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JPM WSU/CSU JPM: Non-standard Entry

sophie3

Lurker
Hi, this is my first post so I may sound a bit stupid but I have done a lot of research. I'm currently @ Usyd and finished my B.Sc coursework last year and now I'm spending the year doing honours in biochemistry.

A few points:
  • I'm GWS
  • GPA ~ 6
  • Doing UMAT this year

I was just wondering if anyone had much experience with non-standard entry and what kind of UMAT did you achieve to get an interview?
 

BethMark25

WSU MBBS II
Hi sophie3,
I’m a first year MBBS student with WSU this year, I’m rural as well as nonstandard though.

I had a 6.1GPA and 98th percentile UMAT. Upon speaking to other students it appears that the interviews seem easier for non standards, a little bit of life experience goes a long way.
So if you get to the interview stage I wouldn’t strategise too much. Just go in, be yourself, apply a good mix of common sense and empathy to the scenarios and be HONEST. Good luck!
 

DrDrLMG!

Resident Medical Officer
Administrator
Hi, this is my first post so I may sound a bit stupid but I have done a lot of research. I'm currently @ Usyd and finished my B.Sc coursework last year and now I'm spending the year doing honours in biochemistry.

A few points:
  • I'm GWS
  • GPA ~ 6
  • Doing UMAT this year

I was just wondering if anyone had much experience with non-standard entry and what kind of UMAT did you achieve to get an interview?

There is lots of information here (especially in threads that list all interview invites or all offers) that will answer this question for you. Look in the offers subforum for the 2018 thread.
 
There is lots of information here (especially in threads that list all interview invites or all offers) that will answer this question for you. Look in the offers subforum for the 2018 thread.
Does Western Sydney University only look at your GPA for your last completed degree or do they look at the highest GPA out of all of your completed degrees? I've looked at the relevant webpage but it does not say anything about this (Course). Being a Queenslander, I would be a Non Greater Western Sydney applicant. I have a BSc in chemistry (GPA 4.9375, 2006), BSc Honours Class 1 in chemistry (GPA 6.25, 2007), PhD in chemistry (GPA 7, 2013), and a Master of Intellectual Property (MIP degree) (GPA 2.88/4.00 which may be equivalent to 5.04/7, completed 2017). I am now really kicking myself for doing the MIP degree because it appears to have wiped out the GPA 7 from my PhD. The irony is that if I had left the MIP incomplete then it would be easy to get into medicine GPA wise. I am actually being penalized for completing a degree and not being a drop out. Medicine has always been a parallel interest of mine alongside chemistry but I kept putting medicine in the too hard basket because of the GAMSAT/UMAT, and interview requirements. Do I still stand a chance of getting an interview, assuming I get a good UMAT result?
 

A1

Rookie Doc
Moderator
Does Western Sydney University only look at your GPA for your last completed degree or do they look at the highest GPA out of all of your completed degrees?

WSU is the only school that allows applicants to use *either* GPA or ATAR, whichever helps them to qualify. Extending this analogy they could allow you to use whichever GPA, but you should call them to double check.

I think you should also contact the individual grad schools that give GPA 7 to PhD (Griffith, UWA...). My feeling is once they honour a PhD with 7 a later lower degree should not wipe that out.
 
Thank you very much, I'll ring them up on Monday. The rules are certainly different for the Bachelor of Physiotheraphy at UQ. They will look at my PhD (GPA 7/SR 99) and accept that only, meaning that I'm at least pretty assured of getting admitted to physio at UQ next year, but I'd still prefer medicine.
 

sophie3

Lurker
Thank you very much, I'll ring them up on Monday. The rules are certainly different for the Bachelor of Physiotheraphy at UQ. They will look at my PhD (GPA 7/SR 99) and accept that only, meaning that I'm at least pretty assured of getting admitted to physio at UQ next year, but I'd still prefer medicine.


I would definitely call the WSU med office as they are extremely helpful with these kinds of things.
 

Nikki.S

Member
Hi everyone, I was looking at the requirements for studying medicine at WSU and noticed that they consider students graduating at the end of the year as graduates. I am in my final year of my course and will be graduating at the end of 2019. Suppose the UCAT works out, so does that mean they will consider my GPA after I graduate at the end of the year or will they look at my GPA after semester 1 of 2019 finishes? I have completed 16 units, and I am studying four units this semester.

8-23 units = minimum is 5.6/7 GPA
Graduated = minimum is 5.1/7 GPA
I am just confused on whether I would be classified as a 'graduate' or a student having completed 8-23 units. Screen Shot 2019-03-25 at 8.41.59 pm.png
 

Crow

Staff | Junior Doctor
Moderator
I am just confused on whether I would be classified as a 'graduate' or a student having completed 8-23 units.
If you expect to complete your degree by the end of the year, then as per your attached screenshot you should apply as a graduate applicant. If you aren't going to complete your degree by the end of the year, apply as a school-leaver.
 

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Nikki.S

Member
If you expect to complete your degree by the end of the year, then as per your attached screenshot you should apply as a graduate applicant. If you aren't going to complete your degree by the end of the year, apply as a school-leaver.

Thank you, so will that mean they consider the GPA of 5.1/7 if I graduate by the end of this year? I am so sorry for these silly questions. :oops:
 

Crow

Staff | Junior Doctor
Moderator
Thank you, so will that mean they consider the GPA of 5.1/7 if I graduate by the end of this year? I am so sorry for these silly questions. :oops:
Yep, that's correct! If you haven't received your final semester 2 results when they initially assess your application, I'd imagine they would proceed with the application process as normal and then re-check that you still meet the GPA hurdle once those results have been finalised and released.
 

Nikki.S

Member
Yep, that's correct! If you haven't received your final semester 2 results when they initially assess your application, I'd imagine they would proceed with the application process as normal and then re-check that you still meet the GPA hurdle once those results have been finalised and released.

Thank you! I promise this is the last question. For this situation, is the GPA just a hurdle to be eligible to apply for the medicine course at WSU? Or will it also be a tie breaker to choose between the higher GPA?
 

Crow

Staff | Junior Doctor
Moderator
Thank you! I promise this is the last question. For this situation, is the GPA just a hurdle to be eligible to apply for the medicine course at WSU? Or will it also be a tie breaker to choose between the higher GPA?
It’s just a hurdle. UCAT score determines who gets an interview, interview score determines who gets a place offer. I believe if two applicants with the same interview score are on the cutoff then they’d use UCAT as the tiebreaker, and then GPA if they needed ANOTHER tiebreaker (highly unlikely). A1 or LMG! can confirm that.
 

A1

Rookie Doc
Moderator
I believe if two applicants with the same interview score are on the cutoff then they’d use UCAT as the tiebreaker

Yes can confirm this. WSU website says place offers are based on Interview and UMAT/UCAT with higher emphasis on the former. There was speculation whether that meant UMAT counted some amount like 1/3rd but several people have reported UMAT would only be used for tiebreaking.
 

EDRN

Lurker
Heya, I'm a New Zealand 2nd year uni student considering applying at WSU and UoN but I've heard that WSU is biased towards people who live in Western Sydney. Is this true?

There's a point system based around living in the Greater Western Sydney Area.

It doesn't mean that you won't get selected for an interview just because you are outside of the area.
 

BethMark25

WSU MBBS II
Heya, I'm a New Zealand 2nd year uni student considering applying at WSU and UoN but I've heard that WSU is biased towards people who live in Western Sydney. Is this true?

They do like Western Sydney applicants, but they simply get a lower threshold for interview selection (similar to rural). I can't recall if there is a quota for how many local students they accept, but I don't think so.
Once you get to interview stage I can assure you that the interviewers have no idea of your background, they grade you purely base don how you perform.

In any case it doesn't hurt to apply!
 

A1

Rookie Doc
Moderator
I've heard that WSU is biased towards people who live in Western Sydney. Is this true?

In addition to BethMark25's reply I like to add this info taken from p35 of this WSU Accreditation report
> http://www.amc.org.au/wp-content/up...ion/accreditation_reports/2017_WSU_report.pdf

1) WSU allocates 50/50 interview spots to GWS / non-GWS applicants. This results in non-GWS interviewees generally having higher UCAT scores.

2) Place selection is based on 75% interview + 25% UCAT. WSU says their data indicate no differences in interview performance between GWS and non-GWS.

(1) & (2) combined should result in more place offers to non-GWS students, but a table shows the opposite with 60% of places to GWS, 40% to non-GWS. So I believe WSU does allocate a more generous place quota for GWS.
 

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zx72ksq8o

Member
Is it true that non-standard applicants have a slightly better chance of making it in because they have more experience and therefore can out-perform at interviews? Also, what if you're in the first year of a science degree and then make it into med - do you just ditch that degree and start med from year 1?

(Off topic and double-posted content removed by moderator.)
 
Last edited by a moderator:

DrDrLMG!

Resident Medical Officer
Administrator
Is it true that non-standard applicants have a slightly better chance of making it in because they have more experience and therefore can out-perform at interviews? Also, what if you're in the first year of a science degree and then make it into med - do you just ditch that degree and start med from year 1?

(Off topic and double-posted content removed by moderator.)

As mentioned elsewhere, answers to all your questions are here at MSO. Please have a read before asking anymore as it's very clear you've done little of your own research.
 

Simon079

Lurker
Hi all, I completed a bachelor degree with honours back in 2017, but since then I have done first year of two separate degrees. In 2018 I completed 0.875 EFTSL of a new degree (where 1 EFSTL is 8 subjects studied in the year) and in 2019 I completed 0.63 EFTSL of a different degree.

Will WSU use my GPA from my completed bachelors or study from 2018 or 2019 to assess my academic merit (on top of UCAT) for an interview?

Thanks
 

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