HSC Class of 2016 Discussion Thread

[jamonwindeyer]

True and I'm wasting my time as well. Is it possible to get in Med without UMAT or Interview (other than Usyd 99.95). I get this feeling though that I will do want to do med

What do you mean by "20% inclination to do med for it to pay off"?

Also are any of you guys familiar with the LAT which has come out this year? Is this something similar to the UMAT except for law?
Why do you think they started to introduce it for?

Don't worry found it here: http://www.law.unsw.edu.au/LAT-FAQ

Cheers

UMAT is a very tough exam, and expensive to sit, and if you want to do well you'll need access to resources which can be expensive as well. What Rui means is, unless you have even the slightest inclination of doing Med after you graduate, don't bother sitting it. It is a very expensive and time consuming thing to do just because you can. Really, if you sit it, you kind of want to be at least reasonably sure that Medicine is what you want to do. Plus, the fact is, Medicine is a passion for a lot of students, you likely won't get a place if you try for it half heartedly anyway 

You do, however, need to sit UMAT do Medicine as an undergraduate degree (EG - at UNSW). You can also do Medicine as a Postgraduate degree (EG - Sydney offers postgrad medicine), which means you do another (likely health science related) degree first, then apply for Medicine after that by sitting another (harder) test called the GAMSAT. So there are options for you with or without UMAT if you aren't sure right now 

[jakesilove]

UMAT is a very tough exam, and expensive to sit, and if you want to do well you'll need access to resources which can be expensive as well. What Rui means is, unless you have even the slightest inclination of doing Med after you graduate, don't bother sitting it. It is a very expensive and time consuming thing to do just because you can. Really, if you sit it, you kind of want to be at least reasonably sure that Medicine is what you want to do. Plus, the fact is, Medicine is a passion for a lot of students, you likely won't get a place if you try for it half heartedly anyway 

You do, however, need to sit UMAT do Medicine as an undergraduate degree (EG - at UNSW). You can also do Medicine as a Postgraduate degree (EG - Sydney offers postgrad medicine), which means you do another (likely health science related) degree first, then apply for Medicine after that by sitting another (harder) test called the GAMSAT. So there are options for you with or without UMAT if you aren't sure right now 

Also, can confirm that LAT is the new Law Admission Test (at least at UNSW). Unlike UMAT, there isn't much study you can do, as this is the first year they are running it. It also won't be as intensive as UMAT, or as difficult a course to get into. It's testing general proficiency in written expression, and that's basically it! Just a thing our uni is trialing

[conic curve]

UMAT is a very tough exam, and expensive to sit, and if you want to do well you'll need access to resources which can be expensive as well. What Rui means is, unless you have even the slightest inclination of doing Med after you graduate, don't bother sitting it. It is a very expensive and time consuming thing to do just because you can. Really, if you sit it, you kind of want to be at least reasonably sure that Medicine is what you want to do. Plus, the fact is, Medicine is a passion for a lot of students, you likely won't get a place if you try for it half heartedly anyway 

You do, however, need to sit UMAT do Medicine as an undergraduate degree (EG - at UNSW). You can also do Medicine as a Postgraduate degree (EG - Sydney offers postgrad medicine), which means you do another (likely health science related) degree first, then apply for Medicine after that by sitting another (harder) test called the GAMSAT. So there are options for you with or without UMAT if you aren't sure right now 

Thanks Jamon

So is this why UNSW law is starting to introduce the LAT? Mainly because it's a really popular and demanding course and they have to separate the most "capable candidates"

Is this the same thing as the UMAT?

Thing is, I don't really think I want to do Med atm mainly because it wouldn't be great to go looking at the interior of people's body parts as this is very unpleasant and such although if I were to work in the Med Industry, I'd love to be involved in research of some sort (but I would hate dealing with mice on a day to day basis, mainly because they're unhygienic)

You know what'd be funny though, if they introduced a similar entrance exam to students wishing to become actuaries and advanced maths students at uni. The exam questions would probably be like olympiad/icas styled maths questions lol

[jamonwindeyer]

Thanks Jamon

So is this why UNSW law is starting to introduce the LAT? Mainly because it's a really popular and demanding course and they have to separate the most "capable candidates"

Is this the same thing as the UMAT?

Thing is, I don't really think I want to do Med atm mainly because it wouldn't be great to go looking at the interior of people's body parts as this is very unpleasant and such although if I were to work in the Med Industry, I'd love to be involved in research of some sort (but I would hate dealing with mice on a day to day basis, mainly because they're unhygienic)

You know what'd be funny though, if they introduced a similar entrance exam to students wishing to become actuaries and advanced maths students at uni. The exam questions would probably be like olympiad/icas styled maths questions lol

Aha pretty much!! The LAT is meant to make it so that law is more accessible to students who don't get the 99+ ATAR required to study it at UNSW. A more rounded application process, I suppose.

You can always consider a Bachelor of Medical Science then? 

[conic curve]

Aha pretty much!! The LAT is meant to make it so that law is more accessible to students who don't get the 99+ ATAR required to study it at UNSW. A more rounded application process, I suppose.

You can always consider a Bachelor of Medical Science then? 

They don't have LAT at Usyd or UTS do they?

Bachelor of Medical science doesn't really have a high ATAR in my opinion. It's only 90.00 and I plan to do a course higher than 96 ATAR

[Essej]

They don't have LAT at Usyd or UTS do they?

Bachelor of Medical science doesn't really have a high ATAR in my opinion. It's only 90.00 and I plan to do a course higher than 96 ATAR

Hi conic curve!

As someone who's registered for LAT, everything all the mods have said is correct - they want to test our critical thinking ability in a response to stimulus extended response format. I guess it provides an opportunity to differentiate between those who can memorise a textbook and those who can actually formulate their own arguments in a limited time (however if you watch the show SUITS you know its perfectly plausible for someone to do both  ). I personally think it's a fantastic initiative on UNSW's part and is likely to catch on in the coming years.

Currently UNSW is the only uni offering the LAT which kinda sucks because your mark will be useless everywhere else, but hey it gives us writers a chance to show off and compete with the 99 atars of the world!

[brenden]

only 90.00

only 90.00

only 90.00

only 90.00

If only we could all be so lucky haha

[conic curve]

Hi conic curve!

As someone who's registered for LAT, everything all the mods have said is correct - they want to test our critical thinking ability in a response to stimulus extended response format. I guess it provides an opportunity to differentiate between those who can memorise a textbook and those who can actually formulate their own arguments in a limited time (however if you watch the show SUITS you know its perfectly plausible for someone to do both  ). I personally think it's a fantastic initiative on UNSW's part and is likely to catch on in the coming years.

Currently UNSW is the only uni offering the LAT which kinda sucks because your mark will be useless everywhere else, but hey it gives us writers a chance to show off and compete with the 99 atars of the world!

Yeah but UTS Law requires 97.05 ATAR and I don't think they offer law there so if you don't make it in USYD or UNSW for law, then you can try out for UTS. Doesn't hurt 

[jamonwindeyer]

They don't have LAT at Usyd or UTS do they?

Bachelor of Medical science doesn't really have a high ATAR in my opinion. It's only 90.00 and I plan to do a course higher than 96 ATAR

Why does aiming for/getting a 96+ ATAR mean you have to do a course that requires it? You should do what you want to do. My ATAR was 99.80, the cut-off for my degree was somewhere near 90.00, just because you get the super high mark doesn't mean you can't do a course where the cut-off is lower. All the cut-off represents is how popular the course is, nothing more 

[conic curve]

Why does aiming for/getting a 96+ ATAR mean you have to do a course that requires it? You should do what you want to do. My ATAR was 99.80, the cut-off for my degree was somewhere near 90.00, just because you get the super high mark doesn't mean you can't do a course where the cut-off is lower. All the cut-off represents is how popular the course is, nothing more 

I don't know actually haha. The thing is I'm more orientated into courses which require high ATAR's because usually I go by the mentality of "wasting an opportunity" on something which you could actually do

[jamonwindeyer]

I don't know actually haha. The thing is I'm more orientated into courses which require high ATAR's because usually I go by the mentality of "wasting an opportunity" on something which you could actually do

Fair enough, but hey, if you want to be a teacher (for example) and you get a 99+ ATAR, why not! Just do what you want to do in my opinion  plenty of people do degrees just because they get the ATAR for it (Law is a big one), and many of them drop. Nothing worse than studying something for 5 years for $50,000 just because you could 

[heids]

I don't know actually haha. The thing is I'm more orientated into courses which require high ATAR's because usually I go by the mentality of "wasting an opportunity" on something which you could actually do

It's not a 'waste' to do something you enjoy, whatever that may be.  What IS a waste is doing something you're not so keen on just because that way you're "using" your hard VCE work.  Basically just because a course has a higher ATAR requirement doesn't necessarily mean that it's a 'better' or 'higher quality' course or, later, job.

(P.S. I say this as a 98er who did a TAFE course which a dropout could have done, and then finally decided to do nursing which someone in the 50s could've got into)

[conic curve]

Fair enough, but hey, if you want to be a teacher (for example) and you get a 99+ ATAR, why not! Just do what you want to do in my opinion  plenty of people do degrees just because they get the ATAR for it (Law is a big one), and many of them drop. Nothing worse than studying something for 5 years for $50,000 just because you could 

Yeah true, I mean you do what you like. I remember asking someone, since you enjoy learning, why couldn't of you have done teaching rather than this course (I forgot what it was) and she said to me "It's a waste of an opportunity"

[RuiAce]

True and I'm wasting my time as well. Is it possible to get in Med without UMAT or Interview (other than Usyd 99.95). I get this feeling though that I will do want to do med

What do you mean by "20% inclination to do med for it to pay off"?

Also are any of you guys familiar with the LAT which has come out this year? Is this something similar to the UMAT except for law?
Why do you think they started to introduce it for?

Don't worry found it here: http://www.law.unsw.edu.au/LAT-FAQ

Cheers

I mean, that your motivation to do medicine is on a scale of 0 to 100, at least a 20.

[RuiAce]

Thanks Jamon

So is this why UNSW law is starting to introduce the LAT? Mainly because it's a really popular and demanding course and they have to separate the most "capable candidates"

Is this the same thing as the UMAT?

Thing is, I don't really think I want to do Med atm mainly because it wouldn't be great to go looking at the interior of people's body parts as this is very unpleasant and such although if I were to work in the Med Industry, I'd love to be involved in research of some sort (but I would hate dealing with mice on a day to day basis, mainly because they're unhygienic)

You know what'd be funny though, if they introduced a similar entrance exam to students wishing to become actuaries and advanced maths students at uni. The exam questions would probably be like olympiad/icas styled maths questions lol

UNSW introduced the LAT because they decided that just basing people's skills off their ATAR was pathetic. They want to allow minds suited for law to get in as well if they cannot meet the ATAR cutoff.

Why does aiming for/getting a 96+ ATAR mean you have to do a course that requires it? You should do what you want to do. My ATAR was 99.80, the cut-off for my degree was somewhere near 90.00, just because you get the super high mark doesn't mean you can't do a course where the cut-off is lower. All the cut-off represents is how popular the course is, nothing more 

THIS.
I get so irritated when people say oh aim high and you then do this degree how wasteful.