UOL Bsc Mathematics and Economics

lurveless2004

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Yes I have taken it. The format of the examination have changed last yr. So it is easier compared to previous years.

For eg, in previous years, the question will link topics from any chp, so you need to know everything inside out. But this year onwards, they set 1 questions for each chp. They are 12 chps, so choose 4 out of 12 qns.

I only studied and prepared 5 chps inside out. With that, I can really focus and memorise the main points. I think this module is generally do-able. If you ask me, I think IBM is worst than this, considering the large volumne of information it has.

But take note, the lecturer Sunny Goh is quite boring! His lecture notes are 'replica' of the study guide and some important notes from the textbk. Notes not that good. Hence the two recommended textbooks are extremely useful.

thank you so much for the info . do u have any friends who managed to secure a first class grade for this unit ? cos most of my friends who took it before only got 40+ . i hope u won't be seeing him again for esap . haha .
 

Mathemagician

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UOL still dare mention that there is no difference in quality between the internal and external system.

It does not apply to all subjects.. For all maths modules, the exam questions are exactly the same for internal and external students. For introduction to economics, here in LSE, they have much fiercer Economics B with 50 - 60% failure rate every year...
 

enzer1234

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thank you so much for the info . do u have any friends who managed to secure a first class grade for this unit ? cos most of my friends who took it before only got 40+ . i hope u won't be seeing him again for esap . haha .

I am seeing him for ESAP! Haha.. But he's ok... still can tahan.
I got no friends who have 1st class. Essay type modules hard to get 1st class seriously. I write so much only get 53. But I got to say I'm quite weak in essay writing.

Don't worry! Just read up the topics you want to do consistently and you wont forget the points when comes to exam time.
 

lurveless2004

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I am seeing him for ESAP! Haha.. But he's ok... still can tahan.
I got no friends who have 1st class. Essay type modules hard to get 1st class seriously. I write so much only get 53. But I got to say I'm quite weak in essay writing.

Don't worry! Just read up the topics you want to do consistently and you wont forget the points when comes to exam time.

i see . gd luck for your esap . it is possible to score first class for this unit . just need to work hard and smart =)
 

Hymnody

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ron korkor

when you use the textbooks, do you just read the essential reading parts or you actually read the whole textbook itself ? can you share how did you score for macro ? (even though the syllabus has been revised)
 

<3 jessica.

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It does not apply to all subjects.. For all maths modules, the exam questions are exactly the same for internal and external students. For introduction to economics, here in LSE, they have much fiercer Economics B with 50 - 60% failure rate every year...

With that in mind, am I right to say that by studying through the external system, one would not get the same quality of education as compared to the internal system for economics and some other subjects too?
 

Mathemagician

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With that in mind, am I right to say that by studying through the external system, one would not get the same quality of education as compared to the internal system for economics and some other subjects too?

I am not really sure about quality, but the style of questions are different.. for example for EOE , both internal and external students are using the same main textbook.. As an external student, you can still understand the solution given for internal papers but if you have to attempt it under exam condition, I think external paper is much easier than internal one...
 

Mathemagician

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ron korkor

when you use the textbooks, do you just read the essential reading parts or you actually read the whole textbook itself ? can you share how did you score for macro ? (even though the syllabus has been revised)

I only refer to textbook when I attempt past exam papers.. I only read when I have questions in my mind.. Otherwise, I will ZzzZzzZz within 10 seconds..

I already forgot about Macro.. two years ago, the paper contained LOLOMGWTFPAWNED BBQ sauce, I did not even know the correct answer for any single question, but I didnt give up and just kept writing.. Two years ago, Lee Chin Choo taught macro and I got her solutions to past exam papers from my friend.. It helped a lot.. If she is teaching macro this year, must get her solutions to past exam papers..
 

Mathemagician

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I received new questions from people who are interested in the course, so I will share them here in case you are new to UOL system and you get into this page because you googled "UOL Maths and Econs"

Within 3 years, I have to finish a total of 12 units right? Some consisting of half & full units? My question is, how is the workload like for each semester? 5-6 modules per semester = 5-6 exam papers?

I assume by semester here you mean 6 months and 1 academic year consists of 2 semesters. The UOL system only has 1 assessment which is annual exam. For BME, in your first year, you have to sit for 6 papers. In 2nd year, only 5 papers (because there are only 2 half units). And in final year, another 6 papers (4 half units, all totally different maths)

1st year workload is fine.

2nd year is getting tougher due to the huge gap between 1st year's and 2nd year's maths. You may be surprised a bit but with passion in maths, you will have no problem. Microeconomics and Macroeconomics are just continuation from 1st year introduction to economics. If you did well in Intro to Econs, Micro and Macro will be fine.

3rd year is the toughest one. It is common to have the feeling that you will not graduate that year because there are just too much things to study. You will see your friends from another degree always go have fun after lectures while you have to go to Library immediately to review and do more questions.

I was wondering if there are any tutorial classes and who do you normally consult if you have any questions to ask? And I read that for every semester, there is an internal & external paper? What does it mean by internal & external paper? Both constitute different weightages for the final grade?

There are tutorial classes for diploma in economics students but not for degree students. If you are in trouble you can always email your lecturers. If your lecturers do not give out email then try to ask where his office is. Always try to solve problems by yourself first. You can always google for other universities lecture notes. For example, if you have trouble with linear algebra or calculus, you can always try MIT OpenCourseWare.

By Internal paper, I am talking about those exam papers that students at the LSE have to sit for while external papers are for UOL students who are not studying at the LSE. The LSE website have changed so you wont be able to view the internal exam papers anymore. The standard for the maths papers is EXACTLY the same for internal and external students.

How is the honours classification like? Because I believe SIM-UOL do not follow the GPA system right? So do classes like 1st Class, 2nd upper, 2nd lower, 3rd class exist?

Yes, UK education does not follow GPA system. And yes, those classifications exist. Once you have registered with UOL, you will be given the booklet that explain the honours classification.

I have no prior Econs background, so will I be able to survive this course? What I do possess however are rather good mathematical skills & a strong interest in math. And not only that, but I'm currently from NTU/NUS Engineering so I do have a strong foundation in Eng Math. But I know Eng Math is different from that of the math you experienced before because yours is more on Pure Math rather than Applied Math. I don't even count the Eng Math I studied as App Math as there is no proving or induction at all!

The UOL course does not assume any background in Economics. I graduated from Science high school with zero knowledge in Economics. So you dont have to worry. You have to be careful when you say you have good mathematical and strong interest in maths. Are we talking about maths with or without numbers? :s13: The mathematics of higher level is pretty much abstract and conceptual. If you see questions with numbers, those are pretty much "bonus stage" for you to score.

In my batch, there was one guy who also dropped his engineering degree from NUS to pursue UOL BME. Also, one of the BME top graduates also had a computer engineering degree from NTU. These two people are happy with their decision. So, dont feel "downgraded" if you decide to switch.
 

Mathemagician

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I just received more questions

.. awarding of a 1st class honours is based on getting distinctions for 5 full units. What do they mean by that? Do you mind explaining how does one get 1st class honours?

Please refer to
http://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/showpost.php?p=47570626&postcount=25

Regarding half unit, you take the average between two half unit to be counted as one full unit. For example, if you get 60 and 80 for Calculus and Linear Algebra, then the average is 70 and you get one distinction worth full unit. The best combination is chosen. For example, if you get 100, 75, 40, 65, then 100 is paired with 40 and 75 is paired with 65, you still get 2 full units of distinction.

Because some other countries also have a UOL external system for their degrees, so when the exam period comes, does everyone around the world take the same exam paper at the same time? If yes, will everyone's exam scripts be subjected to a bell-curve or moderation?

The exam timetable can be found here
http://www.londoninternational.ac.u...esources/exams/advance_timetables/emfss.shtml

The time stated there follows everyone local time no matter where you are in the world. There are 2 zones A & B. I know that students in Europe sit for zone A, while students in Asia sit for zone B. I believe the exam centers in Asia are set such that there is only one hour difference. This is probably the reason why when you go into exam hall, you are not allowed to leave until 1 hour has passed so that you cannot cheat the timezone.

The most frequently asked question is the bell curve. UOL does not apply bell curve like the local universities in Singapore. If 55% fail and another 45% students pass the exam, then that's it.

HOWEVER, if SH|T happens, i.e. questions set are too difficult and most students fail then moderation will be applied. I know this because I had asked my lecturers at LSE how they solve this situation. Let me share with you all that this scenario has happened once.

In 2009, the chief examiner for paper 133 (advanced statistics : distribution theory) left the LSE and a new guy took his position. The questions he set are absofuc-kinglutely difficult. The standard were way too high compared to subject guide and the previous exam. I still remember when I looked around, everyone was panicking, some even cried. It was our first exam (for year 3 BME students) and we were already screwed.

My friend who sat behind me said that I kept shaking my head and she even heard me cursing :s13: I saw about half of the group who took the exam left the hall after an hour. Honestly, I wanted to join them because I was very sick on that day and I already secured my first class honours even though I fail the bloody paper. But then I remembered that I was competing for the LSE scholarship, so giving up was not really a good option. So, I decided to sit through the 2 hours torture. I only managed to do half of each questions and was expecting to get at most 40 marks.

After the exam was over, many people complained and one of my friends claimed to solve all questions. We agreed that whoever passed this exam must be bloody genius let alone getting a distinction. Three months later, results were released. From SIM , there were only 2 people who got distinctions. Surprise surprise, I was the world top scorer with 87 marks :s13:

Here are my advices should this happen to you in the future:
1) Take 1 minute to spit out vulgarities (but not too loud) if that helps.

2) Everyone around you is now your enemies. Pray that they leave early because you have high chances of scoring higher than these people. Even 1 mark means a lot in this scenario. You want to make sure you belong to at least top 40% percentile in case the examiner want to fail 60% of the students. Remember, there is no such a thing called re-examination.

3) Specific to maths units; Note that each question usually consists of 3 parts. Part (a) ask you to state theorem. Part (b) ask you to prove something. Part (c) is to use theorem in (a) and result in (b). Make sure you state the theorem CORRECTLY ! It's the easiest part to score. Part (b) may be difficult. Part (c) should be easy so you better answer it even though you did not manage to prove part (b).

4) Write down your thought process. Let the examiners know what you were thinking so that they can give you some credit. If you hand in blank paper, even God can't help you.
 

Mathemagician

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(This question ask about lectures in SIM, if you are studying by yourself or with other institute, skip this) the class timings are normally on Mon, Wed and Sat. Starting at 3 different timeslots of 8.30am, 12.30pm and 3.30pm. Are the lectures for that particular day the same for all 3 timeslots? Will you be allocated a specific lecture timeslot to attend? Or is there a flexibility for you to pick any slot to attend?

In year 1, you get to choose because lots of people are doing the same foundation units. In year 2, you still get to choose your lecturers for microeconomics and macroeconomics. In year 3, you cant choose at all.

The lecturers for different time slots may be the same or different.

This is more of a personal opinion on your part. You said that you feel that this degree is definitely rewarding and very relevant to our society. But in your honest opinion, do you think this particular degree programme is tough? Is it hard to score, or even survive? At the end of the day, do you enjoy what you did and did you meet your expectations?

I remember saying this degree is rewarding but not really sure about the relevance to our society :s13::s13:

The economics is definitely relevant to the society while the mathematics depend on yourself. I meant it is very pure and not directly applicable. But if you know how to use them then it is definitely applicable in real life. Let me give you a simple example.

Imagine that you interviewing for investment banking or management consulting (very high prestige jobs). The interviewer saw your degree in mathematics and want to see whether you are really comfortable with numbers.

Without calculator and in 5 seconds, how much is 62 x 68 ?

Well, that is easy. The difference between 2 numbers is 6 and if you divide that by 2, it's 3, so the middle number is 65. So, 62 x 68 = (65 - 3) x (65 + 3) = 65^2 - 9 = "(6x7)"25 - 9 = 4225 - 9 = 4216

Excellent ! Next, the interviewer wants to see whether you are smart. He ask you the famous brainteaser question. Consider the following hypothetical situation.

You are now an analyst. One day, you oversleep and wake up at 7:15 (You got off from office at 3:00 am and got home at 3:30 am) while you have to be at the office at 7:30. You have 5 minutes to prepare yourself and rush to office. Assume that you manage to get everything ready and has 5 seconds left to choose a pair of socks.

Your drawer contains 5 different designs of black socks. 5, 7, 3, 4, and 10 of type A, B, C, D and E, respectively. You are in hurry. What is the minimum number of socks that you must randomly grab to ensure that you will get at least a pair of same design ?

If you start thinking about probability, then you fail :s13:

This is how we apply pure mathematics. In UOL 116 Abstract Mathematics, there is one theorem called Pigeonhole Principle. In layman term, it says that if number of pigeons is greater than number of holes, than there is at least one hole which contain more than one pigeon (very obvious huh?)

We can think of the number of designs as "holes" and the socks as "pigeons". There are 5 holes, so we need at least 6 pigeons so that at least one hole contains two pigeons i.e. one pair of socks with the same design. So, we need to randomly grab 6 socks.

Brilliant ! The interviewer is amazed by your mathematical knowledge. Now, he knows that you know Pigeonhole principle and he then ask you another famous brainteaser question.

Consider two normal die with 6 sides. You have to attach numbers 0, 1, 2, 3, ..., 9 to the die so that you can show the calendar date. For example, if you want to show date 01, then you can stick "0" on dice 1 and "1" on dice 2. Once the numbers are attached, you cant pull it off. How do you allocate the numbers to each dice if you want to show dates from 01 to 31 inclusive ?

I will leave it to you all to solve. You can post the answer here if you want. Those who get it right have a shot for interview with Goldman Sachs or McKinsey :s13:

As, I have mentioned at the first page, BME is definitely the toughest degree. There is no need to comment on Economics as everyone agrees UOL economics are difficult. You also have lots of half units. The number of exams you are sitting for is greater than other students.

The maths units are easy to score and at the same time easy to fail. It is either you understand and you score very high or you dont and fail badly. You can compare with management units where you get to write essays in exam. It's difficult to fail but at the same time difficult to score high.

If you take this degree, you definitely have to show more effort than other students from different degrees. Dont be surprised if the number of your course mates keeps decreasing every year. In year 2, I saw about 58 people in the abstract maths lecture. In year 3, I only saw about 25 people in the Mathematical Economics lecture. Another had bitten the dust and jump ship to other degrees. Most of these people are owned by the Advanced Linear Algebra and Advanced Calculus.

Did I enjoy the degree and whether it met my expectations? 3 years ago had I known that it is pure maths instead of applied maths, I probably would have choose different degree. SIM didn't give any preview regarding the maths units so I just blindly assume it's applied. In year 2, I was extremely shocked because it wasn't the maths that I signed up for. It's totally different from maths 1 and 2. It was too late to change.

But now after I have completed the degree. I have to say I really enjoyed the course. I think the mathematics part have really helped me in understanding the economics units. I bet very few non-BME students actually know what production function or utility function is :s13::s13:

I am also proud to be mathematically trained. I am now much more analytical and critical in solving problems.

Another bonus point of having a degree in maths is that people think you are AWESOME :s13: Whenever I tell people that I have a degree in mathematics, the common response is "WOW ! You are very smart !" (which clearly I am not)
 
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morning-sun

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To Mathemagician,

Do you mind giving an introduction to the year 3 maths units like its nature? It seems like the units are about proving things. Also, is MSc Applicable Mathematics in LSE all about proving why a particular method works?
 

MatheMeh

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Consider two normal die with 6 sides. You have to attach numbers 0, 1, 2, 3, ..., 9 to the die so that you can show the calendar date. For example, if you want to show date 01, then you can stick "0" on dice 1 and "1" on dice 2. Once the numbers are attached, you cant pull it off. How do you allocate the numbers to each dice if you want to show dates from 01 to 31 inclusive ?

Dice 1: stick 0,1,2,3,4,5
Dice 2: stick 0,1,2,7,8,9

Day - Dice
01 - Dice 1, Dice 2
02 - Dice 1, Dice 2
03 - Dice 2, Dice 1
04 - Dice 2, Dice 1
05 - Dice 2, Dice 1
06 - Dice 1, Dice 2 (turn the 9 upside down)
07 - Dice 1, Dice 2
08 - Dice 1, Dice 2
09 - Dice 1, Dice 2
10 - Dice 1, Dice 2
11 - Dice 1, Dice 2
12 - Dice 1, Dice 2
13 - Dice 2, Dice 1
14 - Dice 2, Dice 1
15 - Dice 2, Dice 1
16 - Dice 1, Dice 2 (turn the 9 upside down)
17 - Dice 2, Dice 1
18 - Dice 2, Dice 1
19 - Dice 2, Dice 1
20 - Dice 1, Dice 2
21 - Dice 1, Dice 2
22 - Dice 1, Dice 2
23 - Dice 2, Dice 1
24 - Dice 2, Dice 1
25 - Dice 2, Dice 1
26 - Dice 1, Dice 2 (turn the 9 upside down)
27 - Dice 2, Dice 1
28 - Dice 2, Dice 1
29 - Dice 2, Dice 1
30 - Dice 1, Dice 2
31 - Dice 1, Dice 2

edit: aiyah... make me happy for nothing. I went to google this question after solving it and realized many people have solved it easily. definitely not mckinsey standard lar. I'm only O-level emaths standard can solve liao.
 
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Mathemagician

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Unfortunately, You did not answer the question. Your answer lacks of analysis too.

Edit: or maybe you can tell us how you arrived at your solution?
 
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Mathemagician

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To Mathemagician,

Do you mind giving an introduction to the year 3 maths units like its nature? It seems like the units are about proving things. Also, is MSc Applicable Mathematics in LSE all about proving why a particular method works?

Yes it is about proving things. Let me briefly introduce you 2 half units as far as I remember so you get the feeling. The other subjects are quite similar to these two.

40 Game Theory (half unit)
The first chapter is quite fun it talks about playing game in real life. For example, Nim game. in Nim game, two players take turns removing objects from distinct heaps. On each turn, a player must remove at least one object from one particular heap. The player to remove the last object wins.

Lets play a simple game with 2 heaps where each heap has 17 objects. We can prove that this is a "losing game" meaning the first player who play will always lose. Proof ? It's very simple, just do a "copy cat move" i.e. whatever player 1 does, player 2 just follow but on different heaps. For instance, if player 1 takes 5 objects from heap 1, player 2 also takes 5 objects from heap 2. If player 1 takes 10 objects from heap 2, player 2 takes 10 objects from heap 1, and so on. It should be obvious, that the player to remove the last object must be player 2.

What if heap 1 has 20 objects and heap 2 has 17 objects ? In this case, it is a winning game, that is, player 1 will always win. How ? Simply take 3 objects from heap 1. Now the game has been reduced to previous game but now player 2 has to move first. So by previous proof, player 1 will win.

Now, lets extend the number of heaps, say into 4 heaps, where heap 1, 2, 3 and 4 contain 11, 5, 9 and 12 objects respectively. Now, if you have studied this unit and you get to move first. You can definitely win this game. There are exactly 3 first moves that you can do in order to ensure that you will win the game. How ? Read the subject guide :s13:

Chapter 2 and so on becomes very theoretical which involves finding nash equilibrium and subgame perfect nash equilibirium. It also talks about pure strategies, mixed strategies and most importantly behaviour strategies.

41 Advanced Mathematical Analysis (half unit)
This is where nightmare begins. Look at the following statements.

"A set that is closed does not mean it is not open. A set can be both closed and open at the same time. A set is open if and only if its complement is closed."

If you find the statements above make sense then you will do well in this subject. :D

Edit : Forgot to add the MSc. Applicable Maths info. The maths are pure, applicable or not depend on your imagination. I mean subject like number theory is pure and theoretical, but then it can be used for credit card numbering. The same thing applies for Graph Theory. Graph Theory has very wide applications in computer science. After all, the foundation of applied maths is pure maths.
 
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morning-sun

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man i choose this degree to have a chance with LSE MSc Financial Mathematics. Now then found out maths is all about proving. should have chosen BSc Economics and Finance instead :( too late now :(
 
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Mathemagician

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It looks like you have no idea about LSE financial maths too. It involves a lot of probability and proofs too. As long as there is a word mathematics, you can expect proofs. If you want to be a quant, apply for financial engineering instead. That is much more relevant.

What year are you in now ?
 

morning-sun

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1st yr going 2nd yr. Honestly speaking I don't know what I want to work as. Finance looks like a popular choice among people and this is my tentative choice. I do know that Financial MAthematics involves a lot of probability; in fact, most finance courses require probability.
 
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