A question about electives in Monash Biomed

[ezferns]

Hey everyone,

I'm wondering whether I should choose Monash Biomed or Monash Biomed/Science double degree as my end goal is (at the moment) to go into medicine, however I really want to continue studying maths and physics. I was looking at the course maps for the double and just biomed.
Obviously if I did the double degree I'd have more slots available for maths and physics, but I'm wondering would the elective slots in biomed be enough for a potential career in bio + stats if I decide I don't want to do medicine? If anyone was in the same position as me: did these electives 'satisfy' your love for maths?

Also are there any electives in undergrad Medicine at Monash??

[Sine]

Hey everyone,

I'm wondering whether I should choose Monash Biomed or Monash Biomed/Science double degree as my end goal is (at the moment) to go into medicine, however I really want to continue studying maths and physics. I was looking at the course maps for the double and just biomed.
Obviously if I did the double degree I'd have more slots available for maths and physics, but I'm wondering would the elective slots in biomed be enough for a potential career in bio + stats if I decide I don't want to do medicine? If anyone was in the same position as me: did these electives 'satisfy' your love for maths?

Also are there any electives in undergrad Medicine at Monash??

you could effectively get a major in maths if you put all the 8 elective units towards maths so not sure if that is enough. A lot of people have this idea in first year but by the time 2nd/3rd year roles they usually change their mind.
Not sure if they "satisfied" a love for moths -I did MTH1030 and MTH2010 in first year. Whilst they are decent units they are heavily structured so you will learn content in a streamline manner which inhibits any sort of exploration in maths or enhancement of mathematical thinking.

You could do a science degree and do a lot of physics/maths alone. Med @ monash has no electives but you can do a diploma alongside it.

[ezferns]

Thanks Sine for your reply
I'll probably just do Biomed then, cos I mainly wanna do med and I don't think maths would be *that* useful in the long run, even though it's one of my passions :/

[Lear]

Can I ask why you wish to pursue medicine if you are interested in maths and physics?

[ezferns]

Basically I love biology and I love maths but I feel like being a doctor will be more fulfilling and exciting as a career compared to being a physicist or mathematician.
I'm thinking working in a hospital more directly impacts the lives of those in need compared to doing, say, maths research on game theory or something.
However I wanna do maths and physics in case I change my mind along the way or find a way to integrate maths and statistics into some kind of medical field (like analysing the spread of disease within a population or something).
But overall, I definitely think I'll enjoy a life as a doctor more than a life as a mathematician.

[HighTide]

While you might be seeking a rewarding career, I think it's important to consider going into a field you're passionate about. Maths is very understanding based, while there is a lot of rote-learning involved in biomed (so pretty different). Biomedical science offers pathways into medicine or research predominantly, but it's important to have a backup that you are actually interested in. In your case, seeing as maths is a passion, perhaps consider science as an alternative as it will offer a few more years for you to pursue mathematics (alongside science subjects) and then you can choose if you want to pursue medicine or not in third year (note: this pathway for monash only will offer 25 spots not the normal 75 in biomed). Also, consider that while working in a hospital can change a few lives a day, you can be helping more people if you discover something upstream (so research is crucial too and its contribution to society shouldn't be underestimated). Best of luck though!