Advice to get into Medicine for Queensland universities?

[Twisty314]

Hi everyone,

So as you can guess from the title, I would LOVE to get into Medicine at a Queensland university (getting into UQ would be absolutely mint!). So I was just wandering whether or not any of you have gotten into any QLD university for med, or even dentistry. Any tips to get in?
Thanks people! 
Twisty314

[Quantum44]

For undergrad med in Queensland, there are three options you can go for. UQ has provisional entry which has a hurdle ATAR requirement of 99+, with all applicants who reach this hurdle being ranked on their UCAT score. Griffith also has a provisional entry system which is one year shorter and is only based on ATAR. If you get high 99s you should be offered a spot at their Nathan or Gold Coast campus. It is also possible to get guaranteed entry to the Griffith MD through USC as well. Neither of these universities have an interview at this stage (although I believe UQ is planning on introducing a MMI).

If you are disappointed with your UCAT score, JCU is also an option. You have to write a written application, and then if your ATAR and application are good enough, you will be invited for an interview, which determines whether or not you will get an offer.

[TheAspiringDoc]

Idk if they still do it, but I think there's bonus points you can get for doing certain subjects? Also if you're interested in JCU write a good application letter when they ask you to

[Twisty314]

For undergrad med in Queensland, there are three options you can go for. UQ has provisional entry which has a hurdle ATAR requirement of 99+, with all applicants who reach this hurdle being ranked on their UCAT score. Griffith also has a provisional entry system which is one year shorter and is only based on ATAR. If you get high 99s you should be offered a spot at their Nathan or Gold Coast campus. It is also possible to get guaranteed entry to the Griffith MD through USC as well. Neither of these universities have an interview at this stage (although I believe UQ is planning on introducing a MMI).

If you are disappointed with your UCAT score, JCU is also an option. You have to write a written application, and then if your ATAR and application are good enough, you will be invited for an interview, which determines whether or not you will get an offer.

Thanks Quantum44! So long as I get a high 99 ATAR and a decent UCAT score, I should be up for all 3 universities? The main reason why I don't want to go to JCU is because I've heard that its main focus is on tropical medicine, and I'd prefer to go through a mainstream med course. But, with medicine, you can't exactly be picky about where you want to go - 'if you get only one offer, that's awesome' is the sought of thing I've heard.

Idk if they still do it, but I think there's bonus points you can get for doing certain subjects? Also if you're interested in JCU write a good application letter when they ask you to

Thanks for this! Yeah, I just checked that there are adjustments to your entry rank for UQ if you do a L.O.T.E, Spesh or pass a university course while in school. I'll be up for two adjustments for doing Spesh (yay!) as long as I at least pass it. I haven't checked for Griffith or JCU yet, but I should hopefully stop being lazy and check ahaha!

Also to both of you: how did you study for the UMAT without neglecting your school assessments? Seems like a tricky balance to me! 

Thanks guys!!

[TheAspiringDoc]

I did 1 UMAT paper (the free ACER one). I think even doing just 1 gives you huge benefit as you get to know the format of it, and after that I'm guessing you get diminishing returns.

Enjoy!

[Lear]

Just wanted to post a message - Don't fall for the marketing previous UMAT companies will throw at you regarding their experience. Companies such as Icanmed and Medentry are claiming they expected the UCAT and have experience in it when they do not. I think the best prep you could do is order some UKCAT books from the UK and do them. The UCAT is simply the Aus version of the UKCAT the only change being the name. Since the UKCAT has been running in the UK for many years their are a plethora of resources you can get quite easily and cheaply. Just have a google for some books

[Quantum44]

Thanks Quantum44! So long as I get a high 99 ATAR and a decent UCAT score, I should be up for all 3 universities? The main reason why I don't want to go to JCU is because I've heard that its main focus is on tropical medicine, and I'd prefer to go through a mainstream med course. But, with medicine, you can't exactly be picky about where you want to go - 'if you get only one offer, that's awesome' is the sought of thing I've heard.

Also to both of you: how did you study for the UMAT without neglecting your school assessments? Seems like a tricky balance to me! 

Thanks guys!!

Yeah JCU has a focus on rural/tropical/indigenous. That can turn off some people, but at the end of the day it’s still a med course and I don’t think it is too forced on students. It’s definitely somewhere you should apply, particularly if you don’t do as well as anticipated in the UCAT. I also forgot to mention that Bond is also an option in Queensland, although obviously this is undesirable to many people due to the exhorbitant cost.

Given that studying a lot for the UMAT/UCAT isn’t exactly correlated with getting high marks, I would recommend prioritising studying for year 12, as you’ll get a lot more bang for your buck. With that being said, many universities weight the UCAT equally or even more than ATAR, so you should definitely put in some effort. I started early in the summer holidays with my revision and only really did much during the Easter and winter holidays when I had time, but I made sure to understand all the main strategies for each section and complete enough practice questions and exams.

[smamsmo22]

I'm no expert when it comes to med entry, but I thought I'd add some quick advice considering you called out to anyone who got into QLD med and I recently got an offer at Griffith Gold Coast for the provisional undergrad med course next year. The biggest thing I can say from my personal experience is, if you're willing to put in hard work in QCE (VCE in my case), it is totally possible to get into undergrad med (at Griffith) with a crappy UMAT (or in your case, UCAT). Obviously setting yourself to get as high a UMAT/UCAT as possible will open up the most opportunity for you, but as someone who didn't do so well on the UMAT and was really discouraged afterwards, thinking I had no chance at undergrad med anywhere, it was really surprising and encouraging to find out that I was able to get into the Griffith course (and the most in-demand of the 3 Griffith campuses, at that), with my crappy UMAT not mattering much at all. Long story short, I guess from my experiences I'd say to not let a lower UMAT/UCAT discourage you and to keep pushing throughout the year. You can achieve so much more than you expect!! (FYI, I didn't use tutoring or prep companies throughout the year, or even get tutoring)
Good luck

[Twisty314]

Thanks everyone!! Wow - never expected such detailed responses!

I did 1 UMAT paper (the free ACER one). I think even doing just 1 gives you huge benefit as you get to know the format of it, and after that I'm guessing you get diminishing returns.

Enjoy!

Thanks for the advice OptimistPrime! I always thought that to do well in the UCAT you had to study over time i.e it takes time the skills you need to answer questions correctly. I'm not going neglect studying for it as it is different for everyone though (I really want to get into med!!). I guess your example just shows that some people need different amounts of study  Cheers!

Just wanted to post a message - Don't fall for the marketing previous UMAT companies will throw at you regarding their experience. Companies such as Icanmed and Medentry are claiming they expected the UCAT and have experience in it when they do not. I think the best prep you could do is order some UKCAT books from the UK and do them. The UCAT is simply the Aus version of the UKCAT the only change being the name. Since the UKCAT has been running in the UK for many years their are a plethora of resources you can get quite easily and cheaply. Just have a google for some books

Already have Fell for MedEntry. Soon after I realised. I'm only in year 11 tho, and I'll probs get medify, and 1250 Q's book soon. But I've learnt my lesson so first I'll get your guys advice. Is this a good combo? Sorry for letting u down Lear lol  .

Yeah JCU has a focus on rural/tropical/indigenous. That can turn off some people, but at the end of the day it’s still a med course and I don’t think it is too forced on students. It’s definitely somewhere you should apply, particularly if you don’t do as well as anticipated in the UCAT. I also forgot to mention that Bond is also an option in Queensland, although obviously this is undesirable to many people due to the exhorbitant cost.

Given that studying a lot for the UMAT/UCAT isn’t exactly correlated with getting high marks, I would recommend prioritising studying for year 12, as you’ll get a lot more bang for your buck. With that being said, many universities weight the UCAT equally or even more than ATAR, so you should definitely put in some effort. I started early in the summer holidays with my revision and only really did much during the Easter and winter holidays when I had time, but I made sure to understand all the main strategies for each section and complete enough practice questions and exams.

True, a degree is a degree whichever uni you go to. But I Don't think I'll be going to Bond, even if I get an offer lol.
The main reason why I'm studying now for it is so it won't be too much for when I'm in year 12. Thanks for the advice Quantum44!

I'm no expert when it comes to med entry, but I thought I'd add some quick advice considering you called out to anyone who got into QLD med and I recently got an offer at Griffith Gold Coast for the provisional undergrad med course next year. The biggest thing I can say from my personal experience is, if you're willing to put in hard work in QCE (VCE in my case), it is totally possible to get into undergrad med (at Griffith) with a crappy UMAT (or in your case, UCAT). Obviously setting yourself to get as high a UMAT/UCAT as possible will open up the most opportunity for you, but as someone who didn't do so well on the UMAT and was really discouraged afterwards, thinking I had no chance at undergrad med anywhere, it was really surprising and encouraging to find out that I was able to get into the Griffith course (and the most in-demand of the 3 Griffith campuses, at that), with my crappy UMAT not mattering much at all. Long story short, I guess from my experiences I'd say to not let a lower UMAT/UCAT discourage you and to keep pushing throughout the year. You can achieve so much more than you expect!! (FYI, I didn't use tutoring or prep companies throughout the year, or even get tutoring)
Good luck

Cool, thanks smamsmo22! I'm definitely wouldn't mind getting into med there! My brother goes here but for music. If you Don't mind me asking, what ATAR did you get? Usually it's really high 99's for Griffith, isn't it? Feel free to PM me if your not comfortable with posting it publicly  . And fair enough, not many people get high UCAT or UMAT scores without going through a prep company!

Sorry couldn't get back to you all earlier! And thanks again for all your guys advice!!! 

[smamsmo22]

Cool, thanks smamsmo22! I'm definitely wouldn't mind getting into med there! My brother goes here but for music. If you Don't mind me asking, what ATAR did you get? Usually it's really high 99's for Griffith, isn't it? Feel free to PM me if your not comfortable with posting it publicly  . And fair enough, not many people get high UCAT or UMAT scores without going through a prep company!

Sorry couldn't get back to you all earlier! And thanks again for all your guys advice!!! 

I got a 99.75. Yes, since Griffith's course is only reliant on ATAR, the requirement tends to be pretty high. (It is usually lower for the Nathan and SC campuses though). For the record, though, I definitely wasn't expecting an ATAR that high at any point in the year (especially by the end), so don't let it deter you (:

[addict]

Hi everyone,

So as you can guess from the title, I would LOVE to get into Medicine at a Queensland university (getting into UQ would be absolutely mint!). So I was just wandering whether or not any of you have gotten into any QLD university for med, or even dentistry. Any tips to get in?
Thanks people! 
Twisty314

Hi Twisty,

I got an offer for an unbonded place in UQ. UQ sounds like a great place to study. It has the most generous scholarship I know of out of Australia's 8 leading unis ($60k over 5 years for 99.9+ students, no application/interview requried). You get great flexibility with undergrad courses as well.

I'm assuming you're just aiming for a 99 atar to meet that med prereq. Be aware that it could change over the next couple of years with the shift to UCAT and the shift to the ATAR system. I don't think anyone can really tell you how to study effectively. People work differently. Some people swear by having study timetables or logging hours. I absolutely cannot study when I do not feel like it, even if I have a major assessment the next day. There is no universally 'correct' way to do things. Just put in an amount of work that feels right to you. Focus on conceptual understanding, paying close attention to the syllabus so you know exactly what you will be assessed on.

I'm not really familiar with the UCAT so I'll only make a few general comments. The best thing you can do would be to follow the advice from the organisation running the test. If they say that they do not endorse commercial available preparation materials, there are probably good reasons for that. From my experience commercial organisations do not imitate UMAT questions well. Just try to familiar yourself with the officially endorsed materials. Don't waste your life stressing about a test of natural ability. You might find that the people who are most at ease on the test day tend to perform the best.

Most importantly, do not overwork. It jeopardises your enjoyment of life and is counterproductive in general. Go to that party. Take time to do the things you have always enjoyed doing. Also consider cutting off toxic relationships that exist in your life or if they emerge in the future. Do everything you can to keep yourself happy as a healthy brain performs best.