How To Get Into Medicine | Overview of Medical Schools Australia 2023 (FREE Factsheet)
Summary
TLDRThis video offers a comprehensive guide for aspiring medical students in Australia, covering the decision between undergraduate and postgraduate medical courses. Dinette, a medical student at UNSW, Sydney, explains the benefits and drawbacks of each path, discusses the criteria medical schools use for selection, including ATAR, UCAT, GAMSAT scores, and interviews. She also shares valuable insights on exploiting loopholes in the application process to increase chances of admission, emphasizing the importance of understanding the system and adapting one's strategy accordingly.
Takeaways
- 😀 Trying to get into medical school can be very stressful, with many questions about university options and selection criteria.
- 🏫 Medical schools in Australia are divided into undergraduate and postgraduate courses, each with its own benefits and considerations.
- 🎓 Undergraduate medical courses allow students to start studying medicine immediately after high school, saving time and potentially reducing financial burden.
- 📚 Postgraduate medical courses are more mature and allow for a more informed decision about pursuing medicine, with the opportunity to explore other interests before committing.
- 📈 For undergraduate medical schools, selection typically involves an ATAR score, a UCAT score, and an interview process.
- 📊 The ATAR is a score based on Year 12 performance, while the UCAT assesses mental capacities important in healthcare.
- 🔍 Postgraduate medical schools usually consider undergraduate performance (GPA or WAM), a GAMSAT test, and an interview.
- 🤔 The GAMSAT tests the ability to study at the level required for medicine, which is different from the ATAR or UCAT.
- 🛑 If one aspect of the application is weak, there are alternative options, such as universities that do not consider the UCAT or have less emphasis on the ATAR.
- 🔄 It's important to understand the system and adapt the application strategy to compensate for weaknesses in certain areas.
- 📝 The University of Queensland, previously a popular non-interview option, has started implementing interviews for its MD program from 2021.
- 💡 The video offers an overview of medical school applications in Australia and invites viewers to request more detailed information on specific criteria.
Q & A
What is the main purpose of the video script?
-The main purpose of the video script is to provide guidance and answer questions related to getting into medical school in Australia, discussing the selection process, criteria, and potential loopholes that can be exploited to increase one's chances of admission.
What are the two main types of medical school courses in Australia mentioned in the script?
-The two main types of medical school courses in Australia mentioned are undergraduate and postgraduate courses.
Why might someone choose an undergraduate medical course?
-An undergraduate medical course might be chosen because it allows students to start studying medicine immediately after high school, saving time and potentially reducing university debt and increasing early career income.
What are the benefits of postgraduate medical courses as mentioned in the script?
-Postgraduate medical courses allow for greater maturity when starting to practice medicine, the opportunity to consider options more carefully, and the chance to pursue other interests or travel before committing to medical studies.
What are the three main criteria that undergraduate medical schools look for?
-Undergraduate medical schools look for the applicant's ATAR score, their UCAT score, and their performance in an interview process.
What does ATAR stand for and what is its significance?
-ATAR stands for Australian Tertiary Admission Rank, which is a score calculated based on a student's Year 12 performance and used for university admissions.
What is the UCAT and why is it important for medical school applications?
-The UCAT, or University Clinical Aptitude Test, is an exam that assesses mental capacities important in healthcare fields. It is important for medical school applications as it helps assess a candidate's aptitude for studying medicine.
What are the three main criteria for postgraduate medical schools mentioned in the script?
-Postgraduate medical schools typically consider an applicant's undergraduate GPA or WAM, their GAMSAT score, and their performance in an interview.
What is the GAMSAT and how does it differ from the UCAT?
-The GAMSAT, or Graduate Australian Medical School Admissions Test, is an exam that tests a candidate's ability to study at the level required in medicine. It differs from the UCAT in that it is taken by postgraduate applicants rather than undergraduate ones.
What are some strategies mentioned in the script for compensating if a candidate does not perform well in one part of the application process?
-The script suggests that if a candidate does not perform well in one part of the application, such as the UCAT or ATAR, they can compensate by doing well in other areas and targeting medical schools that place less emphasis on the weaker area or do not require it.
What is the significance of the mention of the University of Queensland implementing an interview program for their MD program?
-The mention of the University of Queensland implementing an interview program is significant because it indicates a change in their admissions criteria, which was previously known as a popular non-interview option. This change affects applicants who may have been considering it for that reason.
Outlines
🎓 Understanding Medical School Options in Australia
This paragraph introduces the topic of entering medical school in Australia and the stress associated with it. The speaker, Dinette, a medical student at UNSW Sydney, offers to share insights and answer common questions about the process. The paragraph discusses the two main types of medical school courses in Australia: undergraduate and postgraduate. Undergraduate courses allow students to start studying medicine immediately after high school, saving time and money, while postgraduate courses are traditionally designed for more mature students and offer the opportunity to explore other interests before committing to a medical career.
📝 Criteria for Medical School Admissions
The second paragraph delves into the criteria used by medical schools for admissions. For undergraduate programs, the focus is on the applicant's ATAR score, UCAT score, and an interview process. The ATAR is a score based on Year 12 performance, while the UCAT assesses mental capacities relevant to healthcare. Postgraduate programs typically consider the applicant's undergraduate GPA or WAM, GAMSAT scores, and an interview. The GAMSAT is an exam designed to test the ability to study at a medical level. The paragraph also invites viewers to request more detailed information on these criteria through comments.
🔑 Exploiting Loopholes in Medical School Selection
In this paragraph, the speaker shares potential loopholes and strategies for applicants to consider when applying to medical schools. It emphasizes the importance of having a plan and being able to adapt if one part of the application is not successful. For instance, some universities like James Cook and Bond do not consider the UCAT in their selection process, while Western Sydney University places more emphasis on the UCAT and interview rather than the ATAR. The paragraph also mentions that certain medical schools, such as Flinders and the University of Tasmania, do not require interviews. However, it notes that the University of Queensland has started implementing interviews for its MD program from 2021, which was previously a popular non-interview option. The speaker concludes by encouraging viewers to understand the system and apply strategically.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Medical School
💡Stressful Experience
💡Undergraduate Courses
💡Postgraduate Courses
💡ATAR
💡UCAT
💡GAMSAT
💡Interview Process
💡Loopholes
💡State Universities
💡Non-Interview Options
Highlights
The experience of trying to get into medical school can be very stressful, with many questions about university options and selection criteria.
Dinette, a medical student at UNSW Sydney, shares her insights on the medical school selection process.
Australian medical schools are categorized into undergraduate and postgraduate courses.
Undergraduate medical courses offer the advantage of immediate study in medicine without a separate unrelated degree.
Postgraduate medical courses are traditionally for mature students and allow time for life experiences before committing to medicine.
Undergraduate medical programs save time and financial resources compared to postgraduate options.
Selection criteria for undergraduate medical schools include ATAR scores, UCAT scores, and interviews.
Postgraduate medical schools consider GPA/WAM, GAMSAT scores, and interviews.
The GAMSAT is an exam that tests the ability to study at the required level in medicine.
There are loopholes in the selection process that can be exploited to increase chances of admission.
Some universities, like James Cook and Bond, do not consider UCAT scores in their selection process.
Western Sydney University emphasizes UCAT and interview performance over ATAR scores.
Flinders University and the University of Tasmania do not have an interview process for medical school admission.
The University of Queensland has started implementing interviews for their MD program since 2021.
Compensating for a weak area in the application by excelling in others can still secure a medical school place.
Understanding the system and strategic planning can help tailor applications to increase chances of acceptance.
A fact sheet with more information on medical school applications is linked in the video description.
Transcripts
trying to get into medical school is a
very stressful experience and i'm sure
you have a ton of questions ranging from
you know which universities even have a
medical school
and what type of criteria are they
really looking for
luckily for you i've been through it all
and lived to tell the tale my name is
dinette i'm a medical student at unsw
sydney and i'm going to answer all these
questions as well as talk about some
loopholes in the selection process that
you may be able to exploit to increase
your chances of getting into medicine
[Music]
okay so firstly when considering where
exactly
to go to medical school in australia
there are plenty of options in fact too
many to talk about
individually instead i'm going to split
this up based on courses which are
undergraduate and courses which are
postgraduate
and talk about these two options
collectively to clarify
undergraduate courses are one that you
do with starting university
usually straight after high school and
post graduate courses are ones
that you do after first completing an
undergraduate course one of the benefits
of doing an undergraduate medical course
is that you can start studying medicine
straight away without first doing a
different
course which may not be directly related
to medicine at all undergraduate courses
also
save a few years of your life which is
important in the gram scheme of things
as you think about how your life's going
to pan out
you know and at what age you're gonna
start a family and all those types of
things
finally from a financial perspective
you're also definitely gonna save a
couple years of uni debt
as well as gaining at least three years
of and career income which is not going
to be insignificant
undergraduate medicine is just one half
the picture though and there are also
plenty of postgraduate options available
if you want to study medicine in
australia in fact
medicine was traditionally a
postgraduate type of course
and still is in countries like america
so you'll find that a lot of the
older australian medical courses will be
postgraduate in design there are several
reasons for this the most striking of
which
is that studying medicine in a
postgraduate course allows students to
be more mature
when they start practicing medicine this
is important
because as a doctor you're often going
to be talking to and caring
for people on the worst days of their
life and there is a certain maturity
required to be able to do this
effectively
secondly studying medicine as a
postgraduate degree allows you to
take some time to consider your options
more carefully
and make a more informed decision of
whether you really want to do medicine
or not so it tends to make
people more prepared and potentially
more motivated as well
not having to start medicine straight
after school straight away also gives
you the opportunity to pursue other
interests you know travel around the
world
and experience things in life which you
might not otherwise be able to do
if you head straight into the rigors of
medical school right after high school
okay so that's a bit about where you
might want to think about
studying medicine now we're going to
talk a bit about what type of criteria
these medical schools are going to be
looking for so undergraduate medical
schools
look for three main things your atar
your ucat score and finally they'll have
an interview process
the atar is a score calculator based off
how well you do
in your year 12 hsc whilst the ucat is
a test based on five different areas of
mental capacity which have
been found to be important in fields of
healthcare on the other hand
postgraduate medical schools also look
for three main things usually
how will you do in your undergraduate
course in universities so your gpa or
your wam
then there's a gamsat test and finally
an interview usually as well so if you
haven't heard of the gamsat before it's
basically this other exam that you need
to do
which tests if you're able to study
at the level that is required in
medicine now shane and i have spent a
lot of time talking about the hsc and
atars and all that but we haven't really
talked about
any of these other criterions that i've
just mentioned so if you want us to
go into a bit more about these in more
detail please let us know in the
comments below
and we'll be able to make separate
videos for them finally i'll take you
through some loopholes that you may be
able to exploit
when applying for medical school i'm
going to be mainly talking about my
perspective
as a student back in year 12 trying to
get into undergraduate schools okay
and so the options that i had to think
about so as a year 12
trying to get into medicine i was
thinking about three main things my atar
my ucat and how i could do in the
interview okay and it's really important
to think about
how you're going to approach things if
you mess up any one of these three
points and change your plan accordingly
because there are definitely options
for example if you mess up the ucat then
as long as you still do well in the atar
and the interview you still have options
to get into medical school okay
james cook university and bonnie
university both don't take into
consideration the ucat
in their selection process so keep these
in mind okay
meanwhile if you don't do as well in the
atar but you can still do well in the
uca and the interview
then other options appear for example
western sydney university places a super
super high emphasis on the ucat and the
interview
and not a lot of emphasis on the atar so
there's an option there
finally if you're worried that you're
going to mess up the interview but
you're still
pretty happy that you can do well in the
atari and the ucat then there are
options still
some medical schools in fact do not have
an interview process
for example flinders university and the
university of tasmania
um don't have an interview in the
selection process and as long as you can
get
high enough scores in the ata and uk you
can enter those medical schools okay
so the basic message here is that even
if you mess up somewhere
um in your application there are still
definitely options for you to explore
and it definitely does help if you're
willing to go into state do be aware
that the university of queensland which
was a really popular non-interview
option back in my year
is now starting to implement an
interview program for their md program
effective as of 2021 okay so that's no
longer
a non-interview type of backup that
people like to use overall the message
here is that
even if you mess up in one part of your
application you can still compensate for
it in other parts of the application and
there are definitely medical schools out
there which you can
tailor this to and target in a smart way
so it's definitely possible as long as
you understand the system and play your
cards right thank you so much for
watching this video guys just basically
an overview of
how to get into and what types of things
to think about when applying for medical
schools in australia
if you'd like more information about you
know either of these
points there's there's gonna be a fact
sheet linked in the description below
and if you like a bit more info or maybe
a bit more tips on how to target each of
these
different criteria please let us know in
the comments below and we can make
separate videos for each of them
see you guys
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