92. This subject was extremely interesting and, while content heavy, was a useful subject taken in conjunction with others offered through the School of Biomedical Sciences. The number of lectures means it probably shouldn’t be taken in conjunction with content-heavy subjects like MIIM20001 and PATH20001, but I did them together and found they complemented each other well and were overall just fascinating! The majority of lecturers were very clear in their explanations, selected appropriate and helpful imagery to describe what was occurring, and made content memorable. All lecturers did a great job integrating potential clinical applications into their content, making the content engaging and the base anatomy more memorable. The practical component of this subject was useful (especially if you came prepared) and demonstrators provided great opportunities for active recall. The MST format (all MCQ) made studying easier and reduced stress around the assessment. The exam was (in my opinion) quite easy and had limited questions that actually required proper sentences—there were only really two tricky questions that required much thought beyond just what you had learned in lectures. My main complaint is the level of detail expected of us was not always clear. It was worst in the embryology lectures, and sometimes it was also unclear how we were meant to explain a concept if we were told that we ‘didn’t need to know’ the level of vocabulary the lecturer was using. It would have been almost preferable to be asked to learn more, because it’s much easier to describe the development of the kidneys if you have access to the vocab the lecturer used. However, I’d still highly recommend anatomy!

I’m going to start by saying I’m not typically one to write subject reviews, but this is one of those rare cases where I couldn’t let an exceptional subject go unnoticed. From the very start, it was clear that this subject had been thoughtfully designed and planned with student learning in mind. The content is carefully structured and taught exceptionally well to provide the best possible introduction to anatomy. The very first lecture is SO useful, and is designed to introduce basic terminology which underpins everything you learn. Over the duration of the semester, the subject strikes a balance between building strong foundations and making complex concepts both engaging and manageable. You begin with quite distinct topics (neuroanatomy, embryology and a range of systems) which are tested in MST 1. Personally, I found these first few weeks to be the hardest as the amount of new content can feel quite overwhelming and it takes a little while to find a method of learning the content that works best for you. The second block of content is tested in MST 2 and focuses on limbs, thoracic cage and its contents and cardiovascular/respiratory systems and then you finish up with abdominal and reproductive anatomy. The MSTs are all multiple choice, and they are very fair and easy to do well in. Whilst worth 60%, the final exam is extremely reasonable and you are provided with lots of review material both over the course of the semester and in the lead up to exam time. It goes without saying but this subject very much follows the “work hard during the 12 teaching weeks and you’ll perform well in the exam” approach. A few further points. Whilst this subject feels content heavy, much of that stems from the fact that, for most students, over 90% of the material is completely new and requires a different way of thinking/applying knowledge. It is super helpful to engage with the content as much as possible through the pracs, review lectures and quizzes to perform well in this subject. The review lectures that Kate gives at the end of each content block are extremely helpful in preparing for the MSTs and final exam, be sure to engage with them. Also, make sure to complete the ADSLs - they are good consolidation, quite straightforward and you can repeat as many times as needed. The practical classes are, without question, the most valuable resource this subject provides. They are such a fun and engaging way to consolidate your learning, with two hours spent in a small-group environment alongside incredibly supportive demonstrators. If you take one point away from this review, let it be this - come prepared and ready to engage! It is not expected of you to know everything and these sessions are designed to help you learn. Do not be afraid to get questions wrong or feel hesitant to participate. The sessions are truly much more enjoyable when everyone feels comfortable in asking questions, making mistakes and sharing their thinking, even when they are unsure. Additionally, the demonstrators are so approachable and genuinely invested in helping you and they really do make each session enjoyable. Finally, what truly makes this subject stand out isn’t the content or the practical experiences - it’s the people behind it. The dedication and thoughtfulness of the teaching team are what transform this from simply being a subject into a memorable experience. The lecturers are all awesome and I truly enjoyed learning from each of them. The content is divided in a way that allows each to teach to their strengths. Kate is awesome - she does an amazing job of breaking down challenging and conceptually demanding topics into content that is easy to understand. Her lectures are engaging and I found her teaching very clear to follow. She often links the content she teaches to clinical scenarios, which is so so helpful in making the content feel relevant and applicable to the real world. I have to take a different approach in comparison to other reviews, in that whilst her slides are somewhat detailed, Kate very clearly outlines what she expects us to take away from her lectures and states what information is important to retain, which is incredibly helpful. Rex loves to remind us that we already know so much more than we think about the body and its actions, and he uses this within his upper and lower limb lectures to teach and break down the content in a way that is so manageable to understand and comprehend. His lectures are always incredibly engaging and flow well as he enjoys telling stories and relating the concepts he teaches to everyday life, which for myself made a world of a difference in making the content easier to understand and retain. Kate and Rex’s coordination of this subject is outstanding. It is incredibly well planned and thoughtfully designed. They both are approachable, supportive and always willing to help which makes it easy to seek guidance when needed. Beyond this, it's clear that they both care and are genuinely invested in the learning experience of their students. Overall, this subject is the epitome of “what you put in is what you get out.” Be willing to learn and engage and it is easy to do well.

Grade: 88. For context I did this subject along with Human Physiology and Research-Based Physiology. This is easily the best subject I did out of the 3. This subject is quite literally the epitome of 'if you put in the hard work, you will get the result'. The content was really interesting. This subject is definitely one of those ones where nothing makes sense at the start and slowly as you add topics it just keeps making more and more sense. There is a reason the CNS and PNS is taught first, as it underpins all the innvervations for the rest of the semester. What everyone says is true, embryology is truly the hardest topic, every time it was assessed during the semester it spiked my cortisol. Other than that there is a lot of content but lowkey a lot of it makes sense. I'm a huge science-based lifter and the stuff from upper limb and lower limb was definitely interesting. The other really hard topics from this semester are the thoracic cage, cardiovascular system, and pulmonary system. These are all taught by Kate and she puts WAY TOO MUCH content on these slides. She puts EVERY single innervation on those slides, and so many little random facts like the fact that only rib 1, 10, 11 and 12 have a single vertebral attachment (or something like that). Trust me when these little facts add up it becomes so exhausting to memorise. Her lectures were genuinely worse than Epstein. Rex and Jason are like the exact opposite, they put a minimal amount of content on their slides and they are also both in my top 3 lecturers at Unimelb with how well they explain stuff. You'd think that they only assess the main points of each slide but not only do they test niche stuff, they also test stuff that ISN'T even on the slides. I'll give you an example: they asked what the function of the medulla oblongata is. I triple checked the slides after MST 1 and sure enough it wasn't written anywhere. You could say that medulla oblongata function is almost prereq knowledge for anatomy but I still don't think it's fair to assess it like that. Look I get that Kate is saying that you should be learning structure AND function but really if you did that for every structure you'd be spending hours on 2nd year anatomy which just seems a bit cringe. So to answer the good old question of whether or not they test stuff the lecturers SAY rather than what is just written on the slides, it's the former. I got punished several times for this as I memorised the slides verbatim but didn't really watch the lectures. My mate has a different opinion on this 2 reviews underneath mine but I definitely think that at least for the MSTs there was a lot of niche ball knowledge you had to have. The exam was actually pretty good in testing major ideas. Like in this subject you memorise at least 30 types of joints, and for example if they're fibrous, cartaliginous, synovial plane joint etc. The worst is, again, in Kate's slides when for example the xiphisternal joint ossifies usually after the 4th decade to become a synostosis. You learn all this stuff and in the exam they legit just tested what kind of a joint is an elbow joint??? The FIRST joint Rex teaches to explain joints??? I'm not complaining though lol, the exam was more than fair and if you studied hard you'd have done well. The quizzes are a free 10% because you can redo them. Because of this, do them without using notes the 1st time so you can gauge what you know and what needs work. The practicals for this subject are a bit troll half the time people are just talking with their friends since it's self-directed. It's super apparent how unprepared we are when the demonstrators are asking us questions about the cadavers and nobody knows the answer. I'd say if you actually learnt the content prior to attending the practicals and asked the demonstrators lots of questions you could gain a huge bunch from it. They also give mneumonics and acronyms as they've done this subject before! I have nothing but praise for this subject barring the fact that maybe 5% of the questions are niche ball knowledge from small, less relevant parts of slides or stuff that the lecturers themselves say but don't write on the slides. I used Anki tons for this subject but really anyone with a good memory should be able to do very well for this subject.

Content heavy - requires substantial time investment. Straightforward - black & white, questions do not tend to be ambiguous. H1 achievable if keep up with content.

Grade: 97. This subject is really the highlight of this semester. Content wise, you are brought through the nervous system, embryology, an overview of the body systems, limbs, heart, lungs, abdomen, reproduction and urinary systems. Each lecture ranges from 20-50 slides, which make some weeks more relaxing and others very challenging. For this subject, essentially all of the assessed information will be on the provided slides, with very little info "only said during the lecture". Personally, I didnt watch the lectures and used the slides only, and found that this worked for me in scoring very well. Basically, all of the IMPORTANT info is on the slides, so they should be your focus. But from the few lectures I did see, they are often given very well but the nature of anatomy is that there is not much thinking involved and more memorisation. Attending lectures should be for consolidation ONLY, otherwise nothing will and can be retained from a single viewing only. Spaced repetition is very important for this subject, as you will feel overwhelmed with the volume of content, and I found testing myself with chatgpt at the end of every week forced me to confront what i know and dont know. Assessments were designed very well. The weekly ADSL quizzes were easy and you are given unlimited attempts, which ensures that you get full marks for them across the semester. MST 1 and 2 are both multiple choice, and are more challenging, but process of elimination and deduction often lead you to the right answer. The exam was mostly okay as well, with a couple tricky short answer questions, but nothing too bad. Oh, and the practicals (there are only 4 of them throughout the semester) were very engaging and hands on, and it was enjoyable getting to touch and see how what you learn actually appears in the body. It is important to note however that in the body veins are not blue and arteries are not red, so there is a bit of a mismatch between what you expect and what you see. On the other hand, this subject is pretty individual, and study is often just staring at the slides for hours and memorising, so there is limited opportunity to meet other ppl except during the practicals. Overall, very well run subject, engaging lectures and lecture content, hands on practicals, and fair assessments. But, there is an enormous amount of content and memorisation, and a couple questions can feel unfairly niche, but no subject is perfect. I'd highly recommend any future students thinking of taking this subject!

Absolutely the highlight of my second year, enjoyed this subject more than anything and achieved 95 for this subject. Definitely heavy on the memorisation, but you get to see real human cadavers (so cool innit!)

Completely memorisation-based subject. If memorisation is not your strong point, do not do it!

Very cool subject, you get to actually see the cadavers in the practicals, which are definitely the highlight of the subject. I still remember the first-ever practical session; everyone was so excited. The practical demonstrators are pretty nice and patient, at least for my group. Content-wise, not really my thing. Content-heavy and mostly memorisation, and the names are really long and hard to remember. It's not the most interesting subject in terms of the contents, but I believe it is manageable (Although I almost cried memorising everything). Lucky that you won't be asked to spell everything out in any of the assessments correctly, MSTs are all MCQs, and the exams are okay, not too hard, I would say. I didn't score too high, unlike many of the other comments. I struggled quite a bit, and even questioned myself for taking this subject, but again, I blame it on myself; at least my friends are doing okay. After all, a solid subject, absolutely amazing practicals, definitely worth a try.

Grade- H1, ADSL (10%) make sure you get 10/10 for all the 8 quizzes. Maximise your marks wherever you can. Don’t leave the ADSL’s last minute do them like 2-3 days before because it can get tedious, just get them over and done with before the due date. MST 1 (MCQ-15%) is quiet simple, DO PRACTICE MST papers or quizzes, make you own questions, find them online, anatomy is an entirely visual subject so doing this practice question will force you to remember where certain viscera or structures are. The first practice quiz some questions were repeated in the MST, which was surprising. MST 2 (MCQ-15%), this is a very specific MST its not generalised like first MST, practice labelling diagrams without the answer there and then look back and correct yourself and repeat that process again and again until your getting them all right. A lot of people did worse in MST 2 than MST 1, I got the same mark. You don’t get the MST questions back, only the topics you lost marks in which is useless since the question are super specific and you end up losing 1 mark in each section essentially. Watch EVERY SINGLE REVIEW LECTURE THERE IS, they repeat similar questions in the MST. The practicals were 2hrs long, honestly personally there were not that helpful, thankfully there is only like 4-5 pracs every other week. You were basically just looking at the cadavers and most of the time people just talk with their friends. However the group demonstrators are super lovely, you can ask them questions about the anatomy major or other subject in general since they are typically 3rd years or honours. Embryology and neuroanatomy are the first topics you begin with and reproductive system is the last topic you end with. Initially it will make no sense and that’s okay, don’t let that discourage you, it takes time to understand especially with no previous exposure to anatomy. It seems very overwhelming and daunting, another thing that helps is watch vides online of people explaining certain structures and again do practice questions to build you confidence and understanding. You can’t memorise chunks of information it won’t retain and it’s not the right technique to study for anatomy. Make you own notes, don’t rely on people’s claimed ‘H1’ notes, because for revision you want to have something to look back on. Use the Feynman technique (act as if you’re teaching someone else). The lecturer Rex is so goated, he does upper and lower limb which to alot of people appears ‘dry’ but its so straightforward and simplified. This subject is highly organised expect for ed discussion, people would post questions, Jacinta answers ‘interesting questions’ online but many student would just answer other question on it. When you go back to review the topics again for the exam all of a sudden it just makes sense and it clicks, you will improve and it will get better the beginning is the hardest bit. The exam (60%) was easier than expected however there were some niche questions. 20 MCQ on only the last 3 topics and they are super easy, you have to label diagrams, print out blank photos of structure and practice labelling them its the best way to study. Section three is short answer. Also it’s okay if you don’t really enjoy anatomy, I thought I would be so obsessed with it going in and I wasn’t and that’s totally fine. There is also this ‘pressure’ I guess, to major in anatomy for 3rd year because so many people want to do it, you kind of feel obliged to do it idk, but if you don’t enjoy it then don’t major in it, its fine play with your strengths (path, immuno, biochem). No one really talks about that but the jump from 2nd year to 3rd year anatomy is VERY BIG. Good Luck :).

Probably one of my favourite subjects ever!! Jacinta and Rex are such lovely coordinators/educators and their lectures in particular have been super engaging. Also really enjoyed the relative lack of structure in the practicals as it allowed us to just explore and develop our curiosity for the human body. The last few practicals on the urogenital systems and GI tract were especially interesting and useful for our studies. The lab demonstrators were all super helpful too! My only pet peeve is that I wish we got our MST papers back because there's literally nothing you can do with the knowledge of only what number of questions you got wrong, but I'd say the organisation is really good otherwise. Definitely a content heavy subject and you'll probably find the first few weeks the hardest, but once you adjust to the relatively different style of learning required for anatomy and build your foundational knowledge, it'll only get easier from there! As for H1ability, which is an important metric for most students taking this subject, I ended up with an 88 after averaging 84 throughout the semester! I know a lot of students walked out of the exam pretty happy so it's safe to say that the exam was fair. I will say that revising for this subject during SWOTVAC took up 95% of my time and so I had zero time to study for my other subjects, but it definitely is something where you'll do better the more you dedicate yourself. This is also because I honestly hadn't done any revision since the 2nd MST and I was still behind on 2 weeks worth of lectures, so I'm sure those who studied more consistently instead of cramming wouldn't have needed to stress so much. Therefore I disagree that you have to be super up to date to do well, because I was always a week behind at any given time but it didn't matter as long as long as everything was done before the assessments. I'd highly recommend taking your time when watching the lectures to create Anki flashcards (I'd usually spend 1.5 hours to 2 hours on a single lecture) and then spam your flashcards until you feel confident. Don't be afraid to rewatch lectures too; I remember I absolutely had to rewatch the GI, upper limb, lower limb and embryology modules a few times for it to make sense. You're not stupid if none of it sinks in the first time around haha, I don't think it does for most people. Another important thing to do is to use image occlusion on diagrams from the slides as that will form the basis of the exam questions. The ADSLs definitely weren't compulsory for the final exam (although they were important for the MSTs) so don't worry about them. Also don't stress at all about the SAQ because they don't expect an essay from you like with subjects such as PATH20001 - it'll just be basic recall and maybe a brief explanation or two. Definitely the hardest subject I've taken, but it's more than doable to get a H1 if you put in the effort!