So I got a low ATAR – What now?

Year 12, your ATAR, it’s the biggest stress of every high school student in the state. Particularly for you young budding medical student hopefuls out there, the goal of the perfect ATAR can become all-consuming. Reality is though, within a couple of weeks of the ATAR release, the question ‘what was your ATAR?’ becomes somewhat irrelevant and you quickly realize just how little your ‘ATAR’ actually means in the long run.  
 
This is not to say that your ATAR doesn’t mean anything at all, a higher ATAR will certainly increase your chances of going straight from high school into an undergraduate medicine degree. But if things don’t work out as you hoped and you come out of the year 12 with a lower ATAR than anticipated, DON’T PANIC! With institutions becoming more accepting of alternate pathways, your ATAR mark is becoming less relevant to your future.
 
So you got a bad mark - let’s consider this realistically. Unfortunately, medicine across the board has quite a high ATAR cut-off. But also note that they rarely release the absolute minimum ATAR, rather they give you a rounded score that might be the lower limits of whom they will accept. Additionally, your position as a candidate for medicine is also based on your UCAT score and interview, both of which play an equally big, if not bigger part to your selection. Either way, some of us will not meet these cut-offs, leaving you questioning your ability and overwhelmed with a sense of failure. I say this speaking from my own experience: if you want it enough, you can still do it. It sounds cheesy, but it is 100% true for almost everyone who sets their mind to it. It might not be right now (and generally this is the biggest stress for everyone), and it might take a few extra years but you will get there and walk away equally, if not more successful! But first, consider your options:
 

1. If you are just below the recommended cut-off score, why not just apply anyway – You might be pleasantly surprised if the cut-off goes down for your year. They could be taking more students and so have opened up a few more places, which could be yours! If you don’t apply, you’re already removing this possibility and potentially giving YOUR place to someone else.
    
2. Can’t get into your desired university; apply everywhere – Cut-offs vary greatly depending on what university you are applying for. For example, Last year, the cut-off for the JMP program at University of Newcastle and New England was said to be around 93.5. However for a local student at UNSW, the absolute minimum was 96. You can see that although it might not be ideal, if you are willing to make some changes, you may still be able to jump straight into a medical degree out of high school.
    
3. Well and truly below the cut-off for your undergraduate course, consider post-graduate options – For Medicine, there are two classic pathways to attaining your degree. One way, which is at this stage, is likely your ideal goal is the undergraduate way involving the UMAT ® Exam and ATAR. Alternatively, if you don’t have the right ATAR to be considered for any of the medical schools, you can complete a different degree in something that requires a lower ATAR, perhaps in health or something that interests you. At the end of your first degree, you sit the GAMSAT and apply for the postgraduate entry into one of the many post-graduate medical degrees around the country that is generally based on your GPA (The score you attain throughout your time at university). It is argued that this way is quickly becoming the standard, with the majority of medical schools nationwide adopting the American way and making a slow shift to entirely post-graduate degrees. It is thought that the time spent in your first degree gives you valuable time to mature, which is crucial in medicine!
    
4. Don’t forget about the UMAT® Exam and interviews! For many undergraduate degrees, the ATAR is just a benchmark and once you are over this benchmark, whether you were on the cusp or not, it doesn’t matter. In the actual decision making process, the majority of medical schools use your UMAT ® Exam and interview score to make the final decision. So if you bomb out on the ATAR, there is still a chance that your UMAT ® Exam and interview score will pull you up.
    
5. Consider further educational opportunities in college or TAFE courses. So you weren’t really sure throughout high school that medicine was for you and so you didn’t try all that hard. What if I told you that even with an ATAR of <50, you can still end up doing medicine in a few years time? Would you believe me? Because this is 100% true with a bit of hard work and extra dedication. First, you might not be able to get into a university with a low ATAR like that, but there are TAFE and college courses that can help you to excel and get into your desired university. One way you can go about this is known as Required Prior Learning (RPL), an industry training package that for some courses, allows you to fast track into your university degree through showing enough evidence that you are qualified for it. Sounds neat huh! Once you are in a university degree, it is fair game with the rest of the prospective post-graduate medicine students. In the final year of your degree, you can sit the GAMSAT and using your kick-ass GPA (Because you worked your ass off!), you can apply for post-graduate medicine.

 
So you see, there are multiple ways to end up in the exact same position as someone who entered medicine straight out of high school. Whether you received an ATAR of 99, 85 or 70, at the end of the day, if you want it enough, it really won’t matter. Don’t let a low ATAR stop you from doing what you want, because it doesn’t have to. Look at your options, think carefully about what you want and recognize that it’s not the end of the world, it’s the start of a new chapter.