Subject selection and enrollment

[WTFBBQCheesecake]

Hi guys,
I've been accepted into Science at Melbourne and have been trying to enroll but have hit a roadblock.

The subjects that I have tried to select for first year are Biology of Cells and Organisms, Genetics and the evolution of life, Linear Algebra, Calculus 2, Chemistry 1, Chemistry 2, Foundations of Computing and Foundations of Algorithms however, when I try to add the final one in it says that you must choose between 62.5 and 87.5 points and won't allow me to add the 8th subject. There are a bunch of rules and stuff but they are quite confusing as it seems I should be able to add them without it affecting my second or third year credit points. Are there any rules restricting me from doing 8 level 1 science subjects?

Also would it be better to replace Chemistry 1 and 2 with Chemistry for Biosciences as I want to possibly major in something like biochemistry, microbiology, immunology or a related field? I want to keep my options open if I decide to change to something else in second year. Would Chemistry for Biosciences affect the majors I can select, and if so, which ones?
Thanks

[sweetcheeks]

Congratulations on your acceptance to unimelb!

Your study plan will be divided into multiple sections. The main section you are filling out (science subjects only) will only allow for 87.5 credit points of first year science subjects to be added. There is another section with 2 slots available, which gives you the option of either doing 2 additional breadths (on top of the four compulsory) or picking two science subjects. If you place another first year subject into one of the two slots, you should be able to enrol in it.

In regards to Chemistry for the Biosciences, I would only recommend it if you are 100% sure that you want to go down a biosciences major. It is also very content heavy, as it attempts to teach as much content from chemistry 1 + 2 in a single semester. I am not 100% sure of restrictions but most subjects outside of the chemistry department that require chemistry will accept chemistry for biosciences.

I suggest mapping out some potential pathways and looking at what pre-requisites are required for the subjects to confirm. Completing 8 level 1 science subjects may also provide some restrictions on what subjects you do in later years.

[WTFBBQCheesecake]

Congratulations on your acceptance to unimelb!

Your study plan will be divided into multiple sections. The main section you are filling out (science subjects only) will only allow for 87.5 credit points of first year science subjects to be added. There is another section with 2 slots available, which gives you the option of either doing 2 additional breadths (on top of the four compulsory) or picking two science subjects. If you place another first year subject into one of the two slots, you should be able to enrol in it.

In regards to Chemistry for the Biosciences, I would only recommend it if you are 100% sure that you want to go down a biosciences major. It is also very content heavy, as it attempts to teach as much content from chemistry 1 + 2 in a single semester. I am not 100% sure of restrictions but most subjects outside of the chemistry department that require chemistry will accept chemistry for biosciences.

I suggest mapping out some potential pathways and looking at what pre-requisites are required for the subjects to confirm. Completing 8 level 1 science subjects may also provide some restrictions on what subjects you do in later years.

Thanks for the insightful info and the reply
I'm not as interested in doing Chemistry or Physics as my major and am more focused on a Life Sciences/Biology related major as stated above or a Computer science major such as data science or finally (possibly) a pure maths related major. The extra 2 science subjects thing instead of breadth doesn't allow me to choose level 1 science and only allows me to select level 2/3 breadth or science. Is this a problem on my side or is it yet another uni restriction? Also it only allows me to slot in 75 points of science level 1 and not 87.5 points, so that's the part of the enrolment that is confusing me the most hahah. Thanks again

[dddknight]

Congratulations on your acceptance to unimelb!

Your study plan will be divided into multiple sections. The main section you are filling out (science subjects only) will only allow for 87.5 credit points of first year science subjects to be added. There is another section with 2 slots available, which gives you the option of either doing 2 additional breadths (on top of the four compulsory) or picking two science subjects. If you place another first year subject into one of the two slots, you should be able to enrol in it.

In regards to Chemistry for the Biosciences, I would only recommend it if you are 100% sure that you want to go down a biosciences major. It is also very content heavy, as it attempts to teach as much content from chemistry 1 + 2 in a single semester. I am not 100% sure of restrictions but most subjects outside of the chemistry department that require chemistry will accept chemistry for biosciences.

I suggest mapping out some potential pathways and looking at what pre-requisites are required for the subjects to confirm. Completing 8 level 1 science subjects may also provide some restrictions on what subjects you do in later years.

I have to put my comments on this. Chemistry for Biosciences isn't attempting to teach both chem 1 and 2. In actuality, it's chemistry for biomedicine when i did it in 2016. I do agree that it would be useful for studying 2nd and 3rd year biomedical subjects. However, it somewhat makes it difficult to re-enter 2nd and 3rd year chemistry. Your practicals will be the same as regular chemistry and will be marked in the same way. The content is hard when i did it but if you enjoy chemistry, it will be manageable

[WTFBBQCheesecake]

I have to put my comments on this. Chemistry for Biosciences isn't attempting to teach both chem 1 and 2. In actuality, it's chemistry for biomedicine when i did it in 2016. I do agree that it would be useful for studying 2nd and 3rd year biomedical subjects. However, it somewhat makes it difficult to re-enter 2nd and 3rd year chemistry. Your practicals will be the same as regular chemistry and will be marked in the same way. The content is hard when i did it but if you enjoy chemistry, it will be manageable

Thanks man!! So do you reckon I should pick Chemistry for biosciences over Chemistry 1 and 2? Because I want to do Linear Algebra, Calculus 2, Foundations of Computing, Foundations of Algorithms, Genetics and the evolution of life and Biology of Cells and organisms which only leaves me with one spot for another subject as apparently I can only do 7 first year science subjects.

Thanks again

[dddknight]

Thanks man!! So do you reckon I should pick Chemistry for biosciences over Chemistry 1 and 2? Because I want to do Linear Algebra, Calculus 2, Foundations of Computing, Foundations of Algorithms, Genetics and the evolution of life and Biology of Cells and organisms which only leaves me with one spot for another subject as apparently I can only do 7 first year science subjects.

Thanks again

Hmm first of all, think about what kind of areas are u interested in for your major? If you're sure and certain u want to major in something biomedical based (pharmacology, biochemistry, pathology etc.), it would be more favorable to do chemistry for biosciences. However, if u want to keep as many options as possible including engineering or chemistry, then chem 1 and 2 is more favorable. Just out of curiosity, are u also keeping your options open by doing computing and algorithms?

[WTFBBQCheesecake]

Hmm first of all, think about what kind of areas are u interested in for your major? If you're sure and certain u want to major in something biomedical based (pharmacology, biochemistry, pathology etc.), it would be more favorable to do chemistry for biosciences. However, if u want to keep as many options as possible including engineering or chemistry, then chem 1 and 2 is more favorable. Just out of curiosity, are u also keeping your options open by doing computing and algorithms?

I want to keep as many options as possible open however I am keen on doing biology related majors. The issue is that idk how the university learning environment is yet so it's hard to tell if I still enjoy biology haha. The computing/algorithms are just there to learn programming as well as keeping my options open just in case i want to do data science or something. I'm not as interested in doing engineering, physics or chemistry as my major at the moment which is also another issue. And really if I were to do chem 1 and 2 I would need to replace another subject to make room for it :/. Thanks again

[dddknight]

I want to keep as many options as possible open however I am keen on doing biology related majors. The issue is that idk how the university learning environment is yet so it's hard to tell if I still enjoy biology haha. The computing/algorithms are just there to learn programming as well as keeping my options open just in case i want to do data science or something. I'm not as interested in doing engineering, physics or chemistry as my major at the moment which is also another issue. And really if I were to do chem 1 and 2 I would need to replace another subject to make room for it :/. Thanks again

hmm if that's the case, i suggest doing chemistry for biosciences. Not only because it frees your slot but also because it seems like you have an interest in biology. It's much more interesting to see chemistry used in biological settings and currently, u don't feel any inclinations towards engineering, physics or chemistry right? Have a look at the reviews for Chemistry for Biomedicine and u should see what kind of topics will be dealt with. They should still be useful. You will most likely enjoy the 1st yr biology classes because nothing major gets introduced in 1st yr except the strict but professional tutors.

For the computing and algorithms, i would suggest keeping an open mind about this one. I have friends who have done those subjects and they've found it very challenging. There's apparently a vast increase in difficulty in algorithms (sem 2) so let sem 1's computing give u a feel whether u want to continue. All the best

[WTFBBQCheesecake]

hmm if that's the case, i suggest doing chemistry for biosciences. Not only because it frees your slot but also because it seems like you have an interest in biology. It's much more interesting to see chemistry used in biological settings and currently, u don't feel any inclinations towards engineering, physics or chemistry right? Have a look at the reviews for Chemistry for Biomedicine and u should see what kind of topics will be dealt with. They should still be useful. You will most likely enjoy the 1st yr biology classes because nothing major gets introduced in 1st yr except the strict but professional tutors.

For the computing and algorithms, i would suggest keeping an open mind about this one. I have friends who have done those subjects and they've found it very challenging. There's apparently a vast increase in difficulty in algorithms (sem 2) so let sem 1's computing give u a feel whether u want to continue. All the best

Thanks How did you feel about chemistry for biosciences when you did it? How was it for you? Also what did you major in? I like the idea of studying something that's more tailored towards the biology side of chemistry I'll keep an open mind for computing and algorithms and want to test the waters out with computing initially (I've done a little bit of self taught programming haha). Cheers again, you've been a wonderful help!!

[dddknight]

Thanks How did you feel about chemistry for biosciences when you did it? How was it for you? Also what did you major in? I like the idea of studying something that's more tailored towards the biology side of chemistry I'll keep an open mind for computing and algorithms and want to test the waters out with computing initially (I've done a little bit of self taught programming haha). Cheers again, you've been a wonderful help!!

Haha chemistry for biosciences was very enjoyable mainly because i loved chemistry before entering uni and i also was interested in biology. The organic chemistry was the main struggle during my time but you got to learn stuff like the chemistry of haemoglobin at the atomic level and what kind of chemistry sugars have which are pretty amazing imo for a first year class. I also liked how we were in a unique (not necessarily more difficult) chem class compared to the science kids. My major is biochemistry and molecular biology, chemistry for biosciences created a great leeway for that subject. It's a painful major but I love the content. No worries man. Feel free to ask more stuff, pleased to help