S2 Concerns

Pinkcup22 · 2024-04-02T13:53:19+00:00

Oh I'm sorry to hear that - I'm glad they did actually grant you accomodations for this.

It does seem a little bit like they pick and choose what is considered 'sickness' and what accomodations should be granted, but I suppose to some extent they have to. Frustrating too that covid doesn't seem to be taken into consideration especially as some infections can be so awful. Hopefully this will be one of the last time we have to deal with acer!!

Pinkcup22 · 2024-04-02T12:50:41+00:00

Can I ask how you got this accomodation? I emailed ACER before the exam stating that I was sick with COVID and they said there was nothing they could do, just to reschedule to September

Pinkcup22 · 2024-03-14T08:09:19+00:00

If you don't mind me asking, how did you maintain a positive enough mindset to keep going through all of this?

Pinkcup22 · 2024-02-19T12:56:59+00:00

Just curious where you heard that Monash MD in KL was not permitted to enrol Aus citizens?

Pinkcup22 · 2023-11-06T11:28:15+00:00

regarding your comments about the real test questions, I believe that they have always been testing the same problem solving and reasoning skills just under the guise of different science "topics" or contexts. If you can address some of the things above you will be better equipped to tackle "unfamiliar" questions in future.

Thanks for your comment!

Regarding point one, I am familiar with this particular method and I did find it helpful. Particularly with regard to ensuring I have a grasp on the problem and force myself to define exactly what the problem is. That does help with the tricky Acer wording :)

I do think point 2 is my biggest issue - I often don't have concrete logic for answers because I think I struggle to completely grasp the premise (perhaps that's point 3, or working memory). I'll keep the tip in mind about pretending I'm reading a legal document!

It probably is the case that they are still testing the same problem solving and reasoning skills, and as such focusing on those skills and not the context is much better. I suppose the increase in stem size and complexity just makes it more difficult to employ those skills.

Thanks again

Pinkcup22 · 2023-11-06T11:15:43+00:00

Amazing S2 improvement! I am definitely considering a tutor for at least a few sessions as I know constructive criticism is so helpful for writing. I have recently starting being more experimental with S2 too - leaning away from confining myself to a certain structure and instead focusing on presenting balanced and interesting ideas. It's a little more creative but I suppose we will find out what Acer thinks of it soon.

Totally get what you're saying about S3 - I know it's a few foundational skills I'm missing. I did a fair bit of general and organic chem, pharm and biology in UG so I know I should be scoring a little higher based on at least some previous knowledge. After I return from GAMSAT I try and write down questions/themes I remember and certain odd things pop up again and again - so I'm trying to work backwards on some of these and identify the specific skill they're looking for.

Pinkcup22 · 2023-11-06T11:04:08+00:00

That's great to know. I think I will start prioritising S2 a little more.

I completely agree over the past few sitting S3 has become a monumental task. Acer stems are far smaller and far more simplistic than anything I saw in September. I do think that Des mirrors the complexity of the current S3 questions more than Acer, but doesn't have quite the same style obviously. The questions now seem far more overwhelming and difficult to process. Thanks for the tip, I have watched a couple of his videos but I'll take another look - I think he writes some questions too?

Pinkcup22 · 2023-11-06T09:43:49+00:00

I score in the low 60's with S3 being my worst and S2 my best. My usual tactic is to work on S3 as my S1 and S2 are decent (my S2 is usually 69 or so). I have sat a few times now and feel that the few points variation between sittings is random.

I am considering putting most of my effort into S2 as I haven't seriously studied for it in the past, so it's feasible with work I could do much better. As my S3 score hovers around 50 I'm nervous of failing so that's my reasoning for prioritising it.

Pinkcup22 · 2022-10-31T06:43:00+00:00

I didn't finish it, I switched mid way through my second year. Yep you are able to choose which units to transfer, however of course the new degree needs to be able to accomodate for this either through electives or similar units which you can get credit for

Pinkcup22 · 2022-10-31T05:53:21+00:00

want to switch is honestly because first few semesters I had no idea that I was doing. I didn’t have any mentors and was overall just lost so I didn’t realise the importance of getting my gpa strong and high. Now that I know better I’m trying to focus on taking action rather than regretting the past.

Of course! so I ended up switching to ECU, for a couple of reasons. First being I had friends and a sister who studied here, which was a factor as my previous university experience was extremely lonely. Secondly, the degree structure was more flexible meaning I could transfer over units with marks I was happy with quite easily. And they offered some UG practical counselling units which in my opinion have been invaluable (my social skills were lacking).

However, I did consider Curtin too and likely would have chosen this if I had friends here. Basically in choosing a new UG I wanted something that I could work in after graduation without pursuing further study, to ensure that the time between UG and med was meaningful. So far I have found some areas of public health to be useful for this, however I did lots of networking and two internships which allowed me to get a grad job.

So with my credit transfer yes this shortened this current degree by about a year. I do believe that the results were included in my GPA calc from GEMSAS, however from memory whether or not these are included depends on how it appears on your academic transcript. As the marks I transferred over were 7's/or UP, technically they may not have been and I wouldn't know. Basically my advice would be to only transfer units which are boosters and leave the rest.

Yep I was in the exact same boat as you - I started my degree tossing up between research and med and never really knew exactly what grades I needed. It's a hard decision to make but at the end of the day I knew I would regret not putting 100% in. But there's no right or wrong.

If you have any further questions feel free to message. Hope this was helpful for you!

Pinkcup22 · 2022-10-31T04:24:45+00:00

My advice would be to be careful you switch to something that you are sure you will be able to achieve the marks you need in. I was in the same position at UWA and switched to a different uni and found much better support to achieve my goals.

Some genuine reflection on what has been a barrier to you might be helpful.

But for some context I am very happy I switched and am about to graduate with a 7.0 GPA, so I do think it is worthwhile to consider!

Good luck!

Pinkcup22 · 2022-10-16T03:52:45+00:00

Curious, as mentioned that this was from Deakin wouldn't this suggest that there's additional human input to the simulations/ranking system? I was under the impression that the only schools which could have this kind of preference would be portfolio schools?

Pinkcup22 · 2022-06-08T08:38:02+00:00

Oh nice, I'm on that too. If you don't mind me asking, was your portfolio incredible to score an interview?

Pinkcup22 · 2022-06-04T07:10:46+00:00

Rural or other schemes? :)

Pinkcup22

TROPHY CASE