B Commerce at Macq?? (1 Viewer)

sk8ie_boi

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I've seen so much about comparing USyd and UNSW, but what about Macq?? Cuz I'm thinking to go there, but I don't see anyone discussing about dat uni? So is it not good?? or is Sydney or NSW way better than Macq?
 

stazi

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'Commerce' seems to be better at usyd or unsw.
However, 'business' seems to be better at macquarie (with the exception of some majors)
 

jase_

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It's the guy from my school! Anyways, I think Commerce and Business are the same at any uni, so doesn't really matter where you go.
 

stazi

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Maq has an excellent BBA degree really preparing you for business life - managing etc.
Commerce tends to be more aimed towards accounting, financial services etc (although very useful as well).
 

Tabris

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I dont know about USYD or UNSW< because i havent been there and studied there just as Stazi and Jasee havent been to Macq and studied there.

What part of commerce are you interested in? COmmerce at Macq covers alot of area:

Accounting
Applied finance
Actuarial studies
Business Administration
Economics
Marketing
Human resource management

In terms of accounting, according to the "GOod University guide" we have the same (maybe higher) starting salary than USYD and UNSW. Our actuary department has a better reputation and standing than UNSW. Economics faculty is not as renowned as USYD but we have a higher starting slary compared to UNSW. AS for the rest, u have to ask around the Macq forums and PM Macq students.

Most people ask about USYD and UNSW is because of the High and similar UAI, Macq's commerce UAI is mostly around High 80's and Low 90's (With exception of Actuarial studies), this is because of demand and supply. Goto Macq's open day and UNSW and USYD's open day, and have a feel for yourself.
BBA according to most
 

sarevok

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stazi said:
'Commerce' seems to be better at usyd or unsw.
However, 'business' seems to be better at macquarie (with the exception of some majors)
dumb post. commerce is a synonym for business, hence 'business' degrees covering exactly the same areas as 'commerce' degrees. :rolleyes:

sk8ie_boi said:
I've seen so much about comparing USyd and UNSW, but what about Macq?? Cuz I'm thinking to go there, but I don't see anyone discussing about dat uni? So is it not good?? or is Sydney or NSW way better than Macq?
macq has a well-respected commerce degree. generally, people regard to be unsw and usyd as on the top tier and uts and maq on a slightly-lower tier, but the uni you go to doesn't matter so much when applying for a job.
 

stazi

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sarevok said:
dumb post. commerce is a synonym for business, hence 'business' degrees covering exactly the same areas as 'commerce' degrees. :rolleyes:



macq has a well-respected commerce degree. generally, people regard to be unsw and usyd as on the top tier and uts and maq on a slightly-lower tier, but the uni you go to doesn't matter so much when applying for a job.
No, this is what a business degree at maquarie has as its core subs (although as of next year, i keep forgetting, usyd introduced similar units):

* BUSN01 - Business Administration
* BUSN13 - Business Demographics
* BUSN14 - Organisational Psychology
* BUSN17 - Business Administration - TAFE entry
* BUSN19 - Business and Informations Systems

USYD has more commerce based ones (ecmt, econ, etc)
 

Tabris

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And above all, which uni u attended to doesnt really matter if u get crap grades,

A medalist and HD average student at Macq who have excellent skills is far superior to your average USYD and UNSW student, if u want to take advantage of prestige u have to do well and excel, otherwise the reputation and prestige of uni means very little.

In the end , its your choice to make, which uni u can take advantage of and make the best of your tertiery education and career opportunities. If u feel USYD can make that happen then choose, if u think Macq can do better than choose Macq. U goto the open days, u do the research and make your choice,
 

MrRock

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How much of the course for the business degrees @ Macq (for example BBA) would contain essays or long response components? I only ask because I am a very logical and mathematical person and could not see myself enjoying a huge amount of essays as one of the Arts degrees would require.
I did not do economics or business studies so I do not really know how the theory relates to something like English Advanced. However, i did enjoy the long responses required by Physics. What are the theory components more like? I refer to the choices in terms of HSC subjects as that is all i know at this stage although i do realise that uni would be a greater step up in higher order thinking.
Also, if i was looking at a Business degree, how much of a disadvantage is not having done commerce or economics? Should i consider reading some friends' old textbooks or are the concepts so much more in depth that learning HSC versions would be useless?

Thanks in advance.
 

Tabris

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I dont do BBA, but i do know that half of the stuff in 1st year BBA is done by any other commerce student:

ACCG105 (or 100 and 101)
ISYS123
ECON111 and ECON110 (or u can do BBA103 instead of these)
STAT170
ACST101

There are no long responses in accg, at the most they give u 1-3 pages of A4, and most of it is for writing financial statements (u write more numbers than words). If there are some, then its usually no more than 1 and a half A4 page long for a response (All words, no numberes).

In acst101 its all maths, and if theres any theory, its all MC< u dont even have to write 1 line of words, all numbers and fill in the circles/

For ISYS123, all answers are short answers no more than 1/3 of page to answer a part, think IPT except more practical and theoretical.

For ECON111 and ECON110, there are long responses, these responses are not like HSC responses where u get a major bullet point for each paragraph, its more like presenting your argument, showing this, proving that. In Both, there are 3 extended answers (same length as HSC) in the final and they make sure they give u a assignment during the semester so u know how to argue and write correctly. These arguments and responses are more like 1 question with a series of short answers inter-linked with each other. Theres also the usual MC question but i havent seen 1 short answer.

STAT170 is like maths, no extended respones, i mean its all calculations and hypothesis test using the scientific method. at the most its about 3-4 lines of writing if they actually want you to write.

As for the BBA units, u have to ask Skittled or someone else in the Macquarie forums, PM them. I have heard that the BBA first year units are quite similar to ECON units

P.S. I have done Eco and Bus stud in HSC. I can tell u that if u do not even know what economics is, your still on level ground when u start, because it dives stright into Keynesian economics in week 2 and 3 and that sort of stuff no HSC student ever done. Where the HSC only touches the surface u get to do it in much greater depth. As for Business studies, ask skittled.
 
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Skittled

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Tabris said:
...Where the HSC only touches the surface u get to do it in much greater depth. As for Business studies, ask Skittled.
I did business studies and economics in year 12, and think that both helped me to get through first year. While, as Tabris says, we'd not done the econ we had to do at uni, having the general mindset did help, and lots of people made that observation. The econ units might be a little more work, therefore, but nothing more than what you'd expect for any new subject area.

HSC Business Studies was always a joke, in my opinion. You can get 90%+ by just doing SWOT analyses on everything (but don't title it as such!). However, it gives you a little insight: a bit of structure, the basic understanding of sections of a business, some case studies, and some terminology. Again, nothing you'll not pick up, but makes it just a little easier.

MrRock said:
Should i consider reading some friends' old textbooks or are the concepts so much more in depth that learning HSC versions would be useless?
Don't bother -- save the time for the actual texts they'll test you on.

Long story short: you're not missing much for not having done it in the HSC.

MrRock said:
How much of the course for the business degrees @ Macq (for example BBA) would contain essays or long response components? I only ask because I am a very logical and mathematical person and could not see myself enjoying a huge amount of essays as one of the Arts degrees would require.
There are some strong focuses on generic skills in some/most/increasing number of units. In a business envionment you're going to have to put together reports, like it or not. Come to uni, and they're going to make sure you can graduate from MQ, and, representing the quality of their teaching, be able to knock a report or two together.

You do have to write reports in the BBA units, and I'd be kidding you if I told you they weren't wordy. PM me and I'll send you one of mine if you like, so you can see. I do BA-Psych, too; the BBA reports aren't quite as word-based as a psych report, but are almost the same. Very few formulae are applied in the first 2 years (which is where I'm up to); everything's words and a little bit of logic...

Hope that answer's in the right direction... did I miss anything?
 

MrRock

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No, That's a really big help. It's not that i'm scared of writing or essays as such, but having done 4 unit maths I would like a chance for my maths ability to be put to use more so than my slightly above average english ability. As a result, I was looking to combine this degree with Info Tech. I am also under the impression that although the first year of BBA (or other similar degrees) is pretty routine, the majors you choose after that may require different sets of skills and abilities. Would this be a fair call or are electives really just using the same skills but with different content?
 

Tabris

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MrRock said:
No, That's a really big help. It's not that i'm scared of writing or essays as such, but having done 4 unit maths I would like a chance for my maths ability to be put to use more so than my slightly above average english ability. As a result, I was looking to combine this degree with Info Tech. I am also under the impression that although the first year of BBA (or other similar degrees) is pretty routine, the majors you choose after that may require different sets of skills and abilities. Would this be a fair call or are electives really just using the same skills but with different content?
If u really want to do Commerce and put your maths to some "really good use" and have a high UAI, go for actuarial studies and combine it with something. Yes first year commerce units are mainly core if not all of them. As for 2nd year, i think less than half are core, but whether they are same skills , i dont know, as for different content, they extend upon and go into greater depth into the areas u wish to learn.

If u want more info, search the Macquarie forums, or post there or PM Macq students, there are those who know the answers, I just finished first year so i dont know absoluetly everything.

But ask your lecturers and tutors in 1st sem, they usually teach or finished their elective units, they have a good idea what its like, or goto the unit websites, u have to serch the Macqaurie university website.
 
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MrRock

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Thanks. I think i really just need to decide what uni i definitely want to go to and let everything fall into place from there. I got 92.65 which sort of puts me out of the range of actuarial studies but in the range of most general commerce/business courses at all sydney's universities (save for commerce at USYD).
UWS is the easiest in terms of transport but i would have to combine with law in order to make good use of my UAI. Macquarie is next on the list though followed by sydney and UTS. I guess I really need to weigh up my options. The main decision seems to be if I want to do law or not.
My dad keeps telling me not to worry too much about the implementation of actual maths in the business courses as its that logical and systematic way of thinking required in maths that will prove helpful in those areas. Thanks for all your help, you really did answer exactly what I was concerned about.
 

Tabris

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MrRock said:
Thanks. I think i really just need to decide what uni i definitely want to go to and let everything fall into place from there. I got 92.65 which sort of puts me out of the range of actuarial studies but in the range of most general commerce/business courses at all sydney's universities (save for commerce at USYD).
UWS is the easiest in terms of transport but i would have to combine with law in order to make good use of my UAI. Macquarie is next on the list though followed by sydney and UTS. I guess I really need to weigh up my options. The main decision seems to be if I want to do law or not.
My dad keeps telling me not to worry too much about the implementation of actual maths in the business courses as its that logical and systematic way of thinking required in maths that will prove helpful in those areas. Thanks for all your help, you really did answer exactly what I was concerned about.
92.65 is pretty close, i would say put USYD down first if that is your first preference, put everything down in preferential order after that. Your UAI is clsoe enough for nearly all commerce degrees, if u wish to do law combined at Macq, but that down in the preferential list. WHo knows, it might drop and i know some people got in below the cut off.

Dont goto UWS if it is the easiest in transport. Which area u live around? If it is Parramatta, dont choose UWS Parramatta, Macq is only 1 bus ride away. Besides i have been to UWS and know someone who goes there who does commerce, its not the best uni if u really want a university atmosphere (far from it) or do commerce. U can do UWS law, if u really really want to.

Maths is integral, at Macq, they dont let u do 2nd year commerce (mostly) unless u passed HSC 2 unit and recommend 3u if u specialise in finance. At UWS they relax this pre-requisite to an extent.

In the end the question is, how far can i get in my career choosing UWS, USYD, Macq if i choose that degree? How many doors will be opened? You can find out alot of information on the open day and "pathways day"

If 2 High Distinction students, one from USYD and UWS come to an interview, ceteris paribus (other things equal) who would get a job? How about Macq or UWS?
 

MrRock

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Thanks both Tabris and Skittled. Macquarie and UWS are probably the only Uni's i will be applying for due to location. I have had Macquarie Law/ Business Admin at the top of my preferences for a while now. Recently I have been trying to decide between UWS Law/ Business or Macquarie Business Admin/ IT for my 2nd pref. It may seem a simple choice to some but there were many pro's and con's to both choices which I won't get into detail about. I ended up choosing Macquarie Business Admin/ IT as I still wasn't sure about Law and I didn't feel the risk was worth it. If after first yr, I decide that I want give yr a shot I can always apply to transfer to MQ Law (or even UWS Law if it comes to that).

With 92.65 as a UAI, could you see the cut-off for Macquarie LLB/ BBA (2005 95.55) dropping down enough for me? Could you also see the cut-off for Macquarie BBA/ IT (2005 90.75) rising enough that I wouldn't be able to do it? Anyone with any info on the matter, your help would certainly put my mind at ease.
 

Tabris

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Now heres something that NO OTHER universities have, we call it the "Macquarie Prevlidge"

If u dont make the cut-off for law, stick to BBA, now heres what u do:

1. Finish first year with more than 18cp (6 subjects)
2. Gain a GPA of 3.5 (halfway between distinction and credit average) for first year
3. Pickup the transfer form for law transfer
4. Explain why u want to do law and write it down on the sheet with the rest of your details
5. Hand it in and cross your fingers.

As far as i know there are 30 places this year for this program, I just picked up my transfer sheet.

Heres the important part, even though combined law is 5 years, even if u start one year late, the website says that they still can fit u into a 5 year program!. Also we have the most lenient law transfer program compared to UNSW and USYD (their transfer requirements are nearly crazy).

All of this of course, depends on how hard you work and how determined u are. But the list above is the way to transfer.

But if u want to do UWS law its ok, their UAI dropped from 94 to 90 for 2005.
 
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seremify007

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Hmm... I heard from UTS open day (yes a UTS person told me this) that Macquarie probably has the best Business/Commerce course out of all the Sydney universities- just that noone wants to go there (in comparison to USYD/UNSW).
 

Haku

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i think there is a big difference between Bcom at maq and Bcom at usyd. The Bcom majors in Maq is really strange and different to Usyds.
just asking is it really that much different? and if i get into Bcom at Maq would i still be able to do Bcom-Actuary/accounting/finance, as it is all separated out in the UAC book.

Also how does BLaw at maq compare to Blaw at usyd.
 

:: ck ::

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u cant major in actuairal studies in the other bcomm at mq (if u know wat i mean)

actuarial has its own separate cutoff

and as for comparing law at usyd and macq... is there any need to? :p usyd has much more prestige... but saying that macq's law degree is probably not too bad, just not up there in reputation
 

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