Desperately seeking UMAT advice (1 Viewer)

[velox]

Pardon me if it has been answered elsewhere, but im assuming there are three rounds, first round, main round, late round. If you dont get a first round interview then you still have 2 more chances depending on how other people go etc?

 

[mervvyn]

Pardon me if it has been answered elsewhere, but im assuming there are three rounds, first round, main round, late round. If you dont get a first round interview then you still have 2 more chances depending on how other people go etc?

nah, only two rounds at UNSW, one at newcastle.
I've forgotten when Newcastle is, i think it's post-hsc

UNSW has one round in september, ~350 spots given on UMAT and estimated UAIs (or real UAI if you've already got one), and the 2nd round is post-UAI is december, given to people who couldn't make september for whatever reason and to people whose UAIs were significantly better than their estimates such that they would have gotten a september interview if their estimate had been as good as their real UAI turned out to be. ~150 spots

 

[Lexicographer]

If you can't be bothered explaining your reasons, why should I be bothered helping? It's all about information exchange.

Anyway, Newcastle does not take your academic performance into account when offering interviews - they assume for the purpose of interview offers that everyone will achieve the necessary marks (known as "provisional eligibility") and base interview offers solely on performance at UMAT. Thus if your UMAT isn't good enough for an interview at UNCLE this year, you simply won't get in unless you apply again next year (and seriously consider sitting the UMAT again).

UNSW offers interviews based on both UMAT and academic performance, hence multiple rounds. Very different entry scheme.

 

[velox]

They're pretty personal reasons, and im sorry but id rather not mention them on a public forum.

EDIT: Mervyn how did u go in umat ? And how do they select who gets mrbs?

EDIT: Found the info for selection for mrbs (prett obvious)

Applicants are offered places strictly in accordance with a ranked list (the combined scores of the UAI, UMAT and interview performance). Commencing with the highest ranking applicant, each applicant will be offered their highest available preference until the quota for each category is filled.

 

[Lexicographer]

Ah well if that's the case then I won't probe. It's just a very different thing to me for someone to say they're personal reasons than "reasons they cbf explaining". The first one I can understand, the second just insults the effort I and others put into helping.

Thanks for clarifying.

 

[mervvyn]

They're pretty personal reasons, and im sorry but id rather not mention them on a public forum.

EDIT: Mervyn how did u go in umat ? And how do they select who gets mrbs?

Speaking of posting on public forums... ah well, i don't mind. UMAT total raw = 186, percentiles = 260
edit: Given the topic of the thread: i got that UMAT with no prep courses, i spent about 30 min looking at other people's prep materials on the morning before but it was too late to be really useful

As for the other, check this:
http://notes.med.unsw.edu.au/medicalbonding.nsf/website/Notice
I don't know about MRBS places, but BMPs are defintely worth considering (from my PoV, especially if you really want to get in, and at UNSW) - and they're almost 20% of the places on offer, so yeah...

 

[velox]

Personally i dont mind working in rural but some you have a smaller than normal selections of specialists u can be. While i think i know what i want to be, my sister said that u 1000 things will change before u choose ur specialisation. So im not really sure what id put first csp, or mrbs. Bmp will be third obviously. Even places like bowral and lithgow are considered rural/workforce shortage for purposes of bmp/mrbs so i guess its not too bad.
One more thing:
It states this:

"Applicants who accept a bonded medical place will automatically be considered for an unbonded place in any later round of offers. A bonded medical place would only be upgraded to an unbonded place if an unbonded place became available and the applicant was next in line on the ranked list."

So does that mean people who accept a bmp place have an advantage to be selected for csp over those who didnt put down bmp in there preferences?

 

[mervvyn]

"Applicants who accept a bonded medical place will automatically be considered for an unbonded place in any later round of offers. A bonded medical place would only be upgraded to an unbonded place if an unbonded place became available and the applicant was next in line on the ranked list."

So does that mean people who accept a bmp place have an advantage to be selected for csp over those who didnt put down bmp in there preferences?

The fed govt supports a given number of places at each med school. A few years ago they wanted to increase the number of doctors in shortage areas, so they introduced the bonding scheme. Each med school must have a given number of students (26 at UNSW) in the bonded scheme, so to ensure that they do get that number they will usually bond more people than necessary at the start of 1st year. Once numbers are finalised, they are then free to unbond people to bring it back down to the exact number. Those to be unbonded are chosen by who has the best combined UAI/UMAT/interview scores.
People who don't put down BMPs reduce their chances of getting in at all (because pretty much everyone puts CSP as 1st pref, you need to be of the best 146 to get one); people who do put BMPs as a preference have a greater chance of getting at least a place, which has the slight chance of being unbonded.

 

[Lexicographer]

The fed govt supports a given number of places at each med school. A few years ago they wanted to increase the number of doctors in shortage areas, so they introduced the bonding scheme. Each med school must have a given number of students (26 at UNSW) in the bonded scheme, so to ensure that they do get that number they will usually bond more people than necessary at the start of 1st year. Once numbers are finalised, they are then free to unbond people to bring it back down to the exact number. Those to be unbonded are chosen by who has the best combined UAI/UMAT/interview scores.
People who don't put down BMPs reduce their chances of getting in at all (because pretty much everyone puts CSP as 1st pref, you need to be of the best 146 to get one); people who do put BMPs as a preference have a greater chance of getting at least a place, which has the slight chance of being unbonded.

Where did you get this information?

 

[mervvyn]

I was told at uni by the acting dean at the beginning of this year in a meeting for people with BMPs. From memory, there were meant to be 30 people there... i guess i wasn't one of the lucky 4...

 

[shafqat]

do you have a bmp for rural or non-rural entry?
and btw any hints who you are?

 

[Lexicographer]

Damn. Hopefully some people with CSPs will drop out after year 1, opening their places to us poor BMPs.

 

[velox]

do you have a bmp for rural or non-rural entry?
and btw any hints who you are?

Isnt there only one classification of bmp? I.e. rural/workforce shortages?

 

[Lexicographer]

The place is BMP, but there are seperate entry criteria for Metropolitan and Rural candidates, thus seperate selection schedules from which to allocate BMPs.

 

[mervvyn]

Damn. Hopefully some people with CSPs will drop out after year 1, opening their places to us poor BMPs.

lol... sadly i think the people on BMP are now stuck in it if they want to stay in med in their current course...

lexi is right about the metro/rural bit, at unsw the proportion of BMPs is split metro/rural in the same proportion as the course in general (on purpose)

shafqat: cmon man, you've met me! (read my signature, think about our year and get back to me about how many people have my name )

 

[Lexicographer]

Yes but there is a rare possibility that someone in our respective admission categories will drop out before we commence second year, in which case the university may consider allocating that place to the most eligible BMP holder in that cohort. This is possible because the contract allows a student to complete a year in which they may withdraw at any time without penalty. As soon as second year is commenced, however, the bond becomes fully active and all penalties may apply.

 

[mervvyn]

oh ok.... i like the sound of that. it sort of makes sense, but it sort of doesn't, because you'd expect that the govt would want people to stay bonded. It wouldn't matter to the uni though cos it doesn't affect anything once you're in. a whole year's wait though...

 

[velox]

well bowral is considered rural/work force shortage. As is byron bay Bowral isnt that far.

EDIT: so mervvyn ur bonded aswell?

 

[mervvyn]

BMP is about workforce shortage - if my specialty has a shortage in sydney (pretty rare, i admit, but there are some with nation wide shortage i think) then i could work here. similarly, there is a lot of choice in where you work in the BMP scheme (which i'm in, just to clarify)

 

[Lexicographer]

Well you see when you say "Sydney" do you mean Inner City or Greater Sydney? Because I know my local hospital (Blacktown) is workforce shortage, and that's where I plan on doing my internship.

After six years away, I very much like the idea of living in my own house, with my family and real food et cetera, being a single ten minute drive to work AND knocking a year off the bond.