Should I aim for Grad Med rather than Undergrad? (1 Viewer)

[Simorgh]

I honestly don't think I am ready to do the UMAT next year and neither am I expecting an ATAR of 99+. Its too late to change things around so I was wondering whether my chances be better to get into Med if I did an undergraduate degree like Commerce at UNSW or USYD and then sit Gamsat to get into Graduate Med?

For Undergrad Med I aware that there are only 4 universities that offer it, 2 of which WSU and JMP are too far away from me, at Sydney Uni you need 99.95 and then there is UNSW whose requirements seem a little hazy.

So obviously UNSW is my first preference as it fits my requirements perfectly for Undergrad Med. Is there any particular ATAR requirement and UMAT percentile for an interview at UNSW?

Is there any point preparing for UMAT when my peers are already well ahead of me in their preparation? Their already doing practice papers every week for it and I have hardly even started.

 

[pikachu975]

I honestly don't think I am ready to do the UMAT next year and neither am I expecting an ATAR of 99+. Its too late to change things around so I was wondering whether my chances be better to get into Med if I did an undergraduate degree like Commerce at UNSW or USYD and then sat Gamsat to get into Graduate Med? I just want to point I had like to do my first degree in Sydney and then my graduate degree I don't mind whether its as far as Newcastle or WSU.

For Undergrad Med I aware that there are only 4 universities that offer it, 2 of which WSU and JMP are too far away from me, at Sydney Uni you need 99.95 and then there is UNSW whose requirements seem a little hazy.

So UNSW fits my requirements perfectly for Undergrad Med. Is there any particular ATAR requirement and UMAT percentile for an interview at UNSW?

Is there any point preparing for UMAT when my peers are already well ahead of me in their preparation? Their already doing practice papers every week for it and I have hardly even started.

UNSW last year:
Median ATAR - 99.6, lowest 97.5
Median UMAT - 98 percentile

 

[A1P]

This table shows the Atar/Umat/Interview requirements for UNSW, WSU & JMP
http://medstudentsonline.com.au/forum/threads/2016-17-med-schools-selection-criteria-for-y12s.31845/

Most students try straight after Y12 to get into undergrad Med as their first attempt. If that fails they try again during 1st & 2nd year Uni as non-standard. If that still fails they complete the Bachelor degree then have two choices:
- apply for grad-entry to undergrad Med at WSU & JMP, starting the whole 5yr course from Y1
- apply for MD (grad Med) at USyd, Wollongong, ANU etc... these take 4 years

There's plenty of time for you to prep for Umat next year. It's usually in July and you should only need 1-2 months. I prepped 3hrs per weekend for ~10 weekends & got 100%ile, if you happen to have the right sort of brain for it you don't need a whole year to prep.

 

[Trebla]

Wtf how can you give up and say you're not ready when the UMAT is literally just under a year away...lol

 

[Simorgh]

Oh UMAT doesn't seem as bad as it sounds. Its just that some of my friends have been doing some hard core UMAT preparation from like day one of Year 11 which really put me off and made me kind of lose hope.

Anyways I guess I will take the UMAT prep more seriously closer to the date.

 

[A1P]

Of the paths I mentioned above the Y12 to undergrad Med gives the best chance versus effort ratio.
If you're serious about doing Med don't waste it.

 

[louielouiee]

Even if you do the most minimal amount of UMAT prep, you should still set it.

If you're serious about getting into med, you'll take every opportunity and perhaps apply everywhere possible around the country.

Once you're in med, it's way easier to get through the degree and less stressful that cramming for the GAMSAT, stressing over your GPA and other admission criteria for the first three years of an undergraduate course you might not even enjoy that much.

 

[eyeseeyou]

Now when I really think about it, idk whether or not it's worth doing UMAT because of FOMO

 

[Simorgh]

Now when I really think about it, idk whether or not it's worth doing UMAT because of FOMO

If you don't want to do Medicine or don't have any interest in studying it, than simply don't do it and focus just on the HSC. You wont be missing out on anything if you don't do it.

Don't get pressured into doing it just because your friends or people you know are also doing it

 

[eyeseeyou]

If you don't want to do Medicine or don't have any interest in studying it, than simply don't do it and focus just on the HSC. You wont be missing out on anything if you don't do it.

Don't get pressured into doing it just because your friends or people you know are also doing it

True but y r u doing it Simorgh?

 

[Simorgh]

True but y r u doing it Simorgh?

My main reason was because I saw critical illness within my family at a young age and felt pretty much helpless at the time. I saw the work of doctors and other healthcare professionals who more or less saved the lives of some of the most important people in my life. Therefore, I couldn't think of a more valuable or fulfilling or personally meaningful career for me.

Even if doctors were poorly paid I would still want to do it. I think as a career it would be constantly changing due to new discoveries and treatments as well as interesting and diverse. There are so many specialities and illnesses that one can acquire. You get to help people and make a difference but you get to work with the patients you enjoy in an analytical way, which I personally think is rewarding. I also think it's good because you take an active role in making a difference to someone's life.

Only now have I made a clear cut decision to go ahead and try for Medicine. I always had that burning desire in me to do it but was never convinced I was capable enough until now.

 

[systematic]

"Why not nursing as they have a much better interaction with patients and a much greater influence on the hospital experience of the patient?" (you're gonna get grilled like this in the interview)

 

[momo_mita]

have you joined any of the UMAT prep programs like MedEntry Simorgh?

 

[Simorgh]

have you joined any of the UMAT prep programs like MedEntry Simorgh?

I haven't joined any yet but I plan to. My friends have offered me to do a group discount with them, so I will have a look into that.

 

[momo_mita]

if you are interested in joining a group or if you and your friends are still looking for someone to join your group ... I'm looking for someone to join a group with ...

 

[Flop21]

My main reason was because I saw critical illness within my family at a young age and felt pretty much helpless at the time. I saw the work of doctors and other healthcare professionals who more or less saved the lives of some of the most important people in my life. Therefore, I couldn't think of a more valuable or fulfilling or personally meaningful career for me.

Even if doctors were poorly paid I would still want to do it. I think as a career it would be constantly changing due to new discoveries and treatments as well as interesting and diverse. There are so many specialities and illnesses that one can acquire. You get to help people and make a difference but you get to work with the patients you enjoy in an analytical way, which I personally think is rewarding. I also think it's good because you take an active role in making a difference to someone's life.

Only now have I made a clear cut decision to go ahead and try for Medicine. I always had that burning desire in me to do it but was never convinced I was capable enough until now.

That's really nice. You should definitely not give up, you have plenty of time to practice. Worse case scenario? You don't make it straight out of high school, and get another whole extra year to practice UMAT. 1 year back isn't going to set you back far at all in the scheme of things (think of the people trying to get in after their undergraduate degrees).

 

[iStudent]

Undergrad is the easiest. It gets a lot harder to get in if you don't get in the first time as a school leaver (number of positions available + number of uni's that even offer places to postgrad decreases).

UMAT prep isn't particularly essential. As far as I can see, you can start preparing even 3 or 4 years in advance but that doesn't increase your chances of doing well by that much. It's an exam you can't prepare that much for so starting prep now is perfectly fine. I started around this time myself.

Also, don't let distance put you away from doing med. UNSW is really difficult to get into, so be sure to be open to other uni's! Just live on campus if distance is an issue

 

[systematic]

Undergrad is the easiest. It gets a lot harder to get in if you don't get in the first time as a school leaver (number of positions available + number of uni's that even offer places to postgrad decreases).

UMAT prep isn't particularly essential. As far as I can see, you can start preparing even 3 or 4 years in advance but that doesn't increase your chances of doing well by that much. It's an exam you can't prepare that much for so starting prep now is perfectly fine. I started around this time myself.

Also, don't let distance put you away from doing med. UNSW is really difficult to get into, so be sure to be open to other uni's! Just live on campus if distance is an issue

True!! Yeh you dont need to prep like early. I know heaps of people who did lots of prep and ended up doing poorly and i also know heaps of people who just did a few trial exams two weeks before the test and got >90. Imo the amount of money you pay isnt worth the insignificant improvements that you'll get. Most tutoring places just play off of your insecurities and its amazing how many people cave in and fork over the money. All the owners of medentry will be laughing on their way to the banks to withdraw your money

 

[Medman]

Oh UMAT doesn't seem as bad as it sounds. Its just that some of my friends have been doing some hard core UMAT preparation from like day one of Year 11 which really put me off and made me kind of lose hope.

Anyways I guess I will take the UMAT prep more seriously closer to the date.

If this makes you lose hope don't pursue medicine. You will be expected to do masters, research, PHDs, audits, presentations etc. just to get ahead of your medical colleagues. If you think school is competitive this is nothing to what medicine has become. Also like what people have said before preparation for UMAT doesn't mean they will do well and also you have the interview and ATAR to consider.

 

[Havox]

You don't need more than a few days off to prepare well for the UMAT. As long as you're familiar with the format of the questions and how to sus out the answer then you're done. There's no such thing as "hardcore" preparation.