Med Sci Vs. Psychology (Back door to med) (1 Viewer)

[cocopopsxx]

Hey, This is going to be long but I'd be grateful if you could spend some time reading this and helping me out.

A little background first. I'm an international student hoping to do grad med (MBBS) once I finish my undergraduate degree. MBBS is my ultimate goal but unfortunately I didn't get it the undergrad way so am looking at a few undergraduate degrees as a back door to graduate medicine. I have a few options in mind:

1) Medical Science
2)Psychology
3)Nursing
4)Pharmacy

A few months ago, I was dead set on Medical science- the description on the USYD website looked interesting so this course appealed to me and I have always enjoyed science (Chemistry and Biology to be specific) so thought this was an apt course which will help me prepare for the GAMSAT (section 3 in particular) as well. It looked a lot like medicine tbh. However, back then I did little research on this course. Flash forward to about two weeks ago, since I moved to Australia with family, I have been talking to people and researching online about this course and unfortunately, I am having second thoughts now. First and foremost- the job prospects aren't looking good. I have to be real, I will work hard for grad med but if things turn sour for me and I don't get in, I'll have to do something. According to people, job prospects are very dull and the pay is average. Is it true? Most of my research on Med Sci has led me to the conclusion that this degree will lead me to nowhere if I don't get grad med.

Psychology only came into play a few days ago, I was looking at a list of courses and this looked interesting, especially because I am interested in the way the mind works. I was talking to my mother and she thinks it's a great course too (she prefers this to medical science) and thinks it has good job prospects. But she says it's pretty difficult too. Will psychology lead to a well paid job (if I don't get grad med)? Or are job prospects in this area dull too?

Nursing was always an option because 1) It's very closely related to med (which is my ultimate goal) and 2) A good job is pretty much guaranteed. However, it's not high on my list because my mom, who is a nurse and knows me well doesn't think I' suited to this career

Pharmacy, well, my parents think it's a good option but I don't really want to do it so doesn't really matter.

Anyway, by now, I'm so confused that I don't know what to do. Medical Science and Psychology- I'm dwindling between these two. Medical science seemed appealing at first but as I read more and more about it, I am not sure. It will prepare me better than Psychology (I believe) for the GAMSAT so that's a pro but what if I don't get grad med? What will a degree in medical science lead me to? And as for psychology, I think it will eventually lead me to a good job if I don't get grad med but I want to know if that's correct? That job prospects for psychology are good. Also, I'm worried that if I do psychology, I won't be in touch with the science required for GAMSAT and I don't want that either. :/ I'm SO confused!

I'm not into med for money reasons- I genuinely love studying about the human body, how it works and love working with people! The money is a bonus but that's not why I'm in it for. But if worst comes to worst and I don't get it, I'd like to have a well paid job just for a secure future.

As well, I really want to go to USYD and do think will get a place there, but since we'll be moving to Wollongong soon, my family wants me to join UOW for obvious reasons-I wouldn't have to stay away in a new country. Any ideas if what uni I do a Bachelor's degree from will make a difference when I apply for grad med? And how is UOW in general?

I know the final decision will be mine but if someone could shine some light and clear my doubts, I'd be ever so thankful.

 

[ohexploitable]

i'd like to have a go in your back door

 

[ohexploitable]

but srsly yeah i'm in med sci atm

i had the exact same thoughts as you this time last year, have you considered optometry or dentistry? my parents tried to push me into these because they were like 'just-in-case dude'

i was almost going to do engineering or science/law

what are your interests gurlll?

anyway in regards to med sci vs. psychology, psych would lead to opportunities in media, public relations, HR etc. and not just to become a psychologist

 

[ohexploitable]

also also also you can use any degree to go for jobs that aren't ~specific~ like medicine, engineering, dentistry etc.

a med sci degree doesn't have to be training for a job, it can demonstrate to an employer that you're intelligent, you possess analytical skills, you have a logical thinking process, you are good at problem solving etc. etc.

~the world is your oyster~

 

[jnney]

This is just what I think, and others may not agree with me but:

-It's natural to be concerned about not getting into post-grad med, because you feel like your future will be insecure hence the back ups.

-But since this is about your future, it makes more sense to me to pursue a career path that you want the most, and for you, that is post-grad med.

-Sure, there are a lot of what-ifs, but for now, i'd say, take med-science and have that confidence that you will get in. It's not as if it's impossible. If things don't work out the way you plan later on, deal with that when the time comes. There is also a lot of time between now and GAMSAT, so don't jump to conclusions and start to map out what you want to do before you get there.

-Psychology will lead you to a good pay, eventually, after years of experience.

-You can take psychology as an elective in medical science, i suppose that only gives you a jist of what students who major in psych do though.

-I've had the same mini-debate with myself whether to take psychology or med-science. but i'm going with medical science, because if i don't like this course, i can transfer to adv. sci which allows me to major in psychology and another science.

 

[teeah]

Hey, This is going to be long but I'd be grateful if you could spend some time reading this and helping me out.

A little background first. I'm an international student hoping to do grad med (MBBS) once I finish my undergraduate degree. MBBS is my ultimate goal but unfortunately I didn't get it the undergrad way so am looking at a few undergraduate degrees as a back door to graduate medicine. I have a few options in mind:

1) Medical Science
2)Psychology
3)Nursing
4)Pharmacy

A few months ago, I was dead set on Medical science- the description on the USYD website looked interesting so this course appealed to me and I have always enjoyed science (Chemistry and Biology to be specific) so thought this was an apt course which will help me prepare for the GAMSAT (section 3 in particular) as well. It looked a lot like medicine tbh. However, back then I did little research on this course. Flash forward to about two weeks ago, since I moved to Australia with family, I have been talking to people and researching online about this course and unfortunately, I am having second thoughts now. First and foremost- the job prospects aren't looking good. I have to be real, I will work hard for grad med but if things turn sour for me and I don't get in, I'll have to do something. According to people, job prospects are very dull and the pay is average. Is it true? Most of my research on Med Sci has led me to the conclusion that this degree will lead me to nowhere if I don't get grad med.

Psychology only came into play a few days ago, I was looking at a list of courses and this looked interesting, especially because I am interested in the way the mind works. I was talking to my mother and she thinks it's a great course too (she prefers this to medical science) and thinks it has good job prospects. But she says it's pretty difficult too. Will psychology lead to a well paid job (if I don't get grad med)? Or are job prospects in this area dull too?

Nursing was always an option because 1) It's very closely related to med (which is my ultimate goal) and 2) A good job is pretty much guaranteed. However, it's not high on my list because my mom, who is a nurse and knows me well doesn't think I' suited to this career

Pharmacy, well, my parents think it's a good option but I don't really want to do it so doesn't really matter.

Anyway, by now, I'm so confused that I don't know what to do. Medical Science and Psychology- I'm dwindling between these two. Medical science seemed appealing at first but as I read more and more about it, I am not sure. It will prepare me better than Psychology (I believe) for the GAMSAT so that's a pro but what if I don't get grad med? What will a degree in medical science lead me to? And as for psychology, I think it will eventually lead me to a good job if I don't get grad med but I want to know if that's correct? That job prospects for psychology are good. Also, I'm worried that if I do psychology, I won't be in touch with the science required for GAMSAT and I don't want that either. :/ I'm SO confused!

I'm not into med for money reasons- I genuinely love studying about the human body, how it works and love working with people! The money is a bonus but that's not why I'm in it for. But if worst comes to worst and I don't get it, I'd like to have a well paid job just for a secure future.

As well, I really want to go to USYD and do think will get a place there, but since we'll be moving to Wollongong soon, my family wants me to join UOW for obvious reasons-I wouldn't have to stay away in a new country. Any ideas if what uni I do a Bachelor's degree from will make a difference when I apply for grad med? And how is UOW in general?

I know the final decision will be mine but if someone could shine some light and clear my doubts, I'd be ever so thankful.

As someone who wants to do medicine and has spent a lot of time talking to all sort of people [doctors, allied health professionals, scientists] I think it all comes down to a couple of things.

1. How much you want med
2. How realistic it is for you to pursue med
3. What happens if everything falls apart.

So really, 3 things lol. The first because as you said, it won't be easy and you're going to be quite a bit older so if you're willing to commit yourself to studies again then that's great. The second because I know a lot of people have other things planned in their lives. Whether that be travelling, having a family or whatever, if you find that in 4/5 years time you just don't have the time to do med and are stuck with a degree for which there really isn't that great of a scope for jobs, then it's not fun. And lastly, what will happen if everything just crashes down and you can't pay fees or study or something like that. So basically, I think you need to evaluate these things and decide that if you're okay for all three things then medical science or any degree is fine because you'll get into graduate medicine.

From the people I've spoken to, especially students currently studying graduate medicine, so many of them tell me how grateful they are that they actually completed degrees that could secure them a job while studying medicine. In addition to providing financial security, their work can also become a release from some pretty intense studying. I know people from all walks of life who've studied grad med, from medsci students to physios to teachers and mechanics. So I guess anything goes?
The pro of a degree like medsci, from what I've read and been told is that it's really helpful in foundational medical studies and it can be useful for a test like the GAMSAT. The few people that I talked to who did undergrad med sci and moved onto medicine usually are really determined to pursue the path and luckily for them really financially and emotionally stable [i.e. family/SO's completely supportive of their goals].

So basically, just do what you want. Even if med sci doesn't turn out to be useful in 4 years time, if that's what you want to do, do it now and maybe after a year you could transfer or something? Maybe what you need is to have a taste of these things before really deciding?

Wow that was a lot of rambling, but I hope that helps lol. Good luck with everything and hopefully we'll both end up at med schools!

 

[Dylanamali]

Hopefully I can shed some light on this topic..

I, myself, am a med-hopeful and graduated from high school last year.
Like you, I contemplated all the "what-ifs" and ALL the "back up plans" I could think of.
I was thinking about nutrition & dietetics, optometry, teaching, physiotherapy, pharmacy.. the list goes on.

At the end of the day I chose Advanced Science @ UWS and since then I haven't really looked back and in hindsight I truly believe it was the best decision for my future goal of Medicine.
Firstly, if graduate medicine is something that you truly want to pursue, choose a short course..
Obviously you'd like to gain entry ASAP, so choose a 3 year course that can enable that.

Adv Sci @ UWS was perfect for me because:
1) close to home
2) scholarship
3) it is quite easy to achieve high marks.. (so far - I'm 1st year on a 7.0 GPA with minimal study)
4) decreased UMAT requirement

The best benefit is the 3rd one.. GPA is extremely important when it comes to graduate medicine so being able to go to an institution which will enable me to achieve a very high GPA will be extremely beneficial in the long run. So even though there is a strongly negative stigma surrounding UWS, if I can achieve a higher GPA then a USYD or UNSW student it will place me in better stead for graduate medicine.
And on the chance that I don't gain entry into medicine, a high GPA will virtually secure a place for me at any course I desire. E.g. A Juris Doctor in Law @ USYD or UNSW etc.

At the end of the day, if medicine is what you want, I'm assuming that you will be GAMSATTING 2nd and 3rd year and UMATING again for the next 3 or so years.. if you are competing in these high-stakes tests I really wouldn't recommend doing a extremely high-workload, demanding course.

_______________________

On a more relevant note!

If USYD is the place where you would like to study, I would definitely recommend doing a B Sc (Adv) majoring in Psychology.
This will allow you to study the sciences (Bio and Chem) in preparation for the GAMSAT but will also allow you to pursue psychology is med doesn't pan out.
In saying that - to become a registered psychologist it takes 6 years.. so that is definitely something you should consider.

Also - check out medstudentsonline for more advice.