Civil Engineering and post-grad medicine

[Soul_Khan]

Hey guys..
So I haven't done Specialist Maths and Physics but am considering doing an Engineering degree (Bachelor of Chemical Engineering at RMIT or general engineering majoring in Chemical at Monash) how difficult would the course be for me? Can I do equivalent subjects to hopefully feel the gap in my knowledge from not doing Specialist and Physics?


I'm also considering doing an general Science degree at Monash or Melbourne to try and get into post-graduate Medicine, and I have a couple of questions:

How many years does post-graduate Medicine take?
How difficult is the GAMSAT? Do I have do the GAMSAT if I have a high GPA?
What are potential career prospects that a science graduate may undertake besides being a lab monkey?
Would the university (Go8 vs Non-Go8) that I go to somehow affect my chances of getting into post-graduate Medicine?

Thanks.

[Starlight]

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:2wru4LDOGIcJ:medicine.unimelb.edu.au/pdf_files/misc/MD_Brochure.pdf+how+many+years+graduate+medicine+unimelb+7+years&hl=en&gl=au&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESgNmQGJHAjIr3f-vLNaZ9wFAnZ6auv53H2m65K8LDaFUyUMZ3JUPlFEoTEtK8FwONJnk5ekHmr9ZaS6w4AygKvndHfh3gIgP1CkLgM7N15TqBpX2rNwPJmVkbMPpjcuBi5lS7BS&sig=AHIEtbSiO6sDAa7K9DBUej-7sI6FjCo1Mg

(a) 7 years (3 yrs (undergrad- bSC or bbiomed) + 4 (grad))

(b) The Gamsat, yeah it's pretty difficult. However, from what I have heard it is something you are able to study for. There have been plenty of posts on here recently about what the gamsat entails. Yes no matter how high your gpa (even if its 7.00) you must sit the gamsat.

(c) Engineering etc. It's just a matter of checking out the majors: http://www.bsc.unimelb.edu.au/majors/

Use this template for searching through: http://www.bsc.unimelb.edu.au/chemistry

http://www.bsc.unimelb.edu.au/majors/chemistry link doesn't work

And just change 'chemistry' into whatever other major is listed at  http://www.bsc.unimelb.edu.au/majors/

(d) I don't know what Go8 means...

Edit: oh right I see what it means, but i'm not too sure if it would affect your chances. Anyone else know about this?

[Phy124]

If you choose to do engineering at Monash you will have to do a foundation unit for maths as a substitute for specialist (I did it last semester) as this level of maths is a prerequisite for engineering mathematics which must be undertaken by all students doing the degree. You may also do a foundation unit for physics but it may not be necessary if you are looking to do chemical.

[Surgeon]

I can't really comment on engineering but you should find the answers to your questions regarding medicine in the following thread: Medicine FAQ / So You Want To Be A Doctor

If not take a look at the other threads in the "Health Sciences" section.

[Tomw2]

Would the university (Go8 vs Non-Go8) that I go to somehow affect my chances of getting into post-graduate Medicine?

Short answer: No.

Long answer:

All accredited degrees are considered equal - the only time they are considered differently is in GPA calculation if the university does not release percentage marks in student results (e.g. student scores 88% and is graded High Distinction for the subject, but the 88% is not released or shown on their transcript).

If this the case, then a particular GPA score (out of 7) is calculated by GEMSAS for particular grades and these differ slightly between universities (see the last two pages of this GEMSAS GPA document for a comparison of university GPA conversions).

Very few universities withhold percentage marks these days however and it makes virtually zero difference, because the different conversions reflect different marking practices and distributions.

[Soul_Khan]

Thanks a lot for the replies guys, appreciate it!