B Medical Science VS B Science (1 Viewer)

[stolenhotelpen]

I changed my 1st pref from B Med Sci to a B Sci, as I have read/heard that the latter is much more flexible in the way of being able to choose electives each year, in comparison to this only being possible in your 3rd year for Med Sci students.

I'm looking for some pro's/con's when it comes to Med Sci VS B Sci if I'm looking to go into medical research??

Also, I am interested in what people feel are the benefits/advantages of studying a double degree with B Sci/B Arts??


Any help is appreciated! ​

 

[gleninnes]

I am facing a similar decision.
I got an offer for B Biomedical Science @ UQ and should get an offer for B Science @ UNSW.
I want to be in Sydney but Biomedical Science may give me a better chance of getting into post graduate medicine. I am aware you can do any course for Medicine to get into post graduate but this decision is really hard. It is also tempting to do the course with the higher cut off (B Biomedical Science) because I feel like a should "use" my ATAR (91.05 BTW).

This is all assuming I don't get into undergraduate med.... Rural selection

 

[stolenhotelpen]

I am facing a similar decision.
I got an offer for B Biomedical Science @ UQ and should get an offer for B Science @ UNSW.
I want to be in Sydney but Biomedical Science may give me a better chance of getting into post graduate medicine. I am aware you can do any course for Medicine to get into post graduate but this decision is really hard. It is also tempting to do the course with the higher cut off (B Biomedical Science) because I feel like a should "use" my ATAR (91.05 BTW).

This is all assuming I don't get into undergraduate med.... Rural selection

Wow! Big choices huh.

Mmm, I got a very similar ATAR as you. I understand what you mean about "using" your ATAR, and I totally relate...but I guess you've got to go with your heart, because in 2nd year university, your ATAR will mean very little unless you are intending on transferring. So do you want to get into doctoring, or...?

 

[boxhunter91]

Med Science is a much better choice if you wish to pursue post grad med or dent.
Science is just more flexible.

 

[stolenhotelpen]

Med Science is a much better choice if you wish to pursue post grad med or dent.
Science is just more flexible.

Thanks for your input! So Med Sci is more of a pathway for those who don't meet the ATAR requirements for 1st year Med/Dent.

Thinking I've made a good decision in changing my 1st pref to B Sci.

 

[gleninnes]

The problem is I'd rather be in Sydney and B Biomedical Science @ UQ is 4 years with an honours instead of 3 years. And I really don't need the extra year as undergrad + postgrad Med is already approx 7 years.
My main aim is to get into medicine so in some ways Biomed helps that but in others it just makes it longer. All the post grad medicine courses say it doesn't matter what undergrad course you do to get in so maybe it is better for me to do a less complicated and more flexible degree, get good marks in it (B Science)

Could someone help me out here? It would be great to hear from people doing B Science. B Biomedical (medical science) with the view to doing post grad medicine. THANKS

 

[Morbo]

B Medical Science and B Science are essentially the same thing. You could do a B Science and major in Medical Science. B Science may allow for more flexibility in which courses you may wish to enrol into whereas B Medical Science follows a strict course outline in which you must enrol into specific courses (and a few electives).
And, do not feel obliged to complete a B Medical Science as a pathway into Post Grad Medicine. You only need to hold an undergraduate degree (whether it be Arts, Business, etc) to be eligible (I'm not saying its the only requirement though!). Do what interests you.

 

[gleninnes]

Thanks for the advice.
I'll probably end up going with B Science because it is a means to an end, medicine. And while doing a Science degree I would like the flexibility to learn things I am interested in and I believe UNSW is flexible in allowing some study of humanities - languages etc (or at least it says so on their website).

stolenhotelpen - I feel like I have kind of hijacked your thread I'm sorry for that

 

[Morbo]

All universities will allow you to do electives from another faculty however UNSW requires all students complete 12cp (correct me if I'm wrong) of General Education (12cp worth of subjects from another faculty other than your own, unless you are doing a double degree). Most people will enrol in the online courses during summer, that's how much they value it. From what I've heard, the UNSW Science faculty has arguably the largest number of science electives than any other university in NSW (probably not true, but they do have a lot).

 

[tmahendradatta]

Wher are you looking to study?

If its at unsw; med sci is alot more structured --> so you don't really haveto bother with choosing your subjects. Where as science you've just got to choose all the medical subjects like pathology or anatonmy etc from 2nd year onwards.

Where abouts in medical research are you looking to go?
pharmacology, neurology, physiology, pathology, or anatomy (there are others as well such as medical microbiology; etc).

 

[tmahendradatta]

All universities will allow you to do electives from another faculty however UNSW requires all students complete 12cp (correct me if I'm wrong) of General Education (12cp worth of subjects from another faculty other than your own, unless you are doing a double degree). Most people will enrol in the online courses during summer, that's how much they value it. From what I've heard, the UNSW Science faculty has arguably the largest number of science electives than any other university in NSW (probably not true, but they do have a lot).

true about the 12 units of gen-eds. But its agood way to get the WAM up.

I didn't know about the largest number of science electives... go to UNSW because its probably the place to be in terms of medical research + learning about science. But thats obv bias.

 

[tmahendradatta]

Also, I am interested in what people feel are the benefits/advantages of studying a double degree with B Sci/B Arts??​

You want to become a scientist right? Its really takes 7+ years to become a REAL scientist. You got to do 3 years of undergrad; then a year of honours then another 3 years to do a PhD. You can choose where you want to do your honours and PhD. Honours and PhD is basically writing a thesis on your research or findings in the lab and in your chosen field.

Doing Arts might be a waste of a year tbh. Your not going to do any social work (not that you need a degree for it anyway) so why bother? You can learn everyting they teach in arts outside in your own time (but obv paying fees or having your initiative). What were you thinking about doing with Arts? ( so i guess thats one disadvantage --> your stuck for longer in uni for no real reason) I guess the only real advatage is shorter contact hours; thus not eing at uni for 24 hours a week if you do science.

Sci/commerce or sci/law are two of the 'legit' double degrees where you can actually get a job to gain income after you leave uni. Research is risky in terms of job security. If you don't publish or don't discover stuff --> you'll find that your lab willshut down after3 years when all their grant money is used up.

 

[ThisYearsGirl]

So a b Arts course is a waste of time ? Because I'm stuck with my choices as well and I chose B arts/ B science but now seeing as I don't know where it will lead me to I'm thinking of abandoning it. Not to mention it takes 4 years full time to complete it when I probably don't need the arts degree. If you study b sci and then major in medical science, would your job prospects be the same as if you studied b medical sci ? I am seriously confused. If anyone can give me adivce on this it would be really helpful. Also I might pursue a career in medicine but I'll see how that goes.

 

[tmahendradatta]

So a b Arts course is a waste of time ?

Well - where do you see yourself ending up? if you see yourself ending up in science - then you should just do the science bit because it'll save you time. You've elaborated the main reason why I think you shouldn't go down Arts if you think you'll end up in the lab.

Because I'm stuck with my choices as well and I chose B arts/ B science but now seeing as I don't know where it will lead me to I'm thinking of abandoning it. Not to mention it takes 4 years full time to complete it when I probably don't need the arts degree.


If you study b sci and then major in medical science, would your job prospects be the same as if you studied b medical sci ?

When I say 'major in medical science'; what I really mean is that you'll major in a medical science field. For example; if you do 3-4 subjects of pathology; you'll have a pathology major. This is the same for both science and medical science students. So you'd either end up with B science (pathology) or B Medical Science (pathology) - following? I can't hear you; so I'll move on.

In saying all this; you job prospects would be exactly the same. This is because both sci(path) and medsci(path) the exact same training as each other. For example; both scentist will probably knw hw to perform a western blot; or some other experiment. There are other variables as well that determine job prospects to (such as doing well in an interview...). The job career paths are elaborated on in the 'medical science sticky thread' in this forum. I blab on a little here: http://community.boredofstudies.org...al-science-society-any-questions-you-got.html


I am seriously confused. If anyone can give me adivce on this it would be really helpful. Also I might pursue a career in medicine but I'll see how that goes.

mdicine is good for job stbility because science job stability isn't as good. Also; you can do both research and medicine if your so inclined.

Hope that helped.

 

[ThisYearsGirl]

Ahhh I see now. Thanks for your feedback, it has helped me alot in my decision making. I didn't expect an advice as yours. so if the science degree alone isn't as good, I might pursue another postgraduate degree after doing b science or transfer from there on. Is there any chance I can transfer to something like pharmacy? If a b science can potentially lead me to a specialist degree, I am willing to put in the hard work and time for it.

 

[nekogotsitbaad]

I changed my 1st pref from B Med Sci to a B Sci, as I have read/heard that the latter is much more flexible in the way of being able to choose electives each year, in comparison to this only being possible in your 3rd year for Med Sci students.

I'm looking for some pro's/con's when it comes to Med Sci VS B Sci if I'm looking to go into medical research??

Also, I am interested in what people feel are the benefits/advantages of studying a double degree with B Sci/B Arts??


Any help is appreciated! ​

I've just recently enrolled at Usyd in a B Science degree but am planning to transfer to Med Science next year. From my impression B Science is more flexible for students who don't know what they want to specialize in yet and can take up a whole variety of units which are similar to those which may be undertaken with the specialized courses. It really depends on what you want to do after you've finished your first degree. Do you want to go straight into the workforce or specialize in something? Eg. becoming a doctor?


In my case, I'm planning on entering a medical program at the University of Sydney after I complete my undergraduate degree which will lead me to study a MBBS. According to the course requirements for the medical program, unfortunately successful completion of the B Science degree does not make the cut (I'm assuming because it's such a competitive industry, they want those who really know what they're doing. With B Sci it is much more generalized when compared to a B Sci Advanced or B Med)

When I was choosing my preferences I did look into doing a combined degree in Arts/Science, but I realised with my attitude towards homework/studying I probably couldn't dedicate myself toward the workload. It's good though if you want 2 degrees in 2 different areas of study, but you have to think if both degrees will be useful to you in the future, otherwise you'd be paying more and doing the extra work for nothing. Enrolling into just the one degree probably would be an idea as you can also take units from other faculties (eg. B Science you can take subjects which come under the Faculty of Art). You can also do a major in psychology under an Arts degree which is what my friend is doing this year.

 

[Survivor39]

Is there any chance I can transfer to something like pharmacy? If a b science can potentially lead me to a specialist degree, I am willing to put in the hard work and time for it.

Yes you can transfer from BSc/BMedSc to BPharm if you wish at any stage of your degree provided you have high enough scores during your university study.
If you are successful in the transfer, you may also get credits for prior study so you will not have to re-take all the units.

You need to understand that BSc/BMedSc are there to primarily train research scientists, they are not specialist degrees for you to enter a specific profession.

If your heart is dead set on Medicine (similar to saying 'I cannot see myself doing anything else other than Medicine'), then go for the shortest possible degree and get the highest possible mark to give yourself the best possible chance of getting a place in Medicine. Try not to go for all these combined/double degrees or lengthy degrees (BArch/BEngineering) for the sake of "having a back up in case I don't get in".

Good luck!

 

[gleninnes]

Thought I would just report back in.
I got into B Medical Science @ UNSW though missed out on Medicine.
Though I'm excited about GOING TO UNI!
Med Science looks like a great course

 

[Survivor39]

Well done! I hope you'll enjoy the course.

Don't worry about medicine - that are many ways you can get into Medicine further down the track. Who knows what you will end up liking in the next 3-4 years?