Biomedicine too risky ?

[mandy]

Hey guys,

So the ATAR is coming out soon and I'm worried because I don't know what I should do next year. What I do know is I want to study in the field of medical science and finish in a medical/health related career.
Right now, I'm currently stuck between Bachelor of Biomedicine or Bachelor of Science at UniMelb and Bachelor of Pharmacy at Monash or something similar. I fall under the SEAs scheme, so I'm hoping that'll be enough to get me into one of my preferred courses.

I did horribly on the UMAT this year, so is it too risky to do Biomed/Science and then do the GAMSAT (hoping to progress onto Doctor of Medicine)? Should I take the risk to study Biomed/Science or just go with a safer option and do Pharmacy?

Help please, thank you

[_henwee]

Yeah - I would do pharmacy, if I got in.
Then if you decide to do the other - you can just fill in the prerequisites through single-subject studies.
I think Pharmacy satisfies two of the prerequisites - physio and biochem. You can do the anatomy subject at unimelb.

But you know - if you don't like pharmacy - then don't do it.
I hear their job is very boring and all.

[Russ]

You can do graduate medicine regardless of whether you studied biomedicine or pharmacy. I'm not sure how you see pharmacy as a safer option, they're two different career pathways. If you have an interest in pharmacy but you're not sure whether you would also like to study medicine at some point in the future, then studying pharmacy and deciding after the end of first year (a transfer) or at the end of your degree (applying for P/G medicine) sounds like the best option here. Bear in mind, you don't need to do prereq subjects if you accept an offer to Monash or Deakin, which are the other two Victorian PG med courses.

The UMAT has no bearing on how "risky" it will be for you to apply for postgraduate medicine

[_henwee]

Pharmacy is a safer option because at the end of the degree you can actually get a job, unlike the biomed/science.

[Russ]

Point taken (you can get a job though, hmph)

[mandy]

But you know - if you don't like pharmacy - then don't do it.
I hear their job is very boring and all.

I do think Pharmacy is a little boring.. But I was considering it as a career because it's also related to health and it seems easier to find a job at the end of the degree.

You can do graduate medicine regardless of whether you studied biomedicine or pharmacy. I'm not sure how you see pharmacy as a safer option, they're two different career pathways. If you have an interest in pharmacy but you're not sure whether you would also like to study medicine at some point in the future, then studying pharmacy and deciding after the end of first year (a transfer) or at the end of your degree (applying for P/G medicine) sounds like the best option here. Bear in mind, you don't need to do prereq subjects if you accept an offer to Monash or Deakin, which are the other two Victorian PG med courses.

The UMAT has no bearing on how "risky" it will be for you to apply for postgraduate medicine

So even if I studied Pharmacy at Monash, I could transfer after first year into ..Biomedicine at UniMelb?
Also, I say it's risky because doesn't the GAMSAT test similar things to the UMAT? If I did so horribly on the UMAT, what are the chances of me doing well on the GAMSAT? That's what I'm saying, hahah.

[98.40_for_sure]

I wouldnt get my hopes up about transferring INTO biomed at melb, that isnt easy. Taking advantage of the 88 seas req is once in a lifetime and foolish to pass up if you defs want med

[Russ]

You could apply to transfer into biomedicine, but it would be easier to transfer into a BSc. But yes, transferring is an option.

And there is minimal connection between the UMAT/GAMSAT. I know people with bad UMAT scores and good GAMSAT scores (and also the reverse)

[mandy]

I wouldnt get my hopes up about transferring INTO biomed at melb, that isnt easy. Taking advantage of the 88 seas req is once in a lifetime and foolish to pass up if you defs want med

Yeah I know, I just worry I won't do well enough in the GAMSAT to be accepted into any postgraduate medicine studies.

Does anyone know if the GAMSAT requirements for medicine at different universities are the same or different?

[stonecold]

I wouldnt get my hopes up about transferring INTO biomed at melb, that isnt easy. Taking advantage of the 88 seas req is once in a lifetime and foolish to pass up if you defs want med

Yeah I know, I just worry I won't do well enough in the GAMSAT to be accepted into any postgraduate medicine studies.

Does anyone know if the GAMSAT requirements for medicine at different universities are the same or different?

Interested in going interstate?

[shinny]

I wouldnt get my hopes up about transferring INTO biomed at melb, that isnt easy. Taking advantage of the 88 seas req is once in a lifetime and foolish to pass up if you defs want med

Yeah I know, I just worry I won't do well enough in the GAMSAT to be accepted into any postgraduate medicine studies.

Does anyone know if the GAMSAT requirements for medicine at different universities are the same or different?

Of course they'd be different. As with all things, requirements vary with demand. The criteria on which graduate med is based varies between universities as well, meaning that the weighting of the GAMSAT can vary. For example, UQ doesn't have an interview, while the GPA required is more of a hurdle than anything, so the GAMSAT has a very large weighting. In your situation, I would go into Pharmacy and then do an anatomy course outside if you are aiming for UoM graduate Med, or skip the anatomy course if you don't mind applying interstate.

[Russ]

efb but i might as well point out that Deakin and Monash have (relatively) low requirements compared to interstate unis, so they're perfectly plausible options in Victoria

Varies dramatically. UQ has an extremely high GAMSAT cutoff because they don't have an interview process, so it attracts students with extremely high scores (and allegedly those with poor social skills who interview badly).

UoM had low cutoffs this year, it's expected to rise for future years.

[98.40_for_sure]

Which unis in aus are good for pg med?

[mandy]

I wouldnt get my hopes up about transferring INTO biomed at melb, that isnt easy. Taking advantage of the 88 seas req is once in a lifetime and foolish to pass up if you defs want med

Yeah I know, I just worry I won't do well enough in the GAMSAT to be accepted into any postgraduate medicine studies.

Does anyone know if the GAMSAT requirements for medicine at different universities are the same or different?

Interested in going interstate?

I haven't considered that yet, but are the requirements that much lower?

[_henwee]

There are other entry-to-practice options around if you don't get into unimelb MD after biomed/science.

Have you thought of medical radiations?
http://www.monash.edu/study/coursefinder/course/3889/
2 years full time, after your bachelors.

That's one of my backup options.