How helpful are extracurriculars for Medicine entry? (1 Viewer)

[Beyblader]

How much weight, if any, do extracurricular activities have in getting into undergraduate or postgrad Medicine?

eg. Playing rep sports, being school captain, community work, playing a musical instrument, dancing awards etc

or is it basically just down to ATAR/ gamsat?

 

[jimmysmith560]

As far as I am aware, extracurricular activities do not constitute a requirement for either undergraduate or postgraduate medicine. Essentially, students seek to meet specific criteria as required by the university(ies) that they are interested in attending in order to study a Doctor of Medicine. Such criteria differs (particularly at undergraduate level) between universities, an example of which is USyd’s Doctor of Medicine and that of WSU or UNSW. Such criteria typically entails a combination of the following elements (some of which you have already identified):

• A high ATAR
• Favourable UCAT or GAMSAT results
• Favourable performance at an interview

While not a specified requirement, extracurricular activities could still assist an applicant in maximising their chances of being made an offer to study the Doctor of Medicine, specifically in an interview setting. Given that extracurricular activities, especially those such as community work (which I would assume involve a significant level of social interaction) are quite enriching for the student in terms of their life experiences, there is a good chance that the student would be able to establish some form of connection between their experiences and their goal of studying medicine, which can be reflected in their responses to particular interview questions. When coupled with good preparation, the student will be likely to perform favourably in their interview.

I hope this helps!