JCU JCU Medicine: Interview Discussion

[Gogi]

Hey guys!

Does anyone know any dentists doing the MBBS program?

If so, are they generally placed at Cairns in Years 4,5 and 6?

Thanks in advance .

 

[Crow]

Hey guys!

Does anyone know any dentists doing the MBBS program?

If so, are they generally placed at Cairns in Years 4,5 and 6?

Thanks in advance .

Your placement location will have no relation to your previous qualifications or profession. However, I believe if you volunteer yourself / elect to go to Cairns in 4th year you are most likely to be placed there (I think Townsville has historically been most popular and likely will continue to be), and you then have the right to stay there for 5th and 6th year if you desire.

 

[entirety]

Hey do the letters of support have a specific template? I need to get started on it, but I'm not sure how to write them up

 

[Crow]

Hey do the letters of support have a specific template? I need to get started on it, but I'm not sure how to write them up

No, there's no specific template provided by JCU. Bear in mind that you are not supposed to be writing them up yourself!

 

[entirety]

No, there's no specific template provided by JCU. Bear in mind that you are not supposed to be writing them up yourself!

Haha yeah I know, but the person I asked asked me if there was a specific template they needed to follow.

Anyway thanks!!

 

[Crow]

Haha yeah I know, but the person I asked asked me if there was a specific template they needed to follow.

Anyway thanks!!

If they were quite persistent on you providing them a template, I would recommend you give them something like:

To whom it may concern,

I have known entirety for [x amount of time] through her [list experience and how the writer knows the applicant]. During this time she has demonstrated that she [list of different positive attributes about you / other observations that paint you in a good light]. [List how your positive attributes have let you help with whatever experience you had with the writer], e.g. Not only has her positive attitude and easy going nature made her an asset to my business, but entirety also has a positive influence on her coworkers and creates a great working environment for everyone.

[List how applicant's traits and experience would make them a good candidate for JCU's program + the medical/dental profession], e.g. Entirety's dedication to any task at hand, approachable and empathetic nature and commitment to social justice would make her an asset to both the James Cook University community, as well as the medical profession. I highly recommend her to anyone considering offering her a position in this program; she is certainly a worthwhile applicant who would bring great benefit to the program.

Regards

Obviously the writer should make it personalised and add in whatever they see fit (as well as make it more realistic and genuine than mine!) but this might be a guide to follow if someone really needs it.

 

[hopefulgal]

Would I be at a significant disadvantage by not adding letters of support to my application?

 

[entirety]

If they were quite persistent on you providing them a template, I would recommend you give them something like:

To whom it may concern,

I have known entirety for [x amount of time] through her [list experience and how the writer knows the applicant]. During this time she has demonstrated that she [list of different positive attributes about you / other observations that paint you in a good light]. [List how your positive attributes have let you help with whatever experience you had with the writer], e.g. Not only has her positive attitude and easy going nature made her an asset to my business, but entirety also has a positive influence on her coworkers and creates a great working environment for everyone.

[List how applicant's traits and experience would make them a good candidate for JCU's program + the medical/dental profession], e.g. Entirety's dedication to any task at hand, approachable and empathetic nature and commitment to social justice would make her an asset to both the James Cook University community, as well as the medical profession. I highly recommend her to anyone considering offering her a position in this program; she is certainly a worthwhile applicant who would bring great benefit to the program.

Regards

Obviously the writer should make it personalised and add in whatever they see fit (as well as make it more realistic and genuine than mine!) but this might be a guide to follow if someone really needs it.

Omg thank you so so much! This really helps!

 

[A1]

Would I be at a significant disadvantage by not adding letters of support to my application?

I understand it's not significant since JCU says letters are optional. If you are comfortably above the cutoff you still make it with no letters, but if you are borderline it can mean life or death.

 

[Crow]

Would I be at a significant disadvantage by not adding letters of support to my application?

Definitely add them if you can get them. While the weighting they play into the scoring of the written application is not made public, I can’t imagine it would look good if you didn’t include them; it may come across as though you weren’t able to find three people you know well enough to say nice things about you (regardless of whatever the reason is you aren’t including them!)

If you’re struggling to find people to write them, think: do you play an instrument and have a tutor, do you play any sports and have a coach, are you involved in any community activities or volunteering that someone else is involved in who could vouch for you, do you have a part time job and have a boss/manager, have you done any work experience with someone? All of these people would be appropriate if they can vouch for your personal character and write about your traits and qualities. If you need extra people, also try school teachers, or even family friends as a last resort. Definitely better to include them if you can, essentially.

 

[Kaivalya Abburi]

Hey guys, I'm a first year medical science student with first year GPA of 6.75 and I want to apply for JCU medicine. I am not a rural student. Do I have a chance of getting in?

 

[Logic]

Hey guys, I'm a first year medical science student with first year GPA of 6.75 and I want to apply for JCU medicine. I am not a rural student. Do I have a chance of getting in?

JCU is highly dependent on the application that you write, so it is difficult to give you any idea of how much chance you have. I recommend working hard on the application to maximise your chances

 

[Kaivalya Abburi]

JCU is highly dependent on the application that you write, so it is difficult to give you any idea of how much chance you have. I recommend working hard on the application to maximise your chances

Ok, Thank you! But my GPA is not going to pull me down right?

 

[Crow]

Hi there, welcome to MSO! As Logic mentioned, JCU is largely dependent on the written application, and is very competitive for those that are non-standard and non-rural. While your GPA is sufficient, the written application plays a much more significant role in determining if you receive an interview. For written application help, I highly recommend you read this thread: JCU - JCU Written Application Discussion - 2017. Any subsequent questions you have should be asked in that thread

 

[Logic]

Ok, Thank you! But my GPA is not going to pull me down right?

Hi, your GPA should be fine, I would say it is more important to do well on the application as well as the interview to have a good chance.

 

[MrsNema]

Hi,
Can anyone please advise as to what weight the reference letters to JCU bear in addition to the application ?
Also is it a good idea to apply for Dentistry and Medicine at JCU ? Would this be a disadvantage ?
Should the reference letters and application then cover both subjects?
The first preference for me is dentistry .
Thanks heaps ! in advance

 

[Crow]

Hi,
Can anyone please advise as to what weight the reference letters to JCU bear in addition to the application ?
Also is it a good idea to apply for Dentistry and Medicine at JCU ? Would this be a disadvantage ?
Should the reference letters and application then cover both subjects?
The first preference for me is dentistry .
Thanks heaps ! in advance

Hi there, while our understanding is they probably don't carry a very high weighting, you should definitely include them if you can get them (otherwise it looks like you couldn't find three people to say nice things about you). You can get away with them covering both careers by having the writers say "health professional" rather than refer to a specific career. If you want dentistry mainly, I'd suggest you target your answers accordingly rather than try and spread your responses evenly among the two careers. Good luck!

ETA: While you won't be disadvantaged for applying for both courses, I imagine it would be difficult to adequately explain why you want to pursue two (relatively) different careers in the one application with the limited space provided, and still score very highly for both (although I'm sure people have managed it before). Ultimately it is up to you, but as I said if your first preference is dentistry, I'd probably focus on that in your application.

 

[MrsNema]

Can anyone also help me on these please....
What is a good ATAR for JCU ?
Does the application matter more than the ATAR?What exactly do they look for in the application?
What weight does the interview hold at JCU ?
Is there a formula like 50/50/50 for the above ?

 

[Crow]

Can anyone also help me on these please....
What is a good ATAR for JCU ?
Does the application matter more than the ATAR?What exactly do they look for in the application?
What weight does the interview hold at JCU ?
Is there a formula like 50/50/50 for the above ?

Take a look at the offers thread to see what scores have been high enough in the past. Naturally the higher ATAR the better, but there is a range of ATARs that applicants have been made offers with for both medicine and dentistry. ATAR and the written application are weighted "equally" for interview offers, and ATAR and interview are weighted equally for place offers.Whilst the weighting is equal, the written application is definitely what makes the biggest difference, because it is scored in a way that creates a much greater variance among applicants than ATAR does. This is why those with 99.95 ATARs have missed out on interviews in the past, while those which much lower ATARs have managed interviews and place offers. The interview is obviously also an incredibly important factor if you get to that stage. If you aren't already aware, rurality index also plays a massive part in offers; the more rural an applicant is, the higher their rurality score will be (and they will likely make a better applicant for JCU anyway, given its mission to produce healthcare professionals dedicated to rural/remote/Indigenous health).

 

[Logic]

Take a look at the offers thread to see what scores have been high enough in the past. Naturally the higher ATAR the better, but there is a range of ATARs that applicants have been made offers with for both medicine and dentistry. ATAR and the written application are weighted "equally" for interview offers, and ATAR and interview are weighted equally for place offers.Whilst the weighting is equal, the written application is definitely what makes the biggest difference, because it is scored in a way that creates a much greater variance among applicants than ATAR does. This is why those with 99.95 ATARs have missed out on interviews in the past, while those which much lower ATARs have managed interviews and place offers. The interview is obviously also an incredibly important factor if you get to that stage. If you aren't already aware, rurality index also plays a massive part in offers; the more rural an applicant is, the higher their rurality score will be (and they will likely make a better applicant for JCU anyway, given its mission to produce healthcare professionals dedicated to rural/remote/Indigenous health).

As for what is looked for in the application, no one knows for sure however as JCU has a goal of creating rural health professionals, previous experiences in rural communities e.g by volunteering or those within Indigenous australian communities is usually looked upon favourably. We have a thread in regards to JCU applications i believe if you require more info.
JCU - JCU Written Application Discussion - 2017