Year 12 Subjects and Medicine (2 Viewers)

[rickyquoc]

hello, initially i was set straight on doing engineering. Now I'm sort of undecided as to which path i wish to take, currently the subjects i do are maths B and C (advanced maths), biology,physics, legal studies and English. What are the options in order for me to get into medicine assuming i do not get an OP of 1 (University Queensland pre-req). Will not having done chemistry be a large issue? also what will i need to do in university to get there (bridging course)?

Thankyou.

 

[xxstef]

your subjects seem fine. some unis recommend chemistry, but you can easily do a bridging course before commencing studies.

other options: you could go interstate; you could do any other degree and then take post-grad medicine; you could try your hand at medsci at unsw and transfer after 3rd year?

 

[lionking1191]

hello, initially i was set straight on doing engineering. Now I'm sort of undecided as to which path i wish to take, currently the subjects i do are maths B and C (advanced maths), biology,physics, legal studies and English. What are the options in order for me to get into medicine assuming i do not get an OP of 1 (University Queensland pre-req). Will not having done chemistry be a large issue? also what will i need to do in university to get there (bridging course)?

Thankyou.

remember your bonus points if you do Maths C (4U) or LOTE which adds to your entrannce rank.

 

[lionking1191]

hello, initially i was set straight on doing engineering. Now I'm sort of undecided as to which path i wish to take, currently the subjects i do are maths B and C (advanced maths), biology,physics, legal studies and English. What are the options in order for me to get into medicine assuming i do not get an OP of 1 (University Queensland pre-req). Will not having done chemistry be a large issue? also what will i need to do in university to get there (bridging course)?

Thankyou.

for UQ you only need 1 science (+ maths) as basic requirements. in melbourne most health sciences will have chem as a pre-req. NSW is more flexible with most unis having chem (and maths, sometimes) as 'recommended knowledge' by which you could take a bridging course if required.

 

[rickyquoc]

for UQ you only need 1 science (+ maths) as basic requirements. in melbourne most health sciences will have chem as a pre-req. NSW is more flexible with most unis having chem (and maths, sometimes) as 'recommended knowledge' by which you could take a bridging course if required.

ah thanks for clearing that up, so if i do decide to take a bridging course, is there a specific one to take in order to prepare for the possibility of me getting into med?

 

[lionking1191]

ah thanks for clearing that up, so if i do decide to take a bridging course, is there a specific one to take in order to prepare for the possibility of me getting into med?

if this is nsw unis, yes they usually will have clear information on what knowledge is required (whether they are recommended, assumed or a pre-req). for assumed knowledge it's a good idea to take a bridging course but not essential. for med it's usually just chemistry. (at unsw). for uws and newcastle there isn't any references to required prior knowledge so you should be fine. if you really aren't confident about it there's plenty of bridging programs available at different unis and you can take them even if you aren't enrolled in one.

 

[rcr4fags]

if u are good enought to get the required UAI, do any subject u want.

chemistry and biology in 1st year is pretty baisc shit, no harder than HSC, probably even easier

 

[rickyquoc]

so since prereqs aren't necesserily an issue can i enroll in the bachelor of engineering and do that for a year and attempt the GASMAT into med? that would be the preferred options as my preference would've been to go back to engineering if i didn't get in on the first attempt.

 

[lionking1191]

so since prereqs aren't necesserily an issue can i enroll in the bachelor of engineering and do that for a year and attempt the GASMAT into med? that would be the preferred options as my preference would've been to go back to engineering if i didn't get in on the first attempt.

graduate med is meant so that anyone with any undergrad degree would be able to apply. people do med science or adv science (biomed) because it 'preps' them for grad med. while this may be helpful it is by no means necessary, and any degree you do is sufficient, unis such as qld actually prefers applicants who come from diverse backgrounds not limited to science.

that said in one section of the GAMSAT you will be required to have foundational 1st year scientific knowledge. however that is easily prepped if you plan from the beginning

 

[rickyquoc]

thanks for all the replies, great help!

 

[PrettyVacant]

Since you're doing the highest level of maths, you get bonus points for UQ...I didn't get OP1 (98.5 < OP 1) but still got an offer to UQ provisional medicine simply 'cause I did 4 units of maths and got bonus points. You don't have to do well in maths C/extension 2 maths, you just have to pass the course to get the bonus points.

These bonus points are also applicable to SATAC (for Adelaide Med).

 

[dr pete]

yea i'm the same as u rickyquoc (sorry if i got that wrong)
I'm doing english, math b, math c, physics, graphics and hpe.
i was set on doin engineering when i picked my subjects, but i did some work experience and it turned me off it. now i want to do medicine or dentistry at UQ or griffith '10 in i can get in.
do u know if UQ actually has chem bridging courses? i can't find much out about them.
anyway good luck to you all.

 

[supanerd]

Hi!

You can definitely do a bridging course for chem, but keep in mind that it is really intensive work - and the unis will MAKE you do a bridging course to fulfill the requirements for chem. But if you really want it, go for it, yeah? Coz med is so worth it - i'm enjoying myself right now =)

As for the content, there is a fair degree of chem and biology and a small amount of physics. I have found that by doing biology (although not a prereq) it really minimises stress for many people as you do things like organelles, macromolecules, organ systems, enzymes, etc. It's pretty basic, but the background knowledge does help to a degree.

Chemistry is a bit harder. It's about the same level as HSC level right now, but it's more APPLIED chem in a sense that you see how buffer systems, weak/strong acids, le chatelier's principle, etc applies to the body and drugs. Knowing chemical naming, structures etc is also important.

If you want to do other options like doing a science course and transferring into med, chem is still highly important (maybe even MORE science and less applied as it is in med).

 

[dr pete]

alright thanks supanerd. anyway so u like med, where u studying? what year? how hard is it?

 

[supanerd]

I'm really enjoying it right now. We got to look at cadavars and reproductive anatomy today.

But there is a LOT of work and a whole LOT of commitment and you have to be prepared for that. I find myself spending more time on uni work than anything else sometimes.

I'm only in first year (officially done 4 weeks of med) and it's been good so far. I can definitely come back in a few months time and tell you what i think about it then, but from what i learn from the older students, they absolutely love what they do. If you enjoy challenges, working with people, learning new things, good with memory and things, you'll love med. But you do have to have a passion for what you do to really help you do well. Remmeber, this is a 6yr course for the med degree, 1 yr internship, 1-2 yrs residency, a few years as a registrar before you can become a fully-fledged "doctor" doctor. You don't go through all that half-heartedly.

I'm currently going to JCU (townsville) and it's an AMAZING course. It's right in, hands on. I'm doing a GP placement in mid year for three days ALREADY and we already have the stethescopes and everything. You already learn history taking and vital signs as well as having passionate lecturers and our new med building facility. The weather is really different if you don't come from the tropics and the distance together are the biggest con. But the uni environment itself is beautiful. But if you're really into student life, we have a few clubs, but not to the extent of the big city unis.

But as i see, you come from qld, so it must be a good option for you =)

It's mainly the workload that is hard. Other than that, it involves HEAPS of memory. It's a big jump from holidays after HSC to uni work, but it's about the level or a bit more than the hsc.

Hope what i've told you helps a bit =)

 

[dr pete]

Yea thats heaps of help.
"If you enjoy challenges, working with people, learning new things, good with memory and things, you'll love med. "
i really think med might be for me judging by this.

What was the minimum entry requirements at JCU? (OP/Rank, UMAT)
Thanks very much.

 

[supanerd]

I know that for interestate, you need an OP1, and i think that should be your aim. But i know that people who got as low as OP4-5 got in too if they did well in their interview and had a good application form.

JCU doesn't even consider your UMAT so you don't have to worry about that.

Ensure that you do write a killer application form and have a good estimate OP, though, because that's what counts for you to get your interview. If you do get an interview, just ask me for any tips on that and i'll be happy to give them to you =)

Good luck!

Med @ JCU will be something you wouldn't regret, i think =)

 

[dr pete]

thats great to hear and heaps of help supanerd. do u still need to sit the UMAT? anyway that is great because i consider myself an excellent chance of getting an OP1 and i'm a little worried that at say UQ, an OP1 is just a hurdle then it all goes by ur UMAT. also i think that its great that you start the MBBS degree straight away and you 'get the feel for it'.
just another few questions regarding JCU/townsvillle area,
whats the cost of living like comparativly (accomodatio, etc)?
does JCU have on-campus accomodation?
and i know chem is a pre-req; i don't do chem but i read that physics (which i do) and a chem bridging course will satisfy the chem pre-req - have you heard of this or anyone in this situation?

thanks heaps. u've been sooo helpful
cheers

 

[supanerd]

dr pete:

You don't have to sit the UMAT for JCU and they don't look at it at ALL. But i'd sit it just in case as, if you really wanna do med, you'd apply for other universities and all the others need the UMAT. But if one just applied for JCU, you don't actually need to sit it. But remmeber again, the application form itself is highly important for JCU.

JCU has many on-campus accommodation colleges/halls with a range of prices and choices of self-catering or not. I'm currently living fully catered (all meals provided, tea/coffee facilites any time) for about $250/week. The cheapest self-catering (costs for living but buy and cook your own food. They supply kitchen/utensils/fridges) for $160. You can opt for aircon or just ceiling fan as well, noting that extra electrical stuff will come with extra charges. They also have a compulsory phone charge (approx. $50).

I love living on-campus, though. Although it's a walk, at least you don't have to travel far. You don't need your own car and you get to really get to know your friends and hang out a lot. There's a lot of activities and things too which your own college will organise.

I haven't met anyone yet who hasn't done chem in highschool - but there's 180> people in my year and i haven't really gotten around to meeting everyone yet =P But as long as you're sure that they'll let you do a chem bridging course, then it's all good. If you're unsure, just email the student help service for applications which should be on the jcu website soon.

Lucid Scintilla: yes they are =( everyone feels really broke right now after having to buy so much stuff.

 

[dr pete]

yeah i checked the QTAC catalogue and it said a chem briging course will do.
thanks for all the help.
really appreciate.