Should I make up my mind on what major I want now?

[VHKprimus]

I still don't know what career I want to get into but I know I want to work in a hospital. Since I'm not sure on what I wanted to do, I've decided to apply for the Bscience course. I've taken interest in pharmacology, genetics and anything to do with immunology. How should I go about planning to ensure that I can get into as many of these majors as possible to keep my options open.

Also I would like to mention that I'll be applying for a concurrent diploma for chinese. Would there be room for me to take business/commerce and law breadth subjects?

Many thanks for the replies in advance,
-Andy

[simpak]

I know less about diplomas than anyone here, but to keep those options open you'll just need to make sure you take Biology in both second and first semester and also Chemistry 1 and Chemistry 2, presuming you have done Chemistry in VCE.  If not, you'll need to take Fundamentals in first semester, Chemistry 1 in second semester and Chemistry 2 over summer semester to catch up.  Then you'll have two subject slots free per semester - you can take another Biology (flora and fauna, so not really medical related), Psychology, Physics and a few other things as electives in first year (one in each semester to leave room for breadth).  That's all you need to decide on for the Science part for now - it might seem appealing to start planning the next three years over all, but I would recommend just doing your first year and taking it from there.  Uni is different to high school, you might find you're attracted to different things and start figuring some stuff out. Those subjects leave all of the majors you mentioned open from a first year standpoint.

I'm less sure about the Chinese subjects meshing in with the breadth subjects, and when you have to start studying it (eg before the diploma or not), so let's let someone else work on that part.

[VHKprimus]

I know less about diplomas than anyone here, but to keep those options open you'll just need to make sure you take Biology in both second and first semester and also Chemistry 1 and Chemistry 2, presuming you have done Chemistry in VCE.  If not, you'll need to take Fundamentals in first semester, Chemistry 1 in second semester and Chemistry 2 over summer semester to catch up.  Then you'll have two subject slots free per semester - you can take another Biology (flora and fauna, so not really medical related), Psychology, Physics and a few other things as electives in first year (one in each semester to leave room for breadth).  That's all you need to decide on for the Science part for now - it might seem appealing to start planning the next three years over all, but I would recommend just doing your first year and taking it from there.  Uni is different to high school, you might find you're attracted to different things and start figuring some stuff out. Those subjects leave all of the majors you mentioned open from a first year standpoint.

I'm less sure about the Chinese subjects meshing in with the breadth subjects, and when you have to start studying it (eg before the diploma or not), so let's let someone else work on that part.

Thank you so much for the clarification. Is physics a requirement for any of the ones I mentioned because I did VCE physics and since I didn't find it interesting, I didn't do too well.

Also in regard to the breadth subjects, is it a minimum of 4 for the year or throughout the 3-4 years of undergrad?

[ChickenCh0wM1en]

Not simpak but I dont think physics is a requirement for any of the aforementioned majors above.

With regards to your original question don't stress too much about choosing majors right now since you have a lot to experience in the next few years! I remember going into the BSc thinking I would major in HSF (Human Structure + Function which is a combination of anatomy/physiology). After doing 2nd year Anatomy and hating it I'm glad we didn't need to lock in majors until 3rd year.

And yes, the minimum number of breadths you must undertake is 4 with the maximum being 6.

[Shenz0r]

Minimum of 4 breadths for your entire undergrad, so you don't need to do it every semester

[simpak]

Sorry if I wasn't clear - the only subjects you will absolutely have to do to keep all of those majors open are:

BIOL10004 Biology of Cells and Organisms (Semester 1)
BIOL10005 Genetics and the Evolution of Life (Semester 2)
CHEM10003 Chemistry 1 (Semester 1, Semester 2)
CHEM10004 Chemistry 2 (Semester 2, Summer)

If you haven't done VCE Chemistry, you will need to take Fundamentals to get into Chemistry 1, although it will not be directly required for any of the majors you have listed.  Chemistry 1 will be a prerequisite for Pharmacology.

Physics was an example of a possible elective you could choose.  Have a look in the handbook online at all of the electives open to you as a first year Science student.  You definitely don't have to take Physics - I hated it too
I chose Psychology as first year electives!

[VHKprimus]

Not simpak but I dont think physics is a requirement for any of the aforementioned majors above.

With regards to your original question don't stress too much about choosing majors right now since you have a lot to experience in the next few years! I remember going into the BSc thinking I would major in HSF (Human Structure + Function which is a combination of anatomy/physiology). After doing 2nd year Anatomy and hating it I'm glad we didn't need to lock in majors until 3rd year.

And yes, the minimum number of breadths you must undertake is 4 with the maximum being 6.

That's a relief hearing that. Thank you so much!

[VHKprimus]

Minimum of 4 breadths for your entire undergrad, so you don't need to do it every semester

Ahh that makes sense. Are the content taught in the breadth subjects the same throughout the year or does it progress with each semester and year? For example if I take criminology as my breadth subject in semester 1 and then choose it again in semester 2, would the content be the same?

[VHKprimus]

Sorry if I wasn't clear - the only subjects you will absolutely have to do to keep all of those majors open are:

BIOL10004 Biology of Cells and Organisms (Semester 1)
BIOL10005 Genetics and the Evolution of Life (Semester 2)
CHEM10003 Chemistry 1 (Semester 1, Semester 2)
CHEM10004 Chemistry 2 (Semester 2, Summer)

If you haven't done VCE Chemistry, you will need to take Fundamentals to get into Chemistry 1, although it will not be directly required for any of the majors you have listed.  Chemistry 1 will be a prerequisite for Pharmacology.

Physics was an example of a possible elective you could choose.  Have a look in the handbook online at all of the electives open to you as a first year Science student.  You definitely don't have to take Physics - I hated it too
I chose Psychology as first year electives!

Thank you for listing them out! I'm glad I kept with chemistry then haha. 
I'm glad I get to do Biology again. Loved that subject!

[mahler004]

Ahh that makes sense. Are the content taught in the breadth subjects the same throughout the year or does it progress with each semester and year? For example if I take criminology as my breadth subject in semester 1 and then choose it again in semester 2, would the content be the same?

Most first year arts subjects don't continue in that way, no. Unlike Science, Arts subjects often lack prereqs, so you can do them in any order you want. I did a third year politics subject without having studied any politics previously, for example.

Looking at criminology, there's one first year subject and a few second year subjects. The second year subjects suggest criminology at first year level, but don't require it.

[VHKprimus]

Most first year arts subjects don't continue in that way, no. Unlike Science, Arts subjects often lack prereqs, so you can do them in any order you want. I did a third year politics subject without having studied any politics previously, for example.

Looking at criminology, there's one first year subject and a few second year subjects. The second year subjects suggest criminology at first year level, but don't require it.

Thank you so much for clearing that up. It's a relief knowing that I don't need any prior knowledge to be able to join the breadth subjects