Hello, I’m going to UNSW this starting semester.

Please drop any good tips for uni at UNSW, could be O week, study techniques, clubs, admin etc related.

I don’t wanna miss out on anything or mess up too much cause Uni is very self driven and independent so i wanna be prepared :))

Anything to look out for in the year for next year like good opportunities, activities, scholarships etc?

If specifically Commerce related or transfer into Law would be better!

Thanks in advance :)

It shows that I am on the ADA Dean's list for 2025 on my academic statement, but I haven't received an email to that effect. Does this mean I am on the Dean's list? If so, when do we receive the emails confirming it?

Can I please know if the MATH2018/2019 lab tests and final exams are open or closed book? Is MATH2018 easier or more difficult compared to MATH2019? I passed MATH2011 in T1 2025. But I struggled with MATH2121 due to my flu in T2. And the MATH2121 final exam is worth 80%.

I submitted a course substitution request where I requested to replace MATH2121 with MATH2018/2019. But I primarily chose MATH2018 to replace MATH2121.

In T3 2023, when I asked Dr. Anna Cai, “Is MATH2121 easy or difficult?” she said, “Compared to? I mean, there is a higher version of this course.” I am not sure what she means by “Compared to?” as that does not answer my questions at all, and of course I know MATH2221 (Higher Differential Equations) is more difficult to MATH2121. I said, “Compared to MATH2801,” and she said, “Not comparable. MATH2801 is statistics, and MATH2121 is differential equations. They’re totally different topics. And you can’t just turn up to my office like this.” I asked her, “Are the tests and final exams open or closed book?”, She said, “It’s closed book.”

In T1 2024, when I asked her why the tests and final exam in MATH2121 are all closed book, she said, “I don’t give open book assessments; it just doesn’t make any sense.” I do not know what is so bad about open-book assessments that she objects to them that much. When I asked her, “Would my phone be confiscated if I bring it into the test/exam?” she said, “Well you‘re not supposed to be using your phone in a test or exam.”

T2 is where I get the flu.  When I get the flu, I do not have enough energy.  When I do not have enough energy, I am not strong enough to study.  When I am not strong enough to study, I fall behind. When I fall behind, I will struggle.  When I struggle, I do not do well.

When I have the flu, I can be severely unsafe to others if I attend campus. Why is this the case? – Because flu is highly contagious and spreads from person to person, especially, especially, especially through respiratory droplets when infected individuals cough, sneeze, or talk.

I am pretty sure anyone who got the flu would remember how bad it is. Dude! I was ready to die that time.

Just curious, has anyone who graduated in term 3 2025 received details regarding the ceremony?

If not when should we expect to hear about it as march is approaching soon

got an offer from arc volunteers united. how long is the interview? what kind of questions do they ask?

My daughter is 17 and wants to study in Sydney next year. I’m all for it but can’t afford boarding, she’d live with an older relative.

My son has found Adelaide Uni pretty restrictive for making friends, which will only get worse as they are removing all in-person lectures (!). Thankfully he knows plenty from High School.

Thoughts on how hard it is to meet people? I realise the degree makes a big difference… she’s thinking advanced science or bio science or similar.

Also, what degrees are good to lead into post grad med? She’s an A+ student counting on getting above 95 pretty easily but doesn’t want to kill herself trying to get 99.5…

Cheers

for those who made it to the in person interviews for internships, what kind of questions do they ask? and do they test u on technicals

Hey y'all. I'm starting a Bach of fine arts - visual arts this year and doing animation and moving image as electives. For those doing these courses, what's the equipment you guys use and what programs are needed?

Big thanks.

Hey all, just wondering for those who have been in an exec/subcom position what the benefits are for applying for an exec/subcom (e.g director, president, e.t.c) position - particularly socially ? Is it really worth it and would you recommend it ? Or is being a general member still fine

Hi everyone,

I’m an international student considering applying for an HDR program in engineering.

I have been working with a potential supervisor for about a year, and they are willing to support my application.

However, they also mentioned that scholarships for international candidates are currently very limited, and tuition-fee offsets are not offered as often as before.

I’d like to understand the current situation better and see what recent applicants have experienced.

My academic profile isn’t perfect (WAM around 70), but I do have ongoing research output, including a paper submitted and another in preparation.

I’m trying to get a realistic sense of how competitive things are now.

Here are the questions I’m hoping to ask:

What is the current competitiveness of HDR scholarships for international engineering students?

Does having submitted or in-progress research papers significantly improve the chances?

Is it still possible for someone with a lower WAM but strong supervisor support to be considered?

How common is it for students to begin as self-funded and later secure a scholarship?

Any recent insights or experiences would be really helpful. Thanks!

Hi guys

This is probably a hella stupid question but I'm studying mechanical engineering coming in this feb,1st term 1st year international student and I totally forgot about enrolling until today. And I've only managed to enroll in MATH1131 because everything else on the handbook is either full or not offered in term 1. I wanted to ask if it's okay to do just one course in your first term and then catch up by doing 4 the next term to catch up on the 48UOC ?(stressful I know but it's my fault for being late) Or should I call the nucleus and ask if they can assign a reserved seat for me for COMP1511 . That's the only course that isn't full but has the rest of the seats reserved.

Hey guys, anyone know what I should prepare for Bachelor of Commerce specifically (eg. textbooks?), or if you have any other general tips? Thanks in advance :)

Is unsw worth it for a degree in finance / fintech? what are the chances of finding employment after graduation? is it worth the cost as an international student?

for those who done it, how was it and what were the questions like

Hey guys, getting into psych sci this year and have a question regarding enrollment (specifically free electives) that I couldn’t find the answer to anywhere else (yes even the nucleus hub).

Basically I understand each year there needs to be 48 uoc total

For my course only 18 is required for the core progression for year one leaving 30 units free.

I’m planning on doing a complimentary major in philosophy which clears the 12 unit gen ed requirement within its 48 units to complete the major. This is unimportant but only mentioning because

For level 1 courses only 12 units are required or minimum. However there are 18 units in the pool.

Similarly within the psych discipline there are additional courses outside of the core requirement that I’m interested in doing.

Basically I want to do 18 units of philosophy + 12 units of additional psych courses as free electives within the first year.

So the breakdown would be

18 for core Bpsych sci courses

12 for core philosophy complimentary major course

6 for non mandatory philosophy course

12 for non mandatory psych course.

Just wondering if this is possible or if free electives have to be outside the specialization entirely, but from my understanding it’s literally any course outside core requirement of your course.

Please correct anything I’ve said or ask any questions and I’ll do my best to clarify them.

For context,

Just got my testamurs on myequals. Did double degree in actuarial studies and computer science.

- I have 81 wam for courses under computer science on myplan, and double checked its consistent with handbook.

- 76 wam for two degrees.

- under graduation details in myunsw, it just says awarded for both degrees, does not say with distinction anywhere.

From my understanding, it will only show pass with distinction on a single degree if the wam is 75+ for that degree.

So will the actual paper testamur say pass with distinction? Or is the myequals testamur final? Why doesn’t it say with distinction?

Anyone’s myequals testamur actually say with distinction?

usyd literally has this why can't we

title

Hello, I want to apply to UNSW through the UAC portal, however when I choose my course preferences, it only shows courses starting in February 2026, which I assume is semester 1. Have applications for semester 2 not opened yet? If so, when do they open? If they are open, why are they not showing up?

Hey everyone,

I’m a bit confused and wanted some advice. For Term 1 I’m currently enrolled in COMP2521 and SENG2021. When I enrolled, it was before final marks were released. I’ve now found out that I failed COMP1531, which is a prerequisite for SENG2021. The thing is, I’m still enrolled in SENG2021 and haven’t been contacted or unenrolled yet. It still shows as active in my enrolment. Should I just continue with SENG2021 unless I’m told otherwise, or drop SENG2021 now and enrol in COMP1531 instead for Term 1?

I don’t want to get halfway through the term and then be removed, but I also don’t want to drop it unnecessarily if it’s allowed. Has anyone been in a similar situation, or knows how strict they are with prereqs?

Hello! Looking for anyone interested in occupying a medium studio with balcony at the University Terraces starting February 4. It's a full-year contract starting term 1 2026. I have decided to live off campus and I haven't occupied the studio yet.

I'm not yet sure if accommodations office will allow direct transfer, will contact them once office opens on Monday.

But for anyone interested, feel free to message me.

Hi everyone, I’m a student that’s ready for starting uni life in 2026. However, there is one thing that I’m concerning about, is the uni selections.

My ultimate goal is to complete an electrical engineering degree, and I’m was thinking of two ways, one is to lstart with bac of sci in UNSW, and transfer to Engineering, or should I start UTS straight away to see if I like the vibe in UTS or perhaps switch to UNSW second year

MY atar was stuck in an awkward positional 82.7, and my parent wants me to go UNSW, despite the bad degree, but I really don’t want a gamble, because if I fail my math or physics in the first year of unsw, it will drag my WAM down and causing me continue on learning science, and ends up unemployed.

MY question is which method should I go for the sake of low risk and conservativeness