Hello everyone! This my first time posting so I just wanted some advice.
I completed my HSC this year and am sorting out preferences and what I want to do next year, I won’t be able to get into medicine for next year and I have talked to my school’s career advisor about the matter. The thing is though, she highly recommends pitfall #2 which is the medsci pathway, specifically clinical science at Macquarie. I highly respect her and she is a great career advisor, but to be honest I also share concerns about this pathway, however when I did mention taking a different course other than clinical/medical science to her she was a bit hesitant about it. Her thinking is that medicine requires high devotion and a strong interest to do it (which I highly agree with by the way), and that if I really wanted to do medicine then why wouldn’t I do well in clinical science to eventually make it to medicine (with the idea I would also do well in the UCAT or GAMSAT). It’s an idea that I can definitely understand but reading this thread I’ve come to realise it is highly risky. Sure I may do well in the course but with the large number of individuals wanting to participate in medicine, the interview etc, I’m quite hesitant on the idea now. The other option for myself (which I would highly prefer too) is doing nursing since if I couldn’t do medicine I would really like to be a nurse. However my career advisor has told me that if I really wanted to do medicine why would I go for something else in the health field? (Which is also an idea I can understand too). I’m just highly confused on what to choose now especially for my preferences. Right now clinical science is first since my career advisor advised this, but I’ve talked to universities for medicine and they’ve also supported how any degree can get myself into medicine with the right grades, UCAT or GAMSAT and interview.
All advice on my situation is highly appreciate and thank you!
You know what's really noticeable about your post? There is not a single, solitary suggestion that you have
any interest in doing a clinical science degree. If the main driver for you preferencing it as a course is based on what your school career advisor said, and some inappropriate suggestion that you have to show your "dedication" to medicine by doing medical science, then you're on a path to disaster. In order to do well in any degree, you not only need ability, but interest. Unless your school career advisor is going to provide ongoing counselling to convince you that you're actually
interested in medical science throughout the three years you're signing up to study it, I reckon you'd find it hard to sustain an interest to maintain a good GPA for grad entry.
In choosing a degree, choose what you want to do and what might lead to opportunities down the track. In my opinion, this need not necessarily be a vocational degree. It's entirely fine to pick a degree that doesn't automatically and linearly lead to a job upon graduation. So, the world is your oyster there. Do a degree in science, in arts, in whatever you want. This is actually a really fantastic opportunity to follow the pathway
you want. People with non-vocational degrees do find work, albeit via a less clear-cut, more uncertain pathway than a vocational degree provides. HOWEVER, what was notable in your post is that you already have an interest (and it's not medical science). There is absolutely nothing wrong with doing nursing as a first degree. Nursing won't disadvantage your chances of getting into graduate medicine (and conversely, medical science won't necessarily help). Graduate entry medical schools pretty much consider any degree, so you should not feel restricted in your choices. Nursing is something you're interested in doing. Bonus points: nursing gives you a very defined pathway to employment after graduation. So why not go for it?