Undergraduate Medicine Requirements ATAR + UMAT + Interview (2 Viewers)

[The Savior]

Hi all, just wondering if anybody here got into medicine or knows somebody who got in through a rural entry scheme or something like that. Maybe Monash or UNSW. University of Adelaide or Newcastle or Bond is fine as well. What sort of umat and atar marks did you/they get to secure you an interview? I talked to this girl who got 96.4 atar and got into Monash, no idea what her umat score was though. So any information would be great. Thanks!
Would 96-97 atar and 80-85 umat be competitive in the rural stream?

 

[Ello1234]

Hey
My sister got into Monash
with an OP1 (99.45)
and a UMAT of 98
but declined the offer for UQ

 

[Kiraken]

Hi all, just wondering if anybody here got into medicine or knows somebody who got in through a rural entry scheme or something like that. Maybe Monash or UNSW. University of Adelaide or Newcastle or Bond is fine as well. What sort of umat and atar marks did you/they get to secure you an interview? I talked to this girl who got 96.4 atar and got into Monash, no idea what her umat score was though. So any information would be great. Thanks!
Would 96-97 atar and 80-85 umat be competitive in the rural stream?

you need higher to be competitive at most unis

aim for a 98+ ATAR and a 90+ UMAT

 

[The Savior]

Just to note, I am only looking for rural entry scores, not the mainstream. This is because I live in a RA3 or "outer regional" area, which means I can apply through rural entry schemes at various unis. Thanks to the two above repliers, but they sound more like scores that people use to get in through the standard entry. I doubt I will be getting atars of 99+ and 95+ umat. Highest atar in the last 4 years at my school was like 96.8 and we usually rank around 250-350. So I go to a pretty average school.

 

[yangsta999]

Hey there,
I know one guy from my school in the year above me got into Monash MBBS via rural entry with an ATAR somewhere between 95-97, UMAT of 64th percentile and either RA-3 or RA-4. He would've smashed the interview though.
Another girl I know has seemingly gotten into UAdel MBBS via the rural pathway with an ATAR no more than 98 and a UMAT of something between mid-30's to 50th percentile. This was really surprising as I think I applied for the rural entry scheme but received the rejection email saying that I was not competitive enough with 68th percentile UMAT and a top ATAR.
If you are serious about getting into undergrad med whichever pathway, do not make the mistake of not being as prepared as you can possibly be for the UMAT - it will literally be the saviour

 

[lil_stassa]

Um, just wondering....if you don't do things like volunteering and they ask you in the interview, would you be put at a disadvantage?
Went to a UNSW medicine night event and a kid asked the exact question and all three on the panel kind of brushed it off as not important but quite a few of my classmates who go tutor for these things say it's extremely important so I have no idea what to think anymore.

I understand high ATAR and UMAT must be achieved before interview but I just can't help but worry about it haha ^^"

 

[lil_stassa]

Thank you Oer Set my mind back on track there haha. I'll definitely consider volunteering when free as it's something I've been wanting to do for a long time

 

[Medman]

I wouldn't say it's extremely important to have volunteering experience. The goal of the interview (speaking mainly about UNSW) is to gauge your personality, motivation and aptitude for medicine. While having experience as a volunteer does say something about your personality and motivation, it's not the only thing that gets that point across. There are plenty of ways to show initiative - it's best to be honest about your life and what has made you passionate about medicine. I'd say far more important that saying you've volunteered in the past is actually coming across as a genuine and passionate person during the interview.

You can hear lots of things from lots of people, but there is no single "correct" way to apply for medicine. Try not to worry yourself too much in that respect.

On a side note volunteering is great regardless of medical aspirations, so go for it if you're keen and have the time

That being said I think UNSW's interview process is flawed. Lenient interviewers were too easy on some students whilst strict interviewers almost rejected some excellent candidates. There is no standardization in their interview process as they seem to always lack volunteers for the interview and seem to grab anyone they can find. Only way to decrease selection bias is by having multiple opinions.

Think about it from an interviewer's perspective. Volunteer work always looks better but it will depend on what and how you say it too whether it comes across arrogant, contrived etc. Volunteer work isn't a necessity but it is the icing sugar on the cake if you can pull it off.

 

[Medman]

I really like the system at UNSW to be honest. Everyone had a bit of a different experience when we've discussed it, but honestly I think the system of having one person from the faculty and one from the community is a good way to bring in different views without having too many interviews, people found it really good in what I've discussed with them. I won't comment on what you say about grabbing anyone they can find, because I don't know anything about that so I won't speculate.

I have talked to UNSW staff so what I stated above was not speculating. I've trained over 80 students and I've read numerous articles on selection of medical candidates, all the evidence points at MMI as a more reliable way to select candidates. Having 2 people does not reduce bias enough to give everyone a fair go.