Should I do Medicine?? (2 Viewers)

idc12

New Member
Joined
Nov 6, 2020
Messages
27
Gender
Male
HSC
2020
First question) I really wanted to do medicine but I didn't do any sciences in year 11 and 12 would you guys still recommend me doing it ??

Second question) since I didn't do sciences in year 11 and 12 should I pick a bachelor degree like Health science, Biomedicine or Biotechnology for GAMSAT??

Third question) If I did pick science degree would university accepts me?? I am afraid universities won't accept me because I didn't do any sciences in year 11 and 12.

Thanks guys :))))
 

pikachu975

Premium Member
Joined
May 31, 2015
Messages
2,739
Location
NSW
Gender
Male
HSC
2017
First question) I really wanted to do medicine but I didn't do any sciences in year 11 and 12 would you guys still recommend me doing it ??

Second question) since I didn't do sciences in year 11 and 12 should I pick a bachelor degree like Health science, Biomedicine or Biotechnology for GAMSAT??

Third question) If I did pick science degree would university accepts me?? I am afraid universities won't accept me because I didn't do any sciences in year 11 and 12.

Thanks guys :))))
Most med degrees don't have science as preqrequisites, only a few of them, so make sure you research them first.

Good luck!
 

anon2017

New Member
Joined
Nov 16, 2020
Messages
21
Gender
Female
HSC
2017
First question) I really wanted to do medicine but I didn't do any sciences in year 11 and 12 would you guys still recommend me doing it ??

Second question) since I didn't do sciences in year 11 and 12 should I pick a bachelor degree like Health science, Biomedicine or Biotechnology for GAMSAT??

Third question) If I did pick science degree would university accepts me?? I am afraid universities won't accept me because I didn't do any sciences in year 11 and 12.

Thanks guys :))))
1. There are many medical students who don't have a background in science. You might need to work a little harder at the beginning to get a solid foundation, but you'll be okay. A lot of doctors have done it.

2. Only if you want to. Only if you think you can do well. You need very, very high marks to get into medicine. Doing a science-based degree might help with part of GAMSAT preparation, but doing a non-science degree will likewise help with preparation for other parts of GAMSAT. You can always take science subjects as electives. The best advice for picking an undergrad degree before medicine is: choose something you will get good marks in, and choose something that will give you a back up career should you not get into medicine.

3. Only a few universities have prerequisite subjects. Most universities do not care what your degree is - they just care what you GPA and GAMSAT are, and how well you do in your interview. A couple care about your portfolio too. But they do not care what your degree is. Once you graduate uni and are applying for postgraduate medicine, the medical schools are not interested in high school at all. They will not even ask about it.
 

idc12

New Member
Joined
Nov 6, 2020
Messages
27
Gender
Male
HSC
2020
1. There are many medical students who don't have a background in science. You might need to work a little harder at the beginning to get a solid foundation, but you'll be okay. A lot of doctors have done it.

2. Only if you want to. Only if you think you can do well. You need very, very high marks to get into medicine. Doing a science-based degree might help with part of GAMSAT preparation, but doing a non-science degree will likewise help with preparation for other parts of GAMSAT. You can always take science subjects as electives. The best advice for picking an undergrad degree before medicine is: choose something you will get good marks in, and choose something that will give you a back up career should you not get into medicine.

3. Only a few universities have prerequisite subjects. Most universities do not care what your degree is - they just care what you GPA and GAMSAT are, and how well you do in your interview. A couple care about your portfolio too. But they do not care what your degree is. Once you graduate uni and are applying for postgraduate medicine, the medical schools are not interested in high school at all. They will not even ask about it.
would bachelor of art or bachelor of sciences be a good choice ?
 

quickoats

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 26, 2017
Messages
970
Gender
Undisclosed
HSC
2019
would bachelor of art or bachelor of sciences be a good choice ?
You can get into postgrad med with any degree you want. If you like what a BA or BSc offers, then go for it! But don’t do them just as a stepping stone to medicine - make sure the degree you do is something you would want to study and pursue a career in, in the case that you never make it into medicine (which is the sad ‘reality’ but there are so many great and fulfilling careers in the world so I wouldn’t call it sad’).
 

dasfas

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 17, 2019
Messages
469
Gender
Male
HSC
2019
First question) I really wanted to do medicine but I didn't do any sciences in year 11 and 12 would you guys still recommend me doing it ??

Second question) since I didn't do sciences in year 11 and 12 should I pick a bachelor degree like Health science, Biomedicine or Biotechnology for GAMSAT??

Third question) If I did pick science degree would university accepts me?? I am afraid universities won't accept me because I didn't do any sciences in year 11 and 12.

Thanks guys :))))

At the very least Chemistry. Doesn't really matter whether you choose Biology/Physics, but Biology would be better to get an idea of the process of biological content.

You should not pick a degree for the GAMSAT (which you will have to do in the last year of your degree). Also, you should also not pick a "pre-med" degree ie. Biology, Medical Sciences - as they are unemployable. Pick engineering or computer science or something else.

In Australia, to get into undergrad med, you just need a good ATAR, I don't think they look at prereqs. For other postgrad med, you just need to do prereqs ie. some chemistry, biochemistry, anatomy. As long as you have the marks, they don't care about your degree and would appreciate you coming from a background that isn't Biology/Medical Science.
 

Time&moretime

Active Member
Joined
Oct 21, 2019
Messages
133
Gender
Undisclosed
HSC
2020
First question) I really wanted to do medicine but I didn't do any sciences in year 11 and 12 would you guys still recommend me doing it ??

Second question) since I didn't do sciences in year 11 and 12 should I pick a bachelor degree like Health science, Biomedicine or Biotechnology for GAMSAT??

Third question) If I did pick science degree would university accepts me?? I am afraid universities won't accept me because I didn't do any sciences in year 11 and 12.

Thanks guys :))))
This question has been asked every year and often around this time of the year. Chemistry is a pre-requisite for some medical schools, I recall JCU requiring Chemistry among other subjects. GAMSAT is very challenging from what I hear. UCAT isn't a walk in the park either. Getting an offer for medicine is very competitve. There are applicants on the MSO who referred to their UMAT days to help them deal with the UCAT. Different tests with the same purpose. The point is that applicants come back and go through the whole process again. And forget asking about what happens in the interviews. no one is talking. NDAs.
I think its getting harder. The 50th percentile last year was 2470, this year is 2520. Always have a Plan B.
 

anon2017

New Member
Joined
Nov 16, 2020
Messages
21
Gender
Female
HSC
2017
would bachelor of art or bachelor of sciences be a good choice ?
What would you like to major in? What would you like to do as a career if you never get into medicine? These are two things to think about. There are a lot more degrees than just your standard BA and BSc.

What other jobs appeal to you as backups? If medicine is the goal, then that is excellent and you should absolutely aim for it. Give it all you have! Just remember that the majority of people who apply don't make it. In the unfortunate case that you end up one of them, it would be good to have a degree that you can use to make a living, doing something you like.
 

idc12

New Member
Joined
Nov 6, 2020
Messages
27
Gender
Male
HSC
2020
What would you like to major in? What would you like to do as a career if you never get into medicine? These are two things to think about. There are a lot more degrees than just your standard BA and BSc.

What other jobs appeal to you as backups? If medicine is the goal, then that is excellent and you should absolutely aim for it. Give it all you have! Just remember that the majority of people who apply don't make it. In the unfortunate case that you end up one of them, it would be good to have a degree that you can use to make a living, doing something you like.
if I don't get into medicine I am thinking of doing aviation(flying) in UNSW as becoming a pilot is something i wanted to try :) if I don't get into med. Do you think i should pick aviation(flying) in UNSW first??
 

c8

Active Member
Joined
Apr 28, 2018
Messages
216
Gender
Female
HSC
2020
if I don't get into medicine I am thinking of doing aviation(flying) in UNSW as becoming a pilot is something i wanted to try :) if I don't get into med. Do you think i should pick aviation(flying) in UNSW first??
You should pick a degree that you both enjoy and that would give you good job prospects at the end. The ba and bsc degrees tend to be a little vague in terms of jobs you can get with them so it is better to choose some you like and that would give you a job
 

hscstudnet

Member
Joined
Jan 16, 2020
Messages
59
Gender
Male
HSC
2020
If you need convincing it’s probably not the thing for you.
Its more of a debate I am trying to start here. I knew someone would have written this exact comment. I just want to start a discussion with everyone and want everyone to give their insights. 😜
 

c8

Active Member
Joined
Apr 28, 2018
Messages
216
Gender
Female
HSC
2020
Its more of a debate I am trying to start here. I knew someone would have written this exact comment. I just want to start a discussion with everyone and want everyone to give their insights. 😜
Bruh what is there even to debate
 

edds7575

New Member
Joined
Jun 27, 2019
Messages
17
Gender
Male
HSC
2020
high social status, money, actually helping society, stability of life.

end of debate.
The answer isn't that simple, and a lot of those are myths. You do have the potential for money and stability, but that comes much later. For the next 15-20 years, if you decide to do medicine, you'll be working unpredictable hours, moving all over the country, and earning a small income whilst having massive piles of debt and expenses to pay. Not to mention high social status isn't really felt nor should it be a reason to do medicine.
 

anon2017

New Member
Joined
Nov 16, 2020
Messages
21
Gender
Female
HSC
2017
The answer isn't that simple, and a lot of those are myths. You do have the potential for money and stability, but that comes much later. For the next 15-20 years, if you decide to do medicine, you'll be working unpredictable hours, moving all over the country, and earning a small income whilst having massive piles of debt and expenses to pay. Not to mention high social status isn't really felt nor should it be a reason to do medicine.
These are great points.

From the start of uni to the end of med school will be 5-7 years minimum, depending on if you do undergrad or postgrad and if you get in the first time you apply, which most people do not. That's 5-7 years of debt. There's a chance you will decide to (or possibly need to) undertake further study to make yourself competitive for specialty training, so there's potentially more debt.

The amount of money you make in your early years won't be bad - but it will be bad compared to the hours you work, how hard your job is, how hard you worked to get there. Your hours will be awful. You will be sacrificing a lot. Eventually you will make better money and have more control over your hours, but you have to train for a long time to get there. Once you get into a specialty training program, which may take many years, you might get lucky and be able to stay in the same location. Or you could have to relocate to another state, multiple times, for years.

Being respected in society is great but should not be the primary motivation to become a medical practitioner.

Also keep in mind that if you are offered a place in a medical degree, it may be a BMP, in which case you will be required to work 3 years in a regional or rural location in the future. This might not seem like a big deal when you accept your offer and enrol in medical school, but it might be very difficult by the time you have to actually return that service. What if you have a family, kids at school, a spouse who can't just leave their occupation (or... does not want to)? What if the specialty you have chosen and trained in is extremely difficult to practice outside of metropolitan areas due to lack of resources and facilities necessary, or even due to low patient demand?

I am not telling you not to consider medicine. I am just saying, give it serious thought before you commit. It's not just: medical degree = specialist physician doing what they want and making excellent money.
 

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Users: 0, Guests: 2)

Top