ATAR Notes: Forum
Uni Stuff => Faculties => Health sciences => Topic started by: glueckspilz on December 23, 2013, 05:15:47 pm
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Dear all,
I'm faced with a dilemma which I trust countless others have also faced. I would really like some advice on this.
- got offered into Chancellor Scholars program- Biomed/MD
- awaiting interviews for Monash (I think I have a good chance but if I decide to go with UniMelb, I might not sit the interview)
- I'm set on studying medicine and would like to do medical research in future combined with clinical practice.
Considering this, is UniMelb better than Monash due to its 3 yrs biomed which would provide a better foundation for med research in future?
Other than the obvious differences in legnths of the degrees, what other differences are there between the two programs? - so like internship opportunities after graduating, the quality of graduates, competitiveness, etc.
AND also if I do choose Monash over UniMelb, wouldn't it be just as well that I go into UNSW med? as I'm from NSW.
Could you pls also state source when u reply i.e. current student, etc. Thanks so much:) Greatly appreciate it!
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Perhaps see how you go with the Monash interview first and then decide. You'd hate to decide now that you'd prefer Monash and then be disappointed if find out you didn't receive an offer following your interview. Wait until all the information is available to you. There is no need to rush it. :)
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Hey hey.
I'm in the same situation and I've chosen biomed.
Here's how I made my decision. EDIT: This turned into a half rant.. I don't know I guess I just really don't like Monash :P
- Melbourne University is centrally located and close to the city.
- I live in Fitzroy (suburb next to where UoM is)
- I plan to move out into a college (Queen's), if not this year then in the future
- Melbourne Uni colleges are much more livable than Monash colleges
- In terms of employability, people will tell you different things, but I think both unis are quite prestigious
- With the research year, Monash is 6 years compared to Melbourne being 7. But I have no idea why people take this into account when choosing their degree. What the fuck is this? A race to retirement? Do you really despise studying your 'dream career' that much?
- You get to do breadth at Melbourne during your undergraduate. Some people think this is a bad thing - I ask them how on earth they could possibly be so sure that their only career interest is medicine, when the only exposure they've had to medicine is Year 12 Chemistry. Or perhaps something else is motivating them…
- Again, broad undergraduate, so if you have a change of heart you can go into a different postgrad.
- Monash is in Clayton. If you're from NSW, you won't know what Clayton is like - let's hope it stays that way.
- I'm not sure what the scholarships at Monash are like for interstate students - but I know at Melbourne Uni you get double the cash ($10,000 a year!). Much money. Many cash. No hex as well.
- I don't have a car… taking public transport to Monash each day from my house is like a 3 hour commute. I can walk to Melbourne Uni.
- You get placed into better hospitals if you go to Melbourne.
In all seriousness though, there are plenty of reasons why Monash is a good choice as well. It really depends on how set you are on doing medicine, and how much you value lifestyle>career. The Melbourne cohort is also relatively elitist and competitive - because they have to beat each other to get into the MD. I've heard the Monash cohort is a lot more supportive.
I'm sure other people could give you more reasons on why to choose Monash - but those above outline my reasons for choosing Melbourne.
Hope it all goes well for you :)
Alex.
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There are several older threads on the forum about this issue and comparing melbourne/monash, I'd recommend you go back through the health science forum and look at the threads posted in December 2012/2011 etc. since you'll get to see a fair bit of analysis there.
eg.
Monash Med or Chancellor's Biomed
I generally don't mind answering specific questions but the entire compare/contrast thing is pretty vague, so I'll leave that to others
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Another one to looks at is UoM Chancellor's Scholar's program Vs Monash MBBS
You PM'd me and I honestly don't think I'm the best person to ask, but I guess this was your main question (which I'll tackle here):
Hi pi,
I noticed you're studying med at Monash. Just wondering how you feel the program is, and how it compares to the UniMelb's medicine program?
Well I can't talk about the MD program as I don't know much about it other than the basic framework, and it's never been something I was aiming towards, so I'll leave details like that for Russ (and others?).
As for the Monash course, I think it's great. Of course I have nothing to compare it to, but I think it's really good. The cohort is ~310, and lectures are with the whole cohort and tutes are in groups of 15 or less (each type of tute has different people), so you really get to know each other pretty well. Being one of the few undergrad courses left, it's got a more of the academic "high achievers" (by rising median ATAR) than in previous years, so you'll find that there are a lot of like-minded people there and it's very easy to make friends. The same cohort for 5 years, pretty much like a second family.
I think the course is pretty fun too. I enjoy most of what we learn, and there are plenty of social events (Med Ball, med camp, pub crawls, as well as heaps of non-alco events) being run by one of the most active med socs in Australia (MUMUS). Being in Clayton, which is in the south-eastern suburbs of Melb (about 25-30mins out of the CBD by train), you'll find that most of non-med events will be campus focused, that is, that there are heaps of activities that will happen on the campus rather than in neighboring areas.
In addition to the MBBS, there is an optional research year (B.MedSci) and you can do a Dip.Arts (and the like) as well alongside your main studies, both of which are popular options for many.
If it helps, from my school in my year (2011), 6 people were offered Chancellor's: 5 came to Monash MBBS and 1 went to UoM (he also had the lowest UMAT of the 6 iirc).
Having said that, I'd like to clarify a few things:
- You get placed into better hospitals if you go to Melbourne.
If by "better" you mean "bigger", then yes. You get the Royals and many other big hospitals, however, one disadvantage I've heard from UoM MBBS grads is that some of these aren't the best teaching hospitals in terms of the skills a medical student is required to develop as there are so many other people ahead of you in the pecking order too. Although that was purely something I've heard from a few people, it's just food for thought.
- You get to do breadth at Melbourne during your undergraduate. Some people think this is a bad thing - I ask them how on earth they could possibly be so sure that their only career interest is medicine, when the only exposure they've had to medicine is Year 12 Chemistry. Or perhaps something else is motivating them…
Although Monash doesn't allow maths and things, there is a Dip.Arts and one for languages too. So you can develop your interests in other areas too.
- I'm not sure what the scholarships at Monash are like for interstate students - but I know at Melbourne Uni you get double the cash ($10,000 a year!). Much money. Many cash. No hex as well.
As far as I know your scholarship isn't for the MD but only for the 3 year Bachelors? The Monash one is for the whole degree and they can be quite generous too:
- 99.95 -> http://www.monash.edu.au/study/scholarships/sir-john/exceptional/
- 99.90 -> http://www.monash.edu.au/study/scholarships/sir-john/outstanding/
The Melbourne cohort is also relatively elitist and competitive - because they have to beat each other to get into the MD. I've heard the Monash cohort is a lot more supportive.
I've heard this too, although I've heard the UoM Biomed cohort's aren't *that* bad, it does get exaggerated. But yeah, the general vibe I get from mates in years above and below me in both Monash MBBS and UoM Biomed is that the Biomed cohort seems a lot more competitive (which is probably understandable).
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Oooo I like how you deconstructed my comment. V. cool. :)
You're right, however, if money is your sole motivation (and hey, why else are we becoming doctors right?.. kidding :P) the Monash scholarship is stellar. I figure, however, I'll spend a lot of that on the car I would have to maintain going there each day. Haha.
As for the hospitals, I wasn't aware people thought that! It seems people give different opinions on this subject as well.
Diplomas don't really offer the same opportunities as the range of breadth subjects, but yes! You're right. Keep in mind there is more emphasis on a broad education in biomedicine though.
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I'm at one of the major metropolitan UoM affiliated hospitals and the number of times I've missed out on teaching opportunities because of busy hospitals or other people is countable on one hand. I can remember once when a surgeon cancelled because he had a tute with different medical students and that's about it.
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I'm at one of the major metropolitan UoM affiliated hospitals and the number of times I've missed out on teaching opportunities because of busy hospitals or other people is countable on one hand. I can remember once when a surgeon cancelled because he had a tute with different medical students and that's about it.
I was more referring to there being more practical learning opportunities in smaller hospitals compared to the larger ones, more-so than those higher up cancelling tutes on their students.
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Thanks so much everyone for your replies! It's my first time to post here so I'm really glad to get such honest answers from all of you:)
Honestly speaking, now I'm quite swayed by Pi to choose Monash mainly due to the fact they you can do arts which would allow me to explore my interest in languages, and secondly, also as it seems graduates from monash seem to come out with better clinical skills and have more opportunities to learn in smaller hospitals.
The problem though is I changed previously UniMelb to first preference and Monash second, and now it's too late to change back. So my question is if I do get and pass Monash interview in Jan, can I still get an offer from Monash even though it's my second preference? It sucks how VTAC doesn't have second change of preference date like NSW :(
I have really jumped ahead but back to the present- now I'm worried about the Monash interview. Anyone have any tips? Hardest station? How best to answer some of the harder ethical Qs?
I might, or actually, I'm certain I'll change my mind back and forth again btw now and VTAC offers. so indecisive!
Also, xenial: I have applied for Queen's college too! Though I just sent in my application today. When did you apply?
Does anyone know if I'm still eligible for place at Queen's if I decided to go to Monash?
I hope to meet you all one day! Thnx again :D
P.S. I got a conditional Monash scholarship for outstanding achievement- by conditional, does that mean if I get an offer from the uni? and also, ISN'T IT REALLY HARD TO MAINTAIN THAT DISTINCTION AVERAGE GPA 7??
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You're right, however, if money is your sole motivation (and hey, why else are we becoming doctors right?.. kidding :P) the Monash scholarship is stellar.
How generous is the Monash Scholarship for Exceptional Achievement compared to the Melbourne National Scholarship?
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I was more referring to there being more practical learning opportunities in smaller hospitals compared to the larger ones, more-so than those higher up cancelling tutes on their students.
I don't think any of the Monash hospitals are small enough for this to matter. MMC, Alfred, Frankston etc. are all pretty reasonably sized hospitals, they're just not the massive sub-specialty behemoths that the RMH etc. are. You're not going to get substantially more clinical teaching or learning experiences. It's advantageous for other reasons (and disadvantageous for others), but there are plenty of practical learning opportunities in both.
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The problem though is I changed previously UniMelb to first preference and Monash second, and now it's too late to change back. So my question is if I do get and pass Monash interview in Jan, can I still get an offer from Monash even though it's my second preference? It sucks how VTAC doesn't have second change of preference date like NSW :(
I have a mate that managed to get the MBBS after VTAC offers, I think they call them "Negotiated Offers" these days (there's a para or two on this here How Do Tertiary Offers Work?). It is possible :)
I have really jumped ahead but back to the present- now I'm worried about the Monash interview. Anyone have any tips? Hardest station? How best to answer some of the harder ethical Qs?
I'd suggest working through some stations with some friends/family. There is plenty of sample stations on sites such as PagingDr (eg. http://pagingdr.net/forum/index.php?topic=4185.0) and MSO (which is currently down... ><"). The interview isn't that hard, I found it to be much better than a panel one.
P.S. I got a conditional Monash scholarship for outstanding achievement- by conditional, does that mean if I get an offer from the uni? and also, ISN'T IT REALLY HARD TO MAINTAIN THAT DISTINCTION AVERAGE GPA 7??
I got a Distinction average and I don't feel I worked that hard at all. It shouldn't be too hard to maintain if you put in semi-consistent work :) The median of the cohort lies somewhere around a low distinction / high credit, if that helps. I recently posted this in another thread, seems relevant:
Some people really want the HD and a lot of them (not all) study heaps and miss out on much of the social side. Personally I was happy at a distinction level for pre-clin years (which I achieved) so I didn't find it to be too intense, albeit a lot more difficult that Year 12. The assignments in med are really easy, so it's not too hard to get a credit average (which I think may have been the median for my cohort looking at our final exams) and hence not too hard to get.
I don't think any of the Monash hospitals are small enough for this to matter. MMC, Alfred, Frankston etc. are all pretty reasonably sized hospitals, they're just not the massive sub-specialty behemoths that the RMH etc. are. You're not going to get substantially more clinical teaching or learning experiences. It's advantageous for other reasons (and disadvantageous for others), but there are plenty of practical learning opportunities in both.
Monash also has much saller hospitals like Angliss and Cabrini (which is private), although you're definitely right, positives and negatives for big vs small.
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How generous is the Monash Scholarship for Exceptional Achievement compared to the Melbourne National Scholarship?
Melbourne national - $5,000 a year for three years, no hex for undergraduate so around 40-45,000 in total. That's an estimate of course.
Exceptional Achievement - $12,000 upfront per year for five years, so around 60,000 in total (plus healthy lifestyle package etc. etc.). I'd prefer the money upfront to be honest, because hex will only constitute a small percentage of your overall income when it comes to actually paying it off.
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Melbourne national - $5,000 a year for three years, no hex for undergraduate so around 40-45,000 in total. That's an estimate of course.
Exceptional Achievement - $12,000 upfront per year for five years, so around 60,000 in total (plus healthy lifestyle package etc. etc.). I'd prefer the money upfront to be honest, because hex will only constitute a small percentage of your overall income when it comes to actually paying it off.
I think the Melbourne National Scholarship estimate is incorrect. We were told the HECS fees are $40500, in addition to $15000 which makes the whole scholarship approximately $55500. Monash is still slightly better value, particularly if you prefer to receive your money directly rather than having your HECS fees waived.
The real difference is for those such as myself who got 99.90 - the Melbourne National Scholarship is much better value. To be honest, I feel sorry for those who couldn't achieve 99.95 due to their subjects, since they're effectively cheated against in this system.
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he Melbourne cohort is also relatively elitist and competitive - because they have to beat each other to get into the MD. I've heard the Monash cohort is a lot more supportive.
From what I've experienced in the UoM Biomed cohort, yes, there are many motivated people, but it's not cut-throat. More than anything, the cohort is fully supportive of each other and tries to help as many people as possible.
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Just throwing a bit of a curveball here but in the off chance that you don't get into the MBBS, and you decide you don't want to do biomed at UoM: Monash also has a Bachelor of Biomedical Science (Scholars Program) - you can read the Monash handbook entry here.
The course material is great, it's a pathway to postgrad medicine and the cohort is amazing!
Just something to consider :)
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Is hecs really 40 grand Stick? (lol I called it 'hex'). Who told you that? I looked up the undergraduate course fees and it was around 10 grand a year. But your answer seems more sourced than mine. To be honest, I haven't met anyone who literally couldn't get a 99.95. Most high achievers seem to do a language/spec/methods nowadays!
As for the cohort - well, perhaps a question of perception. I have a friend who says a lot of the students view their education as a GPA rather than, well, an education, and choose 'easy' breadths accordingly. But he also says there are plenty of nice people if you look for them :)
And cool that you applied to Queen's glueckspilz! I didn't even know you could apply this late. I'm sure I'd get to meet you if you came :) Remember you can most definitely do your language at Melbourne! You'd want to stay at a Monash college if you went to Monash though, not Queen's. Queen's is an awesome college though, and the colleges influenced my decision a lot.
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http://futurestudents.unimelb.edu.au/admissions/fees/ug-dom/subject-fees hmmm
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Just throwing a bit of a curveball here but in the off chance that you don't get into the MBBS, and you decide you don't want to do biomed at UoM: Monash also has a Bachelor of Biomedical Science (Scholars Program) - you can read the Monash handbook entry here.
The course material is great, it's a pathway to postgrad medicine and the cohort is amazing!
Just something to consider :)
Why would you do Biomed at Monash when you have a guaranteed MD place with Chancellors at UoM?
I can't think of any possible reason.
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Why would you do Biomed at Monash when you have a guaranteed MD place with Chancellors at UoM?
I can't think of any possible reason.
Yeah...if you're guaranteed go to Melb.
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Why would you do Biomed at Monash when you have a guaranteed MD place with Chancellors at UoM?
I can't think of any possible reason.
Fair point, but OP may find the course material and unit breakdowns at Monash to be better (the main reason I turned down my offer to UoM biomed in favour of Monash's). They've also stated they would like to do medical research combined with clinical practice - Monash certainly teaches the research skills and the clinical practice could follow though it is hard to argue against a guaranteed MD place at Melbourne unless one genuinely didn't like it there.
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Fair point, but OP may find the course material and unit breakdowns at Monash to be better (the main reason I turned down my offer to UoM biomed in favour of Monash's).
I don't really believe you can compare course material until you've been to both universities, and when you are referring to unit breakdowns, I'm assuming you mean the Monash handbook / UoM handbook. I personally believe that neither should be a factor when considering which uni to go to. Just because one subject may be more detailed in a handbook doesn't mean that it is a better class.
They've also stated they would like to do medical research combined with clinical practice - Monash certainly teaches the research skills and the clinical practice could follow though it is hard to argue against a guaranteed MD place at Melbourne unless one genuinely didn't like it there.
I haven't done Monash's course (obviously), but I feel that if you're doing a BBiomed anywhere, whether that is RMIT, La Trobe, or either of the two research-intensive universities being Monash and UoM, you're going to learn research methods through your classes. Clinical practise doesn't influence the decision because it is not going to be found in an undergrad pathway.
You're suggesting about Monash BBiomed is a good one, especially after the new pathway to MD. But there is no way you would / should turn down a Chancellor's for anything but a MBBS.
EDIT: Not meaning to sound rude btw, just providing an rebuttal to your post!
To the OP: For me it breaks down this way:
If you want to do your Med degree by itself, quickly, then go to Monash.
If you want to do your Med degree with an Arts component, then it is sort of a moot point IMO, because you'll be adding time onto your degree (or overloading, someone correct me I couldn't find the details) if you do it as a diploma at Monash, and you'll have to take the 3 + 4 year pathway at UoM taking arts subjects as breadth. If you also take on the BMedSci at Monash, you're looking at a one year difference between UoM and Monash, so you're comparing a BMedSci at Monash vs a BBiomed at Melbourne.
If you want to explore other fields during your undergrad, UoM.
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Thanks pi for the links! Never knew about this thing with the negotiated offers.
I got a Distinction average and I don't feel I worked that hard at all. It shouldn't be too hard to maintain if you put in semi-consistent work :) The median of the cohort lies somewhere around a low distinction / high credit, if that helps. I recently posted this in another thread, seems relevant:
Monash also has much saller hospitals like Angliss and Cabrini (which is private), although you're definitely right, positives and negatives for big vs small.
Wow ok, I always thought even getting a distinction would be hard in uni, but I guess with medicine where everyone are high achievers, that might not be the case.
Can anyone clarify how long exactly doing a diploma of arts at monash would add to the medicine degree? I also can't find any information online.
The only problem I have with the Biomed/MD is not the length but rather the fact that you have to do so much sciences in the first 3 yrs, and the students only go into clinical setting in their 5th year at UniMelb (or 2nd yr of MD). On the other hand, I had a look at the breadth subjects, look pretty good...but then monash exchange opportunities seem better (I don't think I will pass the decision making station in MMi lol too much going back and forth)
As for scholarship, they total up to be the same I think (for 99.90)- Monas: 6000 p.a. x 5 = UniMelb:10 000 p.a. x 3
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another quick question- if I accept the Melbourne National Scholarship now- can I reject later in Jan if I decide not to go to UniMelb?
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DipArts adds no time to the degree.
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The only problem I have with the Biomed/MD is not the length but rather the fact that you have to do so much sciences in the first 3 yrs, and the students only go into clinical setting in their 5th year at UniMelb (or 2nd yr of MD). On the other hand, I had a look at the breadth subjects, look pretty good...but then monash exchange opportunities seem better (I don't think I will pass the decision making station in MMi lol too much going back and forth)
The UoM pathway is all about you doing extra things and seeing extra areas of science beyond solely medicine. If you're not interested in that, then the chancellor's scholar position probably isn't for you. It's my personal preference but I can appreciate it wouldn't be for everyone.
another quick question- if I accept the Melbourne National Scholarship now- can I reject later in Jan if I decide not to go to UniMelb?
You can reject the scholarship, sure. Whether you'll be able to get into Monash is a different matter, since it'll depend on your interview result
Monash also has much saller hospitals like Angliss and Cabrini (which is private), although you're definitely right, positives and negatives for big vs small.
Both of those are still metropolitan hospitals. The rural hospitals are the ones that are particularly well known for students getting to do lots of things they wouldn't do in the city
I also agree that the monash biomedsci degree isn't a consideration here, there's no reason to choose it over the scholars program at UoM if you're looking to study medicine later.
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Is hecs really 40 grand Stick? (lol I called it 'hex'). Who told you that? I looked up the undergraduate course fees and it was around 10 grand a year. But your answer seems more sourced than mine. To be honest, I haven't met anyone who literally couldn't get a 99.95. Most high achievers seem to do a language/spec/methods nowadays!
Someone from the university stated that amount at the high achievers' luncheon.
Also, a fair few pupils at my sister's school (private girl's school) have gotten 99.90 with six 50s over the past few years.
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hey,
I might have missed something in this thread, but if you get 99.90+ are you automatically guaranteed a chancellors scholarship or do you have to sit an interview as well?
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hey,
I might have missed something in this thread, but if you get 99.90+ are you automatically guaranteed a chancellors scholarship or do you have to sit an interview as well?
automatically guaranteed chancellors; not automatically guaranteed postgrad medicine.
To get guaranteed postgrad medicine you have to pass a relatively (compared to other medical interviews) easy threshold interview.
If you pass (the threshold is set reasonably low), you are guaranteed postgrad med. If you don't you're still guaranteed chancellors scholarship, but will have to resit interview in 3rd year to try get into medicine (no guaranteed postgrad med).
In response to OP, I think if you live significantly closer to either, just go to that one. All things considered i reckon the courses are quite comparable, but it also depends how much value you place on the extra 2 years the Melbourne course takes, which for me was the deciding factor towards Monash.
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Hi All, thanks for sharing your thoughts! I have decided yay I'm going for Melb. Biomed/MD :D and rejecting UNSW and Queensland despite the pain of rejecting.
But yes, hope to see you there! @Stick @xenial @brightsky
And I got a spot at Queen's too :D
P.S. I've heard from ppl I know that the biomed cohort can get a bit competitive as many of them are aiming for med, but since we're all guaranteed, let's all help anjd motivate each other :) I didn't do bio in high school so everything is going to be overwhelming for me..How about you all? Did you do bio?
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P.S. I've heard from ppl I know that the biomed cohort can get a bit competitive as many of them are aiming for med, but since we're all guaranteed, let's all help anjd motivate each other :) I didn't do bio in high school so everything is going to be overwhelming for me..How about you all? Did you do bio?
The cut-throat aggression is BS and severely exaggerated. All that's going to happen is that you're meeting people with insane work ethics...no one is trying to actively beat X or Y. I didn't do Biology either - first year Bio is straightforward and manageable without high school :)
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Hi REBORN,
Great! I was worried I won't be able to cope with it. But I think if I just put in the hardwork, it'll all be good :)
Just wondering if you mind answering a few qs below coz now that I've made my decision, just got a few further Qs:
1. Which textbooks are important for 1st yr? Esp. for us non-bio students, are there any books you found particularly useful?
2. Which subjects in the first year are easier/more difficult?
3. How did you find the exams/assignments in first yr? So around how much did you have to study to keep up and do well?- is it like a few hours every night/after lectures? (I saw your amazing results of H1 in all your subjects!)
4. What was your study method? like do you write out notes? revise weekly? study groups or did you go to every tutorial/workshop, etc.?
5. So sorry for asking so many Qs! I'm just quite excited for the year ahead. I would appreciate if you have any further insider's tips/advice for us freshers :D
P.S. I'm thinking ahead but I read that you can go on exchange in Year2 Semester 2. Around how many people do that, do you know which ones are the better partner unis to go to and is the whole process of application, etc. very complicated? Thanks so much!
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Hi REBORN,
Great! I was worried I won't be able to cope with it. But I think if I just put in the hardwork, it'll all be good :)
Just wondering if you mind answering a few qs below coz now that I've made my decision, just got a few further Qs:
1. Which textbooks are important for 1st yr? Esp. for us non-bio students, are there any books you found particularly useful?
2. Which subjects in the first year are easier/more difficult?
3. How did you find the exams/assignments in first yr? So around how much did you have to study to keep up and do well?- is it like a few hours every night/after lectures? (I saw your amazing results of H1 in all your subjects!)
4. What was your study method? like do you write out notes? revise weekly? study groups or did you go to every tutorial/workshop, etc.?
5. So sorry for asking so many Qs! I'm just quite excited for the year ahead. I would appreciate if you have any further insider's tips/advice for us freshers :D
P.S. I'm thinking ahead but I read that you can go on exchange in Year2 Semester 2. Around how many people do that, do you know which ones are the better partner unis to go to and is the whole process of application, etc. very complicated? Thanks so much!
1. PDF all except buy the Physics one.
2. Biology easiest; Physics most difficult. [that's extremely subjective]
3. No where near few hours per night. A lot of uni students 'cram' although I don't recommend it. Basically you can fall behind ~2weeks and still be fine.
4. Bio (write notes), Chem (annotate lec slides), Math (annotate lec slides), Physics (die, don't ask me)
5. PM me specific questions and I'll answer, including exchange q's.
Enjoy :)
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Hi All, thanks for sharing your thoughts! I have decided yay I'm going for Melb. Biomed/MD :D and rejecting UNSW and Queensland despite the pain of rejecting.
But yes, hope to see you there! @Stick @xenial @brightsky
And I got a spot at Queen's too :D
P.S. I've heard from ppl I know that the biomed cohort can get a bit competitive as many of them are aiming for med, but since we're all guaranteed, let's all help anjd motivate each other :) I didn't do bio in high school so everything is going to be overwhelming for me..How about you all? Did you do bio?
It will be awesome seeing you around this year! :D
I did Biology Units 3 & 4 but not Units 1 & 2, so I'm assuming that I'll be learning some stuff from scratch while just extending my knowledge on other topics which I'm more familiar with. I guess I can help you out with some stuff if you need it. :)
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^^
A lot of first year is just rehashing VCE, you'll do good
Hi REBORN,
Great! I was worried I won't be able to cope with it. But I think if I just put in the hardwork, it'll all be good :)
Nobody who does well in VCE doesn't do well in uni because it's academically too demanding and they can't cope with the expectations; it's usually for other reasons that they do poorly. If you have a good study routine from day 1, you're already ahead of most of the other people in your course
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^^
A lot of first year is just rehashing VCE, you'll do good
Nobody who does well in VCE doesn't do well in uni because it's academically too demanding and they can't cope with the expectations; it's usually for other reasons that they do poorly. If you have a good study routine from day 1, you're already ahead of most of the other people in your course
Thanks Russ! May I ask if you mind sharing a bit of your study routine? Would really appreciate it!
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My study routine now is very different to what my study routine was like in first year. When I was an ickle first year, my habits weren't particularly great and I probably took a year 12 approach to things and only really did what I was told to do.
Something like this:
1. I printed off the lecture notes and annotated them in lectures for biology/physics/maths. For chemistry I wrote freehand notes based on what the lecturer was saying (I always found chemistry easier though, so it clicked quite well)
2. When there were assignments or learning tasks posting on the online LMS I did them
3. Two weeks (or less) before the exams I started revising my lecture notes and so forth. Sometimes I really messed up and had to cram a lot of things. I learned physics in 2 days, since I had to spend so much more time on biology, which I'd never studied before.
After I realised this wasn't particularly efficient, I added
1a. After lectures, take the annotated notes and summarize them by writing them out into an A4 textbook. Try to summarize all lectures over the weekend (never happened) or at least fall no more than 2 weeks behind. Then revise the lectures by reading them out loud etc.
I dramatically preferred that method, since it meant I didn't really have to specifically study for exams due to the constant summarizing/revision. It also happens to fit the forgetting curve quite nicely.
I've since added a bunch of things and deleted other things due to new teaching styles and the fact that doing 1a. is no longer feasible - you'll figure out a lot of what works best for you, I'd just recommend hitting the ground running
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Thanks a lot Russ!! This is really helpful! Even though everyone has different learning styles, it's nice to get a different perspective, otherwise I would be absolutely clueless :)
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As far as I know your scholarship isn't for the MD but only for the 3 year Bachelors? The Monash one is for the whole degree and they can be quite generous too:
- 99.95 -> http://www.monash.edu.au/study/scholarships/sir-john/exceptional/
- 99.90 -> http://www.monash.edu.au/study/scholarships/sir-john/outstanding/
Do these cover the tuition fees at monash as well?
Thanks!
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Do these cover the tuition fees at monash as well?
Thanks!
no. monash just gives you the money. you choose what you do with the money. you can pay your tuition fees with the money if you want, but most people don't.
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no. monash just gives you the money. you choose what you do with the money. you can pay your tuition fees with the money if you want, but most people don't.
Ah right. Cheers!