ArtyDReams
Do you prefer doing a Physics degree then going into engineering or doing a general science degree then going into engineering?
I am unsure what engineering I want to do yet (they all seem so cool), so my first preference is going to be a Bachelor of Engineering (Honours), and in the first year, you get a taste of all the subjects and you choose your major in the 2nd year.

    3 months later

    Joseph41

    Yep, currently in exam season but thankfully it wraps up this week. Really looking forward to the break!

        Joseph41

        Yep, had an exam last week and another one tomorrow for maths. Didn't have too many this time around - 4 exams last semester killed me - no clue how Year 12 me survived 6+ exams.

        Its a bit annoying though as I'm getting a final assignment on Monday which I have another week to do - dragging a bit longer into November this time.

        How are you doing?

            ArtyDReams Nice one! Hope it goes well tomorrow for you.

            Yeah, I don't know how I dealt with so many exams through Year 12 either, haha. I had four in my first two uni semesters, and then after that I don't think I ever had four again. Do you reckon first year units typically have more exams? Maybe it's just coincidence.

                Joseph41

                Thank you! I do think that is a possibility - really depends on the subject combo you do - most maths/sci subjects always have an exam unfortunately šŸ™

                  Joseph41
                  Next weeks my last ever week of in person uni classes! Which is exciting but I'm also super nervous about leaving uni! I have placement in term 1 next year & then I've graduated!!

                    My NEET life continues at the moment, hopefully I'll receive a November round offer. I'm studying MTH1020 content in advance and I'm really questioning why I didn't do spesh in high school, it ain't as hard as everyone makes it out to be

                      7 days later

                      Hello, itā€™s me again with more uni questions haha.

                      How do you do the ā€œsubject selectionā€ process at uni? How can you choose which units to do? How many units should one do per ā€œtermā€?

                      Also, any laptop recommendations for uni? Iā€™m looking for a touch screen laptop that can fully flip over or something so I can write on the screen to take notes.

                      Thanks a bunch,
                      -jinx_58

                        jinx_58
                        Hey jinx_58,

                        I'll probably let someone else inform you of the uni subject stuff as they can probably explain that better than me (also because my degree forces me to do specific 4 courses every semester so we can't choose).

                        In terms of laptops, I am currently using a Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 which is touchscreen but it cannot flip over so it's kind of difficult to write notes on. It does depend on your budget but here are a few options for 2-in-1 laptops*:

                        *Ensure you buy your laptop in the Black Friday deals or Boxing day or something like that because that's when I got my laptop last year. I highly recommend figuring out what specs you need and then finding your laptop. If you are using only for uni, then my minimum recommendations are in bold but take them with a grain of salt (I am no expert):

                        • Core: i5 or i7 or AMD (šŸ˜†) etc.? i5
                        • Storage: 256 or 512 GB etc.? 256 GB
                        • Memory: 8 or 16GB RAM etc.? 8GB
                        • Screen size: 13" or 15" etc.? 13"
                        • Battery life (very important if for uni): 10 hours or more? Probably min. 12 hours*
                        • Ports: this can vary a lot but ensure it at least has a USB-C port but also a headphone jack, USB-A port and an HDMI would be a bonus (note: I believe most, if not all, Microsoft laptops do not have an HDMI)

                        *You might think that's a lot of battery life but trust me to stay on the safe side, you want to divide the advertised battery life by like half and see if you're happy with that. You will regret it in uni if you have a bad battery life.

                        This was a way longer post than I expected but hope that helps. Good luck with everything and feel free to ask any questions as always.

                        • PP

                            jinx_58 personally i recommend a tablet like a surface pro or an ipad. most laptops that can fully flip over (2 in 1s) are pretty bad for not taking.

                                Thank you PhytoPlankton and nolongerhuman for the tips, I appreciate it!

                                If I want to do engineering next year, how would I prepare for it? Like, how would I study ahead? What textbooks should I borrow? Any other general tips?

                                @PhytoPlankton hey dude, also Iā€™m curious as to what youā€™re studying and where if thatā€™s cool? You donā€™t have to, as I understand the whole privacy thing haha

                                Thanks yā€™all,
                                -jinx_58

                                      jinx_58
                                      Hey jinx_58,

                                      Again, I will probably let someone else tell you in more detail about the engineering course. However, I tried to also study ahead for my courses (which I will tell you below) so I emailed the course coordinators beforehand to ask the same question. They referred me to the course outline which, in some detail, goes over the content needed to study. What university are you expecting for engineering? I have a few friends that does engineering that I can ask if you like.

                                      As for what I do (that's all good for asking haha), I study the Bachelor of Med Sci at UniSC which is for pre-med students. So, as long as I maintain a GPA of 5.0, I get a place in Griffith MD program.

                                      Hope that helps!

                                      • PP

                                          PhytoPlankton

                                          Thank you! I plan to go to engineering at QUT so if you could ask around, thatā€™d be really awesome because I have no friends in uni haha šŸ˜…

                                          And damnnnn a 5.0 GPA??!!!! I would have dropped in the first 3 weeks šŸ˜‚

                                          Thanks again,
                                          -jinx_58

                                              jinx_58
                                              Hey jinx_58,

                                              Hope post-school life is going well for you.

                                              I asked a friend that's doing engineering at QUT and they said that in the first semester of engineering at QUT you have to do 4 set subject. A math subject, a coding subject, a physics subject and a professional practice & principles subject (apparently, this is a very big subject with one large group assignment). At the end of your first semester, you choose your major. Then from second semester, you start subjects of your choice of major (eg. electrical, software, civil).

                                              So, from his answers, it seems like you could choose quite different subjects from someone else doing engineering as well. What I would do is search up the specific courses (the maths, coding, physics and PPP) and then take a look at the course outlines.

                                              P.S. you'll realise when you get to uni that a GPA of 5.0 isn't too difficult to maintain šŸ˜†.

                                              Hope that helps and let me know if you have any more questions to ask about QUT engineering.

                                              • PP
                                                7 days later

                                                Immmm backkkk lmaoooo

                                                Iā€™m asking for a friend who wants to do a Bachelor of nursing next year, and sheā€™s wondering what laptop to buy next year, sheā€™s looking for something that's a laptop but also is touchscreen and she likes the idea of a folding back laptop. Any ideas?

                                                -jinx_58

                                                  jinx_58
                                                  Hey jinx_58,

                                                  I would probably refer your friend to my post above about laptops. But I do actually have a friend that does Bachelor of Nursing at UQ and she actually uses a MacBook Pro so its neither a touchscreen nor can the screen swivel all the way around. Its best if someone else gives recommendations too just for diversification.

                                                  Let me know if your friend has any questions about BoN. Hope that helps!

                                                  • PP
                                                    5 days later
                                                    3 months later

                                                    jinx_58 Hey! 4th year student here! The subject selection process at uni firstly depends on what University you attend. I would recommend taking a look at your course progression map if they provide one to understand your courses core units/electives/majors this will help you select what to do and when! If you are super stuck, reach out to the university, they often have a call centre or email inbox dedicated to subject inquiries!

                                                    As for subjects per 'Term' - the word 'term' is often used at school and your school year is broken up into 4 terms. At university, you complete semesters, where the year is broken up into 2 main blocks rather than 4! There are typically 12 weeks in a Semester (not including exams/mid-semester break ect...) then you get a huge break in between! Some students decide to do trimesters, which are a little different and consist of 3 blocks however if you are doing the typical progression of 2 semesters per year, and you are a full time student, you often complete 4 subjects (commonly referred to as 'units').

                                                    If you are working or just need a little extra time you can do less than this, this is called under-loading! However don't be fooled - you still have to complete the units you un-enrolled from, just later, which will mean your degree completion will take a little longer!

                                                    Hopefully that helps!
                                                    Sven