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Getting into Medicine (1 Viewer)

Paradox1345

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Hey I was wondering about the criteria for getting into medicine.

I know that the university generally requires a UAI of 99+ (since the average UAI of successful applicants have generally always been 99+), a good UMAT and an interview.

But for the interview do they also ask you to bring in any documents, i.e notable awards and also most importantly do they look at your history in the medical field.

Would a student who has done volunteer work in hospitals, etc be at an advantage? And most importantly, how much do they take this into account?

I've heard many who plan to do the Duke of Edinburgh's Award and volunteering work at a hospital/health centre. Is doing that really worth it, would it look good in the interview and demonstrate your interests in the medical field.

Any opinions are greatly appreciated.


Thanks in advance.
 

dp624

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No, they do not want Documents or awards or history in the medical field. as in, they don't tell you that you need to.
however, doing so may bias the interviewers to your side, and they might give higher marks etc - it's still miniscule though
 

nottellingu

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Paradox1345 said:
Hey I was wondering about the criteria for getting into medicine.

I know that the university generally requires a UAI of 99+ (since the average UAI of successful applicants have generally always been 99+), a good UMAT and an interview.

But for the interview do they also ask you to bring in any documents, i.e notable awards and also most importantly do they look at your history in the medical field.

Would a student who has done volunteer work in hospitals, etc be at an advantage? And most importantly, how much do they take this into account?

I've heard many who plan to do the Duke of Edinburgh's Award and volunteering work at a hospital/health centre. Is doing that really worth it, would it look good in the interview and demonstrate your interests in the medical field.

Any opinions are greatly appreciated.


Thanks in advance.
Selection criteria really depends on which university you intend to apply to. Do a goodl search on the university you are interested in +medicine and you should get the faculty of medicine website which will have detailed explanation on the selection process.

They dont look at your history in the medical field but having work experience at a hospital would really help. The interview is really about selling yourself so whatever you have going for you will work to your advantage.
 

wendybird

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i'm sure it's of benefit to have had medical experience (ie. volunteering in related fields) or good extracirricular activities as it shows you are well rounded and a motivated, balanced individual..

however i'm pretty certain (if not positive) that the CHIEF determining factor for getting into Medicine is the UAI ie. school performance and academic results.

all the aforementioned things: extracirriculars, honors and awards might make you look better, but the are the extras. Ie. the icing on the cake.

you've still got to have the marks in the first place.
 

lionking1191

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you can get in with uai as low as 93 (GWS at UWS) or 93.4 (newcastle) - this threshold is even lower for rural applicants.

as for medical volunteer work it has pretty much been summed up above - helpful but by no means essential, or even significant.
 

Wooz

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95 for both Uncle and UWS if you are not residing in the Newcastle or Greater Western Sydney area respectively.

Paradox1345 said:
Hey I was wondering about the criteria for getting into medicine.

I know that the university generally requires a UAI of 99+ (since the average UAI of successful applicants have generally always been 99+), a good UMAT and an interview.

But for the interview do they also ask you to bring in any documents, i.e notable awards and also most importantly do they look at your history in the medical field.

Would a student who has done volunteer work in hospitals, etc be at an advantage? And most importantly, how much do they take this into account?

I've heard many who plan to do the Duke of Edinburgh's Award and volunteering work at a hospital/health centre. Is doing that really worth it, would it look good in the interview and demonstrate your interests in the medical field.

Any opinions are greatly appreciated.


Thanks in advance.
Short answer no as awards, etc can induce prejudice (there is no way of standardising marks for awards, volunteer work, certificates, etc and it can rarely be scrutinized for legitimacy) in the application criteria that is why no uni's look at extra-curricular activities, except for JCU which its application focuses on experiences realted to medicine in general, rural/remote practice, and tropical medicinie.

Only JCU will take your extra-curricular activities, work experience etc in the application. However, this is only worth a small proportion of marks towards an interview offer, you will still need a good UAI 98-99 and as low as ~93 if your application is outstanding. But your uai will still bring you down.

Other uni's will probably only ask you a couple of questions about it in the interviews. Do some work experience but not too much, don't waste too much of your time if it can be utilised studying, etc.

Focus on the umat exam and your uai, you have a good shot at uni's as mentioned above for UWS, Uncle, and Bond (Full-fee).
 

Deltan

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kevinx2 said:
95 at UNSW is possible with a high UMAT score.
yes i know someone who got 95 and got accepted to most med schools, even UNSW but decided to go to UWS due to travel issues and other factors.

His umat wasn't that high, but he did extremely well in his interview.
 

dolbinau

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When was this, delta?

Because to get interviewed at UNSW with a UAI of 95 you apparently need a UMAT score >220 (IIRC). That is 'extremely' high, IMO :p.
 

Deltan

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dolbinau said:
When was this, delta?

Because to get interviewed at UNSW with a UAI of 95 you apparently need a UMAT score >220 (IIRC). That is 'extremely' high, IMO :p.
I remember it was 200+, but can't remember what he got exactly

i didn't realize that it was that high lol
 

dolbinau

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Yes, 200+ is very high. Probably close to the 100th percentile. If not very high 90s. (There are charts but I can't be bothered to look :p).
 

dp624

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214 was 100th percentile i think
195 was 99th
 

dp624

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Not really out of anything. It gets rescaled every year. ike you can get more than 100 on a particular section.
But 300 is a good benchmark to work off
 
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is it easier to get into medicine as a postgraduate rather than undergraduate? if it is how can u do that? :) thanks
 

Wooz

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