Med Science or Science? (3 Viewers)

[~Sw33ti3~]

I wanna do med... but it isnt looking too bright atm...
so i was thinking of doing like med science or science and then do grad... or even health science at usyd...

how cool is med science though? coz i am seeing mixed feelings...
med sci or sci itself?

thanks ^^

 

[bitchy girl]

med sci.

 

[MedNez]

I wanna do med... but it isnt looking too bright atm...

</3










You should probably consider the length of both degree and end qualifications

 

[Survivor39]

Just do science. You get more choices. Med Sc is not a pre-med course. It is for people for wants to get into research.

 

[Dumsum]

Sci. Do maths. *nods*

 

[dafidav]

i recommend science

i was doing med sci, but have transferred to science

med sci is really restrictive

 

[bitchy girl]

is it possible to transfer from med science/science/adv sci 1st year to pharmacy?

 

[Rekkusu]

Yes...agreed. Do Bachelor of Science.

Bachelor of medicine/Surgery is COMPLETELY different to what you learn in Med Sci or even Usyd's Health Science. In fact B Med people host all their courses separate as under Faculty of Medicine, they don't even touch other faculties' courses.

If you wish to switch to B med/surgery after say a year maybe 3 years at some undergrad degree, you can do it with any degree, at any university, because it all depends on your WAM (university style rank like UAI) and what you get in UMAT.

But, for now, choose B sci its much more flexible...and you can still do honours in it. Don't choose B sci (adv) immediately, because you don't want to be stuck in Honours if you don't intend to 'definitely' make a career out of this degree.

 

[~Sw33ti3~]

i c... thanks
but i actually wouldn't mind doing research.... but isn't med sci more 'fun'? or is science good enuf and stuff...
coz the pharmacology and stuff sounded quite cool...

 

[Rekkusu]

Well basically most courses under the faculty of science, especially B sci and B med sci are research degrees. Your career is usually a research doctor.

In B Sci you can choose exactly the same courses as those in B Med Sci, only difference is that you can't do the 'special' Medical Science Lectures that are compulsory for B Med Sci students.

The thing is, in B Science, you can choose from a large variety of majors be it Japanese, Science-based, Philosophy based, even Commerce based. Have a look here:

http://www.handbook.unsw.edu.au/undergraduate/programs/2006/3970.html

On the other hand if you do B Medical Sci, although it sounds cool that you're in the faculty of Medicine, its practically the same as B Sci EXCEPT in this degree, everything is set out already, so all the courses are already set. You don't get that flexibility of B sci. In Med sci you're stuck with everything related to Health...Plus you're expected to get a credit-average for every course you do in B Med Sci, which is a big strain. Unless you're one of the really bright students who kicks off uni with High Credits to Distinctions in your first year.

 

[Survivor39]

I agree with Rekkusu.

Research is not for everyone. If you have your mind set on Medicine, do Science just because of the flexibility and the increased chance of getting a higher mark in subjects you WANT to do (you can get a better average to get into med). And MedSc is not "more fun". It is equally fun compared with Science. But if you KNOW you want to major in Pharmacology, then go ahead and choose MedSc because it will makes no difference if you choose MedSc or Sci because you will end up doing very similar subjects for a Pharmacology major.

Rekkusu, just to clarify something, MedSc is more restricted in first year and to an extent, second year. but once you get to third year, it is actually more flexible. This is because for our majors, we only have to do 3 subjects to form a major. For example, we pick any 3 MICR3XXX courses to get a major in Microbiology. In science they ask you to do MICR3021, MICR3071, MICR3611 etc. in order to get a microbiology major. So I guess MedSc, in that regard is more "flexible".

 

[Rekkusu]

Ah yes, that's right! Thanks for clarifying my point, in the 3rd year it does become a really flexible degree. The constainments are as Survivor stated only in your first & second year.

In fact, you don't even need to do science for the sake of entering Med the next year or year after the next. Just choose a degree in which you believe will give you a much better grade (course-wise - i.e. dependant on the courses offered in that degree in that university).

The UAC Handbook does confuse students slightly in telling them that some courses are highly competitive, and that you should choose B sci as a 2nd or 3rd Preference...but in reality, that's not true. Since everytime you change your degree, you need to go through UAC anyway.

 

[~Sw33ti3~]

hehe thanks guys!!
i think science sounds very cool atm ... hehe!
so it would b better to do like something to get very good marks in to get a good overal mark? i realli like some of the minors in sci hehe!! =D

 

[joe1016]

hehe thanks guys!!
i think science sounds very cool atm ... hehe!
so it would b better to do like something to get very good marks in to get a good overal mark? i realli like some of the minors in sci hehe!! =D

im having the same quandry as sweetie here...i live in newcastle, so my first choice is UNCLE, but i dont have a clue if i will like med more than biomed, or sci, or even possibly nuclear medicine? anyone doing any of those and can tell me about them????????????????????????

 

[Nebuchanezzar]

Don't listen to these fools, do a science/education degree.

<_<
>_>
<_<

 

[Rekkusu]

Huh...Don't listen to that magician...ah...politician dude. He's only telling you to do this, because he's a govt representative, who wants to promote education as a national priority. Plus...you'll be stuck with teaching little kiddies on science.

@Joe: Yes a friend of mine is actually in the field of nuclear science at CSIRO, and he's finding the work really interesting, he carries out stuff like creating technitium packs, etc.

Biomed focuses more on the engineering side, i.e. making medical equipment.

Also for you 2006'ers doing HSC, have a look out for B Medical Physics and B Medical Chemistry, they're coming out at UNSW next year - 2007. Just remember, anything that says B Medical something, It's most likely a research career.

Though in B sci, it's just as demanding as any other degree, but it's also just as fun, you can touch in several minors during your 3-year term.

Also, the Defence Force is looking out for lots of research students as well. It's pretty good pay.

 

[Rekkusu]

@Secret: YOuch actually a correction, this degree is already out and available. Have a look here:

http://www.phys.unsw.edu.au/COURSES/MEDICAL_PHYSICS/medical_physics.html

As for Med chem, unfortunately there hasn't been any official word on this course. But for you guys, its likely that it'll come out next year. Medical Chemistry should entail something like B Pharmacy at USYD, except its all chem based.

 

[~Sw33ti3~]

med chem.. *yuk* sorri but i am like... horrific at chemistry.... which is not good coz i actually wanna do science and stuff....

is like maths and chem compulsory? if it is, it is hard in b. sci? coz i actually wanna do good in my degree (b. sci looks way better atm...) and still probably suffer in the maths and chem part.... (considering my outcomes atm......)

oh is physics like compulsory? i will die if it is..

is nuclear med ok? coz i kinda realli enjoyed the nuclear thingy part of chem especially the use of technitium, iodine 131 and stuff... or can i pick that through b. sci?

i realli love the minors =D =D one good hting about sci... wat can u do in med. sci dat u can't do in sci? =S

 

[Rekkusu]

Arhh damn. When I was posting a long reply here, the BOS timed out...damn >_>

Anyhow, as with any science degree (exception of Medicine), the bad news is that you will unfortunately need to revist most HSC courses. But the GOOD news is that, after you've finished your first year of uni, you will never ever see it again.

Here's a hypothetical first year for any science degree

Semester 1:
MATH1031 - An easy math course incorporating some HSC 2 unit maths, and easy 4unit maths.
CHEM1011 - Fundamentals of Chemistry 1A - Incorporating some HSC chemistry, but most of it is new material. The hardest section is organic chemistry.
BIOS1201 - Incorporates some hsc biology, but most will be new material and into a greater depth.
1 elective (ranging from schools of history, philosophy, computing, BABS (biology), maths, chemistry, and physics)

Semester 2
CHEM1021 - Fund of Chem 1B New material
BIOS1101 - Evolutionary Biology - New material, but some say that its the same as hsc biology.
MATH1041 - Statistics for maths, includes probability, binomial theorems, etc. (This Math course isn't required for all majors in science, chances are you only need to do MATH1031).
1 elective

Hope this clarifies things alittle.

In general, if you pass your courses for HSC in chem, math, physics, you can most likely get through your first year of uni relatively easy. You don't really need to take biology for your HSC time though, since in Uni, you'll cover it all over again. In fact Biology is the only course that practically repeats HSC biology, but adds in more complex terms, etc.

If you did do biology in 2006, its ok you can either get an exemption from doing BIOS1101 for your 2nd semester, or just take it, and earn easy marks.

 

[Survivor39]

If you did do biology in 2006, its ok you can either get an exemption from doing BIOS1101 for your 2nd semester, or just take it, and earn easy marks.

Don't believe a word of it

I got a HD in BIOS1201 (which is going to be re-named BABS1201), and only a DN for BIOS1101. BIOS1101 is nothing like the HSC. It's 10 times harder (and 100 times more boring). So get the exemption and do a second year BIOS subject!