Medical Science and Electives @UNSW (2 Viewers)

[SunnyScience]

I'm enrolled to study Med Sci this year at UNSW in hope to transfer into medicine next year... (aren't we all?)

My classes so far are:
BABS1201
CHEM1011
SCIF1111

But I still have to do one more...recommended is a maths courses (stats), psychology or physics...

What are the other electives that I can choose from? What Maths is available? WHAT SHOULD I PICK? D:


Please and thank you.


Additional Information:

Everyone I have spoke to so far said they regretted picking psych...however, at one stage I wanted to be a psychologist, but I also highly value their opinion. Should I pick it?

Also, I hate physics/have no background information.

 

[Aysce]

MATH1131 and MATH1141 are available. The former is for 2/3u students whilst MATH1141 is recommended to be done by 3/4u students.

 

[SunnyScience]

MATH1131 and MATH1141 are available. The former is for 2/3u students whilst MATH1141 is recommended to be done by 3/4u students.

I'm assuming you're doing 1141?

 

[Aysce]

I'm assuming you're doing 1141?

I'm not at UNSW haha. If I were going to UNSW, I probably would though. I think you should do MATH1131 and (I don't know about this) try to upgrade to MATH1141. Again, I don't even know if you can move up classes in UNSW.

 

[SunnyScience]

I'm not at UNSW haha. If I were going to UNSW, I probably would though. I think you should do MATH1131 and (I don't know about this) try to upgrade to MATH1141. Again, I don't even know if you can move up classes in UNSW.

"try to upgrade"?

(Apologies, I should really read things in complete.)

 

[Aysce]

Why aren't you picking CHEM1031? CHEM1031 are for those who have completed the HSC course whilst CHEM1011 are for those who only have year 11 knowledge (according to the handbook iirc).

 

[Xt]

Consider doing MATH1011 (offered both sem) or MATH1031 (only sem 1). They're both much easier than MATH1131/MATH1141 and only require 2units of maths. It'd be good to maximise your marks if you're considering the Lateral Entry in 2nd year.

Also do chem1031, pretty sure chem1011 and chem1031 students get the same exam but CHEM1031 students get bonus questions (up to 5% i.e. u can get 105% in the exam. This would make up for any lost marks in midsems, quizzes, assignments and other pre-final assessments. You don't even have to attempt these questions (its 9 MCQ), U can even just guess all 9 and walk away with 1% bonus marks. But i think chem1011 pre-final assessments are easier, so its up to you.

 

[SunnyScience]

Chemistry was, unfortunately, my lowest HSC mark....87. Despite being one of the subjects I put the most effort into (pretty sure it was the Skipwrecks option topic that screwed me) and I had problems with calculations all year. So i don't know if I should do Chem1031 now! :C

I'm debating if I'm better doing MATH1011 because I'm pretty good a calculus (my highest mark was in 2U, but 3U I did struggle a bit) or MATH 1031 because you can only do it in sem 1?

I'm trying to maximise my WAM to get into lateral. :C

 

[SunnyScience]

Chemistry was, unfortunately, my lowest HSC mark....87. Despite being one of the subjects I put the most effort into (pretty sure it was the Skipwrecks option topic that screwed me) and I had problems with calculations all year. So i don't know if I should do Chem1031 now! :C

I'm debating if I'm better doing MATH1011 because I'm pretty good a calculus (my highest mark was in 2U, but 3U I did struggle a bit) or MATH 1031 because you can only do it in sem 1?

I'm trying to maximise my WAM to get into lateral. :C

 

[Xt]

The good thing about CHEM at unsw, for my year anyways, was that the past paper (yeah, 1 paper lol) they provided mimic'd the finals for about 70%. I'm also pretty sure the midsem exam was the same for CHEM1011 and 1031 so you'll still be doing the same set of questions (Except for the bonus MCQs in finals). Also, in around week 3/4 the chem department makes everyone do a Diagnostic exam which is worth 0%. Its basically to see whether or not if CHEM1031 students should drop down to 1011 or chem1011 students should go up to 1031.

Really, the only difference between chem1031 and chem1011 is:
1. CHem1031 teaches a bit faster coz they have an extra 6 lectures that explore emerging, cutting-edge research fields in chemistry
2. CHEM1031 has extra lab questions to do (they are worth marks)
3. The Bonus MCQ in finals

That's all i can think of atm.

You should definitely do MATH1011 or 1031, 1011 has complex numbers (that's in 4u math) but 1031 doesn't. I did 1031 and it was pretty easy, but make sure u do all the homework and past papers. They literally just pluck questions out of the homework and reuse old questions in past papers for ur exams. And u can always go to the MATH department and ask for help. The lecturers/staff set up consultation times where u can just rock up and ask for help.

 

[Riproot]

You can do ANY science subject that you have the prerequisites for.

They said I can count either of the following things I've done as the first year or third year electives:
PHYS1131 - Higher Physics 1A
MATH1141 - Higher Mathematics 1A

But you do have to do MATH1041 - Statistics for Life and Social Sciences by the end of second year so I recommend that.
So if you're good at maths do MATH1131/MATH1141 and then MATH1041 OR MATH1231/MATH1241 because I think if you do math 1B you don't have to do stats (which is grose).

But also I recommend doing first sem physics because the GAMSAT has physics in it.


So I would do:
PHYS1131 - Higher Physics 1A in sem 1
And
MATH1041 - Statistics for Life and Social Sciences in sem 2

 

[Riproot]

Chemistry was, unfortunately, my lowest HSC mark....87. Despite being one of the subjects I put the most effort into (pretty sure it was the Skipwrecks option topic that screwed me) and I had problems with calculations all year. So i don't know if I should do Chem1031 now! :C

I'm debating if I'm better doing MATH1011 because I'm pretty good a calculus (my highest mark was in 2U, but 3U I did struggle a bit) or MATH 1031 because you can only do it in sem 1?

I'm trying to maximise my WAM to get into lateral. :C

87 is fine. Lol

Do chem1031

Do the normal maths course. Don't do fundies. Ew.

 

[plasticities]

Chemistry was, unfortunately, my lowest HSC mark....87. Despite being one of the subjects I put the most effort into (pretty sure it was the Skipwrecks option topic that screwed me) and I had problems with calculations all year. So i don't know if I should do Chem1031 now! :C

I'm debating if I'm better doing MATH1011 because I'm pretty good a calculus (my highest mark was in 2U, but 3U I did struggle a bit) or MATH 1031 because you can only do it in sem 1?

I'm trying to maximise my WAM to get into lateral. :C

My HSC chem mark was lower than that and I still did 1031/1041 and got decent marks, but it's up to you. You can move down to 1011 if you don't like it, but I don't know how easy it is to move up to 1031.

And on the topic of psychology, I really liked it (but then again I'm doing neuroscience). The written assessments can be kinda annoying though, but the final is pretty good. If you're contemplating psychology, psych A is more artsy stuff (like social psychology, health psychology, developmental psychology, etc) but psych B is more biology stuff (neurobiology, memory and cognition, animal learning etc). So keep that in mind.

 

[Xt]

Riproot raises an interesting point about not doing fundamentals of maths coz really, we're at uni to learn stuff. But then again, u want med and to do that ur gonna need to maximise ur marks (this is extremely true for lateral entry coz UNSW doesn't use WAM as a threshold). WAM is just the avg mark of all ur courses.

You can't do PHYS1121/1131 in first year for MedSci at UNSW coz its requires a co-req of MATH1131/1141 (gotta do em together). Some of my friends wanted to maximise their marks but still do physics for gamsat (in case they didnt get lateral entry) so they did Fundamentals of physics, which is basically year 12 physics w/o the history and stuff (lots of calculations). The code for fundamentals physics is PHYS1111.

TBH the highest ~10 WAM's in my cohort, after first year, were achieved by people who all did math1011/1031, phys1111. But PHYS1111 is actually quite difficult imo, physics just isnt my thing lol.

 

[Riproot]

Riproot raises an interesting point about not doing fundamentals of maths coz really, we're at uni to learn stuff. But then again, u want med and to do that ur gonna need to maximise ur marks (this is extremely true for lateral entry coz UNSW doesn't use WAM as a threshold). WAM is just the avg mark of all ur courses.

You can't do PHYS1121/1131 in first year for MedSci at UNSW coz its requires a co-req of MATH1131/1141 (gotta do em together). Some of my friends wanted to maximise their marks but still do physics for gamsat (in case they didnt get lateral entry) so they did Fundamentals of physics, which is basically year 12 physics w/o the history and stuff (lots of calculations). The code for fundamentals physics is PHYS1111.

TBH the highest ~10 WAM's in my cohort, after first year, were achieved by people who all did math1011/1031, phys1111. But PHYS1111 is actually quite difficult imo, physics just isnt my thing lol.

okay

So after seeing this

I say

Do MATH1141 and MATH1241

Because scaling.

 

[Xt]

nah cant, MedSc at UNSW only allows 1 elective in first year. pretty sucky aye lol.

But yeah, MATH1131/1141 does have scaling whereas MATH1011/1031 doesnt. Could be a factor, but i still think 1011/1031 is sooo easy u defs wont need the scaling.

 

[Riproot]

nah cant, MedSc at UNSW only allows 1 elective in first year. pretty sucky aye lol

No it doesn't...

You get one in first sem and one in second sem

They assume you'll do MATH1041 as one of them, but if you do MATH1141 and 1241 they exempt you from MATH1041 (iirc. That's what they did for my friend)

 

[Xt]

No it doesn't...

You get one in first sem and one in second sem

They assume you'll do MATH1041 as one of them, but if you do MATH1141 and 1241 they exempt you from MATH1041 (iirc. That's what they did for my friend)

oh really? i'm not sure about that MATH1141/1241 getting u exempted from MATH1041 besides sum1 getting transferred from another degree into medsci. But man, u should do MATH1041...its pretty easy as well.

 

[kaz1]

you should never do PHYS1121/PHYS1131 if you don't have to, they are pretty hard for first year courses

also with maths 1131 over 1141, the lecturers are usually better in 1131 and the extra work in 1141 isn't worth it imo

 

[SunnyScience]

Thank you for all your help so far, I really appreciate it.

My head is actually going to explode.