I might quote this massively long post I wrote this time last year, and in bold I've added some extra stuff now that I have the experience of second year under my belt.
Congratulations! As one of the most difficult courses to get into, I'm sure you've all worked really hard in order to earn your place. I just wanted to bring a few things to your attention regarding the degree that you otherwise may not be aware of.
First of all, I'm sure many of you are very unfamiliar with how things are going to work for the next little while. Don't worry, everyone goes through this phase initially, but you'll get the hang of it before you know it. I strongly suggest reading the following threads before moving onto anything else:
How university works
This will really help to give you a feel for the learning environment you'll be in this year. It's not specific to the Bachelor of Biomedicine course, or even The University of Melbourne for that matter, but for the most part it's a pretty good guide. That being said, you'll find some of the perspectives of tutorials and practicals are actually quite relevant. Definitely worth a close read sometime in the near future.
New Student? Read this.
This is a little bit out of date, but also still worth your time. It will get you a bit more familiar with some of your housekeeping responsibilities at The University of Melbourne, along with other more specific details, which you will receive more information about soon. Make sure you make some time to have a read through this.
Ask The University of Melbourne
Along with the other help services the university provides, this thread will probably be quite useful over the next few weeks. However, understand that your queries may not be addressed immediately, so I recommend consulting the university's official help resources first, especially if your concern is urgent. There's a reasonable chance the question you'd like answered may pop up in this thread though, so don't hesitate to have a search and check up on it every now and again.
UoM General Chat
I'm sure most of you aren't terribly familiar with the university boards, so come here to get to know some new faces! I guarantee that many of the people you'll meet will be of significant help and support throughout your tertiary studies, so whether you're after an answer to a specific question or just want to unwind after a stressful day, make sure you pop by and say hi! 
University of Melbourne - Subject Reviews & Ratings
I'd probably say that this is the most valuable resource this forum will be able to provide you with regarding your tertiary studies. Many people (including myself) go into great detail outlining exactly what will happen in your subjects each semester, including the key things you need to be aware of or look out for. Reading through the relevant subject reviews is an absolute must. University life can be a big adjustment, so I'm sure many of you can appreciate just how much it can help if you actually know what to expect.
One of the more confusing aspects of starting university life is enrolment and timetabling, which, to be quite frank, is something that still annoys the heck out of most students even beyond first year. In Biomedicine the student advisors made up some helpful web and video tutorials last year to guide us through these processes step-by-step, so please make sure you follow them carefully and address any queries by contacting the university. If you need any additional help, try searching the internet and the forums, and if you're out of luck then try asking for help here. I won't go into more detail about this though since you should be provided with all the resources you'll need.
Some time soon you'll be asked to attend an Academic Advice Day, where you'll find out more about the technical details of the course, such as the subjects you'll be taking and when. This is a great opportunity to get any questions addressed in person, and to meet some of the people you'll be around for the next three years. There's no need to bring your parents along, but do go armed with questions, and feel free to jot down any information you feel might be particularly useful or important. Again, I won't delve into more detail because you'll get this information on Academic Advice Day, and any additional resources that might be of help should be provided for you.
This will be followed up during O-Week, where you'll get a little tour of the campus (mainly the important parts that you'll need to be familiar with as a Biomedicine student) and some more information, particularly pertaining to some of your first semester subjects. You may be asked to do some introductory work before your first set of lectures - don't freak out like I did, because I thought this could potentially end up on the exams and so ruined my own O-Week stressing out over it. -.- It's literally just to ensure that your first classes are not completely lost covering administration and housekeeping stuff. Just enjoy this, and the rest of the exciting aspects of the week, and go with the flow. 
I think the most important thing I want to do though is address the big fat elephant in the room. Getting into the Bachelor of Biomedicine is an incredible achievement, but inevitably I'm sure many of you are a bit disappointed you missed out on a place at Monash University (or other interstate universities) to study undergraduate medicine, and are secretly (or perhaps not so secretly) hoping for a second round offer. This is understandable and I'm sure you'll see many people looking a little bit glum or even in denial during Academic Advice Day. However, it's incredibly crucial that you try to move on as quickly as possible if you actually want to get something out of this degree. As you'll hear many times, you've managed to score a place in one of the most competitive courses to get into, at Australia's number 1 university. That's nothing to scoff at - in fact, you should, at some point, see it as a great privilege and a great opportunity. I know that this may not have been the pathway you have been aiming for, but try your best to take it in your stride. You've got three years to get a taste of and deeply explore biomedical science; you've got three years to get a glimpse of some of the world's most fascinating and leading edge biomedical research; you've got three years to actually make sure that it is in fact medicine that you want to pursue. That's not a luxury that many people get to experience in their lives. Even if you're someone who's only ever looked at medicine, this is your chance to actually completely go through and have a look at all the other potential pathways you can take beyond Biomedicine just for the sake of it, and then decide to close that door should it not be to your liking. You may even discover that your passion actually lies in some other profession that you never even considered or looked at before. Yes, perhaps the journey might be a little bit longer and a little bit more difficult, but it should also be so much more rewarding as a result. Don't look over the fence at the grass that may or may not be greener on the other side, and embrace the challenge that lies ahead.
You'll find that by O-Week most people have gotten over their initial disappointment and are happy and excited to start experiencing university life. In the past, numerous rumours have flown about suggesting the Biomedicine cohort is cut-throat, competitive and downright unpleasant to be around. I have to say that in my experiences so far this could not be any further from the truth. The amount of times I have seen students working together and helping each other out has been nothing short of amazing. No, most students do not hide the key textbooks in the library so no one else can use them. No, most students do not directly compare their scores to see who's got the upper edge. If anything, the Biomedicine cohort has a significantly greater problem with collusion than it does with ruthless competition.
This is a part of the reason as to why moving on is so important. If you're going to remain an impossible, entitled grump who stays cut at the fact that they missed out on undergraduate medicine, Biomedicine is going to become hell for you. Remember that not everyone in Biomedicine was in fact aiming for undergraduate medicine - there's people that actually chose to be there. How do I know? Because I'm one of them. And don't just assume it's the Chancellor's Scholars either: one of my friends actually got a Monash University MBBS CSP offer in the first round, and actually turned it down because he wanted to pursue the possibilities available in Biomedicine at The University of Melbourne. Even then, most people are able to accept the reality that lies before them and try to turn it into a positive. Not changing your attitude is one sure-fire way of not making any new friends at university.
In fact, I'd even be bold enough to say that if you're that unwilling to move on, you should consider taking a gap year and trying out for undergraduate medicine again. At the very least, you should be sitting the UMAT again in first year with the intention of transferring elsewhere. Biomedicine is not a medical degree. I know that seems obvious, but I think too many people believe (or want to believe) that the distinction is not that different. At no point is there any direct link between the things you'll be learning and practicing clinical medicine. You'll also be taking a very large number of compulsory subjects, especially in first year, where the relationship with clinical medicine is minimal. Biomedicine is a degree that is designed to get you acquainted with biomedical science and equip you with the basic skills necessary for a large number of careers. Don't whinge that you shouldn't be studying Mathematics for Biomedicine because you'll never be digging out a calculator to figure out a particular allele frequency as a doctor. Be open to a wider perspective and to things you may not have previously expected. At the very least, be aware that all the subjects put in first year are there for a reason. Having now completed my second year I can say that pretty much all of your first year subjects are going to prove their usefulness in second year at some point. Don't be so quick to dismiss these subjects as irrelevant or unnecessary. If this is a major gripe for you, opt for the Bachelor of Science where you can do whatever you want in first year. The Biomedicine cohort is very welcoming, inclusive and friendly, but at times people do tend to complain a lot.
I guess the key take home message is that it's alright to be disappointed, and it's alright to still work ambitiously towards a career in medicine, but it's not alright to maintain a lacklustre attitude and to not be open to new or different things. Ultimately, you'll get more out of your degree if you put more effort into it, so how enjoyable you find the experience is largely up to you.
Given the large number of core subjects and the relatively small cohort size (you'll all fit in the same lecture theatre), it's pretty easy in Biomedicine to get to know a lot of like-minded people and make many new friends. Even if you're introverted by nature, make an effort to greet new people you may sit next to in the lecture theatre, and try to get to know as many faces as possible, because you'll be seeing these people around a lot. If you come from a school that performs quite well in VCE, it's quite likely you'll have a fairly large number of students whom you already know. That's great, but make sure you don't just stick with what you know - get out of your comfort zone and meet some new faces too. Not everyone is in the same position as you (such as myself) and it can feel a bit intimidating to see all these large circles on the first day when you know absolutely no one. That being said, if you're like me and fit in the latter category, don't be alarmed - there's a bunch of people who feel exactly the same way as you do. Eventually you'll find them. Most of my friends at university happen to fit this description, but I also have some other friends as well. You'll also most likely be added to a dedicated Facebook group where you can share or ask for help, or vent about anything that may be bothering you, so make sure to look out for it (NB: if you're not on Facebook, I would strongly suggest making an account just so that you can keep tabs on what's going on there - a lot of students share their useful resources and other handy information here, which you might find really helpful, particularly for assessments). Anyway, you'll see that by the end of the year most people have loosened up and you'll find your place somewhere.
First year will require some adjusting to, so make sure you cut yourself some slack here and there when things don't seem like they're going to plan. Whether it's the feeling of not knowing how to learn the content of a lecture in a good way, or forgetting to do something, or a couple of initially poor marks, or a stressful experience in the laboratory, or getting lost on campus, remember that these are things that everyone else before you has gone through and managed to overcome, and everyone else around you is going through as well. You will be able to ride it out and rise above. The workload is fairly heavy - I'd say it's comparable to Year 12, although while you're still initially figuring things out it can feel like much more than this - but by no means should it eat up your life or feel impossible. If it does, do not hesitate to talk to the help services provided by the university. First year marks deliberately weigh less because everyone understands you need some time to get used to the new system. That doesn't mean you should muck around and just not try - although there are quite a few people who do this, to the point where you wonder how they manage to keep up - but feel free to experiment and try new approaches and get involved. The Biomedicine Students' Society runs many different things throughout the year, so make an effort to have a bit of fun.
I think that's everything I've wanted to say to you guys. Once again, congratulations on scoring a place in the Bachelor of Biomedicine, and good luck for the exciting and inspiring journey that lies ahead. Please feel free to ask me any questions that you may have regarding anything I have outlined above. Most of all, I hope your first year experience will be just as positive as mine!
I was quite lucky throughout first and second year to have a relatively large number of members on this forum one or two years above me completing Biomedicine. I will forever be indebted to their help, and the only way I could possibly repay them is to take on this role myself and help the year levels below with their journey up the ranks. At any point please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions, queries or concerns (consider posting publicly before PMing me in case others on the forum can benefit from your question and the answer).
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Topic: UoM Biomedicine Class of 2018 (Read 3961 times)