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Congratulations!

YOU SURVIVED FIRST YEAR!

Now where to next? That question is the most difficult of all. Thankfully, you are not alone, and we're here to help!

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Here are some questions we've heard frequently as first years progress on their undergrad journey. 

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Didn't see your question? Contact us!

1) What options are there apart from medicine?

There are many options available! You can consider some of the following:

  • Apply for Optometry or Pharmacy or Medical Imaging 

  • Switch to Nursing

  • Continue with your BSc in Biomedical Science or Health Science

  • Switch to medical science-dominant degrees: BSc (Physiology) or BSc (Pharmacology) etc.

 

If you’re still keen on getting into medicine, there is still postgraduate entry into medicine you can consider (upon completion of a Bachelor's Degree).

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More info regarding these pathways can be found:

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These degrees (above), along with Medicine (MBChB), are specialist clinical degrees where you will learn about patient interaction. Therefore, they have a clinical element and will have their own unique papers and a different degree structure; e.g. have 30-point papers (normal papers are usually only worth 15 points)

 

Medical Science degrees (degrees which have ‘MEDSCI’ papers as part of their core papers):

Biomedical Science: Here

Physiology: Here

Pharmacology: Here

Medicinal Chemistry: Here

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Other:

Bioscience Enterprise: Postgrad. Diploma | Masters | PG Handbook

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2) I hate BIOSCI papers. Is there any way I don't have to do them past first year?

BIOSCI papers get much better in 2nd year and 3rd year with regards to Biomedical Science. But if you really dislike BIOSCI and wish to not take them, you can switch to Physiology or Pharmacology. These 2 degrees comprise purely of MEDSCI papers and you get a bit much more freedom to choose elective papers.

 

Quite a few people generally find BIOSCI papers to be more manageable than MEDSCI papers, especially in Stage II and III, as MEDSCI papers have lengthy lab reports and tend to just have more content than BIOSCIs, so make sure you weigh your options as dropping BIOSCI papers could end up being detrimental.

 

Switching from Biomed to Physiology is quite a popular option for people going into 2nd year, however 3rd year Physiology requires you to take four MEDSCI papers out of 309, 311, 312, 316 and 317. This forces Physiology students to take either one (or both) out of 309 and 311 which are 'notorious' for being the most difficult Stage III MEDSCIs. 

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There are a lot of different factors so if you want more information please contact us at sams.uoa@gmail.com and we'll try our best to help.

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3) Is it still possible to do BSc (Physiology/Psychology) and still complete it within 3 years even if I did Biomedical Science 1st year?

Yes! That is entirely possible because it is possible to finish Psychology’s first and 2nd-year papers within one year due to some papers’ prerequisites to be BIOSCI or MEDSCI first-year papers. More info here and here.

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4) What kind of jobs are there for BSc (Biomedical Science) graduates?

We have a post dedicated to this universally asked question.

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5) What are these specialisations for Biomedical Science?

 

These specialisations include:

  • Cancer Biology and Therapeutics

  • Cardiovascular Biology

  • Cellular and Molecular Biomedicine

  • Genetics and Development

  • Microbiology and Immunology

  • Neurobiology

  • Nutrition

  • Reproduction, Growth and Metabolism

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The different papers for each specialisation can be viewed on the University website here.

These specialisations are not compulsory but are recommended, so that once you have completed your degree you will have specialised in a specific topic, rather than having done a range of papers that don't really relate to one another. Your specialisation will also be shown on your academic transcript, which may be helpful if you already have an idea of the kind of research area you would like to go into.

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If you are considering further study in the medical sciences and want help regarding Stage II and Stage III course selections, stay tuned on our Facebook page and/or lecture announcements. We have talks which will occur later in the year for first-year and for second-year medical sciences students addressing these sorts of questions at greater depth. Otherwise, feel free to email us at sams.uoa@gmail.com.

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