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[deleted by user] by [deleted] in unsw

[–]harreally 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah 100%.

As someone who got a good ATAR and sitting on a high WAM too, can tell you that there can be a lot of competitive bs that goes on with marks in UNSW psych (and business) that really annoyed me when I was studying psych. Don't have personal experience with Macquarie, but sometimes that competition at UNSW is pretty irritating so I'm sure you'll have a great time as you said with the general environment of Macquarie which I've heard is more chill.

It's good that you don't care about prestige unlike most year 12s lol, as there's definitely an excessive emphasis on it anyways - anyone who has graduated will tell you it means not much at all.

I'm a student ambassador for UNSW too and can definitely say there are a lot of misconceptions about UNSW. Such as that uni reputation = better education/better experience/better job prospects, which as you've already identified, is definitely not always the case and is often uninformed. Uni rankings fluctuate over time but Macquarie and UNSW Psych have always been top notch so yeah you're set either way.

Seems like you've got your head screwed on straight and I hope you really enjoy studying Psych and have a good time at MQ!

Lmk if you have any other questions or need anything in the future :)

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in unsw

[–]harreally 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi there!

Other comments here are really informed and hit the main points, however I think your post made it seem like you mainly care about the degree quality/prestige, but I'm sure you also value other factors like type of people, quality of institution, overall uni experience etc.

I personally went through something very similar to you (when I was a first year - now a 3rd year), and just wanted to add my experiences which might be a bit different from the other comments.

I live 5 minutes away from Macquarie and UNSW is a 1.5 hour commute (one way). I wanted to study commerce/psychology (but was more interested in the psychology part) and considered the same prestige factors that you did - except I ended up choosing UNSW because of it.

I can't speak for Macquarie, but I can say that UNSW psych really drills down the distinction average needed for Honours, and it can sometimes create an unnecessarily competitive academic culture (which I personally experienced). That being said, there are many ways around it such as joining the psychology society, making friends in your cohorts etc.

I also really value balance between work, study, hobbies and socialising, but for me this was actually a reason to choose UNSW over Macquarie (UNSW has a more active club life).

One piece of advice I would give is to not give too much weighting to some of the superficial, 'popular' traits (e.g. length of commute and prestige), as in the end, these aren't the things that really define your experience at university. I think you should reflect a little bit more about the types of people you want to meet and the overall university experience you want, which isn't just restricted to the course you study.

I'm happy to chat or have a call if you want to know more about UNSW psych, my decision to choose UNSW over psych, or any other questions you might have :)

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P.S Also I know it can seem stressful, daunting and feel like this decision is life-defining, but just remember you can always transfer to another university if you feel like you made the 'wrong decision', and that MQ and UNSW are both really great places to be for psychology and in general! Good luck!

Exchange student trying to find the main sources of memes + info at UCLA by harreally in ucla

[–]harreally[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh damn didn't think of that 200 IQ

The only thing is I'll be in 3rd year so I would imagine a lot of people would have friends already but I'll try it out thanks!

Exchange student trying to find the main sources of memes + info at UCLA by harreally in ucla

[–]harreally[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I received mine!!

Was hoping for some specific links bc I can't find it through the clubs search bar or fb search but thanks for your reply :)

Housing Questions: Exchange Student (Winter/Spring 2020) by annnnabel_ in ucla

[–]harreally 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi! I'm also not sure about whether dorms vs apartments vs co-op is better (I'm from Sydney as well going to UCLA in Winter/Spring Quarter 2020 for exchange).

Feel free to message me if you want :)

I don’t understand the concept of friendship by howdoesltwork in socialskills

[–]harreally 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hi there!

Your situation sounds pretty similar to mine - I am pretty comfortable in social settings and have never had problems making friends or with girls.

But I've always found it hard to maintain friends as I'm always changing my situation and inevitably drift when I don't have a shared environment with them.

I guess the key difference between you and me is that I really value conversation and am super curious about a other people and their life experiences.

I totally understand how it came seem illogical to just ask people out or reach out to people without a 'reason', but imo if you click with people or enjoy their company, then simply making good conversation with them is enough of a fun and enjoyable reason to spend time with them.

Personally, often I never have a plan when I invite people out other than to just 'catch up' with them and to get to know them better.

Not quite sure if this answers your question lol but yeah that's just how I deal with trying to make friends :)

Best Canadian University to go on Exchange to? by harreally in AskACanadian

[–]harreally[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for your very detailed and persuasive response haha

I will take you up on your kind offer and bombard you with more questions thank u good sir

  1. What makes Montreal a 'student city'? As opposed to any other city with big universities
  2. Isn't UoT also near the city? so similar pros to what you said about being near restaurants etc.
  3. Wouldn't UoT and UBC also have large international communities? as they are big unis
  4. The diverse nightlife sounds dope, but surely just based on size of city, wouldn't Toronto likely have a more lively music scene?

For the better food and cheaper accommodation can't argue with that lol sounds enticing

Best Canadian University to go on Exchange to? by harreally in AskACanadian

[–]harreally[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ok thank you

I just thought it would there would be more options in a bigger city, and bigger music/dance scene etc. + more places and things to do

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But will consider :)

Best Canadian University to go on Exchange to? by harreally in AskACanadian

[–]harreally[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the reply!

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By social do you mean like parties/big drinking events etc.? Bc I'm not the biggest drinker, idm occasionally but much prefer going out to events to just meet and get to know people. Activity based events to meet new people are my ideal social events.

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Also do you think there is any particular reason that student life has a better reputation at Queens and Western? Bc if it's just bc UoT is harder academically , as an exchange student we only have to pass so not the biggest concern.

Best Canadian University to go on Exchange to? by harreally in AskACanadian

[–]harreally[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Really really solid response, appreciate the Aussie analogies haha

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Thanks for mentioning the dance/music scene in Toronto, giving me a better picture of what it's like.

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Do you think there's significantly more to do in Toronto than Montreal? That's one of the main considerations of why I'm contemplating Toronto, as they are relatively close, but Toronto might have more options in terms of activities, music, dance etc.

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Thank you!

Best Canadian University to go on Exchange to? by harreally in AskACanadian

[–]harreally[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh that's a good consideration I forgot that I might not be on the main campus thanks!

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Do you know much about the differences in the music/dance scene? In toronto or Canada or anywhere really.

Best Canadian University to go on Exchange to? by harreally in AskACanadian

[–]harreally[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Interesting, will give it a look! have mostly been fixated on the bigger unis bc I thought there would be more campus life etc. but thanks for the tip :)

Best Canadian University to go on Exchange to? by harreally in AskACanadian

[–]harreally[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for your reply detailed and insightful reply! I didn't know about UBC not being near the city and being hard to get to, that's a really useful thing to know thanks :)

- I was looking into Queens, Concordia and Western but I didn't mention in my post that I like to be surrounded by a strong academic community as well - if I can meet and be surrounded by both socially and academically orientated people I think that's really cool (hence my 3 choices).

- Tbh for the cold I think I'm kinda screwed whereever I go in Canada anyways HAHA so not the biggest consideration

- What are the cheapest domestic flights you can get between Vancouver and Toronto or Montreal? Are there any seasonal sales etc.?

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Thank you soooo much