Getting into medicine may seem very overwhelming, with all the different criteria from all the various universities. The simplest way to approach this problem is to focus on a few universities that you really want to study in, and read up on their requirements for entry into medicine.
Now, besides a good OP/ATAR and
UCAT score, many universities also look for other things such as prerequisites, applications and interviews. Let’s see how you can maximize your chances of entry in each of these areas.
Prerequisites
This one is quite simple. Some universities may have prerequisites (usually science subjects like chemistry) that you should have completed in high school or your undergraduate degree in order to apply for medicine. Look for these pre-requisites on your preferred university’s website and make sure you do them. Besides, doing subjects like biology and chemistry in high school will make it a lot easier for you to understand the content being taught in medicine. So you might as well do them anyway.
Applications
Some universities also request you to submit an application which will aim to determine whether you suit the medical profession. For instance, this means that they will look for people who like to take initiative and actively serve the community – essential traits for a doctor. So take on leadership roles in your school and start getting involved in community service as well (e.g. volunteering in a hospital or for a charity). Gaining experience from these situations and writing about them in your application is a very good way to increase your chances of getting into medicine.
Interviews
Many universities will also have an interview process as a criterion for entry. Now, interviews are hard and being good at them will require you to work on a few things. So…prepare yourself. The first thing is to get leadership and volunteering experiences. These sorts of experiences are a great way to show the interviewer that you have developed some important skills that are required to become a doctor.
The next thing is to communicate these experiences effectively to the interviewers. This will involve practicing good public-speaking techniques and overcoming your anxiety. The best way to work on this is to read some books or attend a training program/course on effective public speaking. And then, you must practice, practice and practice. Practice in front of your family, friends or even a mirror. By practicing again and again, you can boost your confidence and become more articulate which will really improve your chances for scoring in an interview.
The final point would be to read up on your preferred university. Many universities like to ask why you’d like to study at their university which is a way of seeing if you are truly passionate about their particular university. Different universities will have different focuses (e.g. research, tropical medicine) which can usually be found on their website. So remember to do your research during your interview.
And that’s it. Hope that helps!
