Page 28 - JCH_2020_Fresher_Guide

Bachelor of
BIOMEDICINE by Charlotte Webster
Congratulations and welcome to the
wonderfully painful degree that is Biomed!
Get ready for a whole lot of content, bonding
with your biomed buddies and becoming a
champion of weird flexes (e.g. “Well I have
20+ contact hours a week”). Here are a
couple tips I’ve picked up over the last year
that will hopefully help make your first year a
little bit easier.
1. GO. TO. LECTURES.
This is probably the most frequent piece
of advice you’ll hear this year, and also
what you’ll most likely ignore. Everyone is
guilty of skipping a few lectures here and
there, myself included, but for biomed it’s
super important to stay up to date with the
content. Most of your first-year lectures
will build on the previous lecture’s content,
which makes falling behind ridiculously easy.
You’ll also have a much easier SWOTVAC if
you’ve stayed up to date with all the content
throughout the semester.
2. Stay positive and open minded about all
the compulsory subjects
Having six compulsory subjects in first year
can seem quite painful, especially when they
28
5. Actually do the past exams and practice
are all pretty intense subjects like maths,
chemistry, and physics. Personally, I had
always found physics super intimidating
and was very nervous to find out it was a
compulsory subject for biomed. However,
Physics for Biomed was one of the most
interesting subjects to take and I’m actually
glad it was compulsory. If it wasn’t, I probably
would never have taken the subject and
subsequently missed out on learning some
pretty cool stuff. For those interested in
postgraduate medicine, these subjects help
prepare you for the GAMSAT! So stay open-
minded about these subjects, they might just
become your favourite ;)
3. Be well prepared for your practical
classes
Two or three-hour practicals can be
overwhelming sometimes BUT, if you
prepare well, they are the most enjoyable and
rewarding classes to take. Make sure you
read the notes, watch the videos on LMS,
and complete the pre-prac tests and you will
breeze through. It’s important to know that
pracs aren’t on every week, so make sure you
know your personal timetable, and always
remember your safety glasses and lab coat!
4. Make the most of your lecturers, tutors
and peers (including those at college!)
One of the best things about college is that
you are surrounded by brilliant people who
love to help, and they are around almost all
the time! If you ever need help with any of
your subjects, there are so many people you
can go to from lecturers and college tutors to
other biomed students. Everyone wants you
to do your best so, if you’ve got a question,
don’t be afraid to ask.
Okay, that has depleted my biomed wisdom
questions for now. If you are yearning for more or have
The practice exams are one of the best ways any questions about biomed, uni, or college,
I’m always happy to help. I hope you have a
to prepare for your exams because they give magnificent year and enjoy first year biomed
you a really good idea of what to expect. as much as I did! :)
Don’t just leave them all for SWOTVAC! You
can go through exams and answer questions
throughout the semester too! Unfortunately,
the biology and maths faculties aren’t great in
this area and they only give out one practice
exam, but you do get given weekly tutorial
questions that are super useful to complete.
On the other hand, the chemistry and physics
departments are very generous and give
out an almost endless amount of practice
exams, as well as the weekly tutorial sheets.
So go get practicing!
6. Have fun!
Biomed doesn’t have to be all study all the
time. Make sure you give yourself a break My first year goals
and treat yo’self to the occasional Pidapipó
or Yo-Chi. Go to the park with a group from
college or uni and kick a ball around. Watch
a few episodes of your favourite TV show.
Take a trip to the beach or go for a swim at
the uni pool. SLEEP! Looking after yourself
throughout the semester will make first year
so much more rewarding and memorable.
29