How to Help Your Child Prepare for Medical School | Part One

This is a parent's guide to helping your child consider which medical school is best for them. This is a three-part series. The following concerns itself with gaining knowledge for the medical school admissions journey ahead.

As your child begins to consider their future educational journey, it should be noted that studying medicine is a career known to be fruitful and rewarding. As someone with the capacity to influence your child’s academic and professional future, it is paramount as parents to be prepared by carrying out extensive research. This kind of commitment and due diligence correlates with more competitive UCAT scores, improved confidence in the interview process, and overall higher acceptance rates into medical school. Read more information about medical school admissions here!

For parents considering this option for their child, medical school rankings can assist in guiding the decision as to where one can/should apply

The Rankings

The most up to date QS World University Rankings and Academic Rankings of World Universities make mention of some notable Australasian medical schools.

By subject of clinical medicine, The University of Melbourne is ranked 13th in the world and 1st in Australia. The University of Sydney is ranked 27th in the world and 2nd in Australia. The University of Western Australia comes in at 29th in the world and 3rd in Australia. Monash University is ranked 4th in Australia, followed by the University of New South Wales and the University of Queensland.

However by overall academic ranking, The University of Melbourne is ranked 41st in the world and 1st in Australia. The University of Queensland is ranked 54th in the world and 2nd in Australia. Monash University is 73rd and 3rd in Australia and the Australian National University is ranked 76th and 4th in Australia.

With regards to New Zealand medical schools, the choice is limited to The University of Auckland and The University of Otago, where the former is ranked higher due to its clinical and biomedical research-aligned reputation, and the urbanisation of Auckland as a whole.

The number of enrolled students at each university comes into play also. For example, Monash University has 64,000 enrolled students whereas the University of Melbourne has 54,000, hence accounting for a slight difference in rank. As a general rule, universities with smaller numbers of enrolled students are highly competitive, with GAMSAT and UCAT cutoffs reflecting this.

The Key Differences

It is important to consider the key differences between the application requirements that each medical school assesses its applicants on. For example, in New Zealand, entry for dentistry is only offered at The University of Otago and requires an Interview as part of the application process, whereas does not and weights a student’s GPA 100% and your UCAT score on a threshold. In contrast to the latter, The University of Auckland weights a student’s GPA at 60%, their UCAT at 15%, and their interview at 25%.

Australian universities either offer undergraduate medicine, which is open to school-leavers and involves direct entry into a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS/MBChB), or postgraduate medicine which grants its graduates with a Doctor of Medicine degree (MD). The respective entrance exams for each pathway are the Undergraduate Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT) and the Graduate Medical School Admissions Test (GAMSAT).

Our team of expert advisors at MedView has all of this information and can help you and your child make an informed decision on medical school selection based on your child's strengths and weaknesses relative to the selection process at each university. Book a free consultation to find out more!

Independence, Diversity and a Global Network of Friends

Each university offers both domestic and international places, which means you graduate with a global network of friends. Many of which will remain your child’s friends for life no matter where they eventually reside.

Studying with a student body from different cultural, economic and religious backgrounds means students gain a new appreciation and respect for people of all origins and circumstances which is a lifelong skill applicable beyond graduation and in day-to-day work.

Want to learn more?

If you have found this blog helpful, and would prefer to speak with a medical student or doctor one on one, you’ve come to the right place. MedView is the leading medical school preparation organisation in Australasia, with a proven record of success. Unlike our competitors, our team of academic advisors, doctors, medical students and expert tutors understand that there is more to med school preparation than basic UCAT and GAMSAT courses. As such, we offer private 1-1 mentoring, application assistance, personalised support, exam preparation workshops, and interview training for prospective medical students. The process from here on out is simple. Click here for a free academic assessment with one of our aforementioned experts.

An academic assessment is a chance for our team to get to know you and your child, where we can discuss their motivation for studying medicine, their current strengths and weaknesses relative to the entry criteria, and then finally how we can give them everything they need to make sure they are as best prepared for the road ahead as possible.

Other Useful Resources

+ Part Two
+ Part Three
+ Parents Guide to Medical School Admissions
+ A-Levels Explained
+ IB Explained
+ NCEA Explained