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UMAT in 2019 - What should be my plan of attack?

Hey everybody, hope your day has been going great.

I'll try to provide as much description about myself and my situation, and if you'd like - you can skip to the end where I'll have a TL;DR waiting for ya! :)

I feel like my circumstances aren't too unique, but academically, I don't have the greatest track-record. This is arguably my biggest weakness. Throughout HSC, I'd like to say that I didn't really try - but the truth is, I did. I did the best I could, but I wasn't motivated. I had no drive. Nothing pushed me out of my comfort zone. I set low expectations, and I settled for less... far less. My ATAR was the culmination of an entire year worth of effort (or lack of), so it speaks for itself. I settled for a subpar degree at an average university and spent 6 months of that miserable year not knowing any better.

I'd like to think that if I continued studying that degree, I'd graduate with adequate job security, earning between $60-90k/pa, sitting behind a desk, punching numbers, interpreting graphs and trends. Who was I helping though? How was I in any way making this world a better place? These questions became the forefront of my thoughts following a period where my closest friend went through (what I would call it) a depressive state. What skills do I honestly have? I'm empathetic, check. I can grasp concepts quickly, check. I have a burning desire to leave this world in a better place than I found it... check.

But (there's always a but), there are different ways to do this. I spoke to my girlfriend at the time - psychology perhaps? How about chiro? What about physiotherapy? For some unknown reason, the idea of studying physiotherapy appealed to me. Okay, where can I study this? WSU had an undergraduate course at their Campbelltown campus - sub 20 minutes drive from home. Keep in mind, each sentence in this paragraph was probably the span of a fortnight of head-throbbing consideration.

95 ATAR. My heart sunk. If I input my highest mark in every subject I ever got in HS, the dodgy ATAR calculator would probably show me an 88.

"Alright, what are my options?" That brings me to the present day, 3:30am in the morning - with almost nothing better to do than sleep. I'm studying a Health Science degree at the WSU Campbelltown campus. I had every intention of transferring into Physiotherapy until just over a month ago. Medicine was never an option. For me, the likelihood of studying Medicine would be the equivalent of a separated calf escaping a troop of lions.

So what changed my mind? A discussion in passing. Remember the friend I brought up earlier that catalysed my entire shift in perspective? Him. He's studying Medicine at UNSW. We were stuck in Monday-morning traffic, but neither one of us was irritable. We were having a productive conversation about what I wanted to do with my life. One attribute to my lousy ATAR is probably my memory - so I probably can't recite exactly what he said to me over 9 months ago, but it went something like this. "Ever since I've known you, you've had a genuine interest in helping others. Why don't you consider studying Medicine?" Between me and the beautiful stranger behind the screen reading this, at the time, I almost took it as an insult.

Now the thought is almost comical. "How dare he suggest I push my limits and find my passion?" Ha.

I apologise for the essay, so I'll try to wrap it up. If you've read this far, please continue - your input could literally change my life.

Anyways, (okay scratch that, this might go on a while, seriously - either skip to the end for the TLDR... or don't, I'll never know) my Med friend and I were having a discussion on the effects of saturated fat and cholesterol on our coronary arteries. Does it cause heart disease? Is there really a positive association, and if so - why is there such conflicting data in the medical literature?

Studies interested me. I loved learning about the human body. Two years ago, I was in the chess-club, pretending to study Economics at lunch. Today, I was reading peer-reviewed studies about human heath for the sole reason of 'I enjoyed it.'

The idea was brought up again. "You know, once you study Medicine - you could create your own studies. Recruit your own healthy population, design your own study models and publish what you find. You could travel internationally to present your results and could quite possibly save millions of lives." There wasn't the faintest stutter in his voice. He had rehearsed this. It confirmed a thought, he truly wanted the best for me. And he had given this plenty of thought on my behalf.

(I really hope there isn't a word-count on this thread, that would be anti-climactic).

Prior to this conversation, I applied to become a volunteer at an aged-care facility specialising in dementia. (I start this Thursday!)

The steps necessary to study Medicine at WSU; obtain the minimum of a 5.5 GPA, smash the UMAT, ace the interview. My ATAR holds no weight. (F**k yeah!)

My friend stated quite eloquently over a text late Saturday night, he said - "Are you going to let the world continue doing what you hate most [suffering], or are you give it your best to try and stop it?"

Following that question, I asked myself one - 'Am I brave enough to give it my best shot?'

UMAT Preparation; he told me he had enough UMAT resources where it was 'humanly impossible' to complete them all, even if I started today.

I want this now. More than anything. It now serves as my motivation. I want to study Medicine with the sole purpose of making decisions to save lives. I want to give people a new lease on life. This is my purpose and I want to set myself up for success, despite my history, despite the odds. Please help me.

TL;DR - Okay so! I got a Med best friend, strongly encouraged me to pursue studying Medicine. He has all the resources necessary. I want to set myself up for success in the 2019 UMAT. What should be my plan of attack?
 
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DrDrLMG!

Resident Medical Officer
Administrator
To be honest, I think the best preparation for UMAT is... UMAT. If I had the $$, I’d be signing up for 2018 as well and using it as a practice run. I used ACER and MedEntry prep materials, and certainly found both useful in different ways, but neither really compare to the actual exam due to the unique stress it brings about, the time pressure, the being in the same room as a gazillion others, the sort of thing that doing a practice exam at home can never hope to recreate.

Non-UMAT-wise, while Med is certainly a great option, don’t get caught up in the idea of it being the Be All and End All, particularly given the reasons you’ve listed for wanting to study Med can be achieved in myriad other ways, including (especially?) the research. You could see your Health Science degree through and apply for honours, your opportunities to run studies, write journal articles, and present data at national/international conferences would start there. You could then use your honours as a springboard to PhD with way more of the above.

Don’t get stuck on the notion that Med is the only way to have an impact and help people because it’s not even close, especially on the grand scale you’ve alluded to in your post. Politics, health economics, engineering, agricultural science, there are so many avenues. I’m not saying DON’T consider Med, just noting that, statistically (applicants vs place offers) your chances are pretty slim but not to give up if it doesn’t work out, not to throw all your (emotional) eggs in one basket, so to speak.

Practically speaking, all you can really do is what you’re already doing. Apply yourself to your current degree to ensure you meet the GPA requirements, prepare as best you can for UMAT, apply widely (ie. also to JCU, JMP, Curtin if you complete your degree - your ATAR probably rules you out of UNSW) and take it from there. There’s also always GAMSAT. Above all else, keep an open mind.
 
Thank you! I don't know if I could afford sitting the exam this year. I mean, I could - the experience would be invaluable - but I haven't given it enough thought, and I'd feel like I'd be throwing away money. I'll seriously consider it though.

As for Med being my only avenue, realistically - I know it's almost impossible (see the cringe allusion to the calf haha), I'd like to give it my best shot and I'd fall back on physiotherapy if things don't work out.

Thank you so much for your input! Hope you have a great day. :)
 

Mana

there are no stupid questions, only people
Administrator
Thank you! I don't know if I could afford sitting the exam this year. I mean, I could - the experience would be invaluable - but I haven't given it enough thought, and I'd feel like I'd be throwing away money. I'll seriously consider it though.

As for Med being my only avenue, realistically - I know it's almost impossible (see the cringe allusion to the calf haha), I'd like to give it my best shot and I'd fall back on physiotherapy if things don't work out.

Thank you so much for your input! Hope you have a great day. :)

You're going to have to sit the exam in one year regardless. In the grand scheme of how expensive things are (including how expensive it is to study medicine) the UMAT really is a drop in the ocean (although for a student with no income I agree it can be quite hard to put aside the $250).

On the off chance that you do well in it and you get an interview and then get in, then that $250 has now saved you the costs of studying a whole year of your current degree (which going by the CSP repayments would be several thousand dollars). If not, it's still the best preparation for future UMAT.

(That said - the UMAT is supposed to be designed to be a test which tests intrinsic ability rather than things you can prepare for - whether it actually is is contentious - but I do think that intrinsic ability is a factor for this exam which arguably makes preparation for the exam less important than intrinsic ability. If you just happen to be someone with this, then the UMAT will be a lot easier for you).

If you're serious about doing medicine, which by the above it sounds like you are (LMG!'s advice is definitely invaluable here though - there are loads of other career pathways with similar outcomes), I'd be sitting the UMAT every year until you start your first year of physiotherapy (with the caveat that realistically if you don't do well you have the option of not trying it again next year - for example, if you sit it and you get 0-20%iles then even with a huge 50%ile improvement you're still likely not going to be competitive in the future). It's good that you have a realistic view on the likelihood of things and this should help to guide your decision in future.

Oh, and arguably the GAMSAT pathway is easier, just by the statistics of people who apply and get in comparatively.
 

chinaski

Regular Member
[offtopic]Skim reading, seem the prevailing sentiment of the OP is "I want to help people and make a difference" - all very noble and good, but then again, one does not need a medical degree to achieve that goal. The whole analogy of the person who gives out mosquito nets making a bigger difference to the lives of others than your average doctor seems privy here.[/offtopic]
 
Truth! $250 really isn't much and my mentality is that the UMAT is still a knowledge-based test, so I naturally assumed that I wasn't prepared enough to attempt it.

The only thing I'd lose this year by attempting the UMAT is $250. If it works out in my favour, I'd save an entire year worth of uni fees, I'd graduate a year earlier suggesting I'd also be in the workforce a year earlier. I'll speak to my friend and get his opinion on it. The issue right now is the fear that I lack preparation.

Thank you so much for your input!
 

A1

Rookie Doc
Moderator
I'll speak to my friend and get his opinion on it. The issue right now is the fear that I lack preparation.

If you are naturally suited to the UMAT's question types two months of prep is quite sufficient. I spent 3 hours each Sat & Sun for two months and got a pretty good result.

If one is not naturally suited they may feel they need to prep a lot longer, however any improvement won't be proportional to the extra effort. I guess what I'm saying is, if you start soon + do it methodically you won't be significantly disadvantaged.
 
[offtopic]Skim reading, seem the prevailing sentiment of the OP is "I want to help people and make a difference" - all very noble and good, but then again, one does not need a medical degree to achieve that goal. The whole analogy of the person who gives out mosquito nets making a bigger difference to the lives of others than your average doctor seems privy here.[/offtopic]

You're absolutely right. You definitely do not need a medical degree to make a positive change in this world. That being said, (please correct me if I'm wrong), I want to be at the forefront of research and I'd love to learn more chronic conditions in-depth. Not to mention, this entire thing would be a challenge - and it's just another test I'd like to put myself through.
 
If you are naturally suited to the UMAT's question types two months of prep is quite sufficient. I spent 3 hours each Sat & Sun for two months and got a pretty good result.

If one is not naturally suited they may feel they need to prep a lot longer, however any improvement won't be proportional to the extra effort. I guess what I'm saying is, if you start soon + do it methodically you won't be significantly disadvantaged.

Congratulations on your result! Perhaps an entire year + two months is overkill, haha.

From what I've heard, WSU only takes into account S1 & S2 (S3 for tiebreakers). Do you think it'd be foolish to (for the most part) ignore S3 when it rolls around in the exam? Or at the very least, pay less attention to it during study time?
 
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chinaski

Regular Member
You're absolutely right. You definitely do not need a medical degree to make a positive change in this world. That being said, (please correct me if I'm wrong), I want to be at the forefront of research and I'd love to learn more chronic conditions in-depth. Not to mention, this entire thing would be a challenge - and it's just another test I'd like to put myself through.

You can have a research career without a medical degree, too (albeit granted; if you are interested in clinical research, funding tends to preferentially flow towards medical doctors, generally speaking). Bear in mind, that most doctors who work in research do not reach the "forefront" as you describe. Most of us are bit players. This in itself can be a rewarding thing, but if you have your sights set on a grand scenario such as being an opinion leader with your own lab (as you described above), you may find yourself disappointed with what is the reality for most.
 

A1

Rookie Doc
Moderator
From what I've heard, WSU only takes into account S1 & S2 (S3 for tiebreakers). Do you think it'd be foolish to (for the most part) ignore S3 when it rolls around in the exam? Or at the very least, pay less attention to it during study time?

I worked out from last year's data it was more like S1+S2+(0.1 S3). S3 was practically tiebreaker except when a difference of 10+ S3 marks can compensate for 1 S1/S2 mark.

You should also aim for JMP whose UMAT cutoff is significantly lower than WSU's, but they require 50+ for each section. Combining these two schools the optimum would be getting 50+ for S3 with the rest of the effort into S1/S2. Difficulty is we can't tell what is enough to get 50+.
 

Mana

there are no stupid questions, only people
Administrator
Truth! $250 really isn't much and my mentality is that the UMAT is still a knowledge-based test, so I naturally assumed that I wasn't prepared enough to attempt it.

The only thing I'd lose this year by attempting the UMAT is $250. If it works out in my favour, I'd save an entire year worth of uni fees, I'd graduate a year earlier suggesting I'd also be in the workforce a year earlier. I'll speak to my friend and get his opinion on it. The issue right now is the fear that I lack preparation.

Thank you so much for your input!

No - it's not knowledge based at all and there is very little that you need to know in terms of knowledge to do well in the UMAT - it's a test of ability in logical, emotional, and visuospatial reasoning. This may very well account for why there are always people every year who sit the UMAT with no preparation whatsoever and score very well in it.

Regardless of whether you actually prepare for it or not, I would still sit the UMAT in your situation, for several reasons:
1. the off chance that you are one of those people who sits the UMAT with no preparation and still scores high enough to get interviews
2. the preparation that this will give you for future attempts (or to make it clear to you that you aren't going to be one of those people who could do that well in the UMAT - depending on your results)
3. the "feedback" that you get in terms of your section scores. Since you get an individual section mark for sections 1, 2 and 3 (corresponding to the reasoning in areas that I mentioned above) you will know for the next year which areas you need to develop.
 

DrDrLMG!

Resident Medical Officer
Administrator
Congratulations on your result! Perhaps an entire year + two months is overkill, haha.

From what I've heard, WSU only takes into account S1 & S2 (S3 for tiebreakers). Do you think it'd be foolish to (for the most part) ignore S3 when it rolls around in the exam? Or at the very least, pay less attention to it during study time?

There were definitely people here at MSO last year who had S1+S2 totals that were at or above totals for other students, but didn’t get interview offers, presumably because of their S3 score.

Ignoring S3 is not a great strategy for several reasons:
some unis (including JMP which you should also be aiming for) have a minimum 50 cut off.
S3 is easily the section most amenable to practice effects.

For more information on the benefits of S3 practice, see the UMAT discussion thread.
 

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