Stressing About Uni Preferences... Help!

[layn30]

Yes, I'm binging ATARNotes forum threads; Yes, I should be studying for my SAC tomorrow.

I think I have read a few threads about the whole "I have been aiming for Med my whole life and now I'm not so sure" thing and I really resonate with it. Mid last year I made the decision that Med wasn't for me (I completed work experience at Monash hospital & a veterinary - ya girl is queezy!) Since, I have been spiralling and stressing like WHAT THE HECK DO I DO NOW? I have been very science and maths orientated up until recently and I haven't explored other areas as much as I would have liked to since I didn't anticipate to despise maths and have a weak stomach.

So with my limited practical experience of each subject, I did my research on other degree paths to go down. I've explored Laws, Arts & Business specifically but I have still kept Science in mind since it's like an old ex I can't seem to shrug off entirely.


Degrees I'm interested in but can't commit to for various reasons yeet:
- Science: My first love. However, I only love the biological aspect of it and I absolutely despise the maths element of it. Additionally, I read somewhere that a science degree on it's own isn't good employability wise so if I were to pursue it, it would be a bridging subject - but to where?
- Law: I picked up Legal Studies expecting to be a 'meh' subject, however, I have quite enjoyed the content and played around the idea of working within the criminal justice system. Then again, employment prospects are rather... iffy.
- Business: I have absolutely no experience studying any business related subject, so this one is tossed into the mix simply because I believe it is the most 'secure' choice in terms of employability. Knowing my personality, I do believe I can excel in the business field and perhaps enjoy it - but then again, this one is a gamble.
- Arts: I remember loving Art when I was younger, I had a natural knack for it too but quickly let go of it when I started going down the STEM path. If I were to pick Arts however, I'd reckon I'd dabble in Philosophy & Psychology just because I'm very much interested in controversial topics and learning about the human condition. I'm hesitant to go down this path because this would be the furthest away from what my parents expect of me, also... job prospects.

I have explored the Melbourne Model and although the idea behind it is appealing for people like myself, I know a few people personally who did not like the experience. Maybe a little more insight and opinions on the Melbourne Model?

The only thing I'm set on is Monash. It fits every box for me in terms of convenience, expense and community. As part of the Monash Scholars program I have loved the atmosphere I've experienced so far there and I've brought way too much Monash merchandise already that it would be embarrassing if I didn't go lmao.

I feel like I'm just ranting now. I suppose I'm just looking for opinions on my situation and what you believe is the best degree to pursue for someone like me.

PS. I have considered a gap year, unfortunately it wouldn't work out for me.
PSS. I know this post is WAY too long but kudos if you read this far!

[Sine]

The Melbourne model is definitely great for anyone who has no idea what they want to get into or doesn't want to commit to a certain pathway right away.

Even though it's called the "Melbourne" model you can basically do the same thing at Monash (or really any other uni) (e.g. do Arts, Science, Commerce etc and then move onto something else in postgraduate studies). However, the Monash system is built so that it would be much more efficient if you do have an idea of what you want to do. So you don't have to wait by doing a double degree e.g. Arts/Law.

[layn30]

The Melbourne model is definitely great for anyone who has no idea what they want to get into or doesn't want to commit to a certain pathway right away.

Thanks for your input Sine! UoM is starting to look more appealing. Although, in the event that I do pursue a course at UoM and figure out what I want to do; (e.g. I figure out I want to do Law - if that's the case, Monash is where to be) Would it be easy to transfer from UoM to Monash? I have heard that internal transfers are favoured over external transfers at Monash.

[AngelWings]

Hey Layn30!

I've been in a similar situation before, where I simply didn't know what career I wanted after my initial plan didn't quite work out. (My story will be in a spoiler below.) It can be really confusing thinking that a particular career (such as med, in your instance) was completely the right career for you... and then trying it and realising that it's not The One. Funnily enough, I used to get easily queasy too (lot less now), so I get what you mean. The good news is that you now know that you are and have a bit of time to switch direction or fine-tune your ideas for your own future.

Based on your initial post, you've clearly got some quite diverse directions you have looked at so far. Science, law, business and arts all have a lot of options and slight overlaps too (think: psychology being under science or arts). In your case, I like that you've got job prospects in mind, however, try to compromise this with what you enjoy (which I think you have, but wanted to state this outright). I'd almost daresay to prioritise the degree you pick initially after high school to be one that you enjoy over job prospects, since you'll be paying for it time-, effort- and probably money-wise and not anyone else. Might as well enjoy it.    

I won't try to sway you into any degree, as I'd be biased myself. Also, I hope for you to make this decision yourself based on your own interests, strengths and other variables, as strangers on the internet won't know you as well as you know yourself. I will, however, comment that, yes, broad degrees might be a good starting point, as well as, perhaps, double degrees that still tick as many boxes as possible e.g. Comm/Law.

Sine has already given you some information regarding the Melbourne Model, but I wanted to elaborate and state that the Melbourne Model makes it compulsory for students to take "breadth units" (basically, these are elective subjects) that are not within your faculty e.g. if you're a Science student, you'd take non-Science electives for breadth units. This leaves it as a double-edged sword. On one hand, you can trial other areas as you wish, which is great if you don't know what you what to do quite yet and great to diversify your subjects, but on the other, you will not have any flexibility as to whether your electives are within or outside of faculty. (In contrast, the restriction caused by the Melbourne Model is not present at Monash and other institutes, thus electives can be within or outside faculty as you wish.)

Thanks for your input Sine! UoM is starting to look more appealing. Although, in the event that I do pursue a course at UoM and figure out what I want to do; (e.g. I figure out I want to do Law - if that's the case, Monash is where to be) Would it be easy to transfer from UoM to Monash? I have heard that internal transfers are favoured over external transfers at Monash.

It helps to be internal (going from one degree to another in the same institute) than going via external transfer (one institute to another), as the institute already has you on their system (meaning it'll be less hassle) and they know how difficult the subjects you've done already were and will be more likely to recognise these. Your best chance of transferring is to do a degree as close as possible to the degree you're hoping to transfer into at the same institute.

The only thing I'm set on is Monash. It fits every box for me in terms of convenience, expense and community. As part of the Monash Scholars program I have loved the atmosphere I've experienced so far there and I've brought way too much Monash merchandise already that it would be embarrassing if I didn't go lmao.

For an undergrad degree, convenience is often something people consider, though it definitely ranks in a lot less than studying what you enjoy. Thought it might be note-worthy though.

Some questions for you to answer:
- What are you queasy towards (e.g. are you queasy towards blood and other bodily products, only queasy towards large wounds and surgery or something else)? (Like Bri's said below, there's health/med-related jobs in which you won't be limited by a weak stomach.)
- What aspects of science/ biology (excluding maths) are you interested in?
- What year are you in currently?
- What subjects are/ will you be taking for Year 12?
- What are your interests and hobbies? (This might help you decide on what you’d like to try.)

I’d also like you (and pretty much any high schooler unsure of what career they hope to pursue) to check out these career bullseyes. Click the area(s) you’re interested in To access these targets with levels of education needed to get X job. The outermost rings cover uni-level jobs, which may or may not include postgrad studies. (This site works best on tablets/laptops, I think.)

Hope I kind of covered a little of everything here. Let me know if you have any questions or if I missed anything and, if it's about my personal experiences (see personal story below), please feel free to PM me.

AngelWings' personal story

Since I was young, I've always switched directions and been uncertain. One of these was architecture. (This is important later.)

In Year 10, I chose to work towards commerce/ business, after noting that (a) I wanted to life a simple life and (b) job security, like you. I took U1/2 Economics, having done as many commerce/ business subjects as I could in Year 10... and discovered that Economics - and indeed, all of commerce, had not been right for me. The signs started showing when I started to realise that I was unhappy with this direction, the content felt less and less appealing and I started to feel empty.

Year 11. I decided my subjects according to what I knew I liked, what I knew I could do well and what would leave me the most options. I left my courses open and, being a KLDYS (UoM equivalent to Monash Scholars), started to gravitate towards broader degrees. However, Monash was more convenient for me and I disliked the restrictions on the electives. I did some introspection, looked at my interests and skill set and settled on science, despite never being particularly good at it before. Come VTAC preferences (August of Year 12) and my top preference was the Bachelor of Science at Monash, however, I'd put in lots of very diverse options. Beyond science, I picked out arts, commerce (to give it another shot), architecture (from when I was younger) and even UoM's Bachelor of Environment.

Uni. I started my degree with few ideas. Knew I wanted to give biology another chance and wanted to continue a language for my electives, so I did. Fast forward and I specialised in genetics, with chemistry and Japanese on the side. I decided on research (and other scientific/technical services) as my career direction and did Honours last year.

Since then, I've been working in the science/health field.

           

[Bri MT]

Hey,

I'm not sure I know enough about you to give helpful career/course advice but if you still like bio there are areas of biology where having a weak stomach wouldn't hinder you. 

There are many different ways of having a rewarding career which benefits the community & you don't need to have all of the answers now.

In regards to the melbourne model, Monash does allow you to study generalist courses and choose electives so you can still have broad studies there if that's important to you.

I'd also say that even doing an outreach program at a uni you don't see everything. I did KLD at unimelb and what I thought from that was a very limited perspective compared to the day-to-day experience of being a student.

Good luck with making your decision & let be know if you have any questions about my experiences as a Monash science (global challenges) student