Choosing An Undergraduate Degree: Questions and Discussions

[2xq]

Hello!

There are a few things you need to consider for an undergraduate course. Because you're thinking of health science, I suggest you read

Common pitfalls to avoid for year 12 school leavers and other medicine applicants

Alternate title: "Ways to screw yourself over as a medical school applicant that you didn't know about" Hi everyone, As I suspect my activity on the site is likely to decrease a whole lot starting next year, I thought I would put together a whole lot of what I believe are a lot of important...

medstudentsonline.com.au

Ive also quoted some questions you should consider when choosing an undergraduate degree.

Hope it helps!

Howdy! Here are some questions to consider:

• Where are the universities located?
• What the purpose of doing such degrees in the first place? (that is as a plan B)
• What degree will be more enjoyable for yourself?

Personally, I am in the same position as you are. 2020 graduate looking to sit the UCAT again as a non-standard. From my signature, you can see that I am choosing to do a Bachelor of Applied Science (Diagnostic Radiography) @ USYD and rightly so for the following reasons.

• USYD is in my home state.
• It will provide me a stable job as a Diagnostic Radiographer if I was to be unsuccessful with the UCAT and GAMSAT during my years at university.
• It can pave a pathway for me to become a sonographer through a Graduate Diploma.
• I find the science in this course to be quite interesting.

Hope this helps!

Hello Everyone! I'm thinking of picking a course atm so that i can apply as a non standard. I want something that i can get a high GPA in, whilst also studying for UMAT.
I am thinking about health science deakin/monash. But I have studied business subjects in the past so I was thinking about that as well?

What should I pick between psychology/health science/public health, business or even nutrition?

 

[chinaski]

To obtain a high GPA, which degree would be 'easier' in terms of course content?

No such degree exists.

 

[ucatboy]

whilst also studying for UMAT.

It's 2021 bro, UMAT has been retired for a few years now and UCAT has taken its place.

I don't think an objectively easier degree exists, but pick one that you personally enjoy (to be motivated to get better grades) and/or has better job prospects (in the very real event you don't successfully transfer into med).

 

[Rei]

Wait i have heard of this.
Man actually time travelled

 

[dotwingz]

No objectively easy degree exists. Did you do well in your business degree? Do you have any interest in health or nutrition science other than for getting into medicine?

 

[daredevil]

Hi! Can someone provide an indication of which degree would be 'easier' to obtain a high GPA in? I am choosing from QUT Biomed, UQ Biomed, QUT Science (Biological Science), UQ Science, Griffith Science (Clinical Science). If anyone has any past experience with these degrees please advise

 

[ucatboy]

Hi! Can someone provide an indication of which degree would be 'easier' to obtain a high GPA in? I am choosing from QUT Biomed, UQ Biomed, QUT Science (Biological Science), UQ Science, Griffith Science (Clinical Science). If anyone has any past experience with these degrees please advise

Stop right there - are you choosing from these degrees out of genuine interest or as a stepping stone into medicine?

 

[chinaski]

Hi! Can someone provide an indication of which degree would be 'easier' to obtain a high GPA in? I am choosing from QUT Biomed, UQ Biomed, QUT Science (Biological Science), UQ Science, Griffith Science (Clinical Science). If anyone has any past experience with these degrees please advise

Read the post literally above yours.

 

[daredevil]

Stop right there - are you choosing from these degrees out of genuine interest or as a stepping stone into medicine?

Both : ) I really want to study these topics, and hopefully use the degree as a pathway

 

[garmonbozia]

Both : ) I really want to study these topics, and hopefully use the degree as a pathway

Have you read: Common pitfalls to avoid for year 12 school leavers and other medicine applicants

 

[A1]

Both : ) I really want to study these topics, and hopefully use the degree as a pathway

It's difficult to say which degree is easier to obtain a high GPA in. But generally if you go to a uni with admissions 10-15 ATAR points lower they tend to set exams at a lower difficulty level thus you can achieve more marks.

 

[Crow]

But generally if you go to a uni with admissions 10-15 ATAR points lower they tend to set exams at a lower difficulty level thus you can achieve more marks.

I gather you have evidence to back that up?

 

[dotwingz]

Biomed/Clin Sci/Med Sci/Pre Med/anything with "med" in it that isnt med/ get a largely justified bad rep around here because it provides no extra benefit to getting into med then any other degree, but is advertised as the go to undergraduate degree for med hopefuls. I would suggest steering away from these kind of degrees because not only are they a rat race of people trying to trample over each other for the highest marks, and are also quite intense - with alot of labs, assignments, workshops, etc

Like i said above your post in this thread, theres no objectively easy degree. It just doesnt exist. People have different strengths and weaknesses and those paths diverge much faster at university than they ever did at highschool. Even inside a degree, you pick so many different courses over so many different years that by the end the degrees can look totally different and develop an entirely different skill set than one of your peers.

I can vouch for UQ Science - its a good degree, its a good uni, theyve introduced minors now so theres more flexibility. If you ever read the UQ threads you will know that i think UQ biomed is a massive waste of time and effort, its redundant, and completely useless. I assume QUT is the same. Although my set of circumstances are different than yours, in that i've already been accepted into UQ Med via the Provisional Program so i didnt really need to think of the 'what if i dont get into med' side of the story.

I would advise to pick a major that satisfies an interest outside of medicine. You go to medical school to be taught medicine. You dont need to walk in there with a biomedicine degree and a great understanding of human anatomy, learn something else and be an interesting person.

Imo the biggest predictor of success in anything is how much you like it

 

[daredevil]

Have you read: Common pitfalls to avoid for year 12 school leavers and other medicine applicants

Yes, I have. I have some offers deferred for 2022 so I can commence a degree if this year does not go as I hope.

 

[chinaski]

But generally if you go to a uni with admissions 10-15 ATAR points lower they tend to set exams at a lower difficulty level thus you can achieve more marks.

That's a really dangerous generalisation to make. Marking policies differ between faculties within universities; it's drawing a long bow to make claims about universities based on tenuous associations between admissions policies and marking habits. Besides, as per previous, an "easier" degree doesn't exist.

 

[A1]

I gather you have evidence to back that up?

It's just commonsense. If their student population are generally 10-15 ATAR points lower (than at other unis) and they set exams at the same difficulty level they would have a disproportionately high fail rate.

(If you want to hear evidence that's actually from my dad. He did a Go8 engineering degree then some further studies at a 'lowly' uni, the exam levels were night & day apart).

Besides, as per previous, an "easier" degree doesn't exist.

My suggestion was not about an easier degree, it's an easier uni.

 

[daredevil]

It's just commonsense. If their student population are generally 10-15 ATAR points lower (than at other unis) and they set exams at the same difficulty level they would have a disproportionately high fail rate.

(If you want to hear evidence that's actually from my dad. He did a Go8 engineering degree then some further studies at a 'lowly' uni, the exam levels were night & day apart).


My suggestion was not about an easier degree, it's an easier uni.

So would you 'rank' the uni's from easy to difficult like so: Griffith, QUT, UQ?

 

[Crow]

Anecdotal evidence, the best kind

I personally don’t buy into the viewpoint of “Go8 unis are more prestigious, therefore their exams are harder and the degree is worth more” (and actually find it a little insulting as someone who achieves well at a non-Go8 uni). Exams are set to establish competence rather than on the basis of the pool of exam sitters’ capabilities.

 

[chinaski]

It's just commonsense. If their student population are generally 10-15 ATAR points lower (than at other unis) and they set exams at the same difficulty level they would have a disproportionately high fail rate.

(If you want to hear evidence that's actually from my dad. He did a Go8 engineering degree then some further studies at a 'lowly' uni, the exam levels were night & day apart).


My suggestion was not about an easier degree, it's an easier uni.

Your Dad's N=1 evidence doesn't really amount to much. You're speculating at best - not really advisable to speak as though your assumptions are facts here.

 

[dotwingz]

Lionel Hutz, Hearsay and Conjecture.

Those are "kinds" of evidence.Please check out my other videos which usually consist on Similarities. (Look in Playlists)What I say if Someone asks me for "E...

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