PhB Science opinions

[appianway]

Oooh, I only just saw this! I was enrolled in the PhB for a semester before I headed stateside, so here are my thoughts:

1. How does the workload of a PhB student compare with that of a Bachelor of Science (Advanced) student? Would you say the PhB is a relatively demanding/stressful course?

The workload is exactly the same. The only difference is that you're expected to average HDs, which I found stressful. It was definitely feasibly - most of my grades were in the high 80s-high 90s before I decided to discontinue the degree to go to Yale (and hence my performance dropped significantly because I stopped attending class and handing in assignments).

2. Would you say that a PhB student has a significant advantage in terms of research opportunities in the future?

You definitely get more research opportunities, and you get to meet more faculty, which also opens up opportunities. You're supposed to do 3 stand alone ASCs during your degree, which equates to three semesters of research. The only drawback in my opinion is that it's hard to accomplish much in a semester of research - it works better if you stay in a group for a longer period of time and learn the skills. Nonetheless, it's a great way to get exposure.

3. Does a PhB student need to consistently perform at a high intellectual standard?

The only prerequisite is obtaining HDs. It doesn't matter how you do it.

4. If you're not entirely certain that you want to do scientific research as a profession, is the PhB a bad idea?

I'm not exactly sure. It's not a bad idea in any case, because it's a flexible degree. It's hard to know whether science research is for you without having done some, and PhB will let you do that. However, if you really don't enjoy science research, it won't be worthwhile doing, as you're forced to do research. It also won't be worth moving interstate for.

[Neo]

Ok, there's been a lot of discussion already, so I'm just going to post five reasons why you should do the PhB:

1. You will have access to research opportunities normally only afforded to postgraduate students.  It's not like you can't do research as an undergraduate generally speaking, but PhB allows you to do it as coursework, and because of your status academics will also be super keen to take you up on your ideas, your prospective projects, etc. 

2. You will have amazing flexibility compared to everyone else.  To quote the admin people at ANU, the PhB is basically a "do whatever the hell you want" degree - choice, choice, choice is key here.

3. You will meet the cream of the Australian crop.  There is a PhB camp in first semester and PhB often has networking/social events - if you are part of the program, you will be constantly engaged with fellow students who have similar intellectual interests and capabilities.  This is as useful and as enriching as it sounds.

4. You will have a much more pretigious degree for postgraduate entry than pretty much anything else offered in Australia.  PhB guarantees you good grades and a lot of impressive opportunities which look amazing on your resume. 

5. You will enjoy it.  Much of the problem with the Australian university system is that our universities are crowded, students and lecturers are disengaged, etc.  PhB is small, and there is a lot more familiarity between students and academics normally when one is enrolled within the program.  This will change your university experience.  Trust me.

Seriously, do it.  Best choice ever.

Sorry to revive an old thread, but would you be able to elaborate/substantiate your fourth point. Thanks in advance

[humph]

Well, it's a degree aimed at giving undergraduates some major research experience, which is very unusual. Most degrees do not offer any research component (except of course the optional honours year, because a honours thesis should qualify as research). So the only way to obtain any research experience is via summer research programs (which many universities offer in varying topics) and industry research-based internships. The PhB program has the additional benefit of giving you six semester-long advanced studies courses, or ASCs for short, which introduce you to the world of academic research. Having a research-based background is hugely advantageous in applying for PhDs, where the whole point is to present yourself as a person who can contribute novel academic research via a future PhD thesis. That being said, this is only particularly important when applying for top universities in the US or UK, or applying for exceptional postgraduate scholarships - you can get into any decent PhD program in Australia, and be awarded the standard scholarship (APA - $23000ish per year) provided you achieved first class honours in some (good) undergraduate degree.

Furthermore, some ASCs can lead to further collaborations with academics, which in turn can lead to major publications and/or presentations at academic conferences. It's these kind of experiences that really stand out on a resume. (Note that this depends very much on your area of study - it's not particularly feasible in mathematics, but I've had friends in experimental physics with these experiences.)

[appianway]

I'd echo what humph says. Also, if you do want to go into research, I'd really suggest trying to extend the ASCs if possible. You spend a *lot* of time getting used to a lab when you first start research (unless you've already worked in a lab that uses the same techniques), and if you work for 10 hours a week for 10 weeks, you'll spend at least half of that time getting used to the equipment and the techniques, so your ASC will mostly be playing around with stuff unless you work on it after the semester or during breaks.