workload of biomedicine and whether a part time job is an option

[M-D]

Hi,

I just wanted to get the perspective of current biomedicine students or graduates of the course as to whether a part time job is a viable option if a student wants to do well or is the workload too great?

Also how difficult are the bioengineering major option subjects compared to the main stream in first year and onwards?

thanks in advance

[rebeckab]

Well I'm starting this year and I'm having a part time job for sure... No way can I afford Uni without it. I'll be working at Macca's back in Bendigo on weekends, and tutoring during the week, and I've had a few friends who did this last year and still did really well

[Furbob]

I know a few biomed friends working part-time jobs to pay for the GAMSAT and general needs

[skyhigh]

I completed first year Biomed last year whilst working ~20 hours a week and didn't find it hard, however I wasn't enrolled in the BioEng pathway. As long as you're organised you should be fine though.

[Pup]

can do start off with Calculus 2 (bioeng stream)  in semester 1, but then switch back to the mainstream biomed in semester 2, doing physics and stats, instead of ESD2 and linear algebra, if you decide not to pursue engineering?

[Inside Out]

I completed first year Biomed last year whilst working ~20 hours a week and didn't find it hard, however I wasn't enrolled in the BioEng pathway. As long as you're organised you should be fine though.

Wowww 20 hrs?!?! I applaud you for that

[VivaTequila]

Guys, seriously.

Going to shamelessly boast.

I'm independent and have been since finishing school. I receive no centrelink payments. I pay $200 rent per week for my room in my Carlton sharehouse.

Last year I worked a minimum of 30 hours per week with my Science Degree, which ended up being 24 contact hours. That realistically ended up being 30 hours at uni per week due to breaks which I couldn't do anything else in. 20 hours of work were at my internet cafe, and a further 10 or so (varied, but I would average it to 10 hours per week) was due to tutoring.

I still managed to save up enough money to buy myself a PC, pay for all my own clothes, fines, bills, alcohol and going out just as a normal person does, and the only time I got help was when I needed to pay to go to hospital because of a bike accident.

Admittedly, I didn't do very much study - just enough to do moderately well on exams as I was working + studying 7 days per week.

And I don't regret a second of it. Becoming independent is one of the best decisions you can make. Sure, rent is a thorn in my fucking arse, but I've fully embraced the broke uni-student life and I'm loving every minute of it. There's not really all that much organisation involved, and honestly you become a much more independent and outgoing person as a result.

Get around it.

tl;dr fully independent at 19, ask me anything

[Special At Specialist]

VivaTequila, did you save up any money beforehand, or did you just become independent from scratch? Do you have your own car and licence?

[VivaTequila]

I had about two grand saved up. I lived and actually managed to get that to 2.7k, but then I was unemployed for a bit and basically spent all of it at the start of the holidays down to zilch. Working to save some back up now before uni so that it's easier, especially for second semester cos I'm overloading then and won't have time to work.

I don't have my license nor any hours - I had no-one to drive me so I'm waiting for freebie green P's when I turn 21. But even then, no money for a car and no need for a car - I live 20metres from my uni.

[appianway]

There are 168 hours in a week. You might sleep for 56 of them, so you have 112 hours to do things in. You won't spend all of those at uni or even studying. So even if you spend a lot of time preparing for class, you'll probably have >50 free hours. And you can definitely fit a part time job into that.

I'm not doing biomed, but I'm taking 5 classes, which are each supposed to have >15 hours of work outside class per week. I work 2-3 jobs (one pending), resulting in 11-16 hours of work a week at present, I have a good social life and I'm on the board of a major extracurricular organization whilst doing scientific research.  Sure, I sleep at 2am most days, but I wouldn't trade it. I think.   

[John President]

Just about everyone I know in Biomed has a part time job of some description. Even if you don't move out, you're going to find yourself spending money at uni/in the city, so it's almost mandatory in my eyes. I have two myself.