Someone wanted some advice, so I'm posting it here. :) (1 Viewer)

[SWSydneytutor]

Hmm...so you are doing Medicine at Uni. I really, really want to do Medicine after I finish my HSC this (lol that is if i actually get in)! So, I was wondering, how is it? How are you finding the course? Fun? Difficult? Interesting?

Also, you probably did the UMAT test? How was that if you don't mind. Can you actually study for it?

thanksssssssss.

For interviews:
- UWS issues interviews on the basis of UMAT and predicted UAI. For students in the Greater Western Area, you need a UAI estimate in excess of 93 and a weighted UMAT, generally of 170+. For students living outside this region, you require a UAI estimate in excess of 95 and a UMAT of around the mid-180's. UWS does something weird to their UMAT scores but they value S1 way more than S3.
- For UNSW, your predicted UAI has to roughly match up with a given UMAT total, as seen here on their website: Faculty of Medicine - FAQ_local
- Although I wasn't eligible for UNCLE (as UNSW/UWS were placed higher on my preference list), they don't look at predicted UAI's but rather, your total UMAT score. The cutoff for an interview this year was 178 (around 89th percentile).

For admission:
- After you gain the UAI needed for UWS, it is no longer taken into consideration and only your UMAT + Interview performance counts. The interview accounts for 2/3 of your entrance score, while your UMAT accounts for the remaining third.
- UNSW is incredibly competitive - I'd say around 3/4 of their kids gain UAI's above 99. The UAI, UMAT and interview performance are given equal weighting, though if I was to advise anyone, how well you do in your interview counts for most. The reason here is that many people I know with amazing UAI's, within the vicinity of 99.90, did not get in. This would seem to indicate that either something was lacking in their UMAT or their interview performance. You see, if you stuff up (a little, mind you) your UMAT and/or your UAI, this does not exclude you from entry. Re: I know people who got into UNSW with UMAT scores around 170-180 (not "bad" scores as such, but not brilliant either) with UAI's around 98. However, stuffing up in your interview is bad news because it's much harder to claw your way up this way (just look at those with near perfect UAI's and didn't get in). So do not take the interview lightly - it is incredibly important.
- UQ (University of Queensland) look at both your UAI and your UMAT score. They do not conduct interviews. Your UMAT needs to be in excess of 50 for all three sections, and your UAI generally needs to be around the 97+ (99+ to be safe) in order to get in.

Some tips for entry into medical school: (Gems of advice given to me by doctors or medical students)
- Be realistic about your future career. A career in medicine is not sunshine daisies - and interviewers will expect you to have a fair indication that being a doctor is stressful. In other words, interviewers will frown upon those who come into interviews and paint their own little wonderful portraits of what it's like to be a doctor. Like any other career, there will be a lot of negatives. I would recommend joining med students online - for Australian and NZ med students to see what it's really like to be a doctor (one I know even said that he'd sacrifice half his pay for better working conditions).
- Don't be in it for the money or the prestige. It takes a long time to become a fully qualified doctor, and a long time before you start earning the big bucks so I would strongly advise anybody against going into medicine for the money. Also, being a doctor is not for everyone - like any job, if you are pressured into it because of its associated prestige, then chances are you'll end up hating your profession and find yourself having wasted years and years of your life to something you never really wanted to do.
- The UMAT is important. Universities place a lot of value on UMAT in general, especially section one. So get out those MENSA quiz books and the like, and start preparing! Don't be like me.
- So are your studies. It's a fact that getting into medical school is incredibly competitive and the reality is that many people who achieve 99+ do not get in. Just to give you an idea of the academic pedigree of medical students in NSW: the median UAI of those at UWS was 99, and 99.5ish for UNSW. Fact: many medical students are the cream of the crop and do get some of the best marks in the state.

There are a lot of sacrifices involved in medicine, so you really have to question your desire to do it.

Cheers brother.

EDIT: If there is any false or misleading information here, please advise me and I will change it.

 

[iSplicer]

Thankyou, very helpful.

edit: Wow, I never knew that being in greater western sydney helped you! Holroyd council falls under that category, correct?

 

[lionking1191]

great post, informative and easy to read, just some very minor additions:


-UNCLE does not consider your uai for interview selection but after that the threshold of 93.8 still applies if you are to be eligible for entry.

-UQ provisional entry needs a minimum of 99+ (OP1, so not strictly 99+ but the conversion rate has hovered around that for a few years now) and after that you are ranked according to your UMAT score alone. However this year they have introduced a bonus point system whereby you can be awarded up to 5 points if you do Maths C (4U) and LOTE subjects.

 

[SWSydneytutor]

Thankyou, very helpful.

edit: Wow, I never knew that being in greater western sydney helped you! Holroyd council falls under that category, correct?

Yes, living around Guildford/Merrylands/Greystanes qualifies you for being a GWS resident.

 

[iSplicer]

Yes, living around Guildford/Merrylands/Greystanes qualifies you for being a GWS resident.

That's awesome to hear =) [Merrylands FTW!, lol]

Could you kindly tell me further how much it would help? Realistically, I mean.

Thanks again =)

 

[SWSydneytutor]

As far as I know, it only helps with being given an interview i.e. interview requirements for GWS students are lower than non-GWS students. This is because the UWS medical school was essentially built to address some of the doctor-shortages in Western Sydney. It is hoped that graduates will help address some of these health inequities.

 

[lionking1191]

As far as I know, it only helps with being given an interview i.e. interview requirements for GWS students are lower than non-GWS students. This is because the UWS medical school was essentially built to address some of the doctor-shortages in Western Sydney. It is hoped that graduates will help address some of these health inequities.

yep past the interviews everyone is on a level playing field

 

[nottellingu]

yep past the interviews everyone is on a level playing field

Not really cos they "must" allocate a certain percentage of their offers to students from the gws region. They have a minimum cut off for number of gws students they have to accept i cant remember it of the top of my head.
To OP u missed some unis but meh

 

[SWSydneytutor]

Not really cos they "must" allocate a certain percentage of their offers to students from the gws region. They have a minimum cut off for number of gws students they have to accept i cant remember it of the top of my head.
To OP u missed some unis but meh

I only talked about those that I got into because I know more about them.

 

[PrettyVacant]

Bro did you go to the UNCLE interview? That must've been my worst interview yet! LOLOL.

 

[lionking1191]

Not really cos they "must" allocate a certain percentage of their offers to students from the gws region. They have a minimum cut off for number of gws students they have to accept i cant remember it of the top of my head.
To OP u missed some unis but meh

yeah that's still for purposes of interview selection. a certain percentage must be GWS applicants - which is the reason GWS cut-off is usually a lot lower than standard. after that though your entry is based on your UMAT and INTERVIEW performance, and your regionality doesn't affect your chances

Bro did you go to the UNCLE interview? That must've been my worst interview yet! LOLOL.

lol i liked the uncle one the best, i had a cool farmer interviewr.. :O

 

[SWSydneytutor]

Bro did you go to the UNCLE interview? That must've been my worst interview yet! LOLOL.

Yeah it was pretty awesome.

 

[PrettyVacant]

Ugh at my UNCLE interview it was fucking raining like a bitch (HEAVY HEAVY DOWNPOUR) and I chose the most appropriate attire of a dark coloured bra and a white blouse, and had to walk in the rain to the interview...zomg fail. I even left a wetpatch on my interview chair since my butt was wet...ugh.

 

[SWSydneytutor]

Ugh at my UNCLE interview it was fucking raining like a bitch (HEAVY HEAVY DOWNPOUR) and I chose the most appropriate attire of a dark coloured bra and a white blouse, and had to walk in the rain to the interview...zomg fail. I even left a wetpatch on my interview chair since my butt was wet...ugh.

Fail.

 

[Kujah]

Fail.

Fail even more.