O-Week is upon us once again! We hope everyone has used the holiday break in an intentional way and is ready for the upcoming term. The new term means meeting new people, different classes and lots of opportunities to meet those burning academic and career goals.
There’s plenty to look forward to with The Bulletin offering fresh career opportunities, new Cap W events and unspoken rules to ensure you are ready and prepared for the upcoming term. Good Luck! 🪷
Why you ace assignments but struggle in exams
If you're pulling HDs on assignments and then barely scraping a pass on the final, you're definitely not alone and you're probably not stupid. A lot of courses are designed this way on purpose. The pre-exam work is there to help you pass, the final is there to separate the credits from the distinctions. But if the gap between your assessments and your exam results are huge, either you're burning out to get all those assignment marks, or you understand the content well enough to work through it slowly at home but can't reproduce that under timed pressure in an exam hall. The only solution is to try to do past papers under actual exam conditions. Timed, no notes, no second screen. Do enough of them until it becomes familiar. Most students study by re-reading notes or redoing tutorial questions with the answers open, and then wonder why the exam felt nothing like what they prepared for.
Centre Stage
Alicia Pan
This week on Centre Stage … our Capital W HR subcommittee, Alicia Pan! 🌟
She’s a 1st year Commerce/Law student with lots to share!
Quick Picks
Hidden talent? If I make something into an acronym, I'll never forget it
Favourite uni class you’ve taken so far? COMM1100 or Introduction to Law and Justice
Who or what has had a big influence on who you are today?
My cousin - who immigrated here from Cambodia and then worked hard to make it to Oxford, Amazon, Samsung and become a young executive within other massive companies. Since a young age, he's always pushed me to strive for better, think broader about my future purpose and always had my back. I am so incredibly grateful to have someone as inspiring as him that shaped me as the person I am today.
Did you know?
Sales and trading is the part of investment banking most students confuse with quant trading or stockbroking. You sit on a trading floor at Macquarie, UBS, Citi, Barrenjoey or Goldman Sachs and facilitate transactions for institutional clients. Sales builds relationships with fund managers and super funds, pitching trade ideas and market views. Trading prices and executes those transactions across equities, fixed income, currencies and commodities.
Intakes are small and most banks hire through summer internship programs. Most interviews will test whether you actually follow markets. If someone asks what the Aussie dollar is trading at or what moved rates last week and you've got nothing, the interview is over. Reading the AFR and following Bloomberg usually helps because it's obvious who's been paying attention for two years versus two weeks.
Unspoken Rules
The Unspoken Rules is all about the things no one really teaches you, but you’re somehow expected to know and rarely explained. Don’t worry, we’ve got your back!
How to write SMART goals 🎯📝
With Trimester 3 right around the corner, it might be time to start thinking about your academic or personal goals to help you finish off 2026 strong! Whether you’re looking to improve your grades, build new skills or get more organised, SMART goals can turn vague ideas into realistic plans. By making your goals specific, measurable and time-bound, you can track your progress and stay motivated along the way! 🧭
Be specific: Instead of “I want to do better at uni”, think about exactly what you want to achieve, like improving your assignment marks or building a particular skill.
Make it measurable: Give yourself a way to see your progress. This could mean tracking how many hours you study each week or how many job applications you send per day.
Keep it achievable: Ambition is important, but your goal should still fit your time, skills and resources. A good goal should challenge you without setting you up for frustration.
Make it relevant: Ask yourself, why does this goal matter to me? Whether you want better grades, a stronger CV or experience for your future career, having a clear reason can help keep you motivated.
Set a deadline: “Soon” isn’t a deadline, and without one, it’s easy to lose sight of your goals. Give your goal a timeframe, whether that’s by the end of the trimester or by the end of the year.
Check in and celebrate: Keep track of your progress, recognise your wins and don’t be afraid to adjust your goal if your priorities change!
Capital W Events
Case Comp Workshop
In your first year or new to case comps? 💻⭐️
Join our Case Competition Workshop to learn how to approach a case, build stronger slides and use AI in your solution, with guidance from experienced mentors.
No experience needed and all disciplines are welcome!
📅 Tuesday 15 September 2026
📍 TBD
🕕 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Capital W x CMA x FinTech Soc x WIT x WIM present: AI Think Tank 2026!
Put your problem-solving skills to the test by creating an AI-powered solution to a real-world challenge. No technical experience needed!
👥 Enter individually or in teams of 3–5
💡 Get feedback from industry professionals
🏆 Finalists will pitch their solution in person at UNSW
🎁 Prizes up for grabs
📅 Key dates:
18th Sep: Registrations close
22nd Sep: Case released
26th Sep: Submissions due
28th Sep: Finalists announced
3rd / 4th Oct: Finals presentation
Sponsor Opportunities
OC&C Women in Consulting Event
On September 23, the OC&C Women’s Network is hosting OC&C Women in Consulting – an evening for penultimate-year students who are curious about strategy consulting, problem-solving and creating meaningful business impact.
Join us for an interactive evening where you’ll have the opportunity to:
Gain insight into what strategy consulting actually looks like
Build problem-solving and practical case-study skills
Hear directly from women at different stages of their careers at OC&C
Ask questions and gain practical advice about a career in consulting
Connect with the OC&C team and other like-minded students
Seek Grad Top100 Awards
With 10 categories to choose from, the SEEK Grad Top100 Future Leaders Awards are a chance to put yourself out there, practise your skills, experience the graduate recruitment process, connect with students from across Australia and build your profile with leading graduate employers.
Winners and finalists are also recognised as top Australian university students.
Think you have what it takes? Challenge yourself and apply!
Introducing - Next CA
We're excited to share CA ANZ's free student membership program, Next CA! Designed to tap into your future leader potential.
From sport and music to startups and global brands, Next CA helps you explore career pathways, hear real stories, and figure out what future you could look like.
The best part? As an exclusive member, you'll get up to 15% cash back deals from over 100+ major retailers - think The Iconic, LSKD and more!
Career Connect – Mentoring Platform
Future IM/Pact's Career Connect is a flash mentoring platform matching students and young professionals with investment industry mentors for 1:1 virtual conversations. Explore careers in investment management and advice, gain practical insight into roles and career paths, and build connections with professionals across the industry.
First published in the Capital W Bulletin, the newsletter of Capital W, the UNSW Women in Business Society. Read it there or subscribe.
