Why I Did NOT Get An Interview Offer For Medical School | What Next?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 16 ก.ย. 2021
- I figured I should probably address the fact that I haven't spoken of interviews or anything since. In thsi video, I explain some of the reasons why I didn't receive an offer and what I'm doing next.
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Hey, I'm Jesse, I'm a professional private tutor and founder of Simplified Study Tutoring. Since 2011, I've been helping students take a simpler approach to their studies and educating people in anything from science and maths to English and economics. In March 2021 I sat the GAMSAT and achieved an 84 including a 100 in Section 3. Hopefully, that's credentials enough to give this video a good watchin'.
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📸 Instagram: / osbourne_jesse
Ahh, bummer about not getting an offer. I was in a similar boat with a very similar GPA- I ended up doing honours and now am finishing off a second bachelor degree (taking a lot of credit to speed up the process) to get myself into a more competitive range. You're right about things getting harder and harder, and this year in particular the scores have been insane to see.
Forgive me if I'm telling you what you already know- but I thought I'd pass on some info that I've come across whilst going through the process that I think might be of interest to you!
Firstly, even if your bachelor degree was completed longer than 10 years ago, your degree may still be accepted. I think it varies depending on the uni, but they outline their policy regarding this in the GEMSAS guide, but for most completing any postgraduate study usually is sufficient from memory. Hopefully, all goes well next application cycle, but if not you aren't completely out of the running!
Also, in case you didn't know, Flinders University in Adelaide also offer postgrad med, and they are also not through GEMSAS, so if you're willing to relocate they might be a good place to apply next year. For an interview, they only go off your GAMSAT, not GPA, but your GPA is used for ranking for offers. They have a 75% quota for flinders graduates, so if you graduate with a degree from there by the end of the year of application you would be eligible for more places, substantially reducing the cutoffs. They also judge the GPA differently, which may advantage you- 7=85+, 6=75-84, 5=65-74, 4=50-64.
You can do a 6 month (4 unit) graduate certificate with them online to be eligible for their graduate quota. Not only would this give you a better chance at Flinders, but the grades from that will contribute to half of your final year for Deakin, UND, UWA and MQ for GEMSAS- and if you were to do well, that could significantly bump up your GPA for those unis. The GCs at flinders are fairly manageable and can be done part-time or full-time. I did 2 units of it whilst doing 5 units for my bachelor degree and was able to maintain good grades for them all. I only had 2 or 3 2000 word assignments, and the lectures were all free to watch in my own time, with voluntary tutorials- super flexible. If you were to do a GC online as long as you finished it by July 2022 the GEMSAS unis that take them will use your results for the 2022 (2023 entry) application cycle.
For Deakin, you'd most likely be eligible for some bonuses, at least 2% for working full time, and maybe others depending on your circumstances. a 2-4% bonus can make a MASSIVE difference, so you may end up more competitive for Deakin than originally thought because of those. From what I have heard, commuting from Melb to Geelong is possible for preclinical years, and if you were to get Melb placement in 3/4th year, you'd potentially be able to manage not moving at all (depending on where in Melbourne you are). Also, staying in VIC will make it easier to get an internship in Melbourne, which may be important if your goal is to return ASAP.
Another uni I would consider is UNDS. UNDS offer 3/4 year clinical placements in Victoria, in both Melbourne and Ballarat. If you intend to return to Melbourne ASAP, this is especially of interest as if you are able to get a VIC placement you'd be able to move back in potentially 2 years. Depending on the cohort your chances of this varies, but it's more likely than not from what I have heard. Also, if you have a placement at any point in VIC as a UNDS student you are entitled to first priority for VIC internships (like with Monash, Deakin & UoM), meaning you'd be more likely to have the option to move back to VIC during intern year (as it's much harder to get an intern position in VIC from an interstate uni, so it would be 2/3 years interstate vs most likely 5 at an interstate uni). UND are portfolio unis, and as someone a bit older and with a bit of life experience, you would likely have a stronger portfolio than many other applicants. You may have a better chance with them as your GPA wouldn't be as highly weighted. Additionally, if you do any postgraduate study (like a GC at Flinders) your GPA for UND will be unweighted, not weighted as normal. Given your last year was the problematic one, this may give you a bit more of an edge.
Finally, if you were to do an honours degree, if you get 1st class, your GPA would be considered a 7 at UQ, and that will be taken as long as it is complete. They won't look at your undergrad at all. I understand that honours is probably not super feasible for you though, given your work commitments, but regardless it's good to know if you're interested in UQ. I got an interview with them this year, and my 1st class honours definitely came in clutch haha.
Sorry for the essay, and if all this info was something you already knew. I just know I struggled to find a lot of this stuff and knowing about it helped me a lot when planning out my next steps and future applications, and if any of it were to do the same for you I'd be glad. I've really appreciated your videos, and the time you've put into helping others- You're gonna make a great doctor :)
Best of luck with 2022 and beyond!
Thanks so much for the detailed comment, Luke! Seriously appreciate the depth and clarity you've given here and I'm sure there are others taking a lot from this too.
I didn't know that about the Flinders process. I'm pretty ignorant to a lot of the other uni's application processes just because at the time of applying I didn't hav much on my radar but this is great to know, and I'll probably have to sit down and do some more research.
I had considered completing additional studies to boost my GPA but I think at the moment, financially it'd be challenging to juggle work with full time work and study for any longer than the four year medical degree. I'm in a good place where I'd happily accept a rejection agin next year and move on from medicine applications but I'm still open to the idea of further study and restarting the process in the future. Full credit to your dedication though, it's genuinely inspiring!
I'd actually forgotten about the bonuses at Deakin so hopefully these come in handy next year (Geelong would be a much easier move than interstate for sure) and I the UNDS opportunities would be a great avenue as well.
Once again, really appreciate the time you've taken to give such an insightful and personalised comment. Your knowledge of the application process itself should be credential enough to secure you a place haha. Congrats on the interview offer and all the best with the final steps! 😀
@@jesseosbourne Definitely fair! Best of luck with it all, and thank you :)
Just asking for a bit of a reality check. I am about to finish off my bachelors degree and my GPA is 4.1 and I am expecting a 4.3 by the time I graduate, and I tried to look into honours but my GPA is too low for that, and before I was hoping to apply for USyd but that doesn't seem likely anymore. I am thinking of doing a second bachelor's degree and transferring some of the credit over from my first bachelors so its quicker. I am a little bit anxious these days thinking about what the future holds for me. I'm currently 21 years old and just looking at the time it would take for me to get there is a bit stressful. Is this something normal to think about? any suggestions and advice would help
Oh my God, this is what I was looking for. A perfect detailed info. I know about Flinders University in Adelaide and my undergrad is more than 10 years old… I was trying to figure it out how to increase my GPA because at that time I was not mature enough to understand the importance of focusing on studies and ended up with 68.9% only. However, I studied Biology, chemistry and physics in my graduation. Can I get any benefit with that? Or which grad certificate would be good for me? Or I should not be concerned about gpa as flinders don’t mind anyways, rather I should think about gamsat?
Your journey and commitment despite your circumstances faced in your degree is very inspiring. Thanks for sharing and I also appreciate the honesty regarding scores. Thank you!
You are a legend Jesse. You will make a great doctor.
Powerful Story man!
Glad to see pursuing this journey. I'm sure you'd make a huge difference in the future
Thanks mate, appreciate it! :)
Hi Jesse ! I really find your medical school journey to be really inspiring . Your persistence has kept you going through tough phases. I am currently and incoming PhD student(neuroscience) at the UQ. I am planning to apply to medschool post PhD. So your journey keeps me motivated when I get digressed from my goals. Respect!
Glad to hear that it's keeping you motivated. Best of luck with the PhD!
That is unbelievable man, all the best for next year though and thanks for great content. It’s very frustrating being judged on a set of relatively arbitrary values, but where there is a will there is a way…..hopefully 🤞
P.S you probably already know but I think you could pretty much bet on getting a Sydney offer. Even with your low (not really lol) section one with their calculating process of [(S1+S2)*1.25]+S3 you will have a score of 270 (cutoff this year according to reddit was around 258) so unless things go completely nuts next year you should be set. All the best
Thanks man, really appreciate it! I was watching the Sydney offer discussion very closely on reddit so let's hope nothing too drastic changes next year 😃
Keep your head up Jesse! The entire med application process and such is an annoying and tedious process. Seems the scores for either GAMSAT/GPA is getting more ridiculous as years go by that some of the doctors I work with can’t believe how ridiculous the scores candidates are getting and still not getting an offer. Good luck with everything and keep up the good work, you’ve been very helpful during my own journey too :)
Thanks Clarisse, yeah overall I'm not too fussed by the process and I guess it is a necessarily difficult process. I'm looking forward to having an outcome either way in the next few months though haha. Glad to hear the videos have been helpful! :)
Great video Jesse (among many others)! You demonstrated perfectly how nuanced and ridiculous this whole process can be. You'd clearly make a thoughtful and intelligent doctor, so if Melbourne can't see that, I'm sure another uni will. Anyway, you're doing great work here on TH-cam and congrats on building your own business, so I look forward to more content from you. Keep up the good work. And if you do end up in Sydney, feel free to reach out :)
Thanks so much, Kate! Really appreciate it. It’s definitely kinda nice to be away from it for a bit haha. Congrats on the growth of your channel so far, and hope all goes well for you with applications!
@@jesseosbourne thanks Jesse! All the best :)
As someone who was heavily invested in the cutoffs for USyd I think you have a strong chance there with your gamsat so keep your head up king
Let's hope so! Thanks a bunch :)
Thanks!
Would love to know your thoughts on GPA 6.2 (Pharmacy), a PhD in medicine and Gamsat of 55?
Wouldn't you score an offer with Sydney (with your gamsat score)? or are you only considering medical schools within reach?
Ahh,😱that is shocking but i would say Mel uni is losing sth by not giving you an offer. We need intelligent doctors who work for humanity not for money.
Hi Jesse, sorry for the late comment! I'm half way through my second year of medical imaging and have only just decided that I want to do post-graduate medicine. At this time my GPA is only 6.16, however now that I actually have a reason to get it up I should be able to bring it up to around 6.4-6.6 by the end of the degree. Where would you rank this GPA in terms of competitiveness? thanks!
Hey there! I can’t say I’m all that knowledgeable on specifics of GPA competition as I’m an applicant with a much lower GPA mostly focusing on GPA hurdle unis.
In general terms a competitive gpa is considered something around 6.5+ but being below this does not mean you aren’t competitive
Selection is based on a combination of GPA and gamsat (and portfolios/personal statements for some) so it really comes down to your specific combinations at different unis
Something to keep in mind that if you’re applying next year during your third year, the gpa that will be used for interview selection will be your gpa as at the end of semester 1 of third year which may be a little different to your forecast for the end of the entire degree. Course offers are conditional on maintaining a particular gpa or preventing too lag the of a drop in the final semester
There is a lot of diversity in GPAs depending on where you apply. I mean, my GPA is 5.6-5.9 for most unis but my GAMSAT score can help compensate with some unis and then Sydney and UoW are GPA hurdle unis
Hopefully this is somewhat helpful in planning things!
Man..with a top notch GAMSAT score like yours and not getting an offer is really making the whole process daunting and uncertain. Could you kindly advise what sort of GAMSAT score would put me in a likely success zone wirh a 7 GPA?for UWA or UQ. Thanks
Hey Sultan! Sorry about the wait on a reply while I was on my break.
Nah I wouldn't make comparisons here. I only applied to UniMelb in this cycle and my GPA there was not competitive (5.8). I explain a little more about why I didn't receive an offer in this video: th-cam.com/video/ROZPG3dBWhg/w-d-xo.html
I don't really know much about UWA or UQ so I probably can't answer your question with any certainty. A 7 GPA is fantastic so this should take the pressure off your GAMSAT a little. I'll be researching these as part of my Med Applications series pretty soon though.
@@jesseosbourne Jesse, thanks for taking time out to reply. I am banking on my PhD to get me a 7GPA and as you pointed out rightly, take a bit of pressure off the GAMSAT. A bit concerned though; since I will be applying for the 2024 entry, the generous 7GPA rule might not be changed by the 3 universities currently offering the facility; UWA, UQ, and Griffith. Thanks so much for all the hard work you put in to make these videos. All the Best for your future endeavors and Happy New Year 2022.
Ahh I see. Hopefully they all hold onto it, as I think there's a lot of value in enticing more people from dedicated research pathways into medical programs, especially with the rising popularity of graduate entry MDs over undergrad MBBS. I'd be surprised if all three dropped this rule in the same entry year so fingers crossed it all works out for you! 🤞
Also, sorry I just realised I linked you in a loop back to this video 🤦♂️
@@jesseosbourne Thanks for the encouraging remarks. Wish you all the Best for 2022 and beyond.
This is why I don’t even want to apply to melbourne uni haha it seems so cutthroat competitive and I’d rather the path of least resistance so any medical school offer I’ll be more than happy to take lol (and this comes from someone who’s from melbourne!).
No harm in applying though!
It just kinda sucks that the steps to an interview offer are largely based on results alone. From what I’ve seen, melbourne medical school has a really supportive vibe (pass/fail in the Pre clinical year, heaps of crossover support from other MD students in other year levels). That being said, I’m pretty happy to take anything I can get too! 😅
@@jesseosbourne I’ve heard that too, and a lot students do say that just getting in seems to be one of the hardest parts. Also, just a question have you applied to any undergrad unis? If exams like the gamsat are something you seem to do well, have you tried taking the ucat? Anyway best of luck to whatever it is you decide to do :)
Yeah, seems to just be a supply and demand thing for unimelb scores.
No I haven’t. Don’t know much about the undergrad pathway to be honest haha.
Best of luck to you as well!
@@jesseosbourne I wouldn't get too fixated on MMS! I'm a current MD1 at unimelb and I have had a good experience, but there are definitely issues! All of the med schools seem fantastic- good luck and happy to chat if needed! :)
Thanks! Yeah I'm definitely excited about the prospect of applying to lots of other medical schools next year. This application cycle, I was just limited to Melbourne based on my work commitments. Best of luck in the assessments ahead. I'd imagine it's a busy time of year at the moment!
The Australian system seems insane. Only sort of glad I'm in the UK.
The scores are pretty crazy now compared to even just a few years ago 🤯
@@jesseosbourne Hi there Jesse, there's a thing that I'm confused about. Unimelb weights the 3rd year of the undergraduate degree by X3, but you're meant to already apply for med school at the end of Sem 1 - when you haven't even started Sem 2 of the final year. How does that even work? Do they have to wait for the results of your whole third year to come out before they look at your application - or do they just look at years 1 and 2 plus the GAMSAT?
Hey Skazka! Sorry about the wait on a reply while I was on my break.
Yep so because applications are submitted by late may/early June, your Sem 1 results of your final year would be contributed (and weighted x3) and your overall weighted GPA based on those 2.5 years results is what is used for determination of an interview offer and subsequent course offer. If that were the case, the offer is conditional meaning that you must complete semester 2 of your degree successfully and maintain a particular GPA in order to keep your offer.
From what I've seen, UniMelb require those that have accepted a conditional offer to maintain an overall weighted GPA that is no more than 0.3 points below what they had at the time of application in order to hold onto their spot. I haven't actually double checked that this is still the case though.
@@jesseosbourne Thanks for the clarification and the reply! I was confused because there haven't been much info about this on many websites. I was so naive and hesitant about picking biomed a few years ago, unsure about whether to do med or not that I neglected to understand the importance of the GAMSAT. Which is why I'm going to be sitting it for the first time this March in my third year of biomed - with hindsight I probs should've sat it a couple of times in second or first year. Oh well. And my second year grades in 2021 weren't that great as well. Guess I'll have to grind extra hard this holiday for the GAMSAT as well as do better in Sem 1. Or if that fails I'll have to do an honours year. 2022 is going to be so stressful for me 😭. Hindsight as they say is 2020. Anyways, Happy New Year!
I think it's ridiculous that our degrees don't count after 10 years. They never ever mentioned that to when I did my degree! It's just another way to force people to spend more money on an education they don't need just to tick some box. Very frustrating.
Yeah, I had no idea about the 10 year rule back during my undergrad either. It's a bit of a shame that this exists, especially because returning to study for the sake of requalifying for further study really isn't a simple decision and takes significant sacrifice without outside financial assistance. I have huge respect for those that dedicate themselves to this and make those sacrifices.
At least there are a few unis who don't use the 10 year rule (Flinders & UWA)
@@jesseosbourne I really hope you get in this next round. It's ridiculous you've not been accepted yet. You seem extremely bright and caring. I got in through the Indigenous pathway which makes me feel extremely guilty when I see videos like this. But I also had a horrific childhood and have been an orphan since I was 13. I guess this pathway is about giving people like me, who missed out on so much, a chance. My first degree was in Criminal Justice, totally non science. I start next year so I've been spending a few hours most days going over science material. So that I don't fall flat on my face when I start. I've heard such mixed things. E.g. there isn't that much actual chemistry it's more pathways. There isn't much math, it's more memorising equations for physiology and applying them. I'm still terrified though but I've never wanted anything this much. My fingers are crossed for you.
@@jesseosbourne Also, sorry to hear about you mum. I'm surprised they didn't accept that as a good enough reason for why your marks went down. My sister died in my second year of uni. It made it pretty hard to concentrate on writing essays when I had to plan her funeral and deal with all the trauma. Organisations can be pretty unforgiving. That's not a uni you want to go to. Also, the fees at Melbourne Uni are ridiculous.
No need to feel guilty at all! You’re clearly determined and deserve every bit of the career ahead of you. I’m a strong believer in early life adversity shaping people quite profoundly. It’s not a necessity to being a good doctor, but it damn well teaches you empathy and compassion.
I’m excited for you, and if your sentiments are anything to go by, I’d be honoured to work alongside you in the future!
What is annual fee of M.D for domestic student please answer.
It depends on what place type and which uni as they vary slightly. generally speaking domestic CSP places are approximately $11,400 per year ($45,600 total) which can be placed on a HECS-HELP loan. Full Fee domestic places are around $75,000 per year ($300k-320k total). The remaining balance from the $156k cap on HECS-HELP can be used to fund part of this cost but the remainder needs to be funded by the individual and is usually paid per semester.
It's best to check the fees on the website of each university as they do vary.
How do they calculate gpa? I am a medical graduate ( Ayurveda medicine, which is 5.5 yrs degree) . In india we get our results in percentage?Pls reply
Hi Sourabh, in Australia GPA is calculated using the 7.0 scale however the GPA points for each subject grade can vary from university to university.
If you are looking at applying as an international student, it's best you contact the university directly as each school has their own conversion system for qualification and recognition of degrees completed overseas. The individual medical schools will be able to give you better advice than I can
Best of luck!
@@jesseosbourne thank you