I've been receiving questions recently, on BOS and IRC, and they're normally about choosing a uni, and a degree. I have a feeling in my opinion (others might think totally different to the way I am) that a lot of HSC school leavers are a little confused about university itself.
Tips to choosing a degree at a university (this also goes for majors in degrees, such as Arts):
1). Load up the university webpage.
2). Open up the Course Handbook.
3). Load up the description of the degree you want to do.
4). Open up another browser and repeat steps 1-3 for each university and for each degree you're intending on doing which have similar attributes. (For example, you wish to study Computing, you could load up decriptions from the one university about IT degrees, Computer/Software Engineering degrees, Computer Science degrees, or Internet Science degrees. You can do the same for all the universities you're looking at studying the respective courses at.
5). Compare the courses of study. Decide which ones seem the most promising, and stick with those.
6). Look at the outlines for core subjects, and electives you might want to do, from each of these degrees/universities. These may help you make a more educated decision.
7). If possible consult the universities about these degrees.
ALSO try to consult current students enrolled in the degrees.
8). Based on the Information given, you might decide that you'll include another degree in your pool to determine which one you want. If so, then add it and repeat step 6 for it.
9). Once you've made a decision on which degree to do, and where, alter your preferences.
Here is an important note:
University is not about getting a job. If you want a job, consult the newspaper on a Saturday, or seek.com.au or something.
You go to university because you want to get an education about a chosen field that you could likely enter the workforce in. The reason this is important is because there are many people who'll choose a course of study at university having absolutely no interest in it, never getting an interest in it, only because of future job prospects. More often than not, these people fail.
Getting into USyd, UNSW, or ANU is not the most important thing in your life. Why would you choose such a university if you don't like the structure being offered? IF the structure/degree offered at USyd, UNSW or ANU is what you want, then by all means go for it. I recommend you do the degree you want, no matter where it is at. If it is not, and you're just wanting to get into a certain university, then chances are you'll get bored and dawdle in getting work completed.
Degrees, majors, minors, and even subjects are different at each university. The best advice I can give (and I was given) is
ignore the name, or prestige of a university, and choose what's good for you. Ignore the job prospects, because an Honours looks nicer than a normal bachelor, and if you do what you want where you want, you'll have a better chance of getting one. If you have a BCompSc at UWS with Honours, you'll likely be preferred over someone with just a normal BCompSc anywhere else.
I hope this helps our future first-years make their choice.
