Monash BSC (Then transfer to melb) or Monash BSc/Comp Science (Help me Decide)

[slothpomba]

KARMA FOR ANSWERING!! (I really need the help)

Ok so really as i see it for myself now i have two options.
(My enter wasnt high enough for melbourne science before anyone asks, ~80 i thought id get higher (not much though) bit late now all is said and done c'est la vie)

1)Monash Bsc (1 year) -> Transfer to melbourne Bsc (Do 2 years then finish) -> ? ? ? ?

2)Monash Bachelor of science/computer science(4 years) -> ? ? ? ?

In both cases "? ? ? ?" is almost certainly post grad something... maybe medicine or science don't know which yet.

Now some background:

• Monash is 2 hours away from my place by public transportation which i will be using at least untill the middle of next year, ~1 hour driving. I also have to come home so its 2 hours both ways for a total of 4 hours, if i use public transport. Long time to travel.
• Melbourne is a lot closer, train to the city for me is ~30 minutes, car wouldn't get there in much less time.
• Will either do postgraduate medicine or postgrad science, definitely something post-grad
• Enjoy a little arts on the side, wouldn't mind taking a few units

Now both options look attractive to me, i both like science and IT.

Good and bad bits:

Option 1:
Good

• I wind up at melbourne and i kinda wanted to go to melbourne
• More prestigious/higher ranking, which i care about
• Better postgrad (apparently) than monash and *supposedly* better teaching which might help me out in the GAMSAT for graduate medicine if i decide to do it
• I'm Leaning more towards it
• Travel time advantage
• Breadth! I'm also interested in arts very much so and i'd like to study it at a university level

Bad

• Less of a safety net than the other option
• Its not gauranteed ill wind up in postgrad anyway or complete the transfer and make it into melbourne.... if the transfer fails and im stuck at monash with option 1, if i was at monash for more than a year, id much rather perfer to be there with option 2
• Assuming 2 units of breadth a year, and id transfer into the second year, it'd get 2*2=4 units of breadth in arts, which i guess is good enough but diploma of arts at monash id get 8 not sure if i want all that much though... might be a bit too much actually

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Option 2:
Good

• More of a safety net
• I could choose either career
• I could get a diploma in Arts also i guess if i stay at monash, more arts subjects(8 Units)
• I get longer to work on my GPA for postgrad medicine/science

Bad

• Pretty Far/Travel Time
• My mate pointed out that one of the degrees would end up being useless anyway
• Degree is structured strangely, scroll down to recommended program of study, first year is mostly computer science with a little bit of science, i know its just a recommendation but its probably for the best. I really wanted more balance. Also i was planning to take my GAMSAT in the second year, i need 1st year physics and 2nd year biology & chemistry i think, hard to squeeze those in before GAMSAT. Although i can do gamsat again in 3rd year and 4th year. Also if i decide to do postgrad med at melbourne, i need 3 other 2nd year subjects as well(anatomy physiology biochem) as a prereq. In the structure of this course, hard to squeeze all those science units in till later.

So any ideas guys?

Really appreciate the input.

[vexx]

I'd love to give you a really helpful response but seriously you are over thinking this.

If you really want to do computer science - are you that interested in it? Can you see yourself working in that field - will you be happy in it?
If you can't see yourself, and you'd far prefer to do masters in science or postgrad health science (ie medicine), then do science.. See how you enjoy Monash, don't plan to move right away, try and see how it goes and study to keep a good GPA just in case.. And if you really don't like it or you really can't stand travel time (or whatever else), then try and transfer across, or even pick up computer science degree with an internal transfer if you decide you want it.. You may love monash and want to stay.. Or you can transfer over, I'm sure you can transfer if you work a bit.

Goodluck though..

[slothpomba]

Thanks vexx.

I'm interested in computer science, I can see myself working in that field and it's a nice stable career. I'm just not too sure if the level of enjoyment will match science, its probably not as high. I could still see myself working in that department though.

The travel time is enough to convince me into transferring, no matter how bad of a reason that may be. It's 4 hours for both ways in a day, makes me mentally cringe.

To transfer into melbourne I remember needing a WAM of ~70, which shouldnt be too hard to achieve with solid work, and almost all the monash bio subjects are more or less VCE bio again, so those should be nice and easy GPA boosters.

I think it's probably just better to go option one then I guess...

[vexx]

^ Well if you are that against the travel time (i would never go to Monash if it was that long haha) then definitely try and transfer, yeah I'm sure you can do it - it's not THAT hard to getting 70s from my minimal experience and what I've heard from others. Science may be a very good way to transfer, perhaps even after a semester if you can since you can gain credit and go to melbourne sooner

[zhenzhenzhen]

Do option 2 and transfer

[slothpomba]

Do option 2 and transfer

Oh, why do you suggest that? Just interested in the process

It may seem like a good idea on paper..... but

Option 2 is structured in such a way that i can only take 1-2 science subjects in the first year; its mostly IT.

Im just worried that wont give me enough credit to transfer into melbourne science, compared to a science degree where most of my subjects would be biology/chemistry with the occasional IT unit.

(And yes, 4 hours both way is rather horrendous, that also assumes as soon as i walk to the station at monash theres a train waiting and the same for my train-station / bus at home. I honestly dont know if i could manage that much travel for 3+ years. Truetears lives around here and goes to monash, he seems to manage but he only goes to uni 1 day a week right now i think... I don't think ill be lucky and get a timetable that good..)

(wait dude...youre near watergardens? im near watergardens haha, how do you manage to make it to monash)

[zhenzhenzhen]

Look at my location and then at my course

you can deviate from the course structure and do a little more science units in first year than IT. and your IT units can gain credit for informatics 1 and 2 possibly in melbourne science. also two more units for the breadth component.

[slothpomba]

Haha just noticed, thats epic man.

Im near watergardens (I'm around stab albans), how long does it take you to get to monash or how do you get there ?

I also figured if i really wanted to do IT even if i went to melbourne, i could just do postgrad IT.

Well i need to squeeze in a decent amount of science units, reckon you can guess how much leeway ill get?

[TrueLight]

why are you wanting to do a double degree in science/computer science... i dunno man its totally different to the 'life sciences' that its just not worth it in my opinion. and besides you can do double major just with bachelor of science majoring in physiology and computer science for example. it would be better if you just do the single if you want to get in post grad med, get it over and done with>transfer or do postgrad

if your convinced to do melbourne science then i would say option 1.

[vexx]

^ you can transfer mid year from science monash to science melbourne pretty easily if you keep average up, you gain credit this way. if you really wanted melbourne and you knew you wanted to go there, then do the course that gives you the most credit. midyear entry is not going to be THAT hard to do i'm sure you are capable of doing it. then only one semester at monash

[TrueLight]

or that

[vexx]

In case you haven't seen by the way http://cms-futurestudents.unimelb.edu.au/ugrad/apply/aust/midyear.html
Yes it is 70% for mid year (as in it probably wont change), you will be fine.

[slothpomba]

why are you wanting to do a double degree in science/computer science... i dunno man its totally different to the 'life sciences' that its just not worth it in my opinion. and besides you can do double major just with bachelor of science majoring in physiology and computer science for example. it would be better if you just do the single if you want to get in post grad med, get it over and done with>transfer or do postgrad

if your convinced to do melbourne science then i would say option 1.

Well i also like/ am interesed in computer science and it just seemed like a good alternate career path if i so choose.

Oh i wasn't even considering mid-year... someone (i forgot who) made it out to me like it was ridiculously hard. Still might just try out monash for a year.. not sure... i have time to decide on the transfer time.

Don't they also look at your ATAR if youre doing a midyear transfer, i got ~80 so that might factor into it, then again cant hurt trying if thats what i want.

[vexx]

Nope, it will just be 70% average for mid year transfer i'm pretty sure. Very do-able.

[slothpomba]

Do the indicative ATARS and indicative GPAS in that table correlate?
Because if so science next year should be around ~85 atar and the GPA should be lower than is stated on that table then.
Just out of interest i ask.
(scratch that... had a closer look... they probably dont correlate)