Thoughts on Biomed at Melb/Monash vs taking the UMAT again

[maccyg]

Hi,
Just needing some advice on what to do next year. I had been thinking to take the biomed/science double degree at Monash Uni next year and then later hope to get into medicine through this pathway, but I know that there are limited numbers and so I'm worried about this being a very uncertain pathway. I am considering placing Melbourne biomedicine above Monash on my preferences due to the 99+ ATAR 'guarantee' for postgraduate medicine but am unsure due to the 75% weighted average mark needed and that the offer is for a full fee place. I am also considering resitting the UMAT next year - I got in the 85th percentile this year but didn't get the 50 minimum needed for Monash in section C. I am unsure of how much I would need to improve/what percentile I would need to get in the UMAT for a 99.4 ATAR to get an interview at Monash.

Thanks

[VanillaRice]

If you are considering resitting the UMAT next year, be aware that it will also be an uncertain pathway. It's risky in that you will have to spend next year doing something else other than studying at uni, with no guarantee that you'll end up in medicine at Monash (I'm not saying it's impossible though).

With regards to the graduate pathway to medicine, studying an undergrad for a few years isn't such a bad thing - you'll be able to explore other things, and think about whether you really want to do medicine.

[Quantum44]

I’m in a similar place to you with a good ATAR, alright UMAT, but a failed Section 3 and thus am ineligible for Monash med. I feel like taking a gap year to resit the UMAT is very risky as you could just waste a year, so you should have another good reason to take a gap year such as travelling, working or volunteering. This would also put a lot of pressure on you to succeed in the UMAT and interview. That being said, if you improved your score to 90th percentile in the UMAT you would definitely get an interview and have a good shot at a place. I’ve also heard that section 3 is the easiest to study for so improvement would be likely with enough effort.

[brenden]

I feel like the Melb pathway is the best here... you’re going to spend 3 years in a degree with the desire to do medicine either way. If at the end of the 3 years you don’t want to do med anymore, cool, you’re even. If you still want to do med, your chances are much higher through the Melb guarantee obviously, and then you get to decide whether you’re happy with full fee or not. It’s better to have the option open.

You may as well hedge your bets.

[sweetcheeks]

I would suggest taking the Melbourne pathway. You get an undergraduate degree, three years to make up your mind if medicine is really what you want to do, time to become more mature and if drop out of med at least you have a fall back.

The WAM is not that difficult to maintain, but perhaps even doing science rather than biomed (you get to do most of the same subjects) would result in a higher WAM (less competition).

[Swagadaktal]

Realistically, for you to be a shoe in, you'd need to improve your UMAT to the 95th percentile (if you have a UMAT with 50+ in all sections between 85-95, you may indeed get in but it will largely come down to the lottery that is the medical interview).

Hey! Although this is somewhat true, I'd like to point out that I also got 99.4 atar but only with an 88th percentile UMAT and got a non-bonded school leaver spot in medicine! So The interview is actually very important -- 95th %ile although is very nice to have and gives a lot of assurance, is not a requirement to get into medicine at monash

[vox nihili]

The Monash vs Melbourne thing really rests on whether or not the guarantee is useful to you. If you could afford an FFP, which are genuinely horrifyingly and unfairly expensive, then Melbourne is a wise choice. If you can't, then do what you'd prefer to do. If you'd prefer Monash, go to Monash. Maintaining a 75% WAM in Biomed should be achievable. To be perfectly honest, if you think you can hack med, you should have no worries with the 75% average. This is not to say that there aren't people who suffer things in their personal life that see them fail to realise their abilities, but with some hard work it's definitely achievable.