They will still take your UAI into consideration I believe[like 50/50 i think], you might also have the option of submitting a personal statement as well.
As for communications [writing & cultural studies]...
In first year, your studies will be divided up into four areas:
- Communications and Media type stuff - basically study how the media interacts with our society, culture and life. For example, Rupert Murdoch's monopoly on news allowing him to influence public affairs and politics. An apt way of describing the area, if you have done the relevant module in English Advanced, would be 'Frontline on steroids'. I actually find its sorta interesting, but I can't wait for second year when I don't need to do this stuff anymore.
- Sociopolitical studies - this is essentially regarding the social policies of our nation and how they affect the individual. For example, aboriginal rights and access to power and benefits or gay marriage and adoption rights. There is also an online component to this area. Hate this one - completely, alot of the others seem to enjoy it though.
- Cultural studies - this will provide the groundwork for one of your majors. It essentially is about investigating cultural texts and phenomena in a contemporary environment. The lectures are interesting, and so is the reading content but it is an extreme bitch to actually study.
- Writing - this is the beginning of your other major. It involves studying the various ways and forms of writing. For example in one week we might analyse poetry and compose multiple stanzas and in another we might discuss genre writing. A good way to think of it, is to pretend that each week is another extra ee1 module. This area also closely resembles english extension 2 in its assessments in that we have a major work and a journal that we must submit and I'd say the majority of writing students did english extension 2 for their hsc, but its definitely not a prerequisite. Also, this class isn't in lecture/tute form - they just deliver 'seminars' which are rather like ordinary classes. Oh, and I love this part of the course.
There are
no electives in first year, however in second and third year you only do 3 subjects a semester, 2 of which are your majors[writing, and cultural studies]. The third subject can either be a free elective from the humanities faculty which includes single semester units on Genocide Studies, Psychology and a proffessional internship as well as several subjects in aboriginal studies. You also have the choice of taking an arts elective from any of the other universities to make up this third subject each semester.
This structure will of course change if you do say Law or International Studies in combination. I think with International Studies all of your free communications electives go toward your language and then in the fourth year you study overseas. Whereas when combining with Law, you will recieve only 1 or 2 electives in the entire course and you would progress more slowly through the communications component[i
think]. If you do Honours, you will enter in a fourth year of communications which would involve writing an extensive work and pretty much nothing but that.
Regarding workload and assessments, the workload is quite high - there are 14 assessments in a semester[12 weeks a semester + 2 weeks holiday] including 4 or so major work type projects [1 for each subject]. This means however that there are
no exams whatsoever, and you also gain additional holidays but it is at the cost of a higher workload. It's still quite manageable though.
Regarding the students themselves, you'll find there are 600+ communications students in first year and that you'll be sharing all the same subjects apart from writing(which only writing and cultural people do). The candidature is also overwhelmingly in the female arena, with over 80% of students that I've met so far being girls. Most students are also younger - there are maybe 4 mature age students that I've even
seen in the lectures.
Most of the people are friendly but there isn't much to do on the campus itself as you've probably noticed so its not like MQ/UNSW/USYD where you all hang out in the quadrangle or cafeteria during breaks and this ends up with alot of people pretty much just scurrying off 'somewhere'.
Um, the tutors are pretty much a mixed bag I think - for example 1 of my tutors bores me to tears, another is a total dragon and the other 2 are fairly laid back and helpful.
If there's anything else you want to know, feel free to ask.
