Applying To Medical School In Australia

AsianScientist.com has provided a comprehensive guide and check-list to help you achieve your goal of getting into medical school in Australia… and becoming a doctor!

AsianScientist (Apr. 28, 2011) – With Australian medical school applications fast approaching, it is time to start thinking of programs and universities to apply to. Asian Scientist Magazine has provided a comprehensive guide and check-list to help you achieve your goal of getting into medical school… the first and most important step towards becoming a doctor.

There are many reasons why students want to study in Australia. International students may want an overseas experience, or they may find the programs preferable to what is offered in their home country. In general, Australia provides a good quality medical education across the country. Combine that with a relaxed and friendly “Aussie” lifestyle, sprawling beaches and good weather, and you know you’ve got a winner!

Now that you’ve made your decision, it is time to get down to business and consider the nuts and bolts of applying to medical school.

Let’s Talk Money: How Much Will It Cost?

This is probably the foremost consideration for international students. With Australian medical school fees rising at 5-8 percent annually over the last decade, combined with a strong Australian dollar, it has become somewhat costly to obtain an Australian medical degree.

How costly? It is estimated that total costs are approximately AUD $400-450,000, including living costs. Monash University, for example, charges first-year international students AUD $56,800 for their first-year course fees (2011 figures). Bear in mind that these figures are not static. These numbers are expected to rise at least 5 percent annually as one progresses through the degree.

Putting this in perspective, a medical degree would cost as much as a three-bedroom house in a Victorian suburb (unlike the degree, the value of the house will appreciate!). A medical degree, on the other hand, requires a significant investment in time and energy to obtain, and at the end of the whole rigmarole, will not match the financial gains of owning a property. Not in the early years as a doctor at least.

Unfortunately, the Australian government at present does not offer full medical scholarships for international students to pursue a medical degree in Australia. It is best to check with your local government if they offer overseas medical scholarships.

Will My Degree Be Recognized In My Home Country?

This is another important factor to consider when applying. Australian medical schools provide an excellent medical education that is well regarded throughout the world. However, this does not automatically translate into official recognition by the medical boards of various countries. For instance, the Singapore Medical Council recognizes most, but not all, medical degrees from Australia.

Australian medical graduates have found themselves jobs in Asia, UK, Canada and USA after fulfilling the registration requirements of these countries, i.e. USMLE for US registration. But it would be wise to check with the medical board of your country before shelling out AU$400,000 for a degree.

Undergraduate Versus Graduate Entry: Which Do I Pick?

Over the last decade, many Australian medical schools have made a shift from running undergraduate programs to solely admitting graduate students. In answering this question, consider the following.

Undergraduate medicine is a 5 year program as compared to the 4 year graduate program. But with the graduate program, you will need to have completed a 3-4 year basic degree before entry. This brings the total time taken to obtain a medical degree to 7-8 years. On the graduate program, you will graduate from medical school by the time you are 26 or 27 years old, assuming you start your degree when you are 20. If this is not an issue, then the graduate program is for you.

After graduating, it usually takes a few years to get into a specialty training program, and a further 5-7 years of training to become a specialist. This is a long program, and some people may have second thoughts about completing their training when they are 35-40 years old.

In a nutshell, if you are sure that medicine is the career for you, then you may prefer the undergraduate entry option. Otherwise, it might be better to do a basic degree and reconsider your career options after you graduate.

UMAT/ISAT (Undergraduate Entry) & GAMSAT/MCAT (Graduate Entry)

Most undergraduate medical courses in Australia require applicants to take an aptitude test, either the UMAT or ISAT (or PQA as in the case of the University of Adelaide). These do not test a candidate’s knowledge of science, but rather his or her logical reasoning ability.

Graduate courses require applicants to sit for either the GAMSAT or MCAT, which test one’s scientific knowledge. In other words, if you have done a basic degree in the arts, you might be at a disadvantage as compared to a candidate who has completed a basic degree in science.

Australian medical schools usually have a single intake of students in February/March. Application for the following year’s intake opens quite early in the year. It is a crucial part of the application process to be aware of the application closing dates for the various universities in order not to miss out.

While the application window is open for months, it is advisable to apply as early as possible. This is especially true if you are taking a gap year and do not need to wait for academic results to be released at the end of the year to apply. Some universities do not wait for all applications to be received before making offers, and students who already have their academic results might be interviewed and offered places earlier than students whose exam results are released later in the year.

Do Academic Grades Count For Everything?

Good grades, if not excellent grades, are required to be considered for admission to medical school anywhere in the world. This is true of Australian medical schools. There are exceptions to this rule, but very few.

Some universities specify certain subjects, i.e. chemistry and physics, as prerequisites to admission. It is important to find these out before starting your final year of high school.

If particular subjects are not specified as prerequisites, then taking these subjects usually do not give an applicant an edge. Some students fall into the trap of taking the toughest subjects that are hard to score in because of a perceived advantage it might give them. This may not be the best strategy if your game plan is to gain admission to medical school. Having said that, picking subjects that are the easiest to score in and not taking any science subjects may end up working against you once you get into medical school.

Could I get More Information On These Aptitude Tests?
Most Australian medical schools require applicants to take one of the following aptitude tests.

  • UMAT (for undergraduate entry)
  • This is a 2 hour and 45 minute multiple-choice test which takes place once a year, usually around July, with results being released in September. It has three sections, namely Logical Reasoning and Problem Solving, Understanding People, and Non-verbal Reasoning. There are numerous preparation courses out there that purport to help a candidate increase his or her scores. Some candidates have found them useful. For more information, visit: http://umat.acer.edu.au/about-umat/.

  • ISAT (for undergraduate entry)
  • This is a 3 hour computer-based multiple choice test with 2 parts and 100 questions in total. Each question has 4-5 options from which the candidate is asked to choose the most suitable response. Rather than test a candidate’s subject specific knowledge, it aims to test one’s critical and quantitative reasoning skills. For more information, visit: http://isat.acer.edu.au/.

  • GAMSAT (for graduate entry)
  • This exam is open to candidates who have completed a Bachelor’s degree or students in their penultimate (second-last) or final year of study for a Bachelor’s degree at the time of taking the test. It comprises of three sections: Reasoning in Humanities and Social Sciences, Written Communication, and Reasoning in Biological and Physical Sciences. It is held once a year in March. Like the UMAT, there are third-party preparation courses that you might consider. These are not endorsed by ACER, the company that runs the GAMSAT. For more information, visit: http://gamsat.acer.edu.au/index.php.

  • MCAT (for graduate entry)
  • This is a 4.5-5 hour long computerized test which comprises of four sections: Physical Sciences (PS), Verbal Reasoning (VR), Writing Sample (WS) and Biological Sciences (BS). Candidates usually receive their results a month after taking the test in the form of scaled scores ranging from 1 to 15. For more information, visit: https://www.aamc.org/students/applying/mcat/.

Which Medical School Should I Apply To?

Once you have decided between an undergraduate medical course and a graduate course, as well as checked with your country’s medical board regarding their recognition of degrees, it is time to look at individual schools.

Students often ask which is the best medical school in Australia. This is an impossible question to answer as there is no official published ranking of medical schools in Australia. There are better known schools and there are lesser known schools (which tend to be newer), and they are all accredited by the Australian Medical Council which ensures that all these schools provide a high standard of medical education across the country.

What Should I Look For In Terms Of Teaching Style?

More important than attending a school perceived to be prestigious based on overall rankings (which might be totally unrelated to the quality of education), you should be looking at whether its style of teaching suits you.

While most schools have incorporated a problem-based learning approach to help students integrate basic sciences with clinical practice from an early stage, some schools have adopted it to a larger degree. Some questions to ask when researching a particular school’s teaching style include:

  • Do I learn best being taught didactically or through self-directed learning?
  • How many contact hours per week are there?
  • Are there opportunities for undergraduate research?

Does The Location Matter?

Some medical schools are located in larger cities which provide not only an excellent training ground for future doctors, but also memorable gastronomic and retail opportunities – great for unwinding after a long day at the hospital.

Other schools located in more remote areas offer a more laid-back country lifestyle experience, and often come with cheaper accommodation options – ideal for students on a tight budget.

All 17 medical schools in Australia (and their websites) are listed here: http://www.australian-universities.com/schools/medical/.

Good luck and we hope you get into the medical school of your choice!

p.s. Didn’t make it into medical school? No worries, you can still make a difference, find out how here.

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Copyright: Asian Scientist Magazine. Photo: Shutterstock.
Disclaimer: This article does not necessarily reflect the views of AsianScientist or its staff.

Rebecca Lim is a Singaporean-born medical doctor practising in Melbourne, Austraia. She earned her MBBS degree from Monash University, Australia.

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