Don't ever study languages at Monash [and other subjects to avoid]

[RainerWolfram]

Can I also add that

Don't ever study physics at Monash

EVER

+1. And also, don't ever use that vending machine near the engineering labs and lecture room (E1). It stole my superannuation money.

Engineering degree means compulsory physics yeah? if yes... 8==D _/'''''\-O

Only if you're going to do a double degree with science.

Ooh... i think i gotta do foundation physics anyway. Heard anything about that? or is it run by the same dude...

What engineering major do you want to do? If you want to do chemical engineering, I don't think you need to do physics for the Science component of the degree. I had some guy called David Green for Physics last semester. If you look at the unit guide, Foundation Physics is run by some other guy: Dr Andrew Smith (http://www.monash.edu.au/pubs/handbooks/units/PHS1080.html).

[98.40_for_sure]

Can I also add that

Don't ever study physics at Monash

EVER

+1. And also, don't ever use that vending machine near the engineering labs and lecture room (E1). It stole my superannuation money.

Engineering degree means compulsory physics yeah? if yes... 8==D _/'''''\-O

Only if you're going to do a double degree with science.

Ooh... i think i gotta do foundation physics anyway. Heard anything about that? or is it run by the same dude...

What engineering major do you want to do? If you want to do chemical engineering, I don't think you need to do physics for the Science component of the degree. I had some guy called David Green for Physics last semester. If you look at the unit guide, Foundation Physics is run by some other guy: Dr Andrew Smith (http://www.monash.edu.au/pubs/handbooks/units/PHS1080.html).

Yeah im heading for chem eng. It says compulsory to do it on the handbook. I might couple it with either sci or biomed. physics would be necessary for both probs?

[RainerWolfram]

Are you sure it's compulsory?

From (http://www.monash.edu.au/pubs/handbooks/courses/0085.html):

First Year:

All students complete:

    * CHM1011 Chemistry
    * CHM1022 Chemistry
    * ENG1010 Process systems analysis
    * ENG1060 Computing for engineers

(These are the compulsory units)

Select one pair of mathematics units from:

    * MTH1020 Analysis of change and MTH1030 Techniques for modelling
    * MTH1030 Techniques for modelling and MTH2010 Multivariable calculus

(Compulsory as well)

In addition students complete units in one of the following sequences as outlined below.

Select one pair of science units from:

    * ASP1010 Earth to cosmos - introductory astronomy and ASP1022 Life and the universe
    * BIO1011 Biology I and BIO1022 Biology II
    * ESC1011 Planet earth and its environment: The cosmic connection and ESC1022 Planet earth: Dynamic systems, environmental change and resources
    * FIT1029 Algorithmic problem solving and one of FIT1002 Computer programming, FIT1008 Introduction to computer science or FIT204 Theory  of computation
    * PHS1011 Physics (or PHS1080 Foundation physics) and PHS1022 Physics
    * STA1010 Statistical methods for science and MTH1112 Numbers, logic and graphs

I don't think you have to do physics because they allow you to pick any other pair of science units that's listed above. Physics is just optional.

[98.40_for_sure]

Oh, i must have gotten mixed up with this.

 Bachelor of Biomedical Sciences and Bachelor of Engineering in the field of chemical engineering
First year

    * BMS1011 Biomedical chemistry
    * BMS1021 Cells, tissues, and organisms
    * BMS1052 Human neurobiology
    * BMS1062 Molecular biology
    * BMS2011 Structure of the human body
    * ENG1010 Momentum, heat and mass transfer
    * ENG1090 Foundation mathematics,* or ENG1080 Foundation physics,* or ENG1091 Mathematics for engineering
    * ENG1091 Mathematics for engineering,* or ENG2091 Advanced engineering mathematics A

Total 48 points

* Students requiring foundation studies must undertake this unit from this group of options.

[RainerWolfram]

Oh, i must have gotten mixed up with this.

 Bachelor of Biomedical Sciences and Bachelor of Engineering in the field of chemical engineering
First year

    * BMS1011 Biomedical chemistry
    * BMS1021 Cells, tissues, and organisms
    * BMS1052 Human neurobiology
    * BMS1062 Molecular biology
    * BMS2011 Structure of the human body
    * ENG1010 Momentum, heat and mass transfer
    * ENG1090 Foundation mathematics,* or ENG1080 Foundation physics,* or ENG1091 Mathematics for engineering
    * ENG1091 Mathematics for engineering,* or ENG2091 Advanced engineering mathematics A

Total 48 points

* Students requiring foundation studies must undertake this unit from this group of options.

Yeah, if you do Biomedicine with Engineering, I guess you only have to do Foundation Physics. Who knows, it can be much more interesting than PHS1011 which was the unit TT and I did

[TrueTears]

Ahhh the memories of PHS1011... unbearable lol

[98.40_for_sure]

How you finding astro? thats the only reason im considering sci/eng

[RainerWolfram]

How you finding astro? thats the only reason im considering sci/eng

Astro is really interesting. Like every week, we have a guest lecturer from different departments of the university to discuss the things that we are learning. Some lecturers are boring, some are interesting. This semester we learnt about exoplanets, stars, the drake equation, the probability that there is a civilization like ours on another galaxy, parsecs, determine distances to stars, parallax, the requirements for life such as carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, hyrdrogn, water, intersteller travel and colisation, the rocket equation, stars. Yeah, if you're interested, you should do it. And read the works of Carl Sagan if you haven't.

[jimmy999]

Foundation Physics is a very easy subject given you have completed Specialist Maths. I only went to the first few weeks of lectures, stopped going, fluked all my pracs (the demonstrators basically tell you the answer) and it ended up being my 2nd highest subject. You'll just find it's rather boring for the first 6-7 weeks of the semester. After that you start to learn some new things

[98.40_for_sure]

How you finding astro? thats the only reason im considering sci/eng

Astro is really interesting. Like every week, we have a guest lecturer from different departments of the university to discuss the things that we are learning. Some lecturers are boring, some are interesting. This semester we learnt about exoplanets, stars, the drake equation, the probability that there is a civilization like ours on another galaxy, parsecs, determine distances to stars, parallax, the requirements for life such as carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, hyrdrogn, water, intersteller travel and colisation, the rocket equation, stars. Yeah, if you're interested, you should do it. And read the works of Carl Sagan if you haven't.

Is this the ASP1xxx?
i think someone said that if you require a foundation unit (ie. physics for me), theres no room for first year astro units without overloading. and i can only pick up ASP2xxx's and onwards after first yr?

[Cthulhu]

How you finding astro? thats the only reason im considering sci/eng

Astro is really interesting. Like every week, we have a guest lecturer from different departments of the university to discuss the things that we are learning. Some lecturers are boring, some are interesting. This semester we learnt about exoplanets, stars, the drake equation, the probability that there is a civilization like ours on another galaxy, parsecs, determine distances to stars, parallax, the requirements for life such as carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, hyrdrogn, water, intersteller travel and colisation, the rocket equation, stars. Yeah, if you're interested, you should do it. And read the works of Carl Sagan if you haven't.

Did you guys have Charles(dunno his last name) lecture this year?

[TrueLight]

How you finding astro? thats the only reason im considering sci/eng

Astro is really interesting. Like every week, we have a guest lecturer from different departments of the university to discuss the things that we are learning. Some lecturers are boring, some are interesting. This semester we learnt about exoplanets, stars, the drake equation, the probability that there is a civilization like ours on another galaxy, parsecs, determine distances to stars, parallax, the requirements for life such as carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, hyrdrogn, water, intersteller travel and colisation, the rocket equation, stars. Yeah, if you're interested, you should do it. And read the works of Carl Sagan if you haven't.

Is this the ASP1xxx?
i think someone said that if you require a foundation unit (ie. physics for me), theres no room for first year astro units without overloading. and i can only pick up ASP2xxx's and onwards after first yr?

hey na you can do all those units .... because when you major in astrophysics . the minor requirement can be physics and mathematics too

here ive worked out a suggested pathway (you can change the chm units to whateva you like)... hope its right taking into account the prerequisites etc.
so sci/eng is 5 years and you need 240 points... 132 points being eng units and 108 points being sci units

1st year
chm1011,chm1022
eng1010, eng1060
mth2010, mth1030
phs1080, phs1022

2nd year
asp2011, asp2062
chm2911, chm2922
che2161,che2162
che2164, che2163

3rd year
chm3911, chm3922
asp3051, asp3012
che3161, che3162
che3163, che3172

4th year
chm3952, chm3180
asp3231, mth2032
che3165, che3164
ene3608, che3166

5th year
che4161, che4170
che4162, che4163
che4180, che4172
mte2541, che3175

thats if ur doing eng/science

[Eriny]

Don't do it. Study abroad at the country for a semester or two instead. You will gain far more language proficiency that way that you will ever get at Monash.

Hasn't this always been common sense, regardless of the university? Irrespective of whether you're learning a language at Monash, ANU or Harvard, the crude reality is that you're never, ever going to become proficient in another language just by rocking up to lectures and tutorials. The cultural component at Monash, while unfair and unnecessary, is only a small part of a bigger problem across the board.

Like most, I was initially attracted to the idea of studying a language at university when I first enrolled two years ago, but I was deterred after somebody offered me some valuable advice. Don't waste your time studying languages at any university; they provide an incredibly poor setting for any beginner to properly learn a new language. You can't seriously expect to sharpen your language skills in an environment where every student is struggling to learn the basics. If you ever hope to attain an advanced level of proficiency, you need to be constantly immersed in your desired foreign language. The best way to go about doing this is by going on exchange or living in another country which speaks your desired language, as you mentioned.

Even without the cultural component at Monash, it wouldn't have made a difference whatsoever. You still would've come out of your degree thinking that you've wasted several years of your life fruitlessly trying to learn a foreign language with other confused, bewildered and struggling students. I really do feel sorry for those who've fallen into this pitfall - language courses at universities are nothing but money sinks.

It depends on what you mean by proficiency. Certainly, at some level, you aren't going to get any better at a language unless you immerse yourself in it by living in a different place. But, from what I've seen, that level is quite high. For instance, I know some people who speak English very well and their only exposure to it was in classes, in films/books/etc. and by trying to find English-speaking friends online. Their English is often good enough to get into English-speaking universities without actually ever having visited an English speaking country before. While I imagine their English improves dramatically when they are actually in an English speaking country, it's not as though those years of language lessons were wasted.

I do agree that the quickest (and perhaps easiest?) way of learning a language is probably by living in the country for a year. It sort of depends what you want out of it though.

[kev0]

wew, it's pretty lol to see pretty much everything i'm going to do/done on the do not do list (german,phs,compulsory sci2020).

i'd agree that the culture component is not enjoyable (in fact i'd go as far to call it terrible), and i find it frustrating that you require a pass in the culture component to pass the unit, especially since i rarely have any idea what we're actually working on. our culture component lecturer sidetracks heavily, (we spent an hour discussing what is "kanon" to literature) i'm just glad i didn't attend 80% of the lectures for culture, especially since a thursday night wikipedia skim through was enough for fridays exam.

but i found most (not all) lecturers for physics competent to an extent. maths on the other hand, andrew prentice is certainly quite the character and it is totally worth it to rock up to his lectures.

EDIT: i think chinese at monash also does not have a culture component, but i'm not 100% sure about that.

[aw123]

Just curious - is it possible to do a double degree at Monash, plus a diploma of languages? Or is that considered overloading?