Entry into Medicine (1 Viewer)

[bananahammock91]

Hi everyone. I'm starting my VCE this year with the intention of getting into medicine. I'm wondering if any people who have previously got into medicine could help me with a question. I'm from a rural school and did two 3/4 subjects this year getting 45 in pe and 35 in methods. I was disappointed with the methods and think i can do a lot better this year if i am a bit more dedicated. What UMAT and ENTER scores do I need and am I a realistic chance of getting into medicine because before I waste money (which is hard to come by for me) on the UMAT and all the preparation I would like to know because I would feel bad if I waste money which could be used better elsewhere. Thankyou (PS I realise the interview is heavily weighted at Monash University but I am mainly concerned about what rural concessions I will get and mainly an ENTER which will give me a good chance, PPS sorry for the long post.)

 

[lifequest]

Medicine is arguably the hardest course to attain a position in. However, with diligent hard work you will get there.

Most medicine students have been studying for their position at a much younger age with intense extra tuition and studying.

It is important to remember that a 35 in chemistry or biology or physics is usually a pre-req. So make sure it's on your subject list.

A 99+ enter will give you a good standing in states outside Victoria and a UMAT of 270 (out of 300) will guarantee you interviews.

I find that studying just in year 12 would not be enough to achieve those ENTERs. I've studied intensely since year 8 and only achieved 98.55 (mainly because my english was a dismal 38).

It is a shame that your methods results were not higher.
After scaling, I would assume that both your methods and PE scores are around 40-42.
If you want to get into medicine, neither of those scores can count for your top 4.

Good luck and bright blessings.

 

[RogueAcademic]

Offers La Trobe, Bendigo - Dentistry CSP Accepted

My cousin graduated in denstistry a couple of years ago. In the private sector, he was making ~$150,000 p.a. upon graduation. Sonofa..!

 

[lionking1191]

Medicine is arguably the hardest course to attain a position in. However, with diligent hard work you will get there.

Most medicine students have been studying for their position at a much younger age with intense extra tuition and studying.

It is important to remember that a 35 in chemistry or biology or physics is usually a pre-req. So make sure it's on your subject list.

A 99+ enter will give you a good standing in states outside Victoria and a UMAT of 270 (out of 300) will guarantee you interviews.

I find that studying just in year 12 would not be enough to achieve those ENTERs. I've studied intensely since year 8 and only achieved 98.55 (mainly because my english was a dismal 38).

It is a shame that your methods results were not higher.
After scaling, I would assume that both your methods and PE scores are around 40-42.
If you want to get into medicine, neither of those scores can count for your top 4.

Good luck and bright blessings.

a 97~98 ENTER is enough for monash PROVIDED you achieve a good enough UMAT to get an interview and blitz your interview. there are a variety of medical schools out there and it is important to note that not all require a high ENTER. unis such as UWS, JCU or newcastle give much higher weightings to your interview performance, and less so the UMAT where ENTER is used as a hurdle (this for UWS and UNCLE).

if you are really set on med there are other pathways such as retaking the UMAT or applying for grad entry where your ENTER will play no part in your selection (such as ANU)

 

[lifequest]

certainly there are always exceptions such as a 290+/300 umat. But realistically, 99 is pretty much what is required. Our high school has 40+ students get into either Dentistry or Medicine every year. I only know of 1-2 of that 40+ with less 99 enter. That's just from my experience.

 

[lifequest]

My cousin graduated in denstistry a couple of years ago. In the private sector, he was making ~$150,000 p.a. upon graduation. Sonofa..!

I hope so! However, I still want to work in the public sector (where we are truely needed) for a couple of years.

 

[RogueAcademic]

I hope so! However, I still want to work in the public sector (where we are truely needed) for a couple of years.

Graduate dentists are still one of the top earners so it's not like you'll be living off bread and water after graduating. It's a good, well paid, career.

 

[lionking1191]

certainly there are always exceptions such as a 290+/300 umat. But realistically, 99 is pretty much what is required. Our high school has 40+ students get into either Dentistry or Medicine every year. I only know of 1-2 of that 40+ with less 99 enter. That's just from my experience.

yeah it all depends on the uni. at UWS for eg. which uses the MMI interview as 2/3 weighting there's 40% in 2008 who got below 98 UAI, though the median has now moved up to 99. for the more 'prestigious' ones such as UNSW the median UAI is still 99.5~+ as well as requiring high (90%~+) UMAT

 

[Deltan]

My cousin graduated in denstistry a couple of years ago. In the private sector, he was making ~$150,000 p.a. upon graduation. Sonofa..!

and to think that ppl say dentists are med rejects or fake doctors LOL

working in rural areas will also rake in similar income but i guess private practice is the better alternative

 

[lionking1191]

and to think that ppl say dentists are med rejects or fake doctors LOL

working in rural areas will also rake in similar income but i guess private practice is the better alternative

well, if you do it for the money..

usually you'd spend a few years working in hospital settings to gain experience and then u'd open a private practice. you wouldn't want a 20 year old doing braces for your kid

 

[RogueAcademic]

working in rural areas will also rake in similar income

Only if you don't mind not sleeping.

 

[lifequest]

Cliche as it may sound, I am doing Dentistry as a passion.

While La Trobe did not have an interviewing process, I know that what I would have answered in the interview not be scripted.

I plan to work at minimum wages (for a dentist) once I graduate. My sister had problems when she was younger. She had to have surgery to remove 80% of her primary dentition and was on the waiting list for half a year. The public sector clearly needs us.

 

[RogueAcademic]

Cliche as it may sound, I am doing Dentistry as a passion.

Actually no, it's not a cliche. I very hardly hear dentistry students spin the passion schpiel as often and as misguided as the medical students do ('passion' more likely refers to prestige and money for the meds). That's a good thing as I think dentisty students come across as more pragmatic in that sense.

The public sector clearly needs us.

What are your plans in the public sector?

 

[lifequest]

What are your plans in the public sector?[/quote]

2 things actually.

While most people (my friends who've are already graduated Dentist) go straight into Private. Each earning a comfortable $120,000-$200,000 salary FIRST YEAR.
I will be going into a non-private hospital. While my pay is half private at best, I feel that I will reap a lot more out of it in terms of friendship, connection (as there will be tens of Dentists around) and experience. Which personally, is priceless and a cheap exchange for $200k-$250k loss (I can make that back in later years! no worries!).

My second item of consideration is rural placements.
I already have a couple of close friends considering/researching rural areas that need us (with easy access, such as a 1 hour plane flight). We'll be dedicating about 1-2months a year in those areas. Again, salary will not affect our decision.

 

[bananahammock91]

Thank you very much for the advice. Just a couple more questions though if you can help, what sort of scores should I be aiming for as my top four? I am confident I can improve on my scores for this year, physics and chem are definitely my best two subjects and I missed a lot of last year through illness which had implications on the two marks I got. Will I get any considerations considering I'm from a rural school? And how hard is it to get a UMAT of 270+? Thanks a lot for your help

 

[Wooz]

Thank you very much for the advice. Just a couple more questions though if you can help, what sort of scores should I be aiming for as my top four? I am confident I can improve on my scores for this year, physics and chem are definitely my best two subjects and I missed a lot of last year through illness which had implications on the two marks I got. Will I get any considerations considering I'm from a rural school? And how hard is it to get a UMAT of 270+? Thanks a lot for your help

You will recieve automatic special consideration based on your rurality of where you reside.

270+ raw is very hard to achieve, I suggest you consider undertaking a preparation course, etc if you feel that you need to. However, some people do very well as a result of natural talent, etc. It really depends on the person i guess.

 

[nottellingu]

A 99+ enter will give you a good standing in states outside Victoria and a UMAT of 270 (out of 300) will guarantee you interviews.

UMAT 270
I hope ur talking about percentiles ?
If ur not ive never heard of a raw score as high as 270 and nobody knows what the umat is out of.

With a 99+ enter and a umat score close to 90% ud be safe to a certain degree provide you dont stuff up interviews.

 

[lionking1191]

With a 99+ enter and a umat score close to 90% ud be safe to a certain degree provide you dont stuff up interviews.

uhhhh.. :mad1:

 

[bananahammock91]

What are good prep courses and what sort of hours do they take to do? (because city access is relatively hard for me). And what raw study scores do you need to get to get a 99. Will 45 in english, chem and physics and 40 in spec maths do?

 

[RogueAcademic]

2 things actually.

While most people (my friends who've are already graduated Dentist) go straight into Private. Each earning a comfortable $120,000-$200,000 salary FIRST YEAR.
I will be going into a non-private hospital. While my pay is half private at best, I feel that I will reap a lot more out of it in terms of friendship, connection (as there will be tens of Dentists around) and experience. Which personally, is priceless and a cheap exchange for $200k-$250k loss (I can make that back in later years! no worries!).

My second item of consideration is rural placements.
I already have a couple of close friends considering/researching rural areas that need us (with easy access, such as a 1 hour plane flight). We'll be dedicating about 1-2months a year in those areas. Again, salary will not affect our decision.

That's great, I wish you all the best. If I was doing dentistry, there would be two basic ways I could do my bit to help. I could do what you described above and help many people in a broad sense where dental health is very much needed.

Or I could also specialise in oral-maxillofacial surgery, in the area of cosmetic dentistry. As opposed to helping a broad sense, in this area I could help specific individuals to change their lives for the better. The best way I can describe this is the kind of work that plastic/cosmetic surgeons do in the medical field for people who are born with facial deformities, or burn victims with heavily damaged features etc. The plastic/cosmetic surgeons could dramatically change the lives of individuals who are affected by these conditions, it would be immensely satisfying work to see these people be able to live normal lives. Of course, when talking about cosmetic surgery, I'm not talking about the Hollywood surgeons who do nose jobs for the privileged.