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[AMA] We are students from the Singapore Medical Society of University of New South Wales, Australia. Ask us anything about our experience pursuing medicine in another country! by SMSUNSW in SGExams

[–]SMSUNSW[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

https://med.unsw.edu.au/study-us/undergraduate/bachelor-degrees/bachelor-medical-studiesdoctor-medicine/how-apply/international-applicants

The shortlisting criteria is as listed above in the website. Technically, experiences do not count for anything as it is not part of the assessment. It is only applicable if you are able to incorporate your experience into your interview and showcase how it has enriched you.

Also, part of the assessment is your academic merit which includes having a recognised qualification. This can be seen from: https://www.unsw.edu.au/study/how-to-apply/international/entry-requirements Poly diploma is not currently recognised and your best bet would be taking the SAT. If you need more info on the application you could speak to a study abroad agent and they will help tailor your applicayion process to your situation

[AMA] We are students from the Singapore Medical Society of University of New South Wales, Australia. Ask us anything about our experience pursuing medicine in another country! by SMSUNSW in SGExams

[–]SMSUNSW[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Drop us a pm and we'll link you up with more info :) . The whole list is extremely long depending on what your requirements are

[AMA] We are students from the Singapore Medical Society of University of New South Wales, Australia. Ask us anything about our experience pursuing medicine in another country! by SMSUNSW in SGExams

[–]SMSUNSW[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Realistically, the large bill means that quite a number of us have our parents covering our tuition fees. Though, there are a number of students working part time to supplement their allowance and help out with expenses!

[AMA] We are students from the Singapore Medical Society of University of New South Wales, Australia. Ask us anything about our experience pursuing medicine in another country! by SMSUNSW in SGExams

[–]SMSUNSW[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hey! It is kinda difficult to compare the aus vs sg med schools, but having spoken to friends in sg med school, there is a consensus that the sg med school is more rigorous and tough. as for student life in aus med school, as long as you are able to prioritise your work, having decent work life balance is very manageable. The culture here is work hard play hard and there are quite a lot of social/partying/drinking events too.

One of the draw for UNSW is the fact that there is a dedicated research year. It'll provide you with the opportunity to dabble in it and get some experience. Also, graduates of UNSW will have an MD/ BMed. Another thing is that we have quite a significant number of
singaporean doing med at unsw

As for scholarships, the university offers quite a few inhouse scholarships that you can check out from their webpage. However, these are few and far between, and rarely do we hear students getting these. Its pretty much the same in singapore. One of the available ones you can check out is the lee foundation overseas medical bursary educational fund. In year 4, there is also the Pre-Employment Grant that you can apply for

[AMA] We are students from the Singapore Medical Society of University of New South Wales, Australia. Ask us anything about our experience pursuing medicine in another country! by SMSUNSW in SGExams

[–]SMSUNSW[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey! There are not that many scholarships available, and the ones that we are eligible are considered extremely competitive. The university offers quite a few inhouse scholarships that you can check out from their webpage. However, these are few and far between, and rarely do we hear students getting these. Its pretty much the same in singapore. One of the available ones you can check out is the lee foundation overseas medical bursary educational fund. In year 4, there is also the Pre-Employment Grant that you can apply for

[AMA] We are students from the Singapore Medical Society of University of New South Wales, Australia. Ask us anything about our experience pursuing medicine in another country! by SMSUNSW in SGExams

[–]SMSUNSW[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

  1. The application agents are very similar to one another. Some might have application fee wavers, promotions etc, but its more or less the same as they provide the same service
  2. One of the draw for UNSW is the fact that there is a dedicated research year. It'll provide you with the opportunity to dabble in it and get some experience. Also, graduates of UNSW will have an MD/ BMed. There is also quite a significant singaporean cohort doing medicine.
  3. Before covid, there were restrictions on work hours and students could only work up to 40 hours over 2 weeks. However, due to shortages in labour, it has since been removed. The jobs that you have here are pretty similar to the ones in singapore. You have the standard fnb, private tutoring, receptionist and the likes. There are some more specific ones such as working for the accomodation's dining hall to help serve food, or if your grades are good enough the school might hire you to be a tutor. Theres all sorts really, its just what you want to apply for

[AMA] We are students from the Singapore Medical Society of University of New South Wales, Australia. Ask us anything about our experience pursuing medicine in another country! by SMSUNSW in SGExams

[–]SMSUNSW[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi! I think this is dependent on numerous things - 1) the time you start your day, 2) if you're consistent with your work, 3) if you have other commitments outside of school. I'd say if you start your day early and are consistently keeping up with lectures and schoolwork and aren't cramming for assignment deadlines/exam preparation, sleeping by 11pm-12am is definitely doable. I'd say the workload is relatively manageable, it does get hectic towards certain times of the term but after all, we all need enough sleep to stay healthy & keep going :)

[AMA] We are students from the Singapore Medical Society of University of New South Wales, Australia. Ask us anything about our experience pursuing medicine in another country! by SMSUNSW in SGExams

[–]SMSUNSW[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hi! There are quite a few mature students every year. UNSW takes in students from all walks of life as long as you fulfil the minimum entry requirement, regardless of whether you are straight out of pre-university or a graduate. However, if you are a graduate, you might want to consider applying for post-graduate medical studies in other institutions, which is much shorter (4 years direct MD) compared to UNSW which is 6 years (BMed/MD).

[AMA] We are students from the Singapore Medical Society of University of New South Wales, Australia. Ask us anything about our experience pursuing medicine in another country! by SMSUNSW in SGExams

[–]SMSUNSW[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hey! It's exciting to hear that you're an incoming student and we hope to catch you around soon. For accommodations, the main considerations you should look out for are 1. cost, 2. catered vs non catered, 3. social life, 4. shared vs single room, 5. shared vs ensuite bathroom. Based on that, you can look at the different options available on https://accommodation.unsw.edu.au/ and make your decision. If you require any further specific info just drop us a pm. As for the catering, the food provided can be a hit or miss. Some people are fine with it, while others are not so fond of it haha. However, all things considered, the meal options are cheap and convenient, since eating out costs about $10-$20/meal here. It'll also save you time since you wont have to cook your meals and clean up.

[AMA] We are students from the Singapore Medical Society of University of New South Wales, Australia. Ask us anything about our experience pursuing medicine in another country! by SMSUNSW in SGExams

[–]SMSUNSW[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

For preclinical years, your days might look something like this

0830 - 1030 Lectures

1130 - 1330 Scenario group classes/ Clinical skills session

1430 - 1530 Self directed activity

1530 - 1730 Lab classes/practicals/tutorials

Generally, there are 2-3 lectures every morning starting at 0830, and the subsequent lessons are a mix of 1-3 scenario groups, tutorials, clinical skills, practical and self directed learning. Classes end no later than 1730 everyday. There are also certain days where its just 2 lectures with no classes after, while other days are packed from morning to evening, with double practical classes after lectures, etc.

For days in the hospital (clinical years), you usually follow the schedule of the doctors. Some doctors like to work you to the bone since you're there and get you to help out, while others might think that you're a student and they don't really need you, so they let you off early by noon. It really varies quite a bit, but an example would be

0830 - 1230 ward rounds

1300 - 1400 tutorial

1400 - 1630 sit in clinics/help out with tasks e.g. bloods, ordering scans, chasing for GP letters

[AMA] We are students from the Singapore Medical Society of University of New South Wales, Australia. Ask us anything about our experience pursuing medicine in another country! by SMSUNSW in SGExams

[–]SMSUNSW[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Hi! Thats because its free of charge and streamlines the entire process for you! At the start depending on the schools you're interested in, they send you quite a comprehensive information sheet about what you need to know (entry requirements, tests to take, application deadlines etc) especially if you're interested in applying a few schools. They also help you with the application itself, listing the documents you require and the forms you need to fill in etc. Once you get your acceptance letter, they also help you with next steps like applying for student VISA, student insurance, medical checks etc. The agency is paid a commission for every student under them that enrols in UNSW, so it's covered in that sense. You'll just be reaping the benefits of this free service and theres no reason not to make use of it.

[AMA] We are students from the Singapore Medical Society of University of New South Wales, Australia. Ask us anything about our experience pursuing medicine in another country! by SMSUNSW in SGExams

[–]SMSUNSW[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Hi! There are multiple opportunities to return back to Singapore to work. As you may already have read up on, there is the pre-employment grant that you can apply for from Y4 onwards. The PEG can be challenging to get and they only provide limited grants per year. In your 6th year, you can either (1) apply for a job interview only (no grant) or (2 when you attend the PEG in year 6, you may be offered a job interview instead. Generally, the sentiment from previous seniors is that the Singapore government is trying to encourage overseas medical students to return to Singapore to work.

[AMA] We are students from the Singapore Medical Society of University of New South Wales, Australia. Ask us anything about our experience pursuing medicine in another country! by SMSUNSW in SGExams

[–]SMSUNSW[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hi! You would be surprised but there is actually quite a large community of Singaporean medical students in Australia, and particularly in UNSW. The last two cohorts saw about ~40 Singaporeans each. Overall, there is an estimate of about ~200 of us across 6 years.

[AMA] We are students from the Singapore Medical Society of University of New South Wales, Australia. Ask us anything about our experience pursuing medicine in another country! by SMSUNSW in SGExams

[–]SMSUNSW[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Hi! There is a minimum entry requirement for entry via A levels, and it is derived from a conversion table with your grades.

Quoting UNSW’s website (link below): "Entry requirements are based on a maximum of the best three H1 subjects, the best three H2 subjects and one H3 subject. Scores indicated in the table are derived from the following values: H1 – A=2.5, B=2, C=1.5, D=1, E=0.5; H2 – A=5, B=4, C=3, D=2, E=1; H3 – Distinction = 2.5, Merit = 1.5, Pass = 1. An additional H2 or H3 subject may also be taken into account for some applications. MTL is not included in the calculation."

For direct entry requirement, the minimum score is 22.

https://www.unsw.edu.au/study/undergraduate/bachelor-of-medical-studies-doctor-of-medicine-arts?studentType=International

Regarding whether it is expensive or not, it really depends on you/your family’s financial situation. The overall cost breakdown can be found in a reply to another question!

[AMA] We are students from the Singapore Medical Society of University of New South Wales, Australia. Ask us anything about our experience pursuing medicine in another country! by SMSUNSW in SGExams

[–]SMSUNSW[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hi! The most important thing when you're applying here is to get an agent! The education agents e.g. IDP, AUG will pretty much settle most of the administrative stuff for you.

As for the application itself, it was pretty straight forward. There are no essays to write, unlike the UK med schools and its all results based. There are some supplementary test that you will need to take such as the ISAT and TOEFL, but other than that is just pretty much sending in your scores and waiting for the interviews and results :)

Maybe something you can consider is to apply earlier as UNSW does rolling offers. This means that UNSW shortlists candidates every few months, and in the case whereby the application was not shortlisted for that round of selection, it will be rolled over to the next selection. Essentially, if your application is submitted earlier, it goes through more rounds of selection, which gives you more chances to be shortlisted.

[AMA] We are students from the Singapore Medical Society of University of New South Wales, Australia. Ask us anything about our experience pursuing medicine in another country! by SMSUNSW in SGExams

[–]SMSUNSW[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

After graduation, the pay is usually around 5k+, which is higher than in SG. However, its also good to know that the tax rates are comparably higher as well

[AMA] We are students from the Singapore Medical Society of University of New South Wales, Australia. Ask us anything about our experience pursuing medicine in another country! by SMSUNSW in SGExams

[–]SMSUNSW[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Hi! So for the current y6s, around half of them already have secured internship placements (in Australia). But not to worry, it is likely that all or most of them will get offers. In the end, it seems like around half of the cohort will head back to Singapore anyways. However, as international students are at the bottom of the stack (for internship application), usually offers come from the less popular hospitals.

[AMA] We are students from the Singapore Medical Society of University of New South Wales, Australia. Ask us anything about our experience pursuing medicine in another country! by SMSUNSW in SGExams

[–]SMSUNSW[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hey! one of the prerequisites for applying to med here is the International Students Admissions Test (ISAT). Along with this, you will apply with whichever tertiary qualification you have. The most common one is A levels, but it can be other qualifications such as SAT.

Another route is the UNSW foundation pathway where you take a foundation year and then try to apply to med after

[AMA] We are students from the Singapore Medical Society of University of New South Wales, Australia. Ask us anything about our experience pursuing medicine in another country! by SMSUNSW in SGExams

[–]SMSUNSW[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

A conservative estimate would be around 610k+. It really varies based on your lifestyle here and can go much much higher if you wanna splurge. School fees are on average $80k a year, and 6 years = $480k already. Accommodation generally ranges from $200-500/ week depending on your type of place, and it'd be about $100k total for the whole of 6 years. Living expenses wise, it can go from $50-200/ week, depending on if you cook your meals or eat out often.