unimelb or usyd? (1 Viewer)

[tangerines]

hi, i got two offers today, one through uac to usyd and one through vtac to unimelb. im surprised i got into unimelb specifically because the guaranteed atar is quite high in general so i wasnt even thinking i would have it as an option to consider, but now i do, and i need advice on which to pick.

my long term goal is to become an academic researcher/journalist in the psychology field. but i didnt do any maths or science courses in my hsc so im missing a lot of assumed/prerequisite knowledge (which im making up for with bridging courses) but that just means im ineligible to get into a bachelor of science at either uni. i will probably transfer after one year if i can.

so for usyd i got into bachelor of liberal arts and science (intended major is psychological sciences) and for unimelb i got into bachelor of arts (intended major is psychology). my biggest concern is being able to get into a grad program after my undergrad because i want to go to a school in the US like vanderbilt, ucla, etc. both of my parents who have phds in psychology and are also academic journalists/researchers/professors advised me that the prestige of my undergrad school and the degree i do (as in b. science > b. arts generally) really matters in my application.

pros of usyd:
- commute is walking distance from my house
- i have friends going here already
- sydney is my home and all my friends are already here, plus my family
- i love sydney as a city
- degree i got into is technically under the faculty of science

cons of usyd:
- unimelb is a little more prestigious in terms of global rankings
- campus is not my fave

pros of unimelb:
- amazing campus
- more prestigious by a little
- can get away from all my ops in syd
- i can live independently for the first time
- i like melbourne (but not as much as syd)

cons of unimelb:
- more expensive (especially considering accomodation costs)
- moving away from all family and friends
- degree might not be good for future prospects

any advice or input would be super appreciated, i know this post is a little bit messy so if theres any info i left out please let me know, thank you all!!!

 

[carrotsss]

the main difference imo is the big cost, if ur parents are very generous and happy paying for your accommodation etc then sure go to umelb but imo if theyre not its just not worth putting that level of financial strain on yourself to afford umelb just for slightly better "prestige" and a campus you like slightly more. also finding reasonable accommodation this late will be a pain

 

[liamkk112]

hi, i got two offers today, one through uac to usyd and one through vtac to unimelb. im surprised i got into unimelb specifically because the guaranteed atar is quite high in general so i wasnt even thinking i would have it as an option to consider, but now i do, and i need advice on which to pick.

my long term goal is to become an academic researcher/journalist in the psychology field. but i didnt do any maths or science courses in my hsc so im missing a lot of assumed/prerequisite knowledge (which im making up for with bridging courses) but that just means im ineligible to get into a bachelor of science at either uni. i will probably transfer after one year if i can.

so for usyd i got into bachelor of liberal arts and science (intended major is psychological sciences) and for unimelb i got into bachelor of arts (intended major is psychology). my biggest concern is being able to get into a grad program after my undergrad because i want to go to a school in the US like vanderbilt, ucla, etc. both of my parents who have phds in psychology and are also academic journalists/researchers/professors advised me that the prestige of my undergrad school and the degree i do (as in b. science > b. arts generally) really matters in my application.

pros of usyd:
- commute is walking distance from my house
- i have friends going here already
- sydney is my home and all my friends are already here, plus my family
- i love sydney as a city
- degree i got into is technically under the faculty of science

cons of usyd:
- unimelb is a little more prestigious in terms of global rankings
- campus is not my fave

pros of unimelb:
- amazing campus
- more prestigious by a little
- can get away from all my ops in syd
- i can live independently for the first time
- i like melbourne (but not as much as syd)

cons of unimelb:
- more expensive (especially considering accomodation costs)
- moving away from all family and friends
- degree might not be good for future prospects

any advice or input would be super appreciated, i know this post is a little bit messy so if theres any info i left out please let me know, thank you all!!!

realistically, usyd and unimelb are both such highly regarded unis that i really do not think that US schools would care which one u went to; effectively, unimelb is like the top school in victoria, whereas usyd is one of the top schools in nsw, so basically its just a geographical thing. also considering u are in walking distance of usyd and are already established in sydney, i would probably just stick with usyd, i would say the only reason to move to melbourne would be to have independent living and effectively have a fresh start on your day to day life, but thats honestly a personal choice / reason and it is expensive as you have said, however melbourne is much cheaper to live in than sydney (at least, when i lived there for 10 years before i left in 2020).

also why do you say that unimelb's degree is "not good for future prospects," im a bit confused on that

 

[tangerines]

also why do you say that unimelb's degree is "not good for future prospects," im a bit confused on that

thank you tons for your input, i didnt word what i said earlier very well with the future prospects thing, im just worried that a bachelor of arts may not be as good as a bachelor of science on paper, but i could be totally wrong about this as im not too well versed in the uni realm

 

[liamkk112]

thank you tons for your input, i didnt word what i said earlier very well with the future prospects thing, im just worried that a bachelor of arts may not be as good as a bachelor of science on paper, but i could be totally wrong about this as im not too well versed in the uni realm

i just looked it up and it seems as though (at least in the US) a bachelor of science seems to be more research oriented, as you would understand the scientific method, data analysis methods etc, whereas a bachelor of arts is more towards the industry side like counselling. however taking a look at unimelb's site, the sequence for the psychology major is identical in barts and bsci, except i guess in the bsci you would be taking more science electives and in the barts you would be taking more humanities subjects. so i would say in reality they are quite similar at least in australia, but since you're applying for US colleges it might be worthwhile to take the bachelor of science, just to meet their preconception that bsci = research.

 

[Gyt123]

syd Uni has better weather, beaches with waves and a better harbour.
Melb Uni has better coffee, more restaurants but is very cliquey.

 

[tangerines]

i just looked it up and it seems as though (at least in the US) a bachelor of science seems to be more research oriented, as you would understand the scientific method, data analysis methods etc, whereas a bachelor of arts is more towards the industry side like counselling. however taking a look at unimelb's site, the sequence for the psychology major is identical in barts and bsci, except i guess in the bsci you would be taking more science electives and in the barts you would be taking more humanities subjects. so i would say in reality they are quite similar at least in australia, but since you're applying for US colleges it might be worthwhile to take the bachelor of science, just to meet their preconception that bsci = research.

this is extremely helpful thank you so so much!!! this is exactly what i wanted to know, just wasnt sure how to digest the info on their sites. again thanks a ton

 

[liamkk112]

this is extremely helpful thank you so so much!!! this is exactly what i wanted to know, just wasnt sure how to digest the info on their sites. again thanks a ton

no problem

 

[Luukas.2]

To work as a psychologist needs four years of training in Australia, but BA / BSc pass degrees are three years, so getting into honours is much more competitive. Having an Honours degree will be helpful for future study in the US as it may allow access direct to PhD, whereas without it you would need to go via a Masters. It might be worth considering how much of an Honours cohort each uni has, and what degree paths they come from.

Your lack of sciences is a problem for a BSc, but it is the lack of Maths that is most problematic. Psychology research often relies heavily on statistics and a good working knowledge of that area is needed to to evaluate research findings. Findings can be simultaneously statistically significant but with such small an effect size as to be trivial in practice, for example, and study design can be a serious flaw in some studies. The ability to make independent judgements and evaluations of such issues is crucial, especially on an academic pathway.