desperately need info deciding courses!! :( (1 Viewer)

[comp247]

Hi there. I'm really lost atm choosing my uni course. I got rejected from med with 99.65/172 but apparently this guy got 99.4/173 and was offered an interview..... And so, I am even more depressed and am not sure which pathway I should follow. Either way, I want to pursue medicine, whether it be postgrad or I try transferring. But just incase I dont make it, I want to do a double degree to keep my options open. So here are my preferences so far:
1. Science/Law @ USyd (I found very law interesting after year 10 commerce)
2. Aeronautical Engineering(Space)/Science @ USyd (I'm also interested in space and if I get this degree, I want to go to space agencies like NASA. very difficult I know but I can always try? )
3. Science (Advanced) @ USyd

or even
4. Vet @ USyd
5. Optometry/Science @ UNSW
6. Commerce(International) @ UNSW (Actuarial Studies/Jap)


Please give me your honest(&sincere!) opinions about these courses. Thanks!

 

[Survivor39]

I just want to firstly say "really sorry to hear that you just missed out!!" Seriously some of the students in med shouldn't even be there (I know because I'm a med tutor)... But if you really really have the passion for it you should never give up and I hope to see you in the future.

Now, what are you going to do in the meanwhile....which option you choose from your list is really depedent on how you want to get into med.

Option 1:
Transfer to med after 1 year at uni. In this case you want to get as high a mark as possible at uni so I suggest avoid law and Actuarial Studies as you will not get high enough mark in these subjects for transfer.. Instead go with:
- Optometry/Science @ UNSW
- Science (Advanced) @ USyd
- Aeronautical Engineering(Space)/Science @ USyd


Option 2:
Graduate Med (do med after your first degree)
In this case, try to keep your first degree as short as possible. So from your list they are:
- Science (Advanced) @ USyd (4 years)
- Commerce(International) @ UNSW (Actuarial Studies/Jap) (4 years)

Both of these options are good because graduate med school doesn't care what the areas of your first degree are and what marks you get in them.


Option 3:
The UNSW Medical Science-Medicine Entry. In this case you gain admission into UNSW Med at the end of year 2 in BMedSc (UNSW), but you must complete BMedSc with Honours before you join Medicine. You will start 4th Year Medicine:
- B Medical Science at UNSW.


That's all the advice I have for you. I hope you find this useful. Well done on what you have been able to achieve so far and best of luck with your decision.

 

[Wooz]

I just want to firstly say "really sorry to hear that you just missed out!!" Seriously some of the students in med shouldn't even be there (I know because I'm a med tutor)... But if you really really have the passion for it you should never give up and I hope to see you in the future.

Option 3:
The UNSW Medical Science-Medicine Entry. In this case you gain admission into UNSW Med at the end of year 2 in BMedSc (UNSW), but you must complete BMedSc with Honours before you join Medicine. You will start 4th Year Medicine:
- B Medical Science at UNSW.


That's all the advice I have for you. I hope you find this useful. Well done on what you have been able to achieve so far and best of luck with your decision.

Don't count on option 3 it is going to be highly competitive.

 

[Survivor39]

As if the other two options aren't....

 

[Wooz]

Everyone in the Med Sci program is pretty much going for those 15 also it appears that she does not want to go down the med sci pathway.

 

[comp247]

Thanks heaps for your help
The reason I'm reconsidering science advanced and have science/law or aero eng/science is just incase I dont get into med since it's a gamble. Then I have a back up plan to follow. Can you do science advanced as a double degree? And do you choose the other part of the combined law degree when uni starts?

 

[piitb]

why didnt you apply at UWS medicine? you definitly would of gotten in.

 

[kevinx2]

A 99.5/168 would get you in UNSW med, wouldn't a 99.65/172 be enough?

Correct me if i'm wrong.

 

[lionking1191]

A 99.5/168 would get you in UNSW med, wouldn't a 99.65/172 be enough?

Correct me if i'm wrong.

it wouldn't get you 'in', just into the interviews. and i think OP is a late -rounder? they said something about not enough interviewers so cut-offs for late-round isn't the same as main round interviews, which is rather pathetic.

why didnt you apply at UWS medicine? you definitly would of gotten in.

not definitely, it's mostly interviews plus UMAT. is the OP GWS?

 

[Wooz]

why didnt you apply at UWS medicine? you definitly would of gotten in.

No, the umat score is no where near the cut-off the the interview for non-gws also section 3 is now 1/3 weighted.

Her scores for UNSW interview are close, also the scores displayed on the UNSW website are the averages over a number of years. It's pretty obvious that they would have risen a bit over the last few years.

 

[dolbinau]

also section 3 is now 1/3 weighted.

Wooz, can you elaborate on this please?

 

[adnan91]

Im kinda in the same position. Im gonna do civil engineering/architecture (4years) then off to med OR just go med oversea's which is like guaranted 90% that ill get in and its 6 years not 7 like UNSW

 

[darkwolfzx]

I just want to firstly say "really sorry to hear that you just missed out!!" Seriously some of the students in med shouldn't even be there (I know because I'm a med tutor)... But if you really really have the passion for it you should never give up and I hope to see you in the future.

Now, what are you going to do in the meanwhile....which option you choose from your list is really depedent on how you want to get into med.

Option 1:
Transfer to med after 1 year at uni. In this case you want to get as high a mark as possible at uni so I suggest avoid law and Actuarial Studies as you will not get high enough mark in these subjects for transfer.. Instead go with:
- Optometry/Science @ UNSW
- Science (Advanced) @ USyd
- Aeronautical Engineering(Space)/Science @ USyd


Option 2:
Graduate Med (do med after your first degree)
In this case, try to keep your first degree as short as possible. So from your list they are:
- Science (Advanced) @ USyd (4 years)
- Commerce(International) @ UNSW (Actuarial Studies/Jap) (4 years)

Both of these options are good because graduate med school doesn't care what the areas of your first degree are and what marks you get in them.


Option 3:
The UNSW Medical Science-Medicine Entry. In this case you gain admission into UNSW Med at the end of year 2 in BMedSc (UNSW), but you must complete BMedSc with Honours before you join Medicine. You will start 4th Year Medicine:
- B Medical Science at UNSW.


That's all the advice I have for you. I hope you find this useful. Well done on what you have been able to achieve so far and best of luck with your decision.

wow great post.
Survivor you're awesome

 

[Survivor39]

Everyone in the Med Sci program is pretty much going for those 15 also it appears that she does not want to go down the med sci pathway.

How do you know everyone in MedSc is going for those 15 places? Are/were you in MedSc at UNSW?

Personally, Option 1 is more competitive as no more than a few is ever successful in gaining admission from transfer after 1 year at uni.

 

[tallkid34]

Hi there. I'm really lost atm choosing my uni course. I got rejected from med with 99.65/172 but apparently this guy got 99.4/173 and was offered an interview..... And so, I am even more depressed and am not sure which pathway I should follow. Either way, I want to pursue medicine, whether it be postgrad or I try transferring. But just incase I dont make it, I want to do a double degree to keep my options open. So here are my preferences so far:
1. Science/Law @ USyd (I found very law interesting after year 10 commerce)
2. Aeronautical Engineering(Space)/Science @ USyd (I'm also interested in space and if I get this degree, I want to go to space agencies like NASA. very difficult I know but I can always try? )
3. Science (Advanced) @ USyd

or even
4. Vet @ USyd
5. Optometry/Science @ UNSW
6. Commerce(International) @ UNSW (Actuarial Studies/Jap)


Please give me your honest(&sincere!) opinions about these courses. Thanks!

I'm not sure whether you'd consider this or that it could even apply to you but a friend of mine also failed to get into unsw med first year (his uai was also mid-99's) and he was gonna go down the med sci path but just decided to defer university for a year and then re-do his UMAT and interview the next year (fortunately, he was successful this time around). You probably wouldn't consider doing this but I'm just putting it out there.

 

[Survivor39]

Wooz is the possessor of all knowledge.

I'm sure he does.

 

[dolbinau]

I'm not sure whether you'd consider this or that it could even apply to you but a friend of mine also failed to get into unsw med first year (his uai was also mid-99's) and he was gonna go down the med sci path but just decided to defer university for a year and then re-do his UMAT and interview the next year (fortunately, he was successful this time around). You probably wouldn't consider doing this but I'm just putting it out there.

Out of curiosity why did he defer? Do UNSW not take non-standard applicants?

 

[tallkid34]

Out of curiosity why did he defer? Do UNSW not take non-standard applicants?

I don't really know to be honest but I'm pretty sure its because he didnt want to spend a year doing a med sci degree when he wanted to get into med. Instead, he deferred and worked at Dick Smiths for a year, haha.

I think he screwed up his UMAT first-time around as his UAI and interview were both fine..

 

[Wooz]

How do you know everyone in MedSc is going for those 15 places? Are/were you in MedSc at UNSW?

Personally, Option 1 is more competitive as no more than a few is ever successful in gaining admission from transfer after 1 year at uni.

I have quite a few friends in Med Sci at UNSW. They are all pretty much goin for med.

Section 3 is being weighted for the first time at UWS this year. From people's raw marks it's around 173-175 weighted. This has been confirmed at this years interview where it ws announced. It was also seen on BOS and MSO that students with the same overall raw mark did not necessarily recieve interviews even though they may have exceeded last year's cut-offs of 173 (GWS) and 185 (non-gws), thus even before it was announced their was a clear indication of at least one of the sections being weighted. Umelb also used to double weight section 1, etc.

 

[Survivor39]

I have quite a few friends in Med Sci at UNSW. They are all pretty much goin for med.

I know 20+ people from my cohort and only 2-3 wanted to get into med. What is your point?