Flexible Engineering or Mechanical? (1 Viewer)

[fnsndgfg]

Currently, I'm stuck between doing mechanical engineering and flexible first-year engineering. I'm in year 12 at the moment and have been enjoying physics and am not too bad at maths. I feel like mechanical engineering would be a good fit for me but have never really explored engineering so don't want to commit to it. Are there any major downsides of flexible first year? ie: lower employment options. I have done all of my early entry stuff based on wanting to do flexible engineering, but it is not too late to change my UAC preferences to mechanical.

Also what uni's should I pick UNSW, USYD or UTS?
At the moment for flexible engineering and my list goes:
UNSW (bit worried about trimester)
USYD
UTS (Bit put off by the different structure)
ANU (Received early offer for flexible engineering)
Wollongong (Received early offer for flexible engineering)


I know these questions are kinda open ended so I don't really expect a direct response but thanks a lot anyway!

 

[specificagent1]

you can transfer to mechanical after flexible first year or from mechanical to another major if you wanted to albeit some time gone

 

[sab13562]

Currently, I'm stuck between doing mechanical engineering and flexible first-year engineering. I'm in year 12 at the moment and have been enjoying physics and am not too bad at maths. I feel like mechanical engineering would be a good fit for me but have never really explored engineering so don't want to commit to it. Are there any major downsides of flexible first year? ie: lower employment options. I have done all of my early entry stuff based on wanting to do flexible engineering, but it is not too late to change my UAC preferences to mechanical.

Also what uni's should I pick UNSW, USYD or UTS?
At the moment for flexible engineering and my list goes:
UNSW (bit worried about trimester)
USYD
UTS (Bit put off by the different structure)
ANU (Received early offer for flexible engineering)
Wollongong (Received early offer for flexible engineering)


I know these questions are kinda open ended so I don't really expect a direct response but thanks a lot anyway!

I suggest you do flexible first year engineering, (check UNSW out for this), and then based on that select an engineering major. You should also do some research about job demand before studying it to ensure you can get a job after graduating. It would be a waste studying a field you can't work in, especially engineering, as some fields have little number of job positions (such as mechanical, around 150 jobs available or so) while others have heaps of positions. Seek.com is excellent in showing positions available and salary and so on. Best of luck in your studies!

 

[cossine]

Currently, I'm stuck between doing mechanical engineering and flexible first-year engineering. I'm in year 12 at the moment and have been enjoying physics and am not too bad at maths. I feel like mechanical engineering would be a good fit for me but have never really explored engineering so don't want to commit to it. Are there any major downsides of flexible first year? ie: lower employment options. I have done all of my early entry stuff based on wanting to do flexible engineering, but it is not too late to change my UAC preferences to mechanical.

Also what uni's should I pick UNSW, USYD or UTS?
At the moment for flexible engineering and my list goes:
UNSW (bit worried about trimester)
USYD
UTS (Bit put off by the different structure)
ANU (Received early offer for flexible engineering)
Wollongong (Received early offer for flexible engineering)


I know these questions are kinda open ended so I don't really expect a direct response but thanks a lot anyway!

It depend on the circumstance flexible may or may not have disadvantages.

Ironically flexible allows further specialisation that may not possible if you have chosen a particular major. However if you choose to take very different unconnected subjects you may be at disadvantage.

As part of the requirements Engineers Australia you are required 420 hr internship. For the UTS degrees it about 1600 hrs due to the diploma of professional practice. However you can choose to drop that. This is what you meant (Bit put off by the different structure)?

Maybe you could into double degree 5yr as doing so would prevent internship requirement on the end the second year for UTS if that is what you want.

So I what I would suggest now is that go each of the subject handbook or unit guides or whatever they are called.

Perhaps looks at requirements of when you need to get an internship.

In the case UNSW I don't believe there is much flexibility due to the flexible degree only being allowed up to first year though. But perhaps you can investigate that and see if there are work-a-rounds or perhaps that may not be a concern depending on what you are interested in.

 

[chw]

Bit late to reply now - you can now do the non-Diploma 4 year version of the BE(hons) degree at UTS from 2023.

Also the flexible Engineering degree at UTS is very different from UNSW, USYD, ANU, Wollongong. The other universities is a Flexible First Year i.e. you MUST choose your major in year 2.

At UTS, you can stay flexible throughout the whole degree, as it is the only accredited "General Engineering" degree in Australia. You just have to meet the program rules (usually an advanced sub-major - 4 subjects). Many students mix disciplines here.

(disclaimer: I work for UTS and am the Flexible Engineering coordinator)
chris wong