General Medicine Entry Discussion and Advice Requests

[dotwingz]

The potential increase of the fee for those courses may be because the employment market cannot accommodate too many graduates with those degrees.

If that were the case, it would be a more egalitarian approach to instead cap the amount of places offered so they become more competitive and the most deserving applicants can still get in, instead of increasing prices so only those who can afford it will.

ETA: Why ‘worthless’ humanities degrees may set you up for life Have a read at this, i thought it was alright. The job market is multifaceted, and requires lots of expertise from different fields. A STEM Project requires humanities expertise, and a Humanities project requires STEM expertise

 

[Tomato]

If that were the case, it would be a more egalitarian approach to instead cap the amount of places offered so they become more competitive and the most deserving applicants can still get in, instead of increasing prices so only those who can afford it will.

ETA: Why ‘worthless’ humanities degrees may set you up for life Have a read at this, i thought it was alright. The job market is multifaceted, and requires lots of expertise from different fields. A STEM Project requires humanities expertise, and a Humanities project requires STEM expertise

Your link is a useful reference but I am talking about why the government has this plan, not judging whether this plan is right or wrong. Normally those humanity degrees are not the restricted ones that rely on government's funding, like med or dent, therefore the amount of places are not capped. However, they can increase the fees to discourage (or say "control the number") people to study them. Who can afford the course may be the ones who can afford not finding a job within a certain time frame. This is just my personal opinion.

 

[Scorpion]

I do agree with you about the government's motivations, but:

Normally those humanity degrees are not the restricted ones that rely on government's funding, like med or dent, therefore the amount of places are not capped.

All Commonwealth Supported degrees (including humanities) rely on government funding, to a certain extent. While med and dent degrees have a larger portion of their costs subsidised, universities still receive funding for each place in a humanities degree. However, the government is proposing their contribution for each place in a humanities degree to be dropped from $6,226 to just $1,100.

Who can afford the course may be the ones who can afford not finding a job within a certain time frame.

While this may be true, I think a more likely scenario would be students continuing to do humanities degrees without considering their cost and then being saddled with larger debts afterwards, regardless of whether they find a job within a certain time frame or not. Anecdotally, I don't know of a single high school student who wants to change from a humanities degree to a less expensive one due to costs, and I'm not from a particularly high socio-economic region. So I don't think raising the cost will necessarily restrict the students who choose to study humanities degrees, and who can 'afford' the course may not be correlated with who actually does the course.

 

[E_N]

Hi there,

After doing much research into med schools, it is evident that there are certain requirements needed for entry. I have a few questions related to these:

1. What is the difference between UCAT and GAMSAT, which is more difficult, what is the preparation required and should you choose one med school over another due to the different type of admissions test that they require?
2. What exactly are MMIs? On many medical school websites both national and international, one of the prerequisites includes a MMI (multiple mini interview). It appears however that different universities have different types of MMIs, so is there any particular way that you can generically prepare for them?

Thanks everyone.

 

[whys]

Hi there,

After doing much research into med schools, it is evident that there are certain requirements needed for entry. I have a few questions related to these:

1. What is the difference between UCAT and GAMSAT, which is more difficult, what is the preparation required and should you choose one med school over another due to the different type of admissions test that they require?
2. What exactly are MMIs? On many medical school websites both national and international, one of the prerequisites includes a MMI (multiple mini interview). It appears however that different universities have different types of MMIs, so is there any particular way that you can generically prepare for them?

Thanks everyone.

1. The main difference is that UCAT is for undergrad entry as a non-standard/school leaver while GAMSAT is for grad entry. I obviously can't speak for difficulty because I haven't done GAMSAT, but keep in mind that people sitting GAMSAT have gone through uni so looking at GAMSAT now may be daunting in the same way that looking at UCAT as a year 10 may look daunting. You should have the necessary knowledge/skills to sit the GAMSAT when it is time to, so don't worry too much about it. You should choose your med school depending on which one you like the most, closeness to you (e.g. I'm a Vic student so I'd prefer Monash over any other uni), and any other factors. I don't think you should be choosing a med school based on admissions criteria because they're all quite similar anyway and most just weight UCAT, ATAR and interview differently.

2. I think you should search this up on google, they have some good videos explaining what MMIs are. MMIs generally have multiple stations that last a certain amount of time (usually 8 stations for 8 minutes each). Each station is based around a central theme or idea and they will ask you questions related to this. You can prepare for them by accessing interview questions, such as the interview portal on MSO or any other resources online.

 

[DrDrLMG!]

Hi there,

After doing much research into med schools, it is evident that there are certain requirements needed for entry. I have a few questions related to these:

1. What is the difference between UCAT and GAMSAT, which is more difficult, what is the preparation required and should you choose one med school over another due to the different type of admissions test that they require?
2. What exactly are MMIs? On many medical school websites both national and international, one of the prerequisites includes a MMI (multiple mini interview). It appears however that different universities have different types of MMIs, so is there any particular way that you can generically prepare for them?

Thanks everyone.

1a. Google will help you with that.
1b. Both are difficult, ‘more’ difficult will be very individual.
1c. Also individual.
1d. I did, so I can’t say no to that one!
2. We have an interview preparation portal and dedicated threads here that people are already currently using.

 

[Crow]

After percentiles were released yesterday, I have been quite concerned as to my chances for 2021 medical entry. I'm an Australian student (on a gap year) based in NSW and was wondering whether anyone knows anything about applying to the UK as a backup plan. I've heard it's quite expensive to study there, but is there any chance of academic scholarships? What is the cheapest tuition fee? I'm not rich but I'm willing to work for it if that's even feasible.

Also, I have heard that moving back to practice in Australia is difficult due to international graduate status, but honestly, I'm fine with moving to the UK outright if it means being able to live my dream.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

If it's useful, my scores are: 99.50 ATAR (2019 grad) and 2940 UCAT ~90-91st% (2020)

I'm actually surprised to hear that you didn't land an offer last year - you would've if you applied at Griffith, for example. I definitely don't think looking overseas is wise at this stage - your scores seem competitive and I think you should at least attempt to gain an offer at an Australian university first.

 

[Crow]

Please do not ask "what are my chances?" questions in ANY thread until the official percentile calculator is released and we have opened up the UCAT Results Discussion 2020 thread. They will continue to be deleted.

 

[Sandy005]

Hi my atar prediction is pretty good above 99 but I stuffed up my Ucat some how I only got 2730 I’m in NSW standard applicant. I am a great western Sydney resident would love to got to WSU. I’m happy to move anywhere in Australia. What are my chances?

 

[Crow]

Hi my atar prediction is pretty good above 99 but I stuffed up my Ucat some how I only got 2730 I’m in NSW standard applicant. I am a great western Sydney resident would love to got to WSU. I’m happy to move anywhere in Australia. What are my chances?

Please post your questions here using the template given: UCAT Results Discussion 2020

 

[sherohara]

I'm not sure if this is the right thread to ask this in.. so if it's in the wrong place, let me know! I'm currently finishing up my 2nd year of a paramed degree and I've just been hit with the news that I have back problems (Ankylosing Spondylitis and osteoarthritis in my lower back) which are basically going to make it impossible for me to ever gain employment as a paramedic. And no, I had no idea about these back problems before going into the degree. Prior to paramed, I worked in law and have a law degree and postgrad legal diploma. I've wanted to study med though for the longest time. I sat the UMAT a couple of times while I was still studying law and interviewed for the JMP but just missed the GPA cut off. My GPA currently is about 5.5 for the paramed degree and was 7 for the postgrad diploma. These last 2 years studying has flown by and I really enjoyed studying something I love, so I'm not daunted by the prospect of studying further. I'm just not sure if I have any chance of getting into grad med with my GPA? and I still like the idea of JMP. Am I delusional or do I have a shot at either grad or non-standard med? and if you had the choice, would you prefer to study the 4 or 5 year program? Despite wanting to graduate as soon as possible, I know how full on the programs are and wonder if the 5 year program might be less demanding? Any advice greatly appreciated!

 

[DrDrLMG!]

I'm not sure if this is the right thread to ask this in.. so if it's in the wrong place, let me know! I'm currently finishing up my 2nd year of a paramed degree and I've just been hit with the news that I have back problems (Ankylosing Spondylitis and osteoarthritis in my lower back) which are basically going to make it impossible for me to ever gain employment as a paramedic. And no, I had no idea about these back problems before going into the degree. Prior to paramed, I worked in law and have a law degree and postgrad legal diploma. I've wanted to study med though for the longest time. I sat the UMAT a couple of times while I was still studying law and interviewed for the JMP but just missed the GPA cut off. My GPA currently is about 5.5 for the paramed degree and was 7 for the postgrad diploma. These last 2 years studying has flown by and I really enjoyed studying something I love, so I'm not daunted by the prospect of studying further. I'm just not sure if I have any chance of getting into grad med with my GPA? and I still like the idea of JMP. Am I delusional or do I have a shot at either grad or non-standard med? and if you had the choice, would you prefer to study the 4 or 5 year program? Despite wanting to graduate as soon as possible, I know how full on the programs are and wonder if the 5 year program might be less demanding? Any advice greatly appreciated!

You would definitely be competitive for JMP and your background would stand you in great stead for performing well in the interview component (at which point, your relatively low GPA becomes irrelevant). You should also apply for JCU (if you can whack out an application tonight and post it by the 30th of Sept you could try for there for next year! Though you'd need a killer written application unless you're rural, and even then you'd still want a great application to be competitive, which may not be conducive to an overnight job!).

Grad med unis need a completed degree GPA. Some may use your postgrad diploma (though not many, I don't think), so unless you complete your paramed degree, all will revert to using your initial degree GPA and if this wasn't enough for JMP, it definitely won't be enough for graduate entry universities. If you want to open up a flexible range of grad entry spots, then your best bet would be finishing your paramed degree and maxing out your GPA (this would also open up Curtin and JPM as possibilities) - though I hesitate to encourage you into completing a degree you may not be able to use for medical reasons but will still incur debts for, etc.

As for whether 4 or 5(/6 in the case of JCU) year degrees are the way to go, honestly, I wouldn't worry too much about this. From observation, the 4 year degrees have longer semesters from year 1, which gives you less down time, but that's probably not a priority for you. I tend to think the best course is the one you get an offer to

What is your gut feel re. completing your paramed degree?

ETA: also, just a heads up that the UCAT has replaced UMAT and is, by all accounts, quite a different kettle of fish! Just something to be aware of. And grad med would require sitting the GAMSAT.

 

[sherohara]

LMG, thank you so much for that info! My problem with finishing paramed is that unless I can convince the company that does pre-placement medicals to remove the restrictions they've placed on me (can't lift more than 15kg etc) then I can't finish the course as I will be unable to complete the placement units. I just had a quick look at JCU and although it's not top of my list in terms of location, I've always had an interest in tropical medicine thanks to lots of travel in SE Asia and I'm a rural student. Does JCU not require UCAT? As for interviewing well, I did feel that I did well in my interview. I have lots of life experience to draw from in interviews, which I found helpful (I opened and ran my own orphanage in Ethiopia while I was a law student, etc).

As for grad med, my understanding of the website was that some grad programs take post grad diploma into account when calculating GPA.. UQ i think was one? Or did I misunderstand that?

Thanks again!

 

[DrDrLMG!]

LMG, thank you so much for that info! My problem with finishing paramed is that unless I can convince the company that does pre-placement medicals to remove the restrictions they've placed on me (can't lift more than 15kg etc) then I can't finish the course as I will be unable to complete the placement units. I just had a quick look at JCU and although it's not top of my list in terms of location, I've always had an interest in tropical medicine thanks to lots of travel in SE Asia and I'm a rural student. Does JCU not require UCAT? As for interviewing well, I did feel that I did well in my interview. I have lots of life experience to draw from in interviews, which I found helpful (I opened and ran my own orphanage in Ethiopia while I was a law student, etc).

As for grad med, my understanding of the website was that some grad programs take post grad diploma into account when calculating GPA.. UQ i think was one? Or did I misunderstand that?

Thanks again!

Nope, it doesn't require UCAT. Given what you've just told me, I'd absolutely spend tonight cracking out a JCU application. Have a careful read through the JCU written application thread for all the tips of how to target your responses. NOTE: the application HAS TO BE POSTED BY THE 30TH OF THIS MONTH!!! With a date stamp on it from the post office. So you literally have to post it at the very, very latest, on Wednesday, and you need to quickly get some people to write you some references/letters of recommendation. Given your history, I'm sure this wouldn't be hard, though the time frame is obviously your biggest hurdle.

As I mentioned, I think there are some that will use a grad dip, but the majority don't. They use the completed bachelor degree GPA. You'd need to look at the individual unis you're interested in to see which would use it.

 

[sherohara]

Ahhhhh hang on, my GPA wouldn't be high enough for JCU though, would it?! I just double checked and my grad dip GPA was 5.2, not 6. That was wishful thinking! Reading through their info sheet it says the cut-off to interview was GPA 5.75. Does being rural give extra points and I haven't found that info yet? If I'm not wasting my time due to crap GPA, I'll happily smash out an application tonight/tomorrow!

 

[DrDrLMG!]

Ahhhhh hang on, my GPA wouldn't be high enough for JCU though, would it?! I just double checked and my grad dip GPA was 5.2, not 6. That was wishful thinking! Reading through their info sheet it says the cut-off to interview was GPA 5.75. Does being rural give extra points and I haven't found that info yet? If I'm not wasting my time due to crap GPA, I'll happily smash out an application tonight/tomorrow!

Rural definitely gives you GPA leeway. They’ll use your paramed GPA, and 5.5 for rural should be at least enough to warrant an enthusiastic try, particularly given your background. Would that be right, Crow?

 

[sherohara]

ok well that's good to know! Just double checked my current paramed GPA and it's actually 5.6, so that's closer to the cutoff still! Looks like I'm gonna be busy writing tomorrow!

 

[Crow]

Rural definitely gives you GPA leeway. They’ll use your paramed GPA, and 5.5 for rural should be at least enough to warrant an enthusiastic try, particularly given your background. Would that be right, Crow?

Unfortunately my impressions are that the 5.75 GPA was from an Indigenous or RA-4 / RA-5 applicant, I.e. that’s the absolute minimum that could be competitive for a non-standard applicant, but I don’t have definitive proof that this is the case. Worth a shot though - why not give it a crack?

 

[DrDrLMG!]

ok well that's good to know! Just double checked my current paramed GPA and it's actually 5.6, so that's closer to the cutoff still! Looks like I'm gonna be busy writing tomorrow!

Given your GPA is really going to be touch and go, make sure you carefully consider your written application responses, I honestly can’t emphasise this enough. A few of us have contributed recommendations and answered questions in the relevant thread and I highly recommend dedicating a bit of time to reading through it as I think it would be time well-spent.

ETA: good luck! Ask questions if you have any!

 

[sherohara]

Thanks, Crow! I doubt my GPA will be high enough, though I did calculate that if I nail exams for current semester, I'll just get it over the 5.75 mark. Meanwhile, I smashed out an application and posted it off yesterday. I wrote one application from the heart, didn't refine it and didn't attach letters of support due to lack of time. Instead, I printed off a newspaper article on me from years ago which talks about my orphanage and work with a fistula hospital in Ethiopia, as well as my desire to study medicine. Hoping that going rogue will stand out from the crowd and get me an interview! We'll see!

Oh and thank you LMG for the support! I did read all your words of advice and hopefully took them on board sufficiently!