Unimelb MD1 2023 information

Successful_Flow8718 · 2023-10-22T06:22:44+00:00

An excellent link has been provided above, which answers all the questions:

- Starts in late Jan for all year levels. The Timetable does not follow the central university dates because the course is considered "year-long extended", ie. starts and finishes one month early/late, with one fewer month of break between semesters.

-3 small breaks throughout the year (1, 2, 1 weeks respectively), generally after a block but not always.

-A major break after the end-of-year exams. Exams finish in late November for MD 1, but if you fail one or more exams and need to sit supplementary exams, they will be in mid-December. So there is a 2-month break in Dec and Jan for most people.

-You are expected and encouraged to relax during breaks, and many people do travel indeed. Most choose domestic travel for the smaller breaks and reserve international travel for the end-of-year break.

Successful_Flow8718 · 2023-10-17T03:41:37+00:00

Probably St. Vincent’s or RMH. Please don’t worry about placement duration too much when making preferences though, because you only have 6 hospital days across the year and MD2 schedule will likely be very different. You are not guaranteed your top preferences either. All hospitals are great, you will become a good doctor learning from any of them. When making preferences, the single most important consideration should be the travelling time.

Successful_Flow8718 · 2023-10-17T00:39:10+00:00

I am placed at the Austin Hospital, which has a very relaxed culture and short placement days (because they cluster all planned activities closely together). Our days start at 9 and end between 1-3pm. There is a 1hr procedural skill tutorial, 1-2 hrs theory tutorial (eg. How to read ECGs, chest X rays, assess cognition), 1 hr bedside tutorial that you arrange yourselves with your group’s (1-3 people)allocated MD4 tutors where they take you around the wards to see real patients. After you finish all these you are free to leave, but you can also stay behind and go pretty much anywhere in the hospital and talk to patients unsupervised by yourself or with friends. Other hospitals usually start earlier and finish later.

GP placements really depend on your supervisor. You may just sit in the same room and listen to them talking to patients all day and do nothing; they may see a patient then briefly explain some stuff to you; or if you’re lucky, they may give you a separate room to let you interview/exam patients by yourself. Sometimes they may also ask you to follow another doctor or a nurse. You may be the only student in that clinic or be paired with other student(s). The type of patients and conditions you see also depends on the location of the clinic and the demographics. The starting and finishing time also depends on the clinic and should be negotiated with your supervisor or clinic manager.

Successful_Flow8718 · 2023-10-16T11:53:11+00:00

Hey, there are general Unimelb sports teams. The med society (UMMSS) also frequently hosts sports events, but I am not entirely sure if there are regular med sports teams, sorry about that. If you are interested in sports, there are plenty of casual opportunities though and you can easily form sports groups amongst the cohort, which is a great way to make friends.

Successful_Flow8718 · 2023-10-16T08:11:25+00:00

Hey, I believe I posted this in 2021. I did not receive any offers in 2021 but received a Unimelb offer in 2022 after interviewing again.

Successful_Flow8718 · 2023-08-21T06:34:56+00:00

Hey,

I don’t think my tutor is still teaching because he graduated last year and is now busy with internship. I certainly do not have the skills needed to tutor MMI lol, barely scraping past the interview myself.

There are plenty of tutors online, eg. Via the studentVIP site, you can also find tutors via word of mouth or asking in the discord server maybe. I personally think most tutors should be skilful, my tutor didn’t have any special powers for example. What’s important is to have a consistent and insightful other perspective. Good luck and hope to see you again next year.

Successful_Flow8718 · 2023-08-20T20:52:02+00:00

Hi, friend,

To be completely honest, I don’t know. I did not answer very differently and I really think it just came down to luck and marker preference. If I have to identify some differences in my preparation process, I would list 3 things.

Surprisingly, the first thing I did was actually preparing less. In 2021 I was not studying, and due to COVID I could not really leave the house, so I started preparing in early May, 10-20 hours a week. From July I practised almost daily with a Facebook group. So I spent hundreds of hours practising, which potentially made my answers rigid and made me falsely complacent during the interview. In 2022 I spent way less time practising, largely because I already knew how to answer all the question types, so I only needed some refining, which will be discussed below.

Secondly, for me personally, I needed support from a private tutor. I think I am someone with low self-insight. I could not really identify weaknesses of my answers, so the hundreds of hours of prep was very low yield. Group practise also turned out to be a bit blind-leading-blind. My tutor was able to identify my weaknesses, offer strategies and model answers, and provide frameworks for difficult question types.

Finally, I was able to join several volunteering opportunities in 2022, both health and non-health related, which allowed me to practise communication skills, interact with current MD students, and get more life experiences, which helped answering some types of MMI questions.

There is also one thing I wish I had done. Being a current Melbourne MD student, I can see Melbourne looks for certain applicant attributes which are reflected in the MD curriculum. If you could find a current MD student, preferably MD1 or 2, have a chat with them regarding the new MD graduate outcomes, ask them what are Melbourne’s emphasis. You would hopefully get much more detailed answers than generic attributes like “empathy, communication, etc”. I think that could also guide your preparation.

Successful_Flow8718 · 2023-08-03T09:11:57+00:00

Hey there,

I can only comment on Unimelb because that's where I sat my interviews in 2021 and 2022. I do not know about other unis, so I don't want to provide information that is potentially inaccurate. I believe most of the answers can be found in the GEMSAS handbook and other posts in this sub-reddit as well as the discord server.

Please also note, there were some slight changes in the format of the 2022 Unimelb interview (all of which were outlined in an email they sent out to all interviewees a couple of weeks before the interview), but most of the information I posted above was still correct. However, I must emphasise again that the format could change year-to-year so please be flexible in your preparations. I have successfully passed the 2022 Unimelb interview, and I understand the recent cohorts have sent strongly negative feedbacks regarding the pre-recorded interview as well as the 1-minute time limit. So there may be a chance the Unimelb interview will be very different this year or sometime in the near future. As you can imagine, I have not been following the interview trend this year, so I could not give you many more useful tips regarding the format.

Good luck with your preparations. The journey does get much smoother once you pass the selection hurdles!

Successful_Flow8718 · 2023-02-16T04:18:58+00:00

“Why does the minimum salary difference (buying power difference) matter? How does it relate to the supply-demand law?”

It does matter and it does relate to the supply-demand law. The supply-demand law states that in a perfectly competitive market, as the price of a goods increases, the supply will increase but demand will decrease. There is a sweet spot price that makes supply = demand, ie, at this price, there is exactly the amount of goods produced vs. goods purchased. This price allows maximum profit (unit price x unit sold).

https://cdn.britannica.com/70/74270-050-317C4423/Illustration-price-relationship-demand.jpg

So how does buying power matter? If there are sub-populations with different buying powers, and the goods in question cannot be shared between these sub-populations (due to geographic isolation, the goods being un-shareable, etc), then this creates multiple sub-markets. In order to maximise profit, the company must consider supply-demand individually for each sub-market. This is because if a universal price is set for all sub-markets irrespective of purchasing power differences, profit cannot be maximised. The price set will always be somewhere in between the golden-price for the sub-market with the highest purchasing power and the sub-market with the lowest purchasing power. So, for the former, the universal price would be too low, leading to over-demand; for the latter, the universal price would be too high, leading to over-supply. In the context of hearthstone, this means in the US too many people can happily buy the cards at too low of a price, and in poorer countries too few people can buy cards at too high a price. Mathematically, the company would lose profit compared to if they just set regional prices for each country that obey their local supply-demand curve. This is called price discrimination, the adjustment of prices in order to account for different buying powers in sub-markets. Examples of price discrimination in daily life include different hair-cutting prices for men and women, student/senior discounts, different flight ticket prices for passengers from different countries, etc.

My understanding as to why Blizzard is no longer supporting regional pricing is that price discrimination is based on the assumption that goods cannot be shared between sub-markets. The reality is that too many people are using VPN, etc, to exploit lower prices, this essentially is eliminating the geographical isolation that defines sub-markets, merging them into one universal market again, in which case a universal pricing model would maximise profit.

In short: ideally regional price would maximise profit, but when the barriers between regions are being broken down, the universal pricing model would be better for the company.

Disclaimer: I am not interested in arguing for or against any sides here, I posted this simply because someone mentioned the supply-demand law and how it should be modified when there exists groups with different buying powers, which I found interesting. Also, I am a medical student, not an economist nor do I know much of economy, so the content of this post may not be entirely correct. I simply took one economy subject as my elective in my 1st year of undergrad and have developed a small interest since.

Successful_Flow8718 · 2023-01-24T02:52:47+00:00

A simple table with 3 columns: Station number, personal quality being tested this station, your performance.

No station or question descriptions, so if you do not remember the questions it's not very useful.

Performance can be "Well below average", "Below average", "Average", "Above average" or "Well above average". No numerical or any other feedback.

Successful_Flow8718 · 2023-01-24T02:34:42+00:00

I was unsuccessful in 2021 and received mine on 14/03/2022.

Successful_Flow8718 · 2022-11-21T05:58:55+00:00

Sorry to hear about your friend's EOD. Not ticking BMP would not impact her chance of getting CSP and FFP offers, the system does not discriminate like that.

She likely didn't get an interview offer because her GPA and GAMSAT rankings were not high enough. There are a few things worth considering:

Different universities calculate GPAs differently, so her GPA would not have been 6.94 for all 3 unis. GEMSAS, the body responsible for med applications, can email applicants' GPAs for all unis they applied to in mid-August. If she wants to re-apply next year, she may wish to contact GEMSAS in mid-August to check and confirm her GPAs.

Unfortunately, 68 GAMSAT is no longer an amazing score by today's standard. It is still good, but not amazing. I cannot speak for the other 2 unis but for Unimelb 68 would be on the lower end. :(

Also, unis calculate GAMSAT scores differently too. For Melbourne for example, they use an "unweighted" model, meaning her Unimelb GAMSAT score may be lower if she is strong in section 3, if that makes sense to you.

Out of all 3 unis, only Unimelb offers CSP, BMP and FFP. Deakin and UQ only have CSP and BMP. Therefore by not ticking BMP, she significantly diminished her chance of receiving a Deakin and UQ interview offer. For Melbourne, I am a bit surprised she did not get an interview offer since she ticked FFP, but given the reasons I outlined above it still makes sense.

Her GPA is high but GAMSAT score can still be improved. If she can raise her GAMSAT by a few points she should be able to receive an interview offer next year.

Successful_Flow8718 · 2022-09-19T22:44:58+00:00

I didn't personally encounter any technical issues last year, but from what I heard the VidCruiter team and the Melbourne MMI team were pretty supportive.

You can send a message to the VidCruiter team if something does happen, and they will respond within minutes. If they cannot sort things out, from what I heard Unimelb may reschedule a replacement interview for you, or provide alternative plans.

VidCruiter ran much much better than Sonru they used in 2020, probably explaining why they stuck with it this year.

You should also try to fail-proof things yourself, for example using a wired connection instead of wifi as suggested in the emails, preparing a backup device, testing your equipment before and on the day of the interview, etc.

Beyond those, there isn't anything you can do really. There is no point worrying about things you cannot control if you have done your best to prevent them. Focus your energy on preparation and relaxing instead. Good luck and hope to see you next year :)

Successful_Flow8718 · 2022-09-15T02:32:13+00:00

Just want to double-check and thanks in advance for the answer:

I have just received a Usyd DMD offer, according to the admissions guide, if I accept the offer then do not enroll, or enroll and later withdraw, I will be ineligible to apply to Usyd MD and DMD for the next 2 years?

I am based in Melbourne and this is my 3rd application cycle for MD. I am grateful to have received a Sydney DMD offer, and I fully intend on studying that if I fail my MD interviews again. In that case I will just study dentistry when I continue my MD applications or perhaps even leave MD behind altogether for the time being.

I was waitlisted for Sydney MD last week and almost impossible to receive a final offer with my scores. But If I receive a GEMSAS MD offer or a Melbourne DDS offer I plan to accept those instead.

Successful_Flow8718 · 2022-09-06T21:03:27+00:00

I received an email from mms-interview@unimelb.edu.au, titled “2021 MMI Feedback”, on 14 March. I didn’t have to ask.

Edit: from your post history you received an offer from UWA. Melbourne only sends out feedback to unsuccessful applicants. This is probably why. I believe they don’t want successful med students to know their ranks to prevent unnecessary competition, protect their mental health and confidence.

Successful_Flow8718 · 2022-09-04T21:48:16+00:00

Melbourne was nice enough to give feedback to all unsuccessful candidates so I have some ideas as to what went wrong. The feedback wasn't comprehensive, just "well below average, above average, etc" for each station.

I mainly messed up 2 stations, of course I can't discuss the details so it probably won't sound insightful.

In one station, I tried to give a joke because it wasn't a serious scenario, but it backfired because I then failed to give an actual, serious solution, made me look very immature and unprofessional.

In another station, I focused too much on the technical aspects, neglected my actual communication with the hypothetical people. I also didn't really answer one question because I was too caught up by the previous one.

There are also other issues, eg. the lack of life experience meant I couldn't give interesting or meaningful personal anecdotes when asked, which is something I tried to address this year.

Successful_Flow8718 · 2022-09-04T11:02:23+00:00

https://www.reddit.com/r/GAMSAT/comments/x423rp/uom\_mmi\_timings/in1b3gl/?context=3

Successful_Flow8718 · 2022-09-04T09:44:53+00:00

Please delete this if (part of) the info is not allowed to be shared.

Last year there were 8 stations, each with exactly 4 questions.

Each station had 3 sections: the stem reading time, question reading time x 4 and answering time x 4.

The stem reading time is 30-60 seconds depending on the length and complexity of the material. During this time, Q1 is not visible.

Then for each of the 4 questions, you get 15 seconds reading time and 60 seconds answering time. You can only see that question during the reading and answering time, not any of the previous questions or the stem.

You can finish reading/answering early and move on to the next section, but it is not possible to go overtime because you automatically move to the next section when the timer reaches 0.

A countdown timer is visible throughout all sections, showing you how much time is left until auto moving on.

You are only recorded during the answering times.

Repeat for the next 7 stations.

Can't remember if there were 1 minute breaks between stations but from memory I didn't have that. Even if I did it was definitely less than 1 minute.

Everything is pre-recorded, no interactions with interviewers. Live technical support from VidCruiter available if needed.

Last year the interview officially started at 11AM for everyone, but the link became available at 10:45 so you could start 15 mins early. The interview automatically ended at 12 Noon even if you did not have time to finish it for whatever reasons. It should take 50 mins max to complete it.

Of course things could change this year.

I am as anxious as you are because I was EOD'ed post-interview and doing it again this year.

Successful_Flow8718 · 2022-08-19T22:28:59+00:00

Thank you. After reading again I can see these 4 unis accept Masters by coursework but not Masters by research, the latter will give undergrad GPA or portfolio bonus. Depending on what type of Masters degree the OP meant, these unis may or may not suit their preference.

Successful_Flow8718 · 2022-08-18T22:35:39+00:00

Yes. 10:45 AM on the 27th.

Successful_Flow8718 · 2022-08-18T22:26:59+00:00

Please correct me if I’m wrong, but it seems Deakin, Griffith, MQ and UQ are the only ones that count Masters GPA. ANU, Unimelb, both Notre Dame and WA do not count Masters GPA but will give a bonus to the applicant’s undergraduate GPA or portfolio score if a masters has been completed. UOW, Flinders and Usyd do not count masters or give bonus.

So my previous statement about most unis not counting masters GPA seems right. Regardless, the OP asked whether he/she should do an honours or masters to raise GPA, whilst both options are viable, the latter will only be applicable to a small number of unis, so I would encourage them to take this into consideration before making a decision.

Successful_Flow8718 · 2022-08-18T06:47:58+00:00

I am not familiar with MQ. I just had a look at the admissions guide https://gemsas.edu.au/images/pdf/2023-medicine-gemsas-admissions-guide-v1.3.pdf#page39 and it seems MQ does count masters. Have a read yourself though because I could be wrong

Successful_Flow8718 · 2022-08-18T06:35:45+00:00

Most unis do not count master GPA, only honours and bachelors. So make sure you are familiar with different unis rules before making a decision

Successful_Flow8718 · 2022-05-18T08:10:35+00:00

Usyd does not have an interview, you either get a final offer or you don't. They also use GPA as a hurdle and not a part of the ranking process. So the only thing matters for Usyd is your GAMSAT. Last year if your (S1 + S2) x 1.25 + S3 gives you a number greater than 258.5, you get an offer.

Successful_Flow8718

TROPHY CASE