So sorry to double post @mods Answering in one post was just getting super long
1) When did you first become interested in medicine, and how?
Since the start of time, I was a science nerd - loved everything about it and wanted to become a vet. Except I have no pets and have barely any contact with them Also realised I was allergic to cats so....
As time went on, i progressed from wanting to help animals to help humans. I was fascinated by the human body and also loved dissections (the bull's eye never forget) during high school. Once I realised that, I knew I was pretty much set on medicine and studying it now really just confirms that for me. Like I do moan and groan about the 20+ contact hours at uni, but honestly enjoy everything I learn soooo much. And anyone who's Facebook friends with me would know that even my Facebook activity is med related (surgical videos, Xray photos and diagnostics, and even the memes) It basically runs my life now :') but #noragrets
2) Did you ever prepare for the umat? If so, when did you start?
Yes but I wouldn't say my preparation for it was the reason I got the score I got. I started preparing around when school started (late Jan) and then left it for several months. I started looking at it during the Term 1 holidays (april-ish) and petered off again when school started, and only really picked up my game about a month before the exam. The prep I did was super time-consuming and I don't really think it was the most effective way I could have prepared. I have to say I would attribute my score more to my natural instinct of being super logical and also lots and lots and lots and lots of good luck.
3) In year 12, roughly how many hours would you study per day? I believe Jamon said he could manage 20-30 hours a week, were you able to do more than this?
as per my post above - I am super lazy. I'm also a relatively efficient study-er. After school (mainly during term 2 and 3) I had a nap everyday until 6/7, then dinner and messing around with stuff so that I'd basically start studying at like 8:30pm until maybe around 12. In those hours I'd generally be able to cover 2-3 subjects - mostly doing questions (maths and sciences) and brainstorming ideas/planning essays for english. Tbh I don't really see the points in studying for a super long time if nothing actually goes in.
4) What type of interview setup does Monash use for medicine? What questions were you asked, and of those which ones did you find the hardest to answer?
5) I've heard that certain universities look for specific types of people; for example, because the UoN's course is best suited for training GPs and surgeons, they mostly accept students who would be best in these fields. What in particular do you think Monash interviewers would be looking for in medicine student candidates? If you don't really know, what trends do you see in the students accepted in your year? Are you all hoping to become surgeons, go rural or maybe there's a lot of students who would like to go into research?
I will answer your last two questions later on (like I'll just edit this post)
I have to say though there isn't much I am allowed to say for Q4 due to the fact that every student signs a confidentiality waiver after doing medical interviews, and also that I worked at the interviews (and plan to do so next year so I need to maintain a good rep with the faculty).