timetable then?

[CyberScopes]

For physics 1A, it basically is identical to Math1A, the only difference really is the difficulty of questions, your weekly quizzes will have harder questions in them, and your final exam will have a harder section.

For comp1511 and 1911, I can't say since I've never done them, or heard much about them. It seems to me as if 1511 is for people who are completely new to programming whilst 1911 is for people who kind of have the basics down. There are course outlines for both these courses, and I recommend you read through both of them.

This is the opposite actually, 1911 is an absolute beginner course while 1511 ramps up with more pace. Both can be done with no programming experience, but 1511 deals with memory allocation which can be hard to understand for complete beginners, while 1911 does not. 1511 is also more competitive. Both are in C.

[owidjaja]

Sorry for being a pest, but I have one more question for today; I put down electrical engineering and computer science, but I'm still not sure which to major in (although I am interested in electrical, mechanical, mechatronic and possibly civil). How should I structure out my timetable then?

Hey there,

You still have time to figure out what you wanna major in. Are you doing flexi-first year? Either way, regardless of what you're majoring in, you're doing the exact same courses as everyone else (with a few exceptions with ELEC1111 and ENGG1300).

When it comes to structuring your timetable, firstly I'd recommend making a spreadsheet. I made a spreadsheet so I can plan out my whole degree and it's easier to schedule because of course availabilities. Secondly, the best way to structure it is a combination of following the sample degree outline that they (should) have for each engineering major and finding out which combination of subjects has the best timetable. I'd recommend Crossangles to plan out your timetable.

What are the differences between comp1511/comp1911 and phys1121/phys1131 then?

So comp1511 and comp1911 teach the C programming language but comp1911 is a lot more beginner friendly than comp1511. While these are for comp sci majors, it's also often taken by engineering students, particularly mechatronics, electrical and maybe even biomedical. I'm not sure which engineering you wanna major in but also taken into account that python is also a commonly used programming language (at least, I know for mech/aerospace students).

Hope this helps!

[david.wang28]

Hey there,

You still have time to figure out what you wanna major in. Are you doing flexi-first year? Either way, regardless of what you're majoring in, you're doing the exact same courses as everyone else (with a few exceptions with ELEC1111 and ENGG1300).

When it comes to structuring your timetable, firstly I'd recommend making a spreadsheet. I made a spreadsheet so I can plan out my whole degree and it's easier to schedule because of course availabilities. Secondly, the best way to structure it is a combination of following the sample degree outline that they (should) have for each engineering major and finding out which combination of subjects has the best timetable. I'd recommend Crossangles to plan out your timetable.
So comp1511 and comp1911 teach the C programming language but comp1911 is a lot more beginner friendly than comp1511. While these are for comp sci majors, it's also often taken by engineering students, particularly mechatronics, electrical and maybe even biomedical. I'm not sure which engineering you wanna major in but also taken into account that python is also a commonly used programming language (at least, I know for mech/aerospace students).

Hope this helps!

Sadly, there wasn't a specific option for flexible first year engineering/comp sci. So I put down electrical as my major for now. So far, for all engineering/comp sci degrees, MATH1131/MATH1141, ENGG1000, PHYS1121/PHYS1131 and MATH1231/MATH1241 are common. But I think what they mean by flexible first year is more of a flexible first term. So I think I should put MATH1131/MATH1141, ENGG1000, and PHYS1121/PHYS1131 in my first term, so I gain maximum flexibility with my degree.
EDIT: I looked at the computer science structure, it said MATH1081 is included. Do I have to do it as part of an engineering/comp sci degree?

[RuiAce]

Sadly, there wasn't a specific option for flexible first year engineering/comp sci. So I put down electrical as my major for now. So far, for all engineering/comp sci degrees, MATH1131/MATH1141, ENGG1000, PHYS1121/PHYS1131 and MATH1231/MATH1241 are common. But I think what they mean by flexible first year is more of a flexible first term. So I think I should put MATH1131/MATH1141, ENGG1000, and PHYS1121/PHYS1131 in my first term, so I gain maximum flexibility with my degree.
EDIT: I looked at the computer science structure, it said MATH1081 is included. Do I have to do it as part of an engineering/comp sci degree?

MATH1081 is core for computer science. (But not your engineering component.)

At this point, I'm starting to believe you're overthinking this. You shouldn't let the fact that you're undecided on electrical/mechanical simply deter you from certain units. If anything, I'd say it's good to take up appropriate ELEC units (at a suitable time), to decide on if you like that discipline or not.

The flexible first year degree option, generally speaking, also allows you to take whatever you want throughout the whole year. Not just the first term.

(Edited to correct, find it weird that that "1A" is the easier version than "Introduction to Programming" but hey, who am I to judge)

COMP1917 was the old version of COMP1511. This one actually obeyed the `order of numbering' issue.

Presumably, they just ran out of numbers when they tried to overhaul COMP1917.

[david.wang28]

MATH1081 is core for computer science. (But not your engineering component.)

At this point, I'm starting to believe you're overthinking this. You shouldn't let the fact that you're undecided on electrical/mechanical simply deter you from certain units. If anything, I'd say it's good to take up appropriate ELEC units (at a suitable time), to decide on if you like that discipline or not.

The flexible first year degree option, generally speaking, also allows you to take whatever you want throughout the whole year. Not just the first term.
COMP1917 was the old version of COMP1511. This one actually obeyed the `order of numbering' issue.

Presumably, they just ran out of numbers when they tried to overhaul COMP1917.

Yeah sorry for my stupid questions (I did admit I was being a pest before), I'm just confused as to how uni timetables work.

[RuiAce]

Yeah sorry for my stupid questions (I did admit I was being a pest before), I'm just confused as to how uni timetables work.

Timetables are a messed up thing for first year students to be honest. But usually you shouldn’t overanalyse it.

You can always post up what you’ve currently decided on if you wish.

[david.wang28]

Any suggestions for my timetable? Also, any suggestions for general education courses for my first year?