Sydney, 20 March 2017
I just can't believe how demanding the MPAcc program is in Usyd. It is even still in semester 2 but it has already been this hard. Even for me as the person who has an accounting background, despite I skipped some pages of reading since I have the knowledge of them, but the time is not enough to cover all the learning materials such as the self study questions, online quizzes, and cases.
The most interesting method of Managerial Accounting subject this semester is, we are given a bunch of study materials including reading, slides, lecturing videos, problems and practices, and cases. However, in the class, the teacher does not discuss the learning material anymore at all, but we are given an individual short quiz at the beginning, and we are given a business problem to discuss in a group. Then, each group shall state their recommendation to the business in front of the class, while the other groups shall give their rebuttal to the group presenting. This method of learning is super challenging and requires the students to independently understand all the materials at home before the class, including all the theories, concepts, and calculation of managerial accounting. Thus the students are expected to be able to solve the business practical problem seamlessly in the class.
No wonder, last semester, this subject has failed so many students. I think it will be super hard for those who don't have accounting knowledge previously. If we study accounting in undergraduate level, we get more time and more semester to cover a particular accounting subject, thus it will be easier for the students to absorb the knowledge. While in the master degree, the time is much shorter while the topics are even more conceptual (yet the students are also expected to be able to solve the calculation problem), thus there is no way for me, supposed that I am a newbie in accounting, to understand the subjects fast.
The results are, some of my friends who take MPAcc last semester, change their major to Master of Commerce specialisation in Accounting, since this program is more flexible. However, there are some outliers I met in the uni. I met some Chinese MPAcc students who studied English Literature in their undergraduate degree, but they do really really well in Accounting in their master degree, even much much better than me. Probably, as the Asian stereotype, they are actually super smart in logical subjects such as calculation, but in China the competition to get into the uni is super hard.
Nonetheless, today's Managerial Accounting is satisfying for me and I think for my group too. The topic for this week is still about the cost allocation, cost pooling and cost driver, and job order costing, which I have learned couple times previously. So I assume I have enough knowledge to attend today's class. Despite I didn't get a "good" score in individual quiz, but our group got perfect mark for the business practice worksheet and my presentation got positive feedback from the teacher. I hope this will be a good start for me and my group until the last session of the semester.
When I came back to my room, I felt so happy for today's class till I missed the lunch. So, I went out to but the food and to cut my hair. So, this is my new haircut. Do you think I look good with this haircut? I don't care, lol.
