Screw you, re-enrolment 2009!!!

Just when I thought everything was settled, now I'm back to my starting point, AGAIN-.-

Had been thinking over the past week about what units and majors to do... Was pretty definite on doing both Corporate & Investment Finance, but still thought that doing Finance alone is not advisable, so I needed another major to diversify... Looking at the list of Commerce majors, seriously there isn't much that appeals to me... At the very beginning, of course I was gonna do either MGMT or ACCT as my third major, but obviously right before the exams, I decided that both of them don't suit me... After eliminating MGMT, ACCT, and Finance, what's left is only Marketing and Asian Business and Entrepreneurship & Innovation, which I will eliminate them even before anything else... So I thought of doing Employment Relations then=) After the exams, it was Steve who then told me actually Employment Relations is also filled with theories and crap like this, which is definitely not my thing:( That's when I had to start thinking about whether I should even be doing Commerce anot...

So then I thought maybe I can just do all 3 Finance majors, although there's no diversification, but it's much better if I'm doing something I'm better at, and will at least like it more than any other majors, than doing a diversification, but failing badly... Then suddenly one day it occurred to me that out of the many people I've asked about what majors they were doing, I realised most of them picked something like Finance, but also with International Business or something like that... Clearly International Business wasn't a Commerce, but an Economics major... So I decided to ask around about how it's possible doing that combination, since we're Commerce students, so how is it possible to do another degree's major... Half the responses that came back said it isn't possible to do that combination of majors, another half said as long as you do one major that belongs to your degree, you can do other majors that belong to other degrees as long as it fits in your whole 3 years of course... Then I tried to research more, and Soya told me she knows someone who's doing Corporate & Investment Finance, and Money & Banking---triple major... So I thought if it's possible to do a mixture of Economics and Commerce majors, then I will consider doing a Economics major as Commerce really has nothing left for me... So in the end I chose Money & Banking=) But this means that I have to do Macroeconomics: Money & Finance!!! NOOOOO!!! Never thought that me crashing the lectures every Tuesday this sem would turn into a REALITY next sem... SIGH...

Since the majors were picked, it was time to decide on the units... To do Investment Finance, there's two parts we could do-the Trading part and the Derivatives part... After reading up some stuff and asking Steve, it was said that the Trading part is easier but more on theory based, while the Derivatives part is harder, yet more on applications and is just like Year 12 Applicable Maths... So in the end I picked the Derivatives part=) After arranging them according to their availability, I realised I still had 4 empty spots... I thought I couldn't possibly pick up another major anyways, until when I calculated the total number of extra units I had to do for Quantitative Finance, I realised it was just another 4 more Maths units... So it then became a decision of whether I am capable of doing 4 majors... Many people were telling me how doing 4 majors would be quite stressful, and I know it is, since everything will be fully packed, so after much thought given, something struck me, and it was doing Quantitative Finance as a minor instead of a major=) Then even if I fail any unit, it's still ok... So I checked the UWA website, and realised that Quantitative Finance doesn't exist as a minor-.- So again I'm back to my starting point of doing 4 majors, provided that I do not fail ANY units, otherwise I would lose my 4th major, or I'll just do 3 majors and take 4 random electives... It was really based on LUCK that I managed to pass all my units this sem, so I guess I'm really not confident in passing all of my units for the rest of my 2.5 years course to attain my 4th major...

Then another thought came about, maybe I can still do Quantitative Finance as a major, just that I'll pick either Corporate Finance, Investment Finance or Money & Banking to be a minor=) Since I'm already getting really frustrated with this whole re-enrolment thing for 2009, I listened to Chen Yi and emailed Michael Sutherland, some hardworking guy in the Business School who will even reply you your emails on a Sunday!!! Also, to do Quantitative Finance, the 4 additional Maths units I've got to do are 2 Level 2 Maths units, 1 Level 3 Maths unit, and STAT3364... Looking at the timetable, I have one free spot in 2009 S1, one free spot in 2009 S2, and two free spots in 2011 S1, since my whole 2010 is filled up... I can leave the Level 3 Maths units til 2011 S1, and do the Level 2 Maths units in 2009, but this means that I would have to do one Level 2 Maths unit in 2009 S1 when I'm still in Year 1, worse still, doing it together with MATH1010 which is known to be extremely difficult-.- Just when I thought this is the worse case of doing 2 Maths units together, I realised that first of all, there's not many Level 2 S1 Maths units I can choose from... Second of all, the STAT**** units will require me to have a Maths level that is below MATH1020, which I've done and got a CR for it, so I can't do them... Other MATH**** units will require me to have completed both MATH1010 and MATH1020 as a prerequisite, which means I can't do them as well... DAMN!!! Should never have done MATH1020 this sem-.-

Anyways, so I emailed Michael Sutherland as well as the Maths Faculty to ask is there anything that they can help me with... Or perhaps I can request to do both MATH1010 and a Level 2 MATH**** together in 2009 S1... Luckily they replied soon enough, enough for me to realised my whole planning out is screwed up-.- Now another problem occurred, and it's whereby I have to do 8 Level 1 units no matter what majors I'm planning to do... Sian-.- Why didn't I know this earlier??? SIGH...

A quote from Michael Sutherland:
FYI; the Bachelor of Commerce consists of units to a total value of 144 points (24 units); comprising level one units to the value of 48 points (8units) and level two and three units to make up the remaining points (i.e.96 points: 16 units). You will need to complete at least one Commerce major.There is also capacity to undertake 150 points in order to complete a major.

You have only enrolled in 42 points (7 units) at level one; you MUST complete all of your level one units in 2009. Therefore you will need to change your enrolment to include another level one unit. The rules for the Bachelor of Commerce require you to complete 48 points (8 units) at level one: see rule 4.2.4.3(1) (a)

4.2.4.3(1) The course consists of units to a total value of 144 to 150 points comprising-(a) Level 1 core units, options and electives to the value of 48 points; http://rules.handbooks.uwa.edu.au/rules/biz/Part2/Division4/Rule243.

Furthermore; you must complete your level one units by the end of semester two 2009: see 4.2.4.5(1) (3) (a)

Also, a quote from the person in charge of the Maths Faculty:
MATH1020 would allow you entry to either (or both) of STAT2227 and STAT2226, which are normally taught (respectively) in 1st semester and 2nd semester. Of these two units STAT2226 is probably the one you may find of most value. STAT2225 is another possibility. Whilst for this unit it would be preferable for you to have MATH2209, in your case you could get entry on the basis of your MATH1010, MATH1020 and FINA2205. (However, as you would see from the UWA Units Handbook, STAT2225 and STAT2226 cannot both be included.) For doing STAT3364 it would be good to try to include STAT3361 beforehand. As far as I understand your situation, you could (for example) do both STAT2227and STAT2226 in 2009. Then, in 2011 you could do STAT3361 and STAT3364 in the respective semesters. In making these comments I am assuming that your 2010 is (fully) taken up with Commerce units and that you would not wish to consider doing MATH2209 in the 1st semester of 2009.

In a way, it's a good thing to know this, because I obviously have 1 more Level 1 Commerce unit to take, and with the fixed Maths units arrangements I've been told, it's confirmed that I can't do Quantitative Finance as a major anymore... Because there are alot of units that overlap between the Finance majors, even if I do any one of the remaining three majors as a minor, the overlap of the units would still mean that I have to do the units afterall, I can't not do some of them, so in the end, I would still be taking the so-called minor as a major... Moreover, to do Quantitative Finance would require 4 Maths units when I've got only 3 empty spots left now, with one belonging to the Level 1 unit... So it's definite the 4th major is gone... It's just that what other Level 1 unit should I do???-.-

I had one day to think about it... That night, I spoke to many many people... Wendy, Shan Min, Jorine, Tiffany, Chen Yi, Eugene, Joel, Felicia, Steve, Sharon... I even stayed up til 5am talking to mostly Wendy and Shan Min... Both of them were just like me, didn't know that we had to do 8 Level 1 units... So practically we were all having a terrible headache trying to figure out our units...Luckily for me, I do 2 Maths units, so I only had to pick 1 more Level 1 unit... For Wendy and Shan Min, they obviously had to pick 3, which definitely isn't easy when we had 1 more day to go... I guess realising we had to do 8 Level 1 units wasn't totally bad, because at least I sorta didn't do 2 MGMT units for nothing, which was what I thought right before the exams anyways... I mean, I had to pick something to do anyways... Looking at the leftover Level 1 units, there's Management Accounting, Foundations of Employment Relations, Australian Employment Relations, Information Technology & Systems, and Foundations of Asian Business... Since I don't wanna do Employment Relations as a major, Foundations of Employment Relations and Australian Employment Relations are definitely out!!! I looked at the unit outline for Foundations of Asian Business, not only is there heaps of different and extra readings to do every week, there are also presentations!!! YUCK!!!

So now it's a toss between either Management Accounting or Information Technology & Systems... After much sleepless hours, I still decided to pick Information Technology & Systems... Was seriously gonna do Management Accounting at first, since mid-sem and finals are all almost made up of MCQs, which could be annoying at times, but there's calculations ma... But then I managed to get the unit outline for 2008 S1 Information Technology & Systems:

1. Major Assignment ~ 30%
2. Lab exercises:
---Email ~ 2%
---Word/EndNote ~ 3%
---Excel ~ 5%
---Access ~ 5%
---MSProject ~ 5%
3. Final exam ~ 50%

Most important of all, my brother said he would be able to help me with it, and according to Veng Li, this is a unit that is very easy to pass... Last but not least, a quote from the unit outline: Very few students fail this unit. Without exception, those who have failed in the past could have passed if they had attempted all elements of the assessment. And strangely, I also found something else: Unlike other units, INMT1103 has no system of automatic penalties for assignments handed in late. The deadline is strictly enforced. If necessary, see the lecturer to negotiate a personal deadline at least 24 hours before the published date and time. :P