JCU JCU Medicine: General Entry Discussion

[A1]

there are previous applicants like myself in the degree who only have a metro background.

You were in the 2025 intake which didn't need to submit a written application. From your posts it seems you didn't need a top ATAR.

So how would you explain that you got selected for interview while other metro 99.70-99.80s didn't, other than some sort of voodoo by JCU?

EtA: Maybe from the schooling history JCU adds some adjustments to metro but disadvantaged schools?

 

[enzokken]

You were in the 2025 intake which didn't need to submit a written application. From your posts it seems you didn't need a top ATAR.

So how would you explain that you got selected for interview while other metro 99.70-99.80s didn't, other than some sort of voodoo by JCU?

Hi! Yeah that seems pretty odd, I wasn't very engaged in the JCU interview outcomes being shared on forums but I have a few ideas potentially.

- What your school submits on your behalf - I am not 100% sure what it is on this form, but your school provides JCU with a predicted ATAR (I am not sure if there is an academic breakdown of actual/expected performance). Just because one person achieves a 99.5+ ATAR at the end, doesn't necessarily mean that was their predicted. My theory for being offered an interview is that my predicted was in the 99+ ATAR range. I believe there are also some other personalised questions on the form (student's behaviour, work ethic etc.), but this form wasn't something my school allowed me to see so I don't know what they ask exactly (we had a Careers advisor who filled this out).

- JCU also asked us to give a list of where we went to school from Kindergarten to Year 12. My schooling has been in Beaumont Hills and Baulkham Hills: both suburbs that are not considered socioeconomically disadvantaged.

These are genuinely the only two factors I can think of, with the first point being the most likely influence in my opinion

 

[Deleted member 55240]

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[wins3j2]

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[meet99]

EXACTLY. Thanks A1

And its a 99.90 here. And yes, with all the subjects required. So I think its dishonest. And for a publicly funded university that should not be acceptable.

But there was no relevant questions at all - and if your careers adviser filled it out? Seriously?

And the 99.90 was achieved - as I am gap year. And that was raw 99.90

This makes NO SENSE!
I'm very sure my school submitted a PAA of 99.5+ and I didn't receive an interview either but some other metro candidates from NSW did (I'm from VIC), I'm genuinely so confused with how the system works at JCU other than a lottery.

Would A1 have more insight into the process potentially?

 

[medbuddy]

agree with above comments .Same happened here Brisbane metro , same ATAR prediction , one got interview and other not ? this is crazy, JCU select metro students by tak tik tuk >

 

[CaffeinePapi]

I did not hear about this from anyone, and I do not believe it is on their website, so thank you for letting us know!

JCU has been changing up a bunch of the ways they deliver the medicine course/changing assessements throughout the last 4 years but more often than not its usually an internal change that the incoming cohort/current cohorts will find out at the start of their respective academic years when the subject outline is gone over! My cohort (Class of 2027) was essentially the last year that all of the old "traditional" systems were in place (all pre-clins in TSV, written application for med entry etc). Hope that helps clear up confusion!

Hey, what makes you say that? There is definitely a large cohort of students who have undergone rural schooling, but there are previous applicants like myself in the degree who only have a metro background. Happy to chat via pm if you'd like!

Also, a metro applicant + majority of my close friends were metro applicants with no rural background either from Adelaide, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Sydney - (granted we had our written applications at the time, which for some people might have helped with showing our personal interests/motivations for medicine, etc), but more than happy to chat via PM/answer any questions as well if any of you guys want to

 

[Deleted member 55240]

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[DrDrLMG!]

This makes NO SENSE!
I'm very sure my school submitted a PAA of 99.5+ and I didn't receive an interview either but some other metro candidates from NSW did (I'm from VIC), I'm genuinely so confused with how the system works at JCU other than a lottery.

Would A1 have more insight into the process potentially?

None of the mod/admin team have more solid info. It’s all very murky and always has been. Even when previous health industry experience and written applications were in the mix it was a dart board.

 

[Zeina]

I am a qld student with a 99.9 atar and so I was hoping to apply for griffith as my 1st preference as their minimum atar was 99.9 but I was scared I might not get an offer since ucat was not great. if I put JCU as my 2nd preference does that mean it’s very unlikely for me to get in because they prefer to be placed first? or since it’s a high atar they would still consider?

 

[CaffeinePapi]

I am a qld student with a 99.9 atar and so I was hoping to apply for griffith as my 1st preference as their minimum atar was 99.9 but I was scared I might not get an offer since ucat was not great. if I put JCU as my 2nd preference does that mean it’s very unlikely for me to get in because they prefer to be placed first? or since it’s a high atar they would still consider?

Have you already had your interview? If so, how do you think it went? Use that as a gauge of if you think you'll receive an offer this application year, as your ATAR + QLD status should be helpful. Anecdotally, I have never heard of anyone not getting an offer just because they preferenced JCU lower than another school on their application portals!

Like many of the mod/admin team have stated before in previous replies, as students, we are never privy to the specifics of how the admissions team selects people, as it's quite murky, so usually the information we have tends to be cohort-dependent/knowledge passed on from those who came before us or our own experiences with the admissions processes.

Hope this helps and hope you get some good news soon!

 

[A1]

I am a qld student with a 99.9 atar and so I was hoping to apply for griffith as my 1st preference as their minimum atar was 99.9 but I was scared I might not get an offer since ucat was not great. if I put JCU as my 2nd preference does that mean it’s very unlikely for me to get in because they prefer to be placed first? or since it’s a high atar they would still consider?

Your preferences do not change the med schools' decisions on place offers.

Preferences only matter *after* JCU and Griffith have both determined you are eligible for their offers. It then goes to QTAC to give you the higher pref and assign the other to another applicant.

 

[Suhas Putta]

Hello, did anyone receive an interview invitation today? I was just wondering if the second round invitations have been sent out already. Thank you.

 

[sloth]

Hi, how important is volunteering experience? (Removed content — cannot discuss interview contents) I stopped volunteering for a few years due to family circumstances.