Jia Yun Siew
"I knew really early on that science was my thing, and I knew I wanted to work in the healthcare industry in the future. However, I wasn't sure what I wanted to do exactly, so Biomedicine was a good option," explains Biomedicine student Jia Yun Siew.
Jia Yun completed high school and a university preparation course in Singapore before deciding to move to Melbourne to study Biomedicine. She says that a lot of factors influenced her choice.
"Melbourne is a multi-cultural and vibrant city. It has a strong music and arts scene and there's great food around the area. Also, Melbourne Uni is world-renowned and very highly regarded by future employers."
Jia Yun's dream job is working as a gynaecologist and obstetrician, or as a nurse, and she plans to do either postgraduate Medicine or Nursing at Melbourne, but adds "I'm definitely open to new options!"
"I like Biomedicine because it's a general degree, but it's also the gateway to future health care-related postgraduate degrees. In the meantime, I get to explore and understand each healthcare profession. Hopefully by the end of Biomedicine, I have a clear idea of what I want to do as a career!
Her favourite core subject is biology.
"I like learning about living things, especially our body systems and how different mechanisms of our body work together to create us and keep us alive. A good thing about the Biomedicine course is that we focus on learning the biology of humans only, and we don't have to study plants!"
After some initial hesitation she says that taking breadth subjects outside her usual field of study has been a highlight of the course.
"When I knew that I had to take contrasting subjects that I'm either not good at or have never tried before in my whole life, I was kind of intimidated. But now, I'm really glad. I feel it is helping me develop into a more all-rounded and knowledgeable person. It's also good because I get a break from science, and it makes studying for exams less monotonous."
"When I graduate, I hope I'll be more all-rounded and know something else other than scientific facts."
So far, Jia Yun has been taking music breadth subjects, such as Wind Ensemble, Choir and Music Psychology. She admits the course can be hard work, and is a real step up from high school.
"We really study hard during the semester and especially during the exam period. When compared to students from other faculties, it seems like we totally have no life at all. There is also a huge amount of stuff crammed into a one hour lecture – what I learnt over one week during high school is taught in one lecture in uni."
But of course, all work and no play would make for very unhappy uni students.
"We save all the fun for after exams and during the holidays! During the semester, we have a lot of fun events organised by the Biomedicine Student Society like cruises and balls, and these give us a break from school work and a chance to party."
It sounds like Jia Yun has found that balance is the key to studying successfully.