The University of New South Wales (UNSW) Medicine faculty is renowned for its excellence in research and teaching. As such, admission to the program is highly competitive, and the interview process is a key part of the selection process. In this blog post, we’ll discuss the typical UNSW Medicine interview questions that you can expect to encounter. Knowing what to expect and how to prepare for these questions can help you put your best foot forward in the interview and maximize your chances of being accepted into the program. We’ll go over the types of questions you might be asked, what the interviewers are looking for, and how to give the best possible answers. With the right preparation, you can make an informed, confident impression that will demonstrate to the interview board that you are the right fit for the program.
How to ACE Med School Interviews in Australia
Past Interview Questions & Tips
To choose its students, the University of New South Wales conducts a semi-structured panel interview. Two interviewers from the academic staff, medical professionals, and community representatives conduct the 40-minute interview. It examines a wide range of pertinent topics and rates applicants on the following six competencies:
Though exact dates may vary, interviews typically take place in December and January.
New South Wales Medicine Key Application & Interview Statistics
Learn the best interview techniques, then practice with real-world scenarios and sample responses.
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My Medicine Interview Experience At UNSW, Monash, Adelaide and UWS
A Matrix graduate’s firsthand account of their experiences at UNSW, Adelaide University, Monash University, UWS, and JMP during their numerous medicine interviews The author now studies Medicine at UNSW. The author has asked not to be identified.
The primary goal of this interview is to learn more about you as a candidate. The interview is focused on your life to date and covers what has happened and how it has affected you; in other words, how you came to be the person you are today.
Your ability to talk about personal experiences will determine a lot of the interview, so being able to do so effectively will be crucial for success. Organize your thoughts and come up with a list of possible questions. After all, preparation and advance planning will help you perform better. This does not, however, imply that you can memorize elegant, sophisticated answers and ace the interview. The university seeks applicants who are aware of who they are, have matured and developed, and have a clear sense of their future goals. You cannot be coached in this because it is the outcome of your life to date.
So, what can you do? Be honest. Be true. Feel free to elaborate on your accomplishments and accolades, but be ready to discuss your shortcomings as well. No medical student (other than yours truly) is perfect. Every candidate has both good and bad qualities, but only the strong candidates will courageously acknowledge their flaws. Don’t limit yourself to what you think the interviewers want to hear; express your opinions honestly. It is preferable to stick to your principles than to be constrained by other people’s whims. Show them your daily interests and passions, such as your oboe playing or your stamp collection. Med students are normal people too, so open up and let them see who you are. Yes, it’s an interview for medical school, but not everything has to be about curing cancer and helping the economically disadvantaged.
However, keep in mind that the interview is more than just a forty-minute tirade. Try your best to provide a pertinent response to the interviewers’ specific questions. The interviewers may occasionally interject to move you along, but don’t take this badly. It will be tempting to go off on a tangent and show them how awesome a person you are, but that’s not quite what they’re looking for – brag, but brag on a related note! Perhaps you’ve answered the question already. They might be doing this to see how you respond under pressure. Don’t worry, keep calm, and carry on.
Personally, I greatly enjoyed my UNSW interview. It was a pleasant social conversation with the interviewers that was pleasantly stress-free, in my opinion. Perhaps because of a shared sense of comfort, the interview went well, and time just seemed to fly by. The experience will be much more enjoyable if you can unwind and keep your composure.
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This is a “multiple mini interview” (MMI), which uses eight to ten brief stations to focus on different aspects of the applicant. The stations tend to place more emphasis on your skills than your prior accomplishments; the potential doctor within You will be able to perform well in this type of interview if you have a solid grasp of the necessary skills and can clearly communicate them.
There are benefits and drawbacks to splitting the interview into different stations with various interviewers. Your performance in one station has no bearing on your performance in any other because each is separate from the others. Even if you have a shockingly poor mini-interview in one station, you can start over fresh at the following one. If you can put the failures (and successes) of each station behind you, and approach the next with enthusiasm, you’ll find yourself performing much better. Your mark is an average of all stations – don’t worry too much about one station. In contrast to the UNSW/Adelaide interviews, the short time spent at each station makes it harder to demonstrate much of who you are as a candidate. Each section might seem impersonal and hurried, which is never a comforting impression to have.
Responding to the interviewers’ questions is a crucial component of the interview. The interviewers must complete a predetermined set of questions within the allotted time on each station. The marks come from there – nowhere else. It’s possible that you will run out of time before covering the points they were actually looking for if you try to make yourself look better by rambling on about your recent Nobel Prize. No matter how impressed they are, they are unable to give you credit for anything you missed. Be relevant, be concise.
My personal experience with these interviews is overall positive. My very first station was rather embarrassing because I stumbled all over the place due to nerves. The MMI, however, seemed less like a stressful interview and more like a mysterious game show as I settled in and got into the flow of things. The interviews became almost painless because I refused to let my initial mistake discourage me.
FAQ
What is the UNSW Medicine interview like?
The UNSW interview process is designed as a casual conversation with a set of predetermined questions that are more concerned with the applicant’s motivations, abilities, and thought process than with specific medical knowledge. It has not yet been decided whether interviews for the class of 2023 will be conducted in person or online.
Is UNSW Medicine hard to get into?
Most medical schools place a strong emphasis on a student’s ATAR score because it measures their academic readiness for medical school. An applicant from within Australia needs to have an ATAR score of 97 to be accepted into the UNSW Undergraduate Medicine program. For a chance at a medical interview offer, you must have a GPA of 2 or higher.
How long is UNSW Med interview?
Two interviewers from the academic staff, medical professionals, and community representatives conduct the 40-minute interview.
How do I prepare for a medical university interview?
- Make Sure You Know How To Prepare. …
- Use Other Peoples’ Praise. …
- Use Personal Examples. …
- Read The GMC’s Ethical Guidance. …
- Always Answer The Question. …
- Think About Your Answer Length. …
- Dress To Impress.
