Lexicographer
Retired 13 May 2006
Hello! Like with my PMs, I've decided to answer this post in the public arena (if for nothing else, to save me getting more emails than I needemail said:Hey! My name's [name] and i was reading a post where it mentioned u got an intervew offer for undergrad med at Newcastle (good stuff) All i wanted to know is how u went about it...as in..what was ure first year average (high distinction?) and ure umat score (u mustve killed it) if u dont mind?
Also, my uai was just over 95...so what kind of marks would i need in first year of my bsc (advanced) degree to be considered for med entry on basis of both uni marks and uai (is it really possible) ?
Quite frankly..i am realli realli keen on entering medicine ANYWHERE in australia lol so i need all the options i can get (atm prolly looking at grad med...but undergrad med is more assuring, especially after onli one year of uni!).
Please reply soon and sorry for all these questions lol...thanks !!
).Now, er, yes, I got an interview offer from Newcastle this year. My first semester marks were appalling (62.25 WAM, just under credit average) but they were close enough to fit the "close to credit average" academic requirement. This didn't actually matter, because all students are treated as academically eligible until the end of the selection process.
My 2004 UMAT scores were 61, 69, 76 (aggregate 206), which equates to percentiles 88, 98, 99 (overall rank 95). This put me well past the required score (intelligently guessed to be around aggregate 180, perhaps a little lower this year).
Your 2004 UAI of around 95 is sufficient for academic eligibility to Newcastle (cutoff at 93.80), however for NRSL candidates with a full academic year at uni, Newcastle gives absolutely no consideration to your UAI. This means by going to uni you're taking a gamble - if you take two semesters at normal load (total of 48 CP at USyd, UNSW, UTS) you need to get "close to credit average". If you have less than a full academic year then your UAI will be considered, not your uni marks. With a UAI of 95, I'd expect a credit average to be not much of a challenge as long as you work consistently. My 2003 UAI was significantly lower than your 95, but I finished this year with a WAM of just under 70 (my semester 2 WAM was 77.5-ish, distinction average).
So, now that you know what you need for Newcastle, I wish you all the best. Marks-wise they don't ask for much - the UMAT cutoff is sometimes seen as a little steep, but it lets them interview without considering academic performance, which is a big plus in my books. The interview, however, is the quantum indicator - if you don't do well, neither your marks nor your UMAT can make up for it.
About those other schools...as an NRSL you're in for a tough ride: with your UAI, you would be ineligible at Tasmania and Melbourne (97+ TER required), ineligible at Monash and Adelaide (school leavers only), have a sliver of a chance at UNSW (straight HDs required to get on the list, massive luck to get a place) and at UWA + Newcastle your school marks don't count. So basically, you've got the same options I had, UWA and Newcastle (both extremely well respected in the profession).
If you don't make it through after one year, keep working hard and you'll stand a better chance at UWA (same requirements as UNSW, except no dodgy GPA+UAI thing) as well as becoming eligible at UTas - if you have at least three semesters at uni with distinction average you are eligible for consideration.
I'm glad you're open to moving intercity and interstate. Too many people think UNSW is the only university in Australia training doctors. Let me warn you, the path of the NRSL is not an easy one - we have the least options of all candidates, both school leavers and graduates can apply to more schools than we can.
I also remember thinking just as you do now, that it'd be a boon to switch after a single year in Science - I seriously hope you make it. Now that it's all but certain that I'll be in Nano for another year, graduate entry is looking a lot more appealing. Sure, I'll be 40 before I can set up a practice, but I enjoy what I'm learning now, and I'm looking forward to what's up ahead. Wherever your road takes you, be glad in the knowledge that it can branch off in unexpected directions.
