Hi pinkblossomes,
I'll provide some insights in studying Biomedicine @ UoM (i am incoming third year)
I have thoroughly enjoyed my degree, although challening it really has inspired me to pursue medicine, the quality of lectures are high and the coordination of the subjects have been done very well.
I agree with Sine that Biomedicine at UoM and Monash are probably around the same difficulty and both provide you with great insights to the field of biomedical science.
It is important to note, that Biomedicine @ UoM has revolutionised their first-year core subject; they have added two new subjects are cores and they provide foundations into biomedicine and seem pretty interesting (one of them doesn't even have a final exam, whilst the other is a low-stake final exam compared to past where all exams were <70%)
So I think you should take some time to have a look at Biomedicine @ UoM has to offer as I think it will be a unique and rewarding experience.
As for the Monash Biomedical Science Pathway to Graduate Entry Medicine yes it does sound like a great offer but there is only 50 seats (which is indeed very competitive) in 2017 there were 457 students enrolled into Biomedical Science @ Monash granted not all of them were competing for those 50 seats, but I hope you can see it would be good advice to sit the GAMSAT and apply for medical schools elsewhere.
Hence, when I found about this I felt like the edge the Monash Biomedical Science students have is minimal (granted still a great position to have) but in the end, I was recommended to still sit the GAMSAT anyway.
I personally think both are good choices, but if you worried about not having that edge at UoM I hope this gives insight on what the Monash Biomedical Science Pathway to Graduate Entry Medicine is and how competitive it can be.
As for the culture at UoM, I personally think the Biomd cohort is very friendly and it is very easy to get along with others and make social groups, it doesn't feel competitive since everyone is working together. I am sure there are some people who may act competitively, but you don't have to mingle with those bad vibes and I am sure you will be able to make friends and connections easily. The Biomed Student Society (BSS) is one of the greatest, I haven't met a committee who is so engaged with their faculty, they will all try to talk and greet with you and are super friendly, and are always there to help us out which is great! The BSS is very easy to reach out which is nice and complements the experience of studying Biomedicine @ UoM.
So if you do decide to stay @ UoM I believe you will enjoy what you study, you won't be overwhelmed by competition since you will be in a friendly environment, and enjoy the experience.
In this day and age, prestige holds little value (and this is coming from a UoM student) you shouldn't pick a university just because of its ranking although I won't deny that UoM is #1 for Clinical, Pre-clinical and Health in Australia, UoM has a lot more to offer than just its rank as I have previously mentioned above.
I hope this was helpful in helping you to make a decision.
If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask or you can PM me.