Year 11/12 Subject Choices and Medicine

Last updated 24th September 2017

UMAT® Exam and UMAT® Exam preparation is only one component of a medical school application, the other is of course your ATAR, and finally there is the matter of what HSC® Exam subjects you enrol in. “What HSC® Exam subjects should I pick if I want to do medicine?” - I remember googling this question in so many different ways to try and get a straight answer. Unfortunately the reason no results were coming up is because there is no correct answer. At the time, it felt like the biggest decision I ever had to make, and that’s it probably was. I will pre-empt this blog by noting that this is not a guideline for what subjects you NEED to pick to get into medicine. What it should do is give you insights into the usefulness of some subject choices over others.

Although there are no pre-requisites for entry into undergraduate medicine, there are some subjects that put a bit more weight into your university application. For example, although UNSW specifically says that you are not required to have completed any specific subject in order to be able to apply, be accepted or enrol in undergraduate medicine, it does say that English and Chemistry are considered highly in the application.  

 

In this we will be focusing on choosing subjects from a few different perspectives:

-       Boosting your ATAR

-       What looks good on a medicine application

-       What will be practical once you get into medicine

 

English

As a domestic student completing your HSC® Exam in Australia, you should be doing “English Advanced”, at the very least. English is the only subject that will definitely contribute to your HSC® Exam mark so you want to make it count. Universities also look highly upon students who have achieved well in either Extension English 1 or 2. If you are good at English or have done well in the past, it is well worth your while to consider enrolling yourself to Extension English. Not only will it look good on your application, but it will also, if you do well, give your ATAR a boost as extension English is considered a ‘harder’ subject and scales your marks up. If you are not good at English or do not like English, consider sticking to Advanced English. It is better to use your extra time to excel in advanced than it is to try, but ultimately not succeed in extension.

 

Maths

Maths is one of those subjects that people like to say ‘you either got it, or you don’t’. There is some truth behind this statement since some people do understand maths a lot more easily than others (I was NOT one of those people), which then makes excelling in this subject easier. But this isn’t to say that if you don’t ‘get it’ you shouldn’t bother trying- it just means that you have to try a little harder! Same with anything, right? In terms of picking a subject which will maximize your potential, only choose to do maths if you actually like it, because if you don’t, you are going to be spending a lot of extra time trying to get through the subject and if you aren’t successful, it may drag your ATAR down. If you like it a lot, choose extension 1 and if you LOVE and/or are one of those people who ‘get it’, do extension 2. It doesn’t really hold the same weight as extension English in terms of how good it looks on your application (although it will still be looked at highly), but it will certainly bring your ATAR up if you do well.

 

Sciences

Chemistry

If medicine is the end goal, chemistry is a good subject to have up your sleeve. Not only do some medical schools recommend it for prior learning, but it also pulls your ATAR up if you do well enough in the subject. Whilst I can vouch that it is quite a difficult subject, with the right attitude, it can be a very interesting and enjoyable subject. Definitely one to think about adding to the subject list!

 

Biology

Although a lot of people consider this the ‘easier’ science, this will potentially be the most useful AFTER you gain entry into the course. Since the first two years of any undergraduate medicine degree are spent going through the theoretical content of medicine, biology is a big chunk of the content. Many medical schools actually recommend that you complete a biology bridging course before starting your degree so you are not so far behind the rest of those who did biology in high school. In terms of ATAR, it is not the biggest ATAR booster, but it will not necessarily bring you down.

 

Physics

Although it seems every science teacher wants to stress the importance of physics, for a future medical practitioner, it’s pretty safe to say that most of what you learn throughout year 11 and 12 is pretty useless. Physics is a great subject to have an understanding of, as it actually does apply to the world around us and can help make sense of everyday life. In terms of practicality in the future, you could go your whole medical degree without ever doing or having done physics and be no worse off. It is however, one of the best subjects to boost your ATAR as it is certainly considered a ‘harder’ subject. My advice: If you enjoy science and are happy to learn for the sake of learning, give physics a go, if anything, it may pull your ATAR up and give you a better shot at reaching the benchmark for undergraduate medicine entry. If you are the type a person who needs a reason for learning, you are not going to enjoy 2 years of learning information that will essentially be useless after your final HSC® Exam exam (Harsh I know, but coming from someone who has a year 10 understanding of physics, I have not been hindered once throughout the course of my study).

 

PDHPE (Personal Development, Health and Physical Education)

This one is purely a practical subject. Much of what they teach you will pop up in much greater detail early on in your medical degree. It touches on a lot of nutrition and health-based subjects, which when compared to something like physics is certainly a lot more applicable to medicine. True, some people can view this as a ‘bludge’ subject (false), because it is not technically science, but if you apply yourself, not only could you get a good mark out of it, but you will also form a good basic understanding of some important health-related concepts. On the downside however, you have to do REALLY well to make this subject count as it does not scale nearly as well as things like science, economics and extension subjects.

 

I have purposely only mentioned a few subject choices here, because these are the subjects that are viewed as most ‘desirable’ in a medicine entry candidate. For all the artists and musicians who are also pursuing a career in medicine, this is absolutely not to say that you are not good potential candidates. In fact, having a passion and proved efforts to improve yourself in that field (be it music, art, drama…) is a fantastic thing to have on a medicine application. Not only does it show that you have interests outside of medicine, but it also shows dedication, which is considered as desirable as good marks.

 

There are no right or wrong answers here. If I can leave you with some final advice, only do subjects that you enjoy. If you hate maths, don’t do it. If you’re not fantastic at English, stick to advanced. If you hate science, maybe consider a different career path because this one might bite you on the bum (unless it’s physics, you can hate physics). And if you really love the more artsy, history focused subjects, do it! Just keep in mind that you are then competing with hundreds of science-focused students who may have a leg up in marks and content.

 

It’s a long journey ahead, but it’s all worth it in the end! And don’t forget your UMAT® Exam preparation throughout the HSC® Exam! Work hard guys and happy studying!

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