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Non-standard Medicine Entry

OP: 9 (I think this is an Atar of ~80)
2018 UMAT: 79%ile
1.5years biomedical science at bond university GPA: 6.6
2019 starting dent tech/ dent pros at griffith
Current Employment: Dental Practice Manager
Volunteering Experience (dunno if this accounts for anything much in applications): safe injecting rooms, overseas dental missions, homeless catering
Special Circumstances: None

Hi MSO, I'm a non-standard applicant that has attended an interview at Bond and New England and have been unsuccessful thus far. I also applied to JCU med+dent but I guess they weren't interested in my written application because I didnt receive an interview.

I'm inquiring about an unusual situation that has me a tadddd anxious after just remembering it today. During secondary school (grade 8 or 9 so far back can't remember full details) I got suspended twice in the same month. First instance was for organized boxing during lunch periods and second time was for inappropriate usage of school computers during class. I was immature during these times of my life and was going through family hardships and I believe everyone around me would agree they wouldn't see me as a little juvenile anymore. Now my question is, would these suspensions impact my future applications to med/dent in any way?
 
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DrDrLMG!

Resident Medical Officer
Administrator
Now my question is, would these suspensions impact my future applications to med/dent in any way?

I very, very, very much doubt it. I can't imagine a scenario where a University or TAC is given access to your high school record beyond the ATAR/OP. It might be worth checking the terms with regard to confidentiality, but I'd imagine they would not be allowed to pass that information on.

Policies - QTAC

"The personal information that you are currently required to provide to lodge a QTAC application includes:
  • full name (including any previous name(s))
  • address(es) (including any previous address(es))
  • date of birth
  • email address
  • telephone number(s)
  • qualification information
  • gender
  • citizenship/residency status
  • English proficiency
  • preferences.
QTAC also collects information as required by the government, which includes:
  • highest education level of parent(s)/guardian(s)
  • language spoken at home
  • country of birth
  • year of arrival in Australia
  • number and gender of parent(s)/guardian(s).
You also currently have the option of providing other personal information including:
  • current or previous employment details
  • professional certifications and memberships
  • details of an authorised person
  • sensitive information (including health information) in relation to an application under the Educational Access Scheme (EAS) or when seeking special consideration in relation to any of QTAC's services.
The personal information you are currently required to provide to access the My Path service includes:
  • name
  • email address
  • subject selection
  • capability preferences (eg prefer to work in groups or work alone)
  • preferred tertiary courses and institutions"
Absolutely no mention of your individual education record.
 
I very, very, very much doubt it. I can't imagine a scenario where a University or TAC is given access to your high school record beyond the ATAR/OP. It might be worth checking the terms with regard to confidentiality, but I'd imagine they would not be allowed to pass that information on.

Policies - QTAC

"The personal information that you are currently required to provide to lodge a QTAC application includes:
  • full name (including any previous name(s))
  • address(es) (including any previous address(es))
  • date of birth
  • email address
  • telephone number(s)
  • qualification information
  • gender
  • citizenship/residency status
  • English proficiency
  • preferences.
QTAC also collects information as required by the government, which includes:
  • highest education level of parent(s)/guardian(s)
  • language spoken at home
  • country of birth
  • year of arrival in Australia
  • number and gender of parent(s)/guardian(s).
You also currently have the option of providing other personal information including:
  • current or previous employment details
  • professional certifications and memberships
  • details of an authorised person
  • sensitive information (including health information) in relation to an application under the Educational Access Scheme (EAS) or when seeking special consideration in relation to any of QTAC's services.
The personal information you are currently required to provide to access the My Path service includes:
  • name
  • email address
  • subject selection
  • capability preferences (eg prefer to work in groups or work alone)
  • preferred tertiary courses and institutions"
Absolutely no mention of your individual education record.

Thanks for that LMG I appreciate it! I was reading that US colleges take it very seriously but was unsure about Australia as I dont think anyone here has been an idiot like me hahaha
 

g333

Lurker
I am going to be studying a Bach of health science this year-I'm a School leaver. In the first semester I am trying to get an exemption for 1 subject ( Chemistry) as I undertook a uni level chem course in year 11 and 12. What if this exemption does not count to the 48 units that needs to be completed in a year ( 6 units per subject and 4 subjects per semester)? This might not be the case but I'm paranoid.
So my question is, to get into med as a non-standard do you need to have all 48 units 'completed' in that year or is it alright if one subject had an exemption? Would this affect my GPA?

thanks!!!!
 

A1

Rookie Doc
Moderator
So my question is, to get into med as a non-standard do you need to have all 48 units 'completed' in that year or is it alright if one subject had an exemption? Would this affect my GPA?

If the exempted unit is not counted you will have completed only 0.875 FTE year

- JMP: Less than 1 FTE is not considered as non-standard, it'll count on your ATAR being better than the 94.3 hurdle
- WSU: If your ATAR is 95.5+ you will be eligible regardless of your GPA; otherwise you need GPA 6.5 instead of 6.1 for 1+ FTE
- UNSW: Your GPA will be converted to an ATAR equivalent then combined with your actual ATAR. Problem with less than 1 FTE is GPA will be converted to a much lower value versus 1+ FTE.
- JCU: No idea, sorry.
 

Q3

Regular Member
I am going to be studying a Bach of health science this year-I'm a School leaver. In the first semester I am trying to get an exemption for 1 subject ( Chemistry) as I undertook a uni level chem course in year 11 and 12. What if this exemption does not count to the 48 units that needs to be completed in a year ( 6 units per subject and 4 subjects per semester)? This might not be the case but I'm paranoid.
So my question is, to get into med as a non-standard do you need to have all 48 units 'completed' in that year or is it alright if one subject had an exemption? Would this affect my GPA?

thanks!!!!

Bear in mind that exempted units won't count towards your UAC FTE. So your FTE would always be listed as 0.875 if you get that subject exempted, this may cause you some drama later on if unis deem you as not meeting their criteria because of this, I'm not exactly sure how the unis process the information on their end, but your UAC FTE would definitely be 0.875. If you need a good GPA because your ATAR is not sufficient then I recommend picking up another subject in place of chemistry.

Definitely contact UAC if you are unsure or have any questions.

Edit: Actually in your case I think you should be fine, but definitely contact UAC and ask them so that you can avoid any nasty surprises.
 
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Mana

there are no stupid questions, only people
Administrator
I am going to be studying a Bach of health science this year-I'm a School leaver. In the first semester I am trying to get an exemption for 1 subject ( Chemistry) as I undertook a uni level chem course in year 11 and 12. What if this exemption does not count to the 48 units that needs to be completed in a year ( 6 units per subject and 4 subjects per semester)? This might not be the case but I'm paranoid.
So my question is, to get into med as a non-standard do you need to have all 48 units 'completed' in that year or is it alright if one subject had an exemption? Would this affect my GPA?

thanks!!!!

Always have to ask this given that you say you are studying a bachelor of health science but did you by any chance read this:
Common pitfalls to avoid for year 12 school leavers and other medicine applicants
 

ploop

Lurker
Hi,
This is a similar query, but I will be starting a double degree this year and I was wondering if it is possible for me to transfer to an interstate med course after only 1 year considering I will have only completed 2/3 of each degree? Also what kind of gpa is required to maintain a 98.8 atar?
Thank you in advance, I'm sort of panicking because of my rushed decision of doing a double degree
 

DrDrLMG!

Resident Medical Officer
Administrator
Hi,
This is a similar query, but I will be starting a double degree this year and I was wondering if it is possible for me to transfer to an interstate med course after only 1 year considering I will have only completed 2/3 of each degree? Also what kind of gpa is required to maintain a 98.8 atar?
Thank you in advance, I'm sort of panicking because of my rushed decision of doing a double degree

The issue is study load rather than portion of degree completion. As long as you’re doing 1FTE in your first year, you’ll be fine.

WSU will use whatever is best out of your ATAR and GPA. If your ATAR was 98.8, then there’s no GPA that will render you ineligible.

JMP will use GPA and have a relatively low threshold for eligibility. It’s on @A1’s table, and also their website.

UNSW will use ATAR and GPA at 50/50. 98.8 is definitely on the low side for UNSW, so you’ll want to be trying to max out your GPA to drag that up slightly.
 

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ploop

Lurker
Hi LMG!,
Thank you for the advice, I have now switched courses to Physio at Monash. When you say that my ATAR is enough for WSU, does that mean I now only have to perform well in UCAT and interview?
Also do I need a higher GPA for JCU?
 

Crow

Staff | Junior Doctor
Moderator
Hi LMG!,
Thank you for the advice, I have now switched courses to Physio at Monash. When you say that my ATAR is enough for WSU, does that mean I now only have to perform well in UCAT and interview?
Also do I need a higher GPA for JCU?
Your understanding is correct for both of the above - WSU will use one of your ATAR/GPA (whichever is higher) purely as a hurdle, and you’ve already met the hurdle with your ATAR. Their selection process from thereon is based on UCAT score to determine interview eligibility, and then interview score to determine place offers.

JCU combines academic rank (GPA for non-standard applicants) with rurality score and written application (to determine interview eligibility) and then interview score (to determine place offers). While rurality and written application / interview score will be the more important factors, the higher your GPA, the more competitive you’ll be at JCU.
 

Ajakara

Member
Hi,
What kind of GPA or UCAT combo will I have to achieve in first year in order to get an offer (or even interview) from the unis that offer non-standard pathway (I am in Vic) (also got 96.9 for ATAR)?
 

Crow

Staff | Junior Doctor
Moderator
Hi,
What kind of GPA or UCAT combo will I have to achieve in first year in order to get an offer (or even interview) from the unis that offer non-standard pathway (I am in Vic) (also got 96.9 for ATAR)?
It’s impossible to say given we don’t even know how UCAT is going to be scored yet, or how each university is going to use the scores. The higher the GPA the better for UNSW and JCU. JMP and WSU only use academic rank as a hurdle - you’ve already met the hurdle for WSU with your ATAR (they’ll use this even if you don’t meet their GPA hurdle) and for JMP you just need a “close to credit average” which I believe is 4.7 - both these unis will then determine interviews solely from UCAT score and place offers solely from interview score.
 

Ajakara

Member
It’s impossible to say given we don’t even know how UCAT is going to be scored yet, or how each university is going to use the scores. The higher the GPA the better for UNSW and JCU. JMP and WSU only use academic rank as a hurdle - you’ve already met the hurdle for WSU with your ATAR (they’ll use this even if you don’t meet their GPA hurdle) and for JMP you just need a “close to credit average” which I believe is 4.7 - both these unis will then determine interviews solely from UCAT score and place offers solely from interview score.

Thanks for the quick reply. Have any of those unis posted anything about the UCAT and cut-offs or anything like that? Also, I heard the ATAR AND GPA play a 50-50 role for UNSW. Is this true? If so, what kind of GPA do I need to compensate for my ATAR in order to be eligible for UNSW?

and by eligible I mean like having a good shot at an offer or at least an interview. Thanks
 
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Crow

Staff | Junior Doctor
Moderator
Thanks for the quick reply. Have any of those unis posted anything about the UCAT and cut-offs or anything like that? Also, I heard the ATAR AND GPA play a 50-50 role for UNSW. Is this true? If so, what kind of GPA do I need to compensate for my ATAR in order to be eligible for UNSW?

and by eligible I mean like having a good shot at an offer or at least an interview. Thanks
Have you checked any of the university websites to see if they’ve posted any of this information? I haven’t checked any myself in quite some time.

Yes, UNSW uses ATAR:GPA as 50/50 to determine academic rank. With a 96.9 I’d be aiming for a GPA of 6.5+ (for an “equivalent ATAR” of 99.5 if you’ve done at least 1FTE year of tertiary study) and this will bring your combined ATAR to 98.2. You’ll want a UCAT well into the 90s to compensate for this and be competitive at UNSW - I’ll let A1 give you a better answer to that question though.
 

A1

Rookie Doc
Moderator
If so, what kind of GPA do I need to compensate for my ATAR in order to be eligible for UNSW?

Unfortunately, without special consideration your 96.9 ATAR will make it difficult to get in UNSW. As Crow said you need GPA 6.5+ just to bring your combined ATAR to around 98.2, then with that you will need (using UMAT the year just now as indication) 97-98th %ile to get a UNSW interview.

JMP and WSU are more achievable. Your ATAR is eligible for WSU regardless of GPA and you need only 4.7+ for JMP, after that it doesn't weigh into interview/place offer selection. We don't know how these schools will count UCAT scores but likely 85+%ile will be needed for JMP and 93+%ile for WSU, in whichever sections that they decide to use.
 

DrDrLMG!

Resident Medical Officer
Administrator
Thanks for the quick reply. Have any of those unis posted anything about the UCAT and cut-offs or anything like that? Also, I heard the ATAR AND GPA play a 50-50 role for UNSW. Is this true? If so, what kind of GPA do I need to compensate for my ATAR in order to be eligible for UNSW?

and by eligible I mean like having a good shot at an offer or at least an interview. Thanks

Hi there, adding to what Crow and A1 have said: I had the following combo for UNSW for 2018 entry and was basically told I had less than 5% chance if I attended the interview (I had offers elsewhere already so didn’t bother attending):

ATAR: 97.15
GPA: 7.00
UMAT: 198/98th%ile

Unfortunately, I think your ATAR may not quite be enough. But best of luck! And who knows how UCAT will change things up.
 

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Lyyrre

USYD MD I
Thanks for the quick reply. Have any of those unis posted anything about the UCAT and cut-offs or anything like that? Also, I heard the ATAR AND GPA play a 50-50 role for UNSW. Is this true? If so, what kind of GPA do I need to compensate for my ATAR in order to be eligible for UNSW?

and by eligible I mean like having a good shot at an offer or at least an interview. Thanks

Adding to LMG, the converse of a high ATAR/low UMAT (an ATAR of 99.85 and UMAT 181/91%ile) netted me a similarly low chance of receiving an offer.
 

A1

Rookie Doc
Moderator
Adding to LMG, the converse of a high ATAR/low UMAT (an ATAR of 99.85 and UMAT 181/91%ile) netted me a similarly low chance of receiving an offer.

Just 3 years ago UNSW gave an interstate 99.95/86th%ile better than 50/50 chance of receiving an offer. Yet 99.85/91st (quite comparable to that combo) has dropped to minimal chance this year. UNSW has become ridiculously difficult to get in if you have no rural/special consideration.
 

canUhearMe?

Member
Hi all,

I am hoping someone can verify/confirm my route of pursuit...

I am going to apply as a non-standard with a 1 year-full time study GPA to JCU, WSU, JMP + (Dent: UQ, Griffith, CSU, UAdel) for the 2020 intake.

I commenced my study at the beginning of semester 2, 2018 and will finish my 1 year full-time at the end of semester 1, 2019 and will discontinue study then and sit on that GPA in hope of commencing a med/dent program in 2020.

My question is: although I have done 2 semesters consecutively with 4 full credit point subjects in each semester, does it matter that I have my 1 year full-time in that order with the summer university holidays between the 2 study semesters/do the non-standard uni's require that the 1 year of study must be within 1 calendar year and can't be across 2 years although semesters are completed consecutively?

My concern is that I will not meet the 1 year full-time eligibility
Thanks
 

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