Ask The University of Melbourne

[unimelb]

Hello,

Miriam and Bronwyn here, ready to answer your questions today!

The university won't formally endorse people not enrolled in subjects going to those lectures for various reasons, OHS and otherwise.

Hi LiquidPaperz and Russ,

Russ- you're absolutely spot on. For the reasons outlined in our earlier post and in your comment, attending lectures is not encouraged if you're not registered/enrolled in the subject. Safety for our students and staff is our number 1 priority and while we understand LiquidPaperz you would like a sneak peak, there are other options like Course Information Day and free online courses which provide a similar experience.

- Bronwyn and Miriam

Hi Bronwyn and Miriam,

I'm currently in 1st year biomed, doing the Bioengineering Systems pathway, and trying to decide between majors for my degree. The ones that I'm most interested in (Bioengineering Systems, or Microbiology & Immunology) both have prerequisites that have to be done in 2nd semester of 2nd year.

I'd really like to be able to keep my options open until 3rd year if I can, though, so would I be allowed to do two selectives in 2nd year (and no breadth), and make up for the missed breadth subject in 3rd year?

Thanks heaps

Hi Nikoli,

When it comes to course structure, it’s best to get advice from your Student Centre. The Bachelor of Biomedicine is a very structured course and making changes to your breadth could have implications for other components in your Study Plan. Information about booking an appointment with a Biomed course advisor is available here.

It sounds like you’ve already done some research, but if you haven’t already, check out these resources: 2015 Handbook and Major areas of study

Sorry we can’t give you more specific information, but the advisers at the Medicine Dentistry and Health Sciences Student Centre are super knowledgeable and are experts in course planning, plus they have the ability to adjust your Study Plan if required.

- Miriam

Hi Unimelb,

Is there anyway I can book a course advice appointment to see if I meet the prerequisites for science with my Uni subjects? I don't want to pay the late vtac fee if I don't meet them.

Also, is it possible to graduate from a Unimelb science degree after only studying there for one year and gaining credit for two years worth of science subjects from another Uni?

Hi atar100,

If you're in Melbourne, the fastest way to get info about your options is to visit the Information Centre on Swanston street (opposite the main unimelb tram stop) and speak with the Admissions staff. While they may not be able to give you any guarantees they can give you a better sense of your eligibility. They're open 8am-6pm, Monday to Friday. No appointments needed.

In the meantime, you can see what credit you may be eligible for by using the Credit calculator. Please note, decisions regarding credit are only made after an offer of a place in the course has been made. The University's credit policy (MPF1037) states that "The maximum credit for incomplete prior studies towards a three-year bachelor degree is 200 points, which will normally comprise 150 points towards the core component and 50 points towards the breadth component". 100 points is generally equivalent to 1 year of full time study.

Hope this helps!

- Miriam and Bronwyn

[literally lauren]

Hey guys,
Just wondering if the credit distribution per semester is negotiable?

Got this message when trying to enroll. I put some June/July subjects down, so it's not like I've got 6 per semester or anything.
Plus I doubt those extra 1.7 credits will kill me :p
 

Error
Your currently enrolled Credit Points and your selected components for enrolment totals 58.0 Credit Points. The maximum allowable is 56.3 Credit Points for Semester 2. Please remove some components from your Potential Enrolment List.

Is it worth talking to my student centre or would that be a waste of time?

Cheers!
Lauren

[allstar]

hi unimelb,
is there any breadths i can take that are related to the radiography/sonography department?

thank you

[unimelb]

Hey guys,
Just wondering if the credit distribution per semester is negotiable?

Got this message when trying to enroll. I put some June/July subjects down, so it's not like I've got 6 per semester or anything.
Plus I doubt those extra 1.7 credits will kill me :p
 
Is it worth talking to my student centre or would that be a waste of time?

Cheers!
Lauren

Hi literally lauren,

We’re sorry to hear you received an error when attempting to enrol into your subjects online. It’s definitely worth speaking to your Student Centre and not a waste of time! Course advisers have the ability to manually enrol you into subjects if required and can provide advice to make sure your study plan is done correctly.

Some Student Centres have an online form that you can submit for a request to overload, for instance Arts. If you're not sure about how your Student Centre processes overload requests, you can either send an email to [email protected] from your student account (including your Student ID) with the details of your issue so this can be forwarded to your Student Centre, or alternatively you can speak to a Student Adviser at your Student Centre for help with enrolling in your subjects.

I hope you find this information useful!

- Bronwyn

[literally lauren]

Awesome, thanks Bronwyn!

[LiquidPaperz]

Thanks Unimelb, ill go to those course information sessions sometime.

Additionally i was wondering what the criterion is to be listed as a disadvantaged school on your website, my school is on their but is quite a good school. Is it maybe because their is a small quantity that choose to go to UoM?
How can it benefit students like myself when enrolling?

[IndefatigableLover]

Thanks Unimelb, ill go to those course information sessions sometime.

Additionally i was wondering what the criterion is to be listed as a disadvantaged school on your website, my school is on their but is quite a good school. Is it maybe because their is a small quantity that choose to go to UoM?
How can it benefit students like myself when enrolling?

This question was answered a few days ago by Unimelb! I'm pretty sure that 'disadvantaged school' and 'under-represented school' are the same thing in this case:

Hi Rod,

The under-represented schools SEAS category is defined as Victorian schools that have an average of 20 or more Year 12 VTAC applicants per year over the past three years and:

• have 61% or fewer applicants enrolled in a tertiary institution and 14% or fewer of these enrolled at the University of Melbourne, or;
• have between 61% and 78% of applicants enrolled in a tertiary institution and 8% or fewer of these enrolled at the University of Melbourne

While this category isn’t an eligible criteria for Guaranteed Entry, if your sister has submitted a SEAS application (before 5pm on Tuesday 7 October) then her application will be assessed for other Access Melbourne benefits such as Access Melbourne Scholarships.

Applicants eligible for the Under-represented school category will be considered on an individual basis by the University, however it’s not possible to predict in advance the difference their SEAS application will make. Please be assured that each SEAS application is considered individually by the University.

- Bronwyn

More info on Scholarships are located here <---

[unimelb]

Hi UoM, I'm 15 and I REALLY REALLY want to be a doctor, is there anything i can do now (for example have a meeting with the head of the medical department) that could help me become a doctor later on? I'd also love to do the KLD program but i'm not that much of a leader at my school as i'm a new student. Thanks, TheAspiringDoc

Hi TheAspiringDoc,

It's great to hear you have such drive and ambition at a young age! What you can do now to help your chances is to focus on your high school studies. To get more of a feel for the University and undergraduate courses and pathways to the Doctor of Medicine, have a look at our Future Students website. You may also like to attend events like Course Information Day (17 December) and Open Day (usually in August each year) which allow you to visit the campus and meet Faculty staff.

The Kwong Lee Dow Young Scholars Program is a great opportunity for high-achieving students to experience university life early. Leadership potential is one of the eligibility requirements, however it doesn't have to be school activities; it can be community work, cultural, environmental or sporting activities. You may want to approach someone at your school to clarify their nomination and endorsement process and to find out how you can get involved in school activities. Check out the full eligibility criteria here.

- Miriam

[unimelb]

hi unimelb,
is there any breadths i can take that are related to the radiography/sonography department?

thank you

Hi allstar,

I’ve had a search in the Handbook and unfortunately can’t seem to locate any radiology or sonography-related breadth subjects on offer.  Depending on which course you study at the University, different breadth subjects may be available to you. Visit here for more information on how breadth subjects work.

While there isn’t radiology or sonography study options at an Undergrad level, the Master of Medicine (Radiology) is a Graduate level study option for radiology. As per our previous post, we do offer Sonography courses however only qualified doctors are eligible for these programs. If you are looking to explore your undergraduate study options, please try using our Course Search website.

If you’d like to have a good look through all subjects offered, you can visit our Handbook and use the search filters to narrow down to your interests.

- Bronwyn

[unimelb]

Thanks Unimelb, ill go to those course information sessions sometime.

Additionally i was wondering what the criterion is to be listed as a disadvantaged school on your website, my school is on their but is quite a good school. Is it maybe because their is a small quantity that choose to go to UoM?
How can it benefit students like myself when enrolling?

This question was answered a few days ago by Unimelb! I'm pretty sure that 'disadvantaged school' and 'under-represented school' are the same thing in this case:
More info on Scholarships are located here <---

Hi LiquidPaperz,

IndefatigableLover took the words right out of my mouth! I hope the information I provided on 14/10/2014 was helpful . If you would like to find out more about the benefits of applying under Special Access categories, please visit our Future Students page on our Access Melbourne Program.

- Bronwyn

[basicm8]

University of Melbourne,

I am a 1st year undergraduate student and I am currently studying Science and throughout the year I've started to realise that Science isn't the area of study for me and i'm hoping to transfer to Commerce.
I have applied via VTAC and it says it takes ATAR and GPA into consideration. I was wondering how much the ATAR and GPA are weighted respectively in the selection process. My ATAR is relatively higher than the cut-off for 2013 and probably 2014, (97.75) but I am not doing so well in my science subjects at university, and I was wondering what GPA I need to get to get into commerce.

EDIT: I also have another question regarding Credit of the subjects that I do this year. If I transfer to Commerce, what happens to the breadth subjects I've completed this year? Do they contribute to my GPA? And what happens to the subjects that I've completed but dont need for commerce (e.g. Biology)? Do they still show up in my transcript?

Thanks!
Basicm8

[unimelb]

Hi, it's Carol here! Hope everyone's going well with exam prep - I'm here from 10-4 today to answer any questions.

I have applied via VTAC and it says it takes ATAR and GPA into consideration. I was wondering how much the ATAR and GPA are weighted respectively in the selection process. My ATAR is relatively higher than the cut-off for 2013 and probably 2014, (97.75) but I am not doing so well in my science subjects at university, and I was wondering what GPA I need to get to get into commerce.

EDIT: I also have another question regarding Credit of the subjects that I do this year. If I transfer to Commerce, what happens to the breadth subjects I've completed this year? Do they contribute to my GPA? And what happens to the subjects that I've completed but dont need for commerce (e.g. Biology)? Do they still show up in my transcript?

Hi basicm8,

When assessing tertiary transfer applications, Selection Officers consider a variety of factors, including:

• The entire academic record, including ATAR and GPA
  
• Results for particularly relevant tertiary subjects
  
• Satisfaction of prerequisite subjects (either in Year 12 or in subsequent tertiary study)
  
• How recently the study was undertaken
  
• The number of places available in the course
  
• The calibre of other applicants in that intake
  

For this reason, we are unable to provide a specific answer as to how ATAR and GPA will be weighted respectively. However, we can advise that the rough, indicative GPA for entry in 2013 was 5.5 for the Bachelor of Commerce, as calculated by VTAC out of 7.
http://www.vtac.edu.au/who/entry-req/gpa.html

As the indicative GPA varies at each intake, applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis!

Yes, the breadth subjects you have completed will contribute to your GPA. If you are successful in being offered a place for Commerce, you can then apply for Advanced Standing (credit). It’s up to the Faculty to decide how to allocate credit e.g. for a specific subject, a component or general credit. You may want to consult the credit calculator as a guide: http://futurestudents.unimelb.edu.au/admissions/credit_calculator.

Your Academic Transcript shows a complete history of your studies at the University of Melbourne across all courses. A full list of the content that will appear on your Transcript is included on the eCart website http://ecommerce.studentadmin.unimelb.edu.au/product.asp?pID=12&cID=6&c=284040

[unimelb]

It's looking a bit quiet this week... nevertheless, Carol and Miriam are here to answer any questions about the University from 10-4 today. Best of luck to everyone for their exams!

[spectroscopy]

It's looking a bit quiet this week... nevertheless, Carol and Miriam are here to answer any questions about the University from 10-4 today. Best of luck to everyone for their exams!

everyones busy studying for exams right now, expect the questions to ramp back up in a few weeks

[Scrono13]

Hi there,
I'm just wondering, if I do a bachelor of science at UoM next year, will I be able to do one single language thought the entirety of the course in addition? I'd like to study science, but also study Spanish.
Thanks