Average WAM Engineering (Civil) (1 Viewer)

[Leon_V3]

Hello,

Last term, I failed CVEN2303 with an abysmal 17.

After some quick calculation, I found that this will result in my final faculty WAM (which weights higher level courses more, and what employers would see) dropping by anything between 1.35 and 1.65 (assuming I would have got 50 in CVEN2303 instead, and I get between 65-70 for everything else).

This doesn't sound like much but I am worried that this will seriously jeopardise my chances to get employed (in engineering). This is because most people's final WAM will be clustered between 65-70 (And that is exactly what my WAM would be if it wasn't for 2303) and hence that drop in 1.35-1.65 mark will drop my percentile ranking by a massive amount.

My main question is, what is the exact average Faculty WAM for UNSW Civil students? Is is about 65, or is it something higher (given civil is easier than chemical/mechanical/electrical engineering).

If possible, I also want to know the exact spread of the marks as well (Although this is significantly harder to answer, the last thing I want is like 20% of graduates having a WAM between what I got, and what I would have gotten had I passed 2303 with a 50).

Note:

I know people will say extracurricular engineering projects help with employments more than grades, so I need to say this.
These wouldn't be relevant for me given there aren't many projects relevant for civil engineers (It is mostly for mechanical engineers I believe), and it is basically impossible to be very involved in these with Coronavirus in place anyway.

Also, despite being sure as hell I won't be working in a structural firm, I doubt HR will actually make the effort to check which subjects i did well in and which subjects dragged me down. They have way too many applications to get through in a short time.

 

[jazz519]

There's no way to know what the average wam is. There isn't any like published data saying this is the average wam in each degree. Only real way I guess you could find out is by asking some senior lecturer or someone in the uni school, what is the average.

 

[Leon_V3]

Dammit.

 

[uniqueusername1]

Yo so how does uni work? Do you have to repeat an entire term if you fail one assessment or exam?

Also would you need insanely good marks to get employed? Or is a pass enough?

 

[Leon_V3]

You only have to repeat subjects you failed (assuming it is a core course for your degree. If it isn't then don't bother).
Idk about other degrees but for engineering, a pass probably isn't good enough. I think a credit is necessary to keep you in the safe zone. You don't need anything 75+ although it is always better higher than lower (given all else equal at least).

 

[quickoats]

Yo so how does uni work? Do you have to repeat an entire term if you fail one assessment or exam?

Also would you need insanely good marks to get employed? Or is a pass enough?

Depends on the degree. Usually you only have to repeat the unit that you failed. This is fair, but there are 2 caveats with that: units may only be offered once a year (you have to wait around a whole year), or they are a mandatory prerequisite to "unlock" higher level subjects, meaning that you can't really progress further into your degree while waiting to repeat the unit anyway.

In other degrees (I've heard with med), you just have to repeat the whole year. I think that's a different concept since they do their own curriculum rather than piecing together different subjects over time.

If you fail a non compulsory unit then just treat it as a throwaway and move on (forget it ever happened).

 

[uniqueusername1]

Damn civils hard aye

Also lets say you choose a hard course which you thought you could do. If you end up doing really bad in it, could you switch to another easier course? Or will marks prevent you from doing so?

 

[uniqueusername1]

Depends on the degree. Usually you only have to repeat the unit that you failed. This is fair, but there are 2 caveats with that: units may only be offered once a year (you have to wait around a whole year), or they are a mandatory prerequisite to "unlock" higher level subjects, meaning that you can't really progress further into your degree while waiting to repeat the unit anyway.

In other degrees (I've heard with med), you just have to repeat the whole year. I think that's a different concept since they do their own curriculum rather than piecing together different subjects over time.

If you fail a non compulsory unit then just treat it as a throwaway and move on (forget it ever happened).

Damn. So you basically have to wait a year sheesh.

 

[jimmysmith560]

Yo so how does uni work? Do you have to repeat an entire term if you fail one assessment or exam?

Also would you need insanely good marks to get employed? Or is a pass enough?

If you fail a unit, you will need to take it again, meaning you'll have to spend an additional semester/trimester on that unit (when you will be able to take that unit again depends on when it is offered). Failing a unit may occur when you fail to achieve a satisfactory result overall (which is generally 50%) and/or (where applicable), fail to meet the minimum threshold in one assignment/exam (typically the final exam), which may also likely be 50%. You may choose to take that unit again much later during your time at university, rather than taking it again during the subsequent semester/trimester, provided completing it is not considered a prerequisite for more advanced units within your degree.

At the end of the day, passes will eventually allow you to receive your degree. This is assuming your degree doesn't have any special academic requirements. For example, my degree has a minimum requirement of maintaining a credit average (i.e. a minimum 5.0 GPA), meaning that passes are not enough to remain enrolled in my degree. A better academic background (manifested in superior results + GPA/WAM) is of course encouraged, as it may give you an advantage over other applicants when you graduate from your degree, making you a more competitive candidate when looking for a job.

 

[quickoats]

Damn. So you basically have to wait a year sheesh.

Depends. Let's say you fail only MATH 1A in your first term/semester at uni. No worries, just repeat that next term while doing other units that you have access to (e.g. compsci or physics or whatever you need to do, which does not have math1a as a prerequisite). In fact this is no biggie since you probably would be able to get back on track to finish on time by squeezing in an extra subject later.

However, let's say I fail (idk any good examples so I'll use something applicable to me) Linear Models. This is offered once a year at the end of the year. I cannot access the 3rd year statistics courses, but I've done all the 2nd year ones, so I have to wait a whole year to repeat it again then get back on track. In the meantime, I could do some other elective units or whatever to pad my degree out.

 

[specificagent1]

is your wam and university performance only important for graduate employment? does it continue to be a factor say 10 years down the road

 

[jimmysmith560]

is your wam and university performance only important for graduate employment? does it continue to be a factor say 10 years down the road

That will most likely not be the case. By that time, experience is what matters most, unless you wish to apply for some sort of academic role of course. In such a case, your academic qualifications and results may still be considered.