JCU JCU Medicine: Interview Discussion

[Crow]

Hi! Just to clarify are "non-standard" places for those already doing a Uni degree?
Also with 1st and 2nd round interviews... I have a low predicted ATAR of around 93-94 (due to a mixture of being very sick with sepsis and screwing up a big assessment block and also being not all that great at English) but I think I will be able to get 96+ for my actual result (fingers crossed)
Would there be any chance of a 1st round interview with what I believe to be a very strong application (I have done volunteering for indigenous charities + nursing homes + work experience in hospitals which has helped in the application) and support letters from teachers and emergency doctor who I did work experience with ect? Basically would it be possible with this predicted ATAR?
Last thing: is there a set pathway for students to work rurally after the finish at JCU? I am from inner Sydney however really really want to work up in the NT and was wondering if there is a transitional process facilitated by JCU. I hope that my genuine passion for indigenous + rural health helps me out here!

Yes, that's correct re: non-standards - they are students who have a tertiary education record. Whether you are in a position to gain an interview or not is highly dependent on your rurality/Indigenous status - if you are a non-rural, non-Indigenous applicant, then an ATAR of 93-94 is unfortunately almost certainly too low, even with an exceptional written application; you'd probably find the same with a 96 unless you really aced the application and subsequent interview for a place offer. The lowest non-rural ATAR recorded on MSO that received an interview last year had an ATAR of 97.0 (this isn't to say there wasn't someone with a lower ATAR than this who received an interview). If you have lived rurally for 5+ years consecutively or 10 years cumulatively prior to living in Sydney (which it doesn't sound like you have) then this would give you rural status and would vastly increase your chances. However, you have nothing to lose by applying and an extremely strong written application could get you over the line for an interview if your ATAR turns out higher than expected, so don't take this as a "be all and end all" from me.

You may need to consider starting tertiary study in a non-medicine degree next year and then apply as a non-standard applicant / pursue graduate entry medicine. If you have any questions to ask regarding this, please feel free to do so in an appropriate thread.

To answer your last question: JCU's medical program would certainly set you up for a career in rural healthcare and if you got into the program you'd have the opportunity for clinical placements in Darwin, which would likely be conducive to you setting yourself up for work in the NT beyond graduation if that's the pathway you want to follow. Benjamin may have further insight that he'd like to offer here.

Good luck!

 

[victoria53688]

Yes, that's correct re: non-standards - they are students who have a tertiary education record. Whether you are in a position to gain an interview or not is highly dependent on your rurality/Indigenous status - if you are a non-rural, non-Indigenous applicant, then an ATAR of 93-94 is unfortunately almost certainly too low, even with an exceptional written application; you'd probably find the same with a 96 unless you really aced the application and subsequent interview for a place offer. The lowest non-rural ATAR recorded on MSO that received an interview last year had an ATAR of 97.0. If you have lived rurally for 5+ years consecutively or 10 years cumulatively prior to living in Sydney (which it doesn't sound like you have) then this would give you rural status and would vastly increase your chances. However, you have nothing to lose by applying and an extremely strong written application could get you over the line for an interview if your ATAR turns out higher than expected, so don't take this as a "be all and end all" from me.

You may need to consider starting tertiary study in a non-medicine degree next year and then apply as a non-standard applicant / pursue graduate entry medicine. If you have any questions regarding this, please feel free to do so in an appropriate thread.

To answer your last question: JCU's medical program would certainly set you up for a career in rural healthcare and if you got into the program you'd have the opportunity for clinical placements in Darwin, which would likely be conducive to you setting yourself up for work in the NT beyond graduation if that's the pathway you want to follow. Benjamin may have further insight that he'd like to offer here.

Good luck!

Thank you.
I am a NSW student with no rural or Indigenous background and have Medical Science at UNSW as a backup (guaranteed at 94) plus bonus points for science band 6s and EAS. I am quite aware than my ATAR is too low but hoping that the final exams go to plan and i'm not in hospital for them like last time.
Do you think they will see my PAA (prediction of academic achievement) form, see the "94" and not bother reading my application? Or will they read the application regardless? My school isn't great at predicting results and people on average get about +2 ATAR points from their predicted each but this relies on continuing to work hard, which I certainly plan to.
I hoping that because I am truely passionate about this then I will find a way of doing it regardless if it's my first try or not.

 

[Crow]

Thank you.
I am a NSW student with no rural or Indigenous background and have Medical Science at UNSW as a backup (guaranteed at 94) plus bonus points for science band 6s and EAS. I am quite aware than my ATAR is too low but hoping that the final exams go to plan and i'm not in hospital for them like last time.
Do you think they will see my PAA (prediction of academic achievement) form, see the "94" and not bother reading my application? Or will they read the application regardless? My school isn't great at predicting results and people on average get about +2 ATAR points from their predicted each but this relies on continuing to work hard, which I certainly plan to.
I hoping that because I am truely passionate about this then I will find a way of doing it regardless if it's my first try or not.

Firstly re: Medical Science - please DON'T do this - from personal experience I strongly advice against studying this degree. The reasons why not are well covered in this thread by Mana and I completely echo all advice given in the thread: Common pitfalls to avoid for year 12 school leavers and other medicine applicants

I am very sorry to hear you were in hospital during your exam period and I hope that you've been able to recover well since then and can focus on your studies for the rest of the year.

Re: bolded part - I definitely don't think that JCU would do this unless they knew that even if you received a perfect score on the written application you still wouldn't be eligible for an offer due to your academic rank - the fact that JCU places heavy emphasis on the written application demonstrates that they are looking for more than academically strong applicants and it wouldn't make sense for them to discriminate against an applicant based on their academic results. Again, Benjamin may have something to add here.

 

[victoria53688]

Firstly re: Medical Science - please DON'T do this - from personal experience I strongly advice against studying this degree. The reasons why not are well covered in this thread by Mana and I completely echo all advice given in the thread: Common pitfalls to avoid for year 12 school leavers and other medicine applicants

I am very sorry to hear you were in hospital during your exam period and I hope that you've been able to recover well since then and can focus on your studies for the rest of the year.

Re: bolded part - I definitely don't think that JCU would do this unless they knew that even if you received a perfect score on the written application you still wouldn't be eligible for an offer due to your academic rank - the fact that JCU places heavy emphasis on the written application demonstrates that they are looking for more than academically strong applicants and it wouldn't make sense for them to discriminate against an applicant based on their academic results. Again, Benjamin may have something to add here.

Thank you for the link, I have read it and thinking things over at the moment, I was aware of a couple of points and always had that fear of being left with a rather useless undergraduate degree with a low chance of post-grad med and no employment opportunities but still being a little ignorant and hoping I would be in the 10% who get in.
I hope that's the case with the application and they still consider me... I have got a 0% chance if I don't apply so putting my name down and working very hard to try and increase my chances for now!
Thank you for answering all my questions it has been very helpful.

 

[A1]

My school isn't great at predicting results and people on average get about +2 ATAR points from their predicted each but this relies on continuing to work hard, which I certainly plan to.

In addition to Crow's reply I can help answer the process dealing with this^ matter. Around early Nov JCU will assess applications together with their predicted ATARs, and select the applicants to attend the Nov (or early Dec) round of interviews. With 94 predicted it's probable you won't be invited.

However after actual ATARs are released mid Dec JCU will conduct another round of assessment, particularly for those who didn't have a predicted ATAR available but also for those whose actual show a significant increase. These will be invited to attend the 4th Jan interviews. Hopefully you can be included in this.

 

[Mana]

Thank you for the link, I have read it and thinking things over at the moment, I was aware of a couple of points and always had that fear of being left with a rather useless undergraduate degree with a low chance of post-grad med and no employment opportunities but still being a little ignorant and hoping I would be in the 10% who get in.
I hope that's the case with the application and they still consider me... I have got a 0% chance if I don't apply so putting my name down and working very hard to try and increase my chances for now!
Thank you for answering all my questions it has been very helpful.

Surely you can see that spending 3 years of your life plus uni fees on a "rather useless" undergraduate degree for a 10% shot at graduate medicine is not good life planning...? Especially when you can still have that 10% shot at graduate medicine with a useful degree?

 

[victoria53688]

Surely you can see that spending 3 years of your life plus uni fees on a "rather useless" undergraduate degree for a 10% shot at graduate medicine is not good life planning...? Especially when you can still have that 10% shot at graduate medicine with a useful degree?

Yes I do understand although my parents do not and the careers advisor at my school does not. I am interested in doing nursing as a degree for the reasons you have listed and then attempting post grad med but at this stage my careers advisor is totally against in and brought it up with my parents (who still believe med sci is the only way to go) and now it's an ongoing battle. The problem I face, however, is that I really struggle to see myself in any other career than medicine. I would enjoy nursing but I wouldn't feel fulfilled in the way I believe medicine would fulfil me with depth of knowledge about patient care ect. So at the moment I am trying to figure out how I am going to get into a degree than would leave me with career path where I would be happy and satisfied with what I am doing. Which is proving difficult as the career I want to end up in is Medicine. Anyway it's my last week of high school ever so I'm trying to enjoy that and not have a early life crisis.
Thank you for the post you have made, it's very informative and helpful.

 

[Mana]

Yes I do understand although my parents do not and the careers advisor at my school does not. I am interested in doing nursing as a degree for the reasons you have listed and then attempting post grad med but at this stage my careers advisor is totally against in and brought it up with my parents (who still believe med sci is the only way to go) and now it's an ongoing battle.

Unfortunately this seems to be a thing at a lot of high schools (i.e. poorly informed career advisors) and I'm willing to talk to any careers advisor on here about any of them (or simply to have them message the MSO Facebook page). Similarly, we've had many parents come on here on behalf of their children.Of course, the only real decision that matters is your own, and this is your own battle to fight.

That said, there is a reason that the aforementioned article is one of the two most quoted threads on this website; the other being A1's excellent admissions table. Feel free to show them it and to post your questions/their questions in that thread.

The problem I face, however, is that I really struggle to see myself in any other career than medicine. I would enjoy nursing but I wouldn't feel fulfilled in the way I believe medicine would fulfil me with depth of knowledge about patient care ect. So at the moment I am trying to figure out how I am going to get into a degree than would leave me with career path where I would be happy and satisfied with what I am doing. Which is proving difficult as the career I want to end up in is Medicine.

This unfortunately seems to ring true for a very large number of perpetually unsuccessful applicants.

Regardless of whether this is the case, you really do need a strong plan B career, given that no-one can predict the future. Even for those already in medical school, it's a reasonable thought exercise to think about what you would do if you realised that medicine was not for you (either because you could never get in or because you found it didn't align with your life goals even after you started it). As per the thread, you've got between now and when preferences close to think about your plan B.

Re: nursing: Yes, it's not for everyone; it just happens to be the shortest and most accessible degree in a clinical health profession. There are lots of other allied health degrees (e.g. radiography, audiology, sonography, pharmacy, physio) of varying length that share similar motivations to medicine in their own way and of course many other non-health degrees with reasonable career pathways (engineering, architecture, law, business etc).

I challenge you to decide which allied health degree you would most prefer to do and which non-health degree you would most prefer to do; the answers of course would be most important to your future life planning.

 

[Jason1112]

What happens if your actual atar is lower compared to your predicted atar?

sorry for asking heaps of questions haha! but with the 2nd question in the application, how am i meant to show that my work experience in the health sector reflects my motivation?

 

[A1]

What happens if your actual atar is lower compared to your predicted atar?

If you didn't get a 1st round interview, a lower actual ATAR is unlikely to get you a 2nd round.

Otoh if you did, the good news is they won't require you to refund the interview. The bad news is place offers will be based off your actual ATAR same as for everyone.

 

[Crow]

but with the 2nd question in the application, how am i meant to show that my work experience in the health sector reflects my motivation?

Have you read this thread yet? JCU - JCU Written Application Discussion - 2017
This particular post by Ben should help with your question:
JCU - JCU Written Application Discussion - 2017

Essentially, an experience is only as good as what you gained out of it. For an example: saying "I've shadowed a GP for three weeks" doesn't say much, but if you can elaborate and say "Being able to witness plenty of interaction between the doctor and their patients really gave me insight into not only the clinical aspect of healthcare, but also the importance of having good communication skills and demonstrating empathy; the personable side of medicine. This experience really consolidated my passion for pursing a medical career, as being able to interact with a diverse range of people, building a long-term relationship with my patients and witnessing the positive impact I can have first hand is one of the key aspects that draws me to medicine."

Obviously that's just a made up example and you need to personalise your application to your own experiences (it'll be quite obvious if you aren't being sincere in the written application and particularly obvious in an interview setting) - but it's key to explain what you gained out of your experience and why it's consolidated your passion to pursue medicine (and more specifically rural/remote/Indigenous healthcare), rather than just list experiences you were involved in.

Hope that helps!

 

[Nkap]

Quick question- I have filled out the JCU Application form for 2019 Medicine but it is in Black and White. Does this matter?
Thank you!

 

[Crow]

Quick question- I have filled out the JCU Application form for 2019 Medicine but it is in Black and White. Does this matter?
Thank you!

Nope it doesn’t matter, no need to stress over that. Good luck with your application!

 

[MrsNema]

Does JCU give preference to QLD candidates ?




Could you please advise , what the referee letters should mention?
Should they not be the work experience people ?
I heard that it can be a even a family friend who knows you personally , is that right ?

Thanks heaps for your help in all the queries so far
May I also ask, if ones parent is a medical practitioner in a regional area, is it a bad thing to refer to in t=your JCU application or interview?
I feel its easier to refer to regional and remote medicine as you are aware of the issues with first hand information?

 

[Crow]

Thanks heaps for your help in all the queries so far
May I also ask, if ones parent is a medical practitioner in a regional area, is it a bad thing to refer to in t=your JCU application or interview?
I feel its easier to refer to regional and remote medicine as you are aware of the issues with first hand information?

That would be completely fine and would show you have first hand experience which has influenced your decision to pursue medicine (and particularly rural medicine) - so long as you phrase it appropriately I.e. not saying you’re only pursuing med because your parent is a doctor.

 

[victoria53688]

Hi! For the Statutory declaration would someone related to you be able to sign? ie my mum is a medical practitioner, would she be allowed to sign it or should I steer clear of it and go find someone else?

 

[Jason1112]

on the application it says all parts of the form will need to returned. does that mean if im applying for med i have to also print out the vet science sheets attached at the end and send those blank?

 

[Crow]

Hi! For the Statutory declaration would someone related to you be able to sign? ie my mum is a medical practitioner, would she be allowed to sign it or should I steer clear of it and go find someone else?

I believe JPs themselves are recommended not to sign for family members, but I don't think JCU would be concerned about it.

on the application it says all parts of the form will need to returned. does that mean if im applying for med i have to also print out the vet science sheets attached at the end and send those blank?

No, only pages 1-8 for you if you aren't applying for vet.

 

[DrDrLMG!]

Hi! For the Statutory declaration would someone related to you be able to sign? ie my mum is a medical practitioner, would she be allowed to sign it or should I steer clear of it and go find someone else?

Does the form need to be signed by a Justice of the Peace (JP), or a Commissioner of Declarations? They are different things. By virtue of being a doctor (or teacher, or psychologist, or pharmacist, or police officer, etc), your Mum will be a CoD, but she may not be a JP, as they have to be specifically registered.

 

[victoria53688]

Does the form need to be signed by a Justice of the Peace (JP), or a Commissioner of Declarations? They are different things. By virtue of being a doctor (or teacher, or psychologist, or pharmacist, or police officer, etc), your Mum will be a CoD, but she may not be a JP, as they have to be specifically registered.

It says both a JP or a commissioner of declarations either or is fine. She is able to sign it, has the stamp required ect. however we were both wondering wether it said no relatives. It doesn't say it on the form but might go and find someone different to save the stress, also don't want it to seem as if I am trying to parade the fact my mum is a doctor. Thanks for the answer!