How hard is Melbourne Biomed?

[studentofthenow]

Obviously it's hard to get into, but how rigorous is the actual degree? I'd love to hear from current biomes/med students

[heart]

Depends on your strengths, overall if your more stronger in rote style learning you will be fine and enjoy it more. Funnily enough this wasn't my strength and negatively effected my results as I didn't enjoy it as much. If I could go back in time I would do a science degree and major in maths or chemistry. I hope that helps

Edit: I forgot to mention science also has the added benefit of being more flexible then a biomed degree

[inish]

Same difficulty as science. I started biomed and switched to science.

[studentofthenow]

is hard work rewarded in boomed in the same way it is in vce?

[inish]

Biomed has a lot of rote-learning. If you're smart, you'll understand the concepts more quickly and that's an advantage. Overall though, if you're prepared to sweat your balls off, you'll get good grades. Don't judge the degree off the first year though. First year subjects are too easy to really gauge how good you are at uni. Don't take your foot off the pedal because third year is pretty hard and builds upon year 1 and 2.

[heart]

is hard work rewarded in boomed in the same way it is in vce?

yep but its easier to work hard and enjoy it more if you are studying something you are more passionate about. All I can say is to look at the handbook carefully and inspect each major to direct you into which you would enjoy the most. https://handbook.unimelb.edu.au/view/2015/B-BMED
https://handbook.unimelb.edu.au/view/2015/B-SCI

[inish]

yep but its easier to work hard and enjoy it more if you are studying something you are more passionate about. All i can see is look at the handbook carefully and inspect each major to direct you into which you would enjoy the most. https://handbook.unimelb.edu.au/view/2015/B-BMED
https://handbook.unimelb.edu.au/view/2015/B-SCI

100% agree with Heart. This is a particularly pronounced phenomena at uni because you don't have to study anything, there is no rigidity like in high school.

Choose something you can be passionate about. 100% do this.

[Mieow]

my advice would be to go to Science first and then do a little bit of research into Biomed to see if Biomed is something that would be more suited for you. Pretty much everything you do in Biomed can be done in Science but the latter gives you so much more freedom

[Shenz0r]

is hard work rewarded in boomed in the same way it is in vce?

Well, if you study smart and put in the effort, of course you'll do well. This applies for all subjects.

I will say that some of the biomed cores (in second and third year) do require you to put in a lot of effort compared to some of the science subjects you pick.

Biomed is not an easy walk in the park but it's not some hell-ridden cesspool of doom either. Enjoyment is one factor that can make your life easier when you're studying. If you really enjoy biology then you will like 2nd and 3rd year in spite of the increased need to memorise stuff.

I wouldn't say that you'd need to study 24/7 and lose your life, but you need to stay committed and consistent. It's a simple equation in the end: if you take the time to learn everything then you will be fine.

If you're curious about hours, in first year I had like ~25 contact hours and it was the most rough year for me. In 2nd year it probably dropped to ~14-17 hours. In 3rd year it's dropped to 9-17 hours.

[Alter]

Sorry for a) hijacking your thread and b) posing a very likely silly question, but I'm a bit confused as to why you'd want to pick Biomedicine over Science. I'm asking this as a person who is interested in doing something like neuroscience at a tertiary level, but I'm not decided on which path I will take. One of the things that perplexes me the most is what actual advantages in terms of subject selection does the former offer?

From what I've read about, you can just do the necessary biology subjects (and other pre-reqs) if you want to complete the MD afterwards, while also being able to pick a wider range of other components at the same time. Similarly, I hear that the cohort is very closely-knit and people learn who each other are because of the size and whatnot, allowing for extra help and a better experience. Wouldn't you be adversely affecting your results if you opt to be in a competitive degree compared to science? Obviously I'm not familiar with how it all works, so on the other side of the coin I could assume the subjects that you complete not limited to people following Biomedicine (e.g. Science or Arts Breadth people) and are thus less competitive... then doesn't that counteract the idea of being in the closely-knit community to begin with anyway?

typing this late af so probably a million typos but I think my main questions are in there. Thanks in advance!

[kaybee94]

Shenz0r has hit the spot with everything he has said. If you definitely know you want to be engaged in the health sciences then there is no difference between a biomed and science degree. I never did VCE biology and the funny thing is I hated it before VCE which is why I never chose it. Funnily enough 3 years down the track I thoroughly enjoy learning it. In saying all of this biomed subjects in 2nd and 3rd year are difficult compared to the science subjects.

Sorry for a) hijacking your thread and b) posing a very likely silly question, but I'm a bit confused as to why you'd want to pick Biomedicine over Science. I'm asking this as a person who is interested in doing something like neuroscience at a tertiary level, but I'm not decided on which path I will take. One of the things that perplexes me the most is what actual advantages in terms of subject selection does the former offer?

From what I've read about, you can just do the necessary biology subjects (and other pre-reqs) if you want to complete the MD afterwards, while also being able to pick a wider range of other components at the same time. Similarly, I hear that the cohort is very closely-knit and people learn who each other are because of the size and whatnot, allowing for extra help and a better experience. Wouldn't you be adversely affecting your results if you opt to be in a competitive degree compared to science? Obviously I'm not familiar with how it all works, so on the other side of the coin I could assume the subjects that you complete not limited to people following Biomedicine (e.g. Science or Arts Breadth people) and are thus less competitive... then doesn't that counteract the idea of being in the closely-knit community to begin with anyway?

typing this late af so probably a million typos but I think my main questions are in there. Thanks in advance!

Biomedicine offers exclusive subjects only biomed students can do such as molecule to malady in 3rd year and molecular and cellular biomedicine in 2nd year to name a few. To major and study in neuroscience can easily be accomplished in science too by picking the correct prerequisites in 1st and 2nd year.
And yes you are spot on since the university must separate students, not to the extent of a bell curve, the assessment is tougher. Obviously this is generally because ATAR scores for biomed are higher so you capture people who are better at academic testing and test taking than that of science leading to the biomed subjects being harder. But in the end whether you complete biomed or science you still need to do work but most likely less in science. Biomed is a tighter cohort and you have lots of highly intelligent peers for support which make you lift your game and motivates you too. I think I'm repeating what I've said in an earlier post somewhere in the forum. . Not trying to knock on science degree but in fact if I could turn back time doing science is most likely the better option. Just my two cents and I'm happy to explain and clarify more of what I have said.

[vox nihili]

Biomed exists simply because if it didn't all the 99ers would go to Monash.

The only really significant difference between biomed and science is the cohort. The biomed cohort is smaller, so you do get to know a lot of people and in my view biomed is probably a little more driven. That's not to say that science students aren't—indeed having a quick look at some of the people here absolutely disproves that—but in biomed the cohort is more intense than in science.

[studentofthenow]

Thanks for all the responses, really appreciate it

[Kaille]

Late reply but I have had SO many discussions about this so I really want to give my 2 cents. I agree with what most people have said about biomed. When you’re in it, it can be so tough but there will be moments during the semester when you really appreciate the opportunities you’ve been given, like M2M (albeit hardest subject I have ever taken by far). The content was pretty tough for me to wrap my head around but I think being in the mere presence of accomplished researchers and doctors inspired and motivated me to study and reaffirmed my belief that biomed was the right pathway (for me).

Like everyone else said, the cohort in biomed is much smaller so it’s easier to make friends, more so than in science. Furthermore, I think there’s a real sense of camaraderie so you feel less alone and isolated than you might in science. That being said, I barely went to uni and watched all my lectures at home, so if you plan it right (i.e. do some summer classes and choose subjects that are entirely lecture based- I recommend mechanisms of disease) you too can have the same luxury.

If given my choice again I’d still go with biomed but during first semester this year I was definitely not singing the same song. Truthfully speaking, I think most of the stress comes from maintaining/improving your GPA to get into your desired postgrad course so sometimes being part of a really motivated and driven cohort can become exhausting and overwhelming. Also, as much as I hate to say it, sometimes your hard work isn’t rewarded at uni. From my own experience, some biomed and science subjects are just REALLY tough and push people to their absolute limits- really assesses what you are capable of. Most of the time it’s very rewarding and surprising to know that you can learn and understand so much more than you think you can but sometimes (rarely) it can be disappointing to know that all your hard work hasn't paid off.

TL;DR, if you want friends, brilliantly organised subjects (looking at u m2m, BUT NOT U HSF) and competition drives you, choose biomed. If you want freedom of subject selection but don’t really care about friends, choose science. (I’m really indecisive so it was biomed for me!)

[LeviLamp]

Late reply but I have had SO many discussions about this so I really want to give my 2 cents. I agree with what most people have said about biomed. When you’re in it, it can be so tough but there will be moments during the semester when you really appreciate the opportunities you’ve been given, like M2M (albeit hardest subject I have ever taken by far). The content was pretty tough for me to wrap my head around but I think being in the mere presence of accomplished researchers and doctors inspired and motivated me to study and reaffirmed my belief that biomed was the right pathway (for me).

Like everyone else said, the cohort in biomed is much smaller so it’s easier to make friends, more so than in science. Furthermore, I think there’s a real sense of camaraderie so you feel less alone and isolated than you might in science. That being said, I barely went to uni and watched all my lectures at home, so if you plan it right (i.e. do some summer classes and choose subjects that are entirely lecture based- I recommend mechanisms of disease) you too can have the same luxury.

If given my choice again I’d still go with biomed but during first semester this year I was definitely not singing the same song. Truthfully speaking, I think most of the stress comes from maintaining/improving your GPA to get into your desired postgrad course so sometimes being part of a really motivated and driven cohort can become exhausting and overwhelming. Also, as much as I hate to say it, sometimes your hard work isn’t rewarded at uni. From my own experience, some biomed and science subjects are just REALLY tough and push people to their absolute limits- really assesses what you are capable of. Most of the time it’s very rewarding and surprising to know that you can learn and understand so much more than you think you can but sometimes (rarely) it can be disappointing to know that all your hard work hasn't paid off.

TL;DR, if you want friends, brilliantly organised subjects (looking at u m2m, BUT NOT U HSF) and competition drives you, choose biomed. If you want freedom of subject selection but don’t really care about friends, choose science. (I’m really indecisive so it was biomed for me!)

Would just like to note that you can in fact make friends in science subjects, particularly if you chat during pracs/tutes. I really don't think that particular point is a good reason to choose biomed over science.