Ask The University of Melbourne

[LeviLamp]

You can either do four to six language subjects as breadth alongside science classes, or enrol in a Diploma of Languages concurrently (which will extend your degree to an extra year if you don't overload on subject numbers during semester, but will mean you can do two to six breadth extra as well, depending on your choices). This is hard to explain, go check it out here:

https://handbook.unimelb.edu.au/view/2015/D-LANG

http://arts.unimelb.edu.au/arts-student-centre/options/diploma-languages

https://handbook.unimelb.edu.au/faces/htdocs/user/breadth/BreadthSearch.jsp

http://breadth.unimelb.edu.au/breadth/info/index.html

[TheAspiringDoc]

Hi Unimelb,
Why would someone want to study biomedicine over science?
It seems as though under the major focus of degree section science has all the stuff boomed has plus heaps more.
Is biomedicine a better prerequisite to post-graduate medicine?

See links:
http://coursesearch.unimelb.edu.au/undergrad/1510-bachelor-of-science
http://coursesearch.unimelb.edu.au/undergrad/1504-bachelor-of-biomedicine
Thanks, TheAspiringDoc

[nhmn0301]

Hi Unimelb,
Is it true that international student can receive their uni offer 5 days after VCE results come out? I remember it is around 21st of December or something but still not sure.
Thanks for the help !

[uoiea]

Hi,
If I were to do 1 year of Science / a Science related degree at another institution, and I successfully transferred into Melbourne Science, would I have to complete 3 years at Melbourne or would the 1 year of Science at the other institution be taken into account, so that I do just 2 years?

Would this also be true/not true for midyear transfers?

Thanks.

[Special At Specialist]

Hi,
If I were to do 1 year of Science / a Science related degree at another institution, and I successfully transferred into Melbourne Science, would I have to complete 3 years at Melbourne or would the 1 year of Science at the other institution be taken into account, so that I do just 2 years?

Would this also be true/not true for midyear transfers?

Thanks.

I can answer this:
Every subject is treated separately. You need to pass 24 subjects to get the Bachelor's Degree. When you transfer from another institution, some subjects will be credited and some subjects won't. If you're transferring from another Go8 university, such as Monash, then you can expect all of your subjects to be credited, since there is an agreement between the Go8 universities. But if you're transferring from one of the lower universities, then some of your subjects won't be recognised.

An example of this is: a friend of mine did a year at Victoria University and then transferred into BSci at UoM. Only 4/8 of her subjects were credited. This means that she still had another 2.5 years to go at Melbourne uni, when she would've finished in 2 more years at Vic Uni.

[gibbsy06]

Hey,

Just got a question regarding transferring from Arts to Environments - I've made the decision to apply for a transfer via VTAC for Semester 1 entry next year. I got an ATAR well above the BA clearly-in in 2013 and averaged 73 during Semester 1. My average will be a bit lower this semester, however, I only did three subjects, meaning I've got 7 total. Does not having completed a full year of study (subjects-wise) mean that my ATAR will be given more weight in transferring? Obviously I know you can't comment too specifically without detailed knowledge but do my chances of transferring look positive?

[Special At Specialist]

Thanks a lot!

So if I were to go to Monash, do half a year or a year of Science, could I go into Melbourne without having to waste extra years of my life provided I choose the correct subjects?

Yes.

[unimelb]

Hi everyone, Carol and Miriam are here today from 10-4 to help answer your questions

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

Yep... we definitely spoke too soon Here come another influx of questions! Hope you're going well with exams yourself spectroscopy.

- Carol

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.

Hi JamiStorm,

Definitely! You should look into our Diploma of Languages, which gives you the opportunity to study a language and receive academic recognition for it, while doing your Bachelor degree.
http://arts.unimelb.edu.au/arts-student-centre/options/diploma-languages
https://handbook.unimelb.edu.au/view/current/D-LANG

Basically a DipLang works by adding 100 points of study to your degree, which adds one year to your three year science degree. If you are worried about complicating your degree, don't be - there are opportunities to accelerate your study time by overloading or fast-tracking subjects (doing an extra subject during the semester or one during the university holidays)... or you can just take your time and spread it out. 

Alternatively, you could select Spanish breadth subjects to maximise your knowledge of the language without adding another year to your undergraduate studies. This however, will not give you a legitimate qualification.
http://www.bsc.unimelb.edu.au/breadth-study

- Carol

Why would someone want to study biomedicine over science?
It seems as though under the major focus of degree section science has all the stuff boomed has plus heaps more.
Is biomedicine a better prerequisite to post-graduate medicine?

Hi TheAspiringDoc,

Nikoli is quite right, and yes, Science does have almost every major that's available in Biomedicine. A student may choose Biomed over Science because of a variety of factors that range from prestige, social circles to how certain they are about pursuing a medicine-related science. On the other hand, a student may choose Science over Biomed because they are interested in a spectrum of the sciences and are looking to have more options open.

In regards to entry for post-grad medicine, there is no such thing as a 'better prerequisite', as it depends more on the successful completion of pre-requisite subjects + your GPA and GAMSAT performance.
http://medicine.unimelb.edu.au/study-here/doctor_of_medicine/selection_criteria

- Carol

Is it true that international student can receive their uni offer 5 days after VCE results come out? I remember it is around 21st of December or something but still not sure.

Hi nhmn0301!

According to the VTAC website, international early offers are emailed on 22 December while general international offers are out on 9 Jan.
http://www.vtac.edu.au/dates.html
http://futurestudents.unimelb.edu.au/admissions/accept-your-offer

The University usually sends an SMS notification shortly after offers are released via VTAC, followed by the Dean’s welcome email and the offer email. Depending on the volume and processing times, these are usually sent out within 48 hours of the VTAC release.

- Carol

If I were to do 1 year of Science / a Science related degree at another institution, and I successfully transferred into Melbourne Science, would I have to complete 3 years at Melbourne or would the 1 year of Science at the other institution be taken into account, so that I do just 2 years?
Would this also be true/not true for midyear transfers?

So if I were to go to Monash, do half a year or a year of Science, could I go into Melbourne without having to waste extra years of my life provided I choose the correct subjects?

Hi uoiea,

I can confirm Special At Specialist's answer is accurate. Depending on where you undertake the science degree and how similar the subjects you take are to those offered under the unimelb Bachelor of Science, some may be credited. This is also true for midyear transfers. If you complete some tertiary study, you might get credit for prior study (advanced standing). Up to two semesters of course credits can be granted if applicable.

http://ask.unimelb.edu.au/app/answers/detail_future-students/a_id/113
http://futurestudents.unimelb.edu.au/admissions/credit_calculator

Make sure you check the credit calculator (linked above) and refer to more detailed information about credit for previous tertiary study: http://futurestudents.unimelb.edu.au/admissions/applications/other-applications/transferring-course.

- Carol

Just got a question regarding transferring from Arts to Environments - I've made the decision to apply for a transfer via VTAC for Semester 1 entry next year. I got an ATAR well above the BA clearly-in in 2013 and averaged 73 during Semester 1. My average will be a bit lower this semester, however, I only did three subjects, meaning I've got 7 total. Does not having completed a full year of study (subjects-wise) mean that my ATAR will be given more weight in transferring? Obviously I know you can't comment too specifically without detailed knowledge but do my chances of transferring look positive?

Hi gibbsy06,

Not necessarily. There are also other factors that selection officers consider, apart from your ATAR and current average. This includes:
-   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

I can advise that the rough, indicative GPA for entry in 2013 Sem 1 was 4.0 for Bachelor of Environments.
http://www.vtac.edu.au/who/entry-req/gpa.html

You're right - although I can't provide a specific answer as to how ATAR and GPA will be weighted respectively, I can encourage you to apply regardless. Applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis so just give it a go
http://futurestudents.unimelb.edu.au/admissions/applications/other-applications/transferring-course

- Carol

[notveryasian]

Hi, I have another question regarding the concurrent diploma of Mathematical Sciences. With the 2015 handbook released https://handbook.unimelb.edu.au/view/2015/D-MATHSC, there are new conditions under the entry requirements section.
I'm wondering how competitive it is in order to get into the Diploma and is there a certain average I need to have in order to be selected, or do they only look at my subject scores for Maths subjects that I have completed?

[Special At Specialist]

I have a question:

How forgiving are you with people who fail subjects? Because someone I know failed 2/4 subjects last semester and got given the status of "at risk". He only took 3 subjects this semester and he thinks he failed at least 2, if not all 3 of them. Is he going to get kicked out of the university? Will he be given an opportunity to appeal to keep his place?

[unimelb]

I have a question:

How forgiving are you with people who fail subjects? Because someone I know failed 2/4 subjects last semester and got given the status of "at risk". He only took 3 subjects this semester and he thinks he failed at least 2, if not all 3 of them. Is he going to get kicked out of the university? Will he be given an opportunity to appeal to keep his place?

Hi Special At Specialist,

Sounds like you friend is having a rough time with his university studies at the moment. If he is still in the middle of assessments, we recommend seeking help from Academic Skills, and looking into Special Consideration if there are any short-term circumstances that are reasonably beyond his control that have impacted his studies.

If a student is considered 'at risk' they will be asked to meet with a course adviser to discuss their academic progress and get advice about support services. This is designed to help get them back on track. In more serious cases of unsatisfactory progress, the student may be asked to attend a formal interview with the Academic Progress Committee, after which the Committee may decide to impose conditions/restrictions on enrolment or recommend termination from their course if necessary. Here's some additional info about Unsatisfactory Progress including a definition of 'at risk': http://ask.unimelb.edu.au/app/answers/detail/a_id/2947

- Miriam

[unimelb]

Hi, I have another question regarding the concurrent diploma of Mathematical Sciences. With the 2015 handbook released https://handbook.unimelb.edu.au/view/2015/D-MATHSC, there are new conditions under the entry requirements section.
I'm wondering how competitive it is in order to get into the Diploma and is there a certain average I need to have in order to be selected, or do they only look at my subject scores for Maths subjects that I have completed?

Hi notveryasian,

I've checked with the Science Student Centre and to apply for the Diploma in Mathematical Sciences, you just need to: be enrolled in an undergraduate degree, not intend to complete the Mathematics/Statistics or Mathematical Physics major, and have a study score of 30 in VCE Specialist Mathematics (3&4) or equivalent (e.g. Calculus 1). When assessing your application, the University will look at your past academic performance mostly to get an indication of your ability to undertake the Diploma. There are some extra details about how to apply on the Science Student Centre website.

Hope this helps!

- Miriam

[Teba]

Hi univirsity of Melbourne,
I applied for the KLD program and i was just wondering if i can get my results?
im so nervous and excited!!

[IndefatigableLover]

Hi univirsity of Melbourne,
I applied for the KLD program and i was just wondering if i can get my results?
im so nervous and excited!!

You'll find out in two days Teba
Have a look on the side of the webpage in this link and you'll see the dates!

Good luck

[InNeedForHelp]

Hey University of Melbourne,

Do you recommend year 9/10 students to give a considerate amount of thought in to what uni/course they want to pursue?

I think I spend a little too much time thinking about my future..

Also, by any chance in the future will you guys be enhancing your Athletics scholarship/benefit program for state/national level runners  ?