Combined Medicine at USYD. (1 Viewer)

[Zephyrio]

Hey guys,

Contemplating UAC choices and in particular, medicine. I'm in a bit of a dilemma.

The combined med course in USYD lists its UAI required as being 99.95. My question is: is this actually the cut-off? More specifically, is 99.95 the cut-off for medicine/arts? My friend told me that her friend was selected to study arts/medicine with a UAI of 99.85. I can probably see that medicine/science would require a UAI of 99.95, given its relative popularity and the fact that these degrees would "mesh" well with eachother. However, medicine/arts is presumably less popular and I did read a SMH article on universities "bumping up" UAI cut-offs to embellish their courses with prestige.

Why this is significant to me: Well, I'm not going to get a UAI of 99.95. But if the UAI cut-off for medicine/arts is lower, albeit only slightly, like say 99.80, I might, with God/luck on my side, be able to achieve this. Right now, if I place USYD as my top preference on my UAC application, I would be removing myself from the chance of getting a scholarship from UWS and other unis, which requires me to place it within my top three preferences. I would rather NOT place a course unattainable to me atop my preferences, and instead leave room for other opportunities that may arise.

In any case, I've become quite keen on USYD combined medicine because I'm adamant that I bombed out in my UMAT (). UNSW seems out of reach, unfortunately. I know that I'll probably receive a spate of "why do you want to do arts and med?!" replies, but I would rather this not be about that.

Cheers everyone.

 

[Azamakumar]

why do you want to do arts and med?!

 

[Zephyrio]

I think I read/heard somewhere that they only let 4 people into that double degree.

Yeah. It's around 5 people, I think. It may or may not change due to USYD increasing its 2009 intake, I don't know.

 

[12o9]

Apparently, you only get considered if you ahve a UAI of 99.95 =/.

From what I remember from open day...
sci/med 25 places
arts/med 5 places
medsci/med 5 places
econ/med 5 places
music/med 2 places (also needs an 'audition' too)

 

[+Po1ntDeXt3r+]

So how much are they going to increase it by?!?
If they do only accept 5 people per year then I think that is the UAI and they arn't really inflating it.

they arent obligated to fill the places tho.. so they can do 22

they are trying to cut UNSW monopoly on the 99.95/100 med students

 

[Zephyrio]

Thanks guys.

I really don't think I can get a UAI of 99.95.

 

[KFunk]

In any case, I've become quite keen on USYD combined medicine because I'm adamant that I bombed out in my UMAT (). UNSW seems out of reach, unfortunately. I know that I'll probably receive a spate of "why do you want to do arts and med?!" replies, but I would rather this not be about that.

Arts/Med is a great mix. Just do it because you enjoy it.

 

[ChockoRepublic]

Zephyrio, you could just wait for your HSC results, and after seeing your marks, change your preferences. I'm pretty sure UAC applications remain open until January of next year.

 

[eyetalian]

also

once you get offered the UWS scholarship - a UWS preference must be first on your preferences for the main entry release for university places. then once you get into the course, you get your scholarship.

 

[spence]

If you really want arts/med why not just do arts then do grad medicine. Cause i'm pretty sure you don't start med until you finish your other degree

 

[tallkid34]

Thanks guys.

I really don't think I can get a UAI of 99.95.

Good luck man! A friend of mine applied to do combined med at sydney but he was 0.05 off the mark so he's at unsw doing engineering instead. It's funny how things turn out but try your best and most likely, you'll get into a good degree to do next year.

 

[Zephyrio]

If you really want arts/med why not just do arts then do grad medicine. Cause i'm pretty sure you don't start med until you finish your other degree

True, but there's the scholarship on offer. That and my parents would go apeshit on me if I chose to do graduate medicine. Don't let me give you the impression that they're forcing me to do medicine. No, that would be from my own volition.

Anyway, thanks for the support guys. Does anyone have a concrete answer to my question though?

 

[partelephant]

Just to clear something up regarding the UWS scholarships. UWS does not have to be your first preference in order to get the academic excellence/vice chancellor's leadership scholarship if you are applying for medicine - as suggested by Zephyrio in his OP, it must merely be in your first 3 preferences.

I was offered a scholarship by UWS last year and asked the admissions lady at the scholarship morning tea about this. She said that given the competitive nature of medicine admissions it would be unfair to force you to put it as your first preference and that it being in your first 3 would suffice.

Whether they have changed their policy in the last year I'm not sure but also keep in mind that this scholarships morning tea was post-HSC results release meaning that you can see how you did in your HSC and change your preferences afterwards (up until the first week of January or whenever it is). Also, if you were concerned that UWS needs to be in your top 3 PRIOR to the very first close of UAC preferences in late september to be even considered for the scholarship you could do something like put UNSW or UNCLE as 4th and swap it with UWS so that UWS is in your top 3, even though it might not necessarily be ahead of those other 2 universities (I'm assuming it's those 2 if you want to do med) in your ACTUAL preferences. (And by actual I mean the uni you actually want to go to)

Regarding the USyd thing, sorry I can't give you any solid answers but I think a small reduction in the order of 0.1 is plausible (i.e. you could get in with 99.85 for arts/med). I suppose the only way you could REALLY find out is if you just happened to stumble across someone in that course who just happens to know the UAIs of everyone else who got in =P

 

[frostysnow]

music and med combined only required 99.5. and they are taking 30 people all together

 

[ssglain]

From my experience, the 99.95 UAI cut-off (for the Sci/Med combo, at least) is pretty strongly enforced. A friend of mine who got 99.90 last year rang up and tried very hard to ask for a chance at an interview and was turned down.

As for numbers, there are 52 students in total from 2006-2008:
'06 - 6 science
'07 - 13 science, 2 arts and 3 music
'08 - 22 science, 3 arts and 3 music
(science includes both B Sc (Sdv) and B Med Sci )

The faculty doesn't have approval to receive more than 30 students per year and the planned intake for '09 is 20 students.

For those of you who do make it (the local interview is today, I think) - see you at the beginning of year function.

 

[ssglain]

One more thing - 2 new combinations are available in 2009:
B Business/MBBS
B Economics/MBBS
They're allowed to take in at most 5 students in those two combos.

 

[kido_1]

I wonder what the cutoff would be for Economics/med and business/med. Are there second round offers? How many ppl are interviewed? I wonder if you can get in with 99.90/99.85/99.8/99.75/..

 

[tasmina]

highly doubt it
i got a uai of 99.90 this year but no interview for USYD
which sucks!!!!

 

[xxstef]

highly doubt it
i got a uai of 99.90 this year but no interview for USYD
which sucks!!!!

which of the combined degrees did you apply for?
would i correct in assuming that the science/med course is a lot more popular than the arts/med and music/med?
how competitive would eco/med and com/med be? similar to the science/med and arts/med cutoffs (99.95), or more like music/med (99.5)?

 

[tasmina]

i chose the science one..thats prob why
so i decided to go to UNSW and try UMAT again and hope i get an interview
but i still dunno if thats a good idea..but very keen on studying med

music is only lower because u have to pass audition and i think arts is increasing in popularity so still competitive..i dunno about commerce