University: The University of Western Australia

Degree: Bachelor of Biomedical Science, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

School Subjects: French, English Literature, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics Methods, Mathematics Specialist

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Despite knowing I wanted to do a biomed major in my undergrad, I was unsure of which major to actually pick. Luckily, what I quickly found was that lots of majors had the same level 1 units, which gave me more time to figure out what specific major I wanted to do. This is similar across all degrees. For example, if you know you want to study Engineering but are unsure of what specific Engineering major to choose (e.g. Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, etc.), don’t sweat it, as all engineering majors do the same units in first year.

Eventually, I picked Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in my second year of uni.

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

This major is about understanding the molecules that underpin life processes. For example, topics like protein structure, enzyme kinetics, and metabolic regulation are some of the theories you would cover. These are covered by lectures (which are recorded for students to watch online or attend in person) and are very content-heavy. Alongside the lectures, there are workshops to refine your understanding of the theory and labs to grasp the practical processes. Generally, a typical week would be 2–3 hours of lectures, a 3-hour lab, and a 2-hour workshop just for one Biochemistry unit. In third year, labs become 7 hours long, so I would recommend this major to those who enjoy a blend of theory and practical work and not to those who may find memorising detailed content difficult or who dislike working in the lab.

What I have enjoyed so far about this major is how it bridges biology and chemistry together to highlight the mechanics that underpin life. Despite the long waiting time for samples to be incubated, I find the content itself interesting, and I appreciate that lab reports are done online for ease of access. Furthermore, the topic quizzes for this unit are multiple-choice and very short (only 5–6 questions), and there is only one presentation per unit. The exams are multiple-choice in first year and multiple-choice and online in second year. However, this shifts in third year when the theoretical knowledge you learn becomes more applied. This results in an increased focus on short-answer questions over multiple-choice, which is designed to test your understanding.

Electives

I’d definitely recommend using your electives wisely—whether it’s to boost your GPA, explore new fields that interest you, or just take some fun units. Personally, I chose a few Japanese units as my electives.

Studying a language at uni is pretty similar to high school in terms of learning grammar and topics, but it’s much more interactive and conversational. A big part of it is speaking with your peers in class exercises, which makes it a lot more engaging. For Japanese (at least in my experience), the assessments were quite varied—online grammar tests, hiragana, katakana, and kanji writing tests, oral speaking assessments, and essays. The workload was manageable, even if you didn’t study Japanese (or any language) for ATAR. As long as you keep up with the content and practise regularly, it’s pretty straightforward.

One of the biggest positives of doing language units is the opportunity to meet new people. In some majors with large cohorts, it can be hard to make friends or form study groups. But since language tutorials involve so much social interaction, they’re a great way to connect with people—without requiring heaps of study time each week.

Advice for Students Considering Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Starting university may feel overwhelming, but it’s important to stay organised and proactive. Make a habit of reviewing weekly content every week, as each week has dense content to cover. Missing a week may cause your workload to significantly increase and lead to unnecessary stress. Use tools like flashcards (i.e. Anki) to help you memorise content, and do practice exams to get a feel for the time pressure. Also, make a study group with people in the same major, as you’ll be with them for the next three years!

In terms of career opportunities, this major opens doors to research, healthcare, and biotechnology. However, I would recommend doing an honours or a master’s in Biochemistry or Biotechnology to be more competitive.