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Appianway's plethora of ANU questions

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Eriny:
Mostly because you still need to obtain a HD average. Also, most people can overload with a credit average, and obviously with PhB they won't let you unless you have a (fairly comfortable) HD average.

EvangelionZeta:
^^would the PhB people be more forgiving if you dropped, say, 1% below the HD average after overloading a semester?

humph:

--- Quote from: appianway on January 24, 2011, 09:43:35 pm ---Hi guys! As I'm going to be enrolling in the PhB, I thought I'd post some of my questions here in the hope that people will be able to answer them.

Music subjects

I've had quite a bit of information on this from my friend's friend, but I was wondering whether anyone else knew much about them. I heard that Instrumental Studies is essentially 30 minute lessons per week, plus a 10 minute recital at the end of the semester, but I'm not sure how difficult it is to maintain a HD average in this subject. I wouldn't be focusing on music as I'd be studying science, but I really do want to keep but my music in Canberra. In terms of my musical background, I've held good seats in the MYO for a number of years, and I've lead a bunch of other statewide orchestras (summer schools and lesser ensembles). Also did AMus several years ago, but I got lazy and couldn't be bothered completing a program for LMus. Any ideas on whether a HD is possible with a bit of practice but not an extensive amount? In addition, does anyone know if instrumental studies students can select their teachers?

--- End quote ---
I don't know much about performance subjects. I did enroll in composition way back in the day but had to drop it because the lecturer's wife got cancer. I also know a PhB kid (silver medallist at IPhO back in the day, actually) who did lots of Aural subjects. But don't know any non-music kids who did performance, so you'll have to ask around...


--- Quote from: appianway on January 24, 2011, 09:43:35 pm ---Languages

I'm having trouble fitting in all of the subjects that I want to take, so I'm not sure if I can squeeze in French.. at least in 1st year. Is there another way to obtain conversation practice? I know that there's a French club, but does anyone know how much French they actually speak?

--- End quote ---
See eriny's answer. Obviously there's also Alliance Francaise outside of uni too.


--- Quote from: appianway on January 24, 2011, 09:43:35 pm ---Books

Is there a cheap way to buy the textbooks, and are they really needed for all subjects?

--- End quote ---
Not necessarily needed for all subjects - wait until after a week or two of classes, and you'll find out. Often the tutors will tell you if it's really needed (btw, will you be doing first year advanced maths? Because I'll be tutoring that...). For second-hand, other than the depository there is ANU classifieds, where people will be advertising second-hand stuff, and just various notice boards around campus, where people will put up signs for selling particular books (even in your college there will probably be notices everywhere).


--- Quote from: appianway on January 24, 2011, 09:43:35 pm ---Inter-college activities

This is a bit of a stupid question, but is it normal for people to spend copious amounts of time hanging out with people from other colleges? A lot of my friends aren't staying in the same residential place as I am... and I'd like to visit them from time to time (plus, I'm not sure how many people in my college will know how to play Mao :) )

--- End quote ---
I played a lot of Mao in first year, along with God & Scum and 500, and also lots of poker. I'd never thought of it as a science student stereotype though, the friends I were playing with weren't all science kids. But yes, it's not unusual for you to have friends at other colleges. That being said, many people start off knowing people from school at other colleges but end up not spending nearly as much time visiting them as they'd expect due to making ridiculously good friends at their own college. Wait and see.


--- Quote from: appianway on January 24, 2011, 09:43:35 pm ---Overloading

Is it common, and do many people manage to do well despite the additional workload? I'd ask some of my friends already at ANU, but they're all super geniuses, so I'm not sure whether their experiences are the norm...

--- End quote ---
Uh, but you're a super genious too...
But seriously, it's not particularly common, but those who choose to usually do so because they're very driven. Also overloading generally comes at a bit of a cost to your social life, which I wouldn't recommend, especially in first year when you really should just be making as many friends as possible and enjoying yourself.


--- Quote from: appianway on January 24, 2011, 09:43:35 pm ---Interstate transport

What's the best way to come back to visit Melbourne? I know that there are cheap busfares to Sydney, but has anyone found a better way to come back home?

--- End quote ---
I think you can get a $45 V/Line ticket one-way to Melbourne (bus to Albury, then train to Melbourne). That being said, if you're on the NUS (which I imagine you are, by your ATAR) then you should get one return flight home a semester paid for by ANU. Use this. Even if you drive down with friends (I did a great road trip like that in second year), you can even keep all the petrol receipts and get ANU to reimburse you for them. I have a friend from Darwin on NUS who booked flights the day before he left, which ended up costing $2000, but ANU still reimbursed him. Incredible.



--- Quote from: EvangelionZeta on January 25, 2011, 12:18:00 am ---^^would the PhB people be more forgiving if you dropped, say, 1% below the HD average after overloading a semester?

--- End quote ---
Even without overloading, they tend to be pretty understanding early on. If you don't get the average in first semester, they'll bring you in to talk to you about it, but basically they just want to hear that you have an excuse (first time living away from home, distracted by college life, having to find the balance, etc etc). Even another semester below the average they'll usually let you get away with. Also in Arts if you just miss the average (78-79%) they tend not to care too much, as it is generally pretty damn hard to keep an HD average in Arts. In Science, they're a little less tolerant, but nevertheless they will always give you two semesters of leeway, so long as you can justify yourself.

appianway:
@ humph, there's a free flight? I think they've changed it now, and it's 'only' $12,500 per year.

In respect to other things, I hope I'll be doing 1st year advanced maths (if they refuse to let me do it because I didn't do specialist despite doing IPhO and APhO I will become verrrryyyyy angry).

Does anyone think they'll allow me to overload with the 3 unit Instrumental Studies subject in 1st semester? It's basically the same as just having violin lessons... argh I'm not sure whether to do two second year physics subjects in 1st semester or whether I should just do one...

Eriny:

--- Quote from: humph on January 25, 2011, 11:29:35 am ---
--- Quote from: EvangelionZeta on January 25, 2011, 12:18:00 am ---^^would the PhB people be more forgiving if you dropped, say, 1% below the HD average after overloading a semester?

--- End quote ---
Even without overloading, they tend to be pretty understanding early on. If you don't get the average in first semester, they'll bring you in to talk to you about it, but basically they just want to hear that you have an excuse (first time living away from home, distracted by college life, having to find the balance, etc etc). Even another semester below the average they'll usually let you get away with. Also in Arts if you just miss the average (78-79%) they tend not to care too much, as it is generally pretty damn hard to keep an HD average in Arts. In Science, they're a little less tolerant, but nevertheless they will always give you two semesters of leeway, so long as you can justify yourself.

--- End quote ---
Yeah, that's pretty much been my experience. I didn't quite get the HD average early on, but it wasn't a big deal. Three semesters without a HD average though is a problem (unless you have a medical certificate or something like that).
If you overload and don't get the average, I'm sure they'd take that into account, but they probably wouldn't let you overload the semester after that, I imagine (I don't know, people who want to overload don't seem to have any problem getting the marks, in my very limited anecdotal experience). I recommend at least not overloading for semester one first year (I don't think you can anyway), and then see if you think you could overload in semester two.

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