How to Get Into Medical School in Australia

Book excerpt: 'How to Get into Medical School in Australia' is the definitive guide on how to succeed in your application to medical school - and how to excel once there. The book provides comprehensive details of the admissions processes - both undergraduate and graduate - in an easy-to-digest, chronological format, to help you manage your application step by step. This detailed handbook includes an overview of the admissions process and the career of a doctor, characteristics sought in potential medical students and how to optimise them, study techniques for high school and undergraduate students, information on how to prepare for the medical school entry exams (UMAT and GAMSAT), the pros and cons of undergraduate and postgraduate medical school, and timelines on when to begin preparing for each step of the application process. The guide also features advice on special applications (for mature age, indigenous, rural and international students), non-traditional routes of entry, how to optimise your medical school application form (including sample resumes), and the all-important medical school interview - including how to prepare, how to dress and how to answer questions successfully on the day, as well as several pages of practice interview questions. Once you have succeeded in gaining admission, the book also offers information on what medical school is like, and advice on how to excel and enjoy it (including a list of necessary textbooks). Additionally, the guide includes advice from people who have excelled in various parts of the process: those who aced their high school leaver's exams, medical students, and junior and senior doctors. They describe their experiences and, most importantly, provide tips and guidance on how to succeed in getting into and studying at medical school. Also included are the profiles of every medical school in Australia, detailing entry requirements, contact details, fees, numbers of places for students and the focus and academic ranking of each individual school.