Poll: Deakin Vs. Melbourne Uni

[bluemistake2]

So I'm horrible at introductions to threads and such, I never quite know where to start so I suppose it's a lot like eating a diverse sandwich and not knowing which end and topping to eat first.

I'm in a bit of a pickle at the moment, as much as I'll be told I need to "make up my own mind" I'd love to hear people's opinions on such just because... Well quite frankly I'm in need of the help, not going to beat around the bush.
As a bit of background I completed year 12 this year, and with the ATAR (Basically my ranking) I got I'm guaranteed entry into both biomedicine at Deakin university and a bachelor of science at the University of Melbourne.
Also, I'm looking at going into medicine as a post-grad and eventually psychiatry.

I'm basically just wondering what the difference is between the two courses and what you (personally) would do if you were in the exact same position? I should probably mention that Deakin would be at the Geelong campus, not the Melbourne campus.

 

[WolfThomas]

This belongs in advice I think.

It depends where you're from and where you'd want to live. Both have post grade medicine and both you'll need to work hard for. That said Deakin being the newer of the two medical courses is generally perceived as being easier to get into and Melbourne is perceived as being more prestigious. I think they prefer biomedicine too instead of straight science.

Can't help any more I got my MBBS from Monash.

 

[smithy_2045]

Melbourne is definitely more prestigious, but I'd go with whatever sounds more interesting to you. If they're roughly equal, go with the one that's easier to get to.

 

[Fireaxe]

Melbourne University has reputation and prestige as one of the top universities out there (and is probably the best in Australia), Deakin does not. Plus as you say the Deakin school of medicine is in Geelong, and Geelong is a hole.

So I'd say Melbourne University for sure. But what do I know, I went to Uni in fucking Ballarat (though admittedly the course I did had people coming down from Sydney to do it).

 

[Liv's Runaway Snail]

I'm going to have to recommend you to the whirlpool forums, an Australian site, with a sub forum for education. You will receive more responses to your question I think, they are pretty informative there. =]

 

[LongAndShort]

I'm in the "do what catches your interest most" camp, though that's not always an easy thing to decide. God knows I picked a few subjects that looked interesting and turned out to be... I'll keep it clean and just say not. But the more you enjoy your course, the easier it is to do and the more likely you are to enjoy the work you get afterwards.

But since you've set up a poll I'm gonna say Melbourne, mostly 'cause I went to Sydney Uni so I gotta support the universities named after capital cities.

 

[adamhenderson]

Biomedicine would be a more vocational degree, I would have thought. You'd be guaranteed registration with some board governing Biomedical scientists. The science degree would be general and give you a broader education (ie- you might study plant and animal biology as well as the biology of the human body).

TL;DR- Do Biomedical if you want a guaranteed job/ Do Science if you're more interested in research and academia.

 

[WolfThomas]

Melbourne is definitely more prestigious, but I'd go with whatever sounds more interesting to you. If they're roughly equal, go with the one that's easier to get to.

Melbourne University has reputation and prestige as one of the top universities out there (and is probably the best in Australia), Deakin does not.

The thing is while in general Melbourne would be considered the better university for most courses. The OP said he wanted to study medicine. The recently overhauled course of Medicine at Melbourne has received a lot of criticisms and a lot of their academics have actually left for other universities inlcuding Deakin.

Additionally nearly of Deakin training is at Barwon Health which is a hospital with a good reputation. Melbourne has some very well renowned hospitals like RMH as their sites, but additionally other less reputable hospital in both metropolitan and rural Victoria.


Is it better or worse? I don't know. I've worked with graduate from both and some are great, some are terrible for both universities.

But yeah Deakin is in Geelong, which is a big issue too if you don't want to be there.

Either way both will get you into medicine if you work hard enough.

I'd say:
Deakin - probably a bit easier to get into postgraduate medicine with biomedicine and to Deakin post-grad course
Melbourne - better university experience, college life, slight advantage if you want to work at some of the Melbourne hospital

 

[bluemistake2]

Thank you for all your responses guys, although I haven't shown much response (the thread kinda died when I initially started it) I really, really, really do appreciate all the input and will definitely be posting it on Whirpool as well.

That aside as a bit of a plan B for either of them if I couldn't get into med for whatever reason. What career opportunities lay in both a bachelor of science and a bachelor of biomedicine? I've been talking to the careers info center workers at my school and according to them with both degrees the jobs that come beside it are mostly research based? For the most part anyway, but I'd love to hear from you guys to see if there's anything else in either field?