How did I apply for MD programs/medical schools in Australia?

There are 2 types of medical programs run by Australian medical schools. They are ‘Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery’, or MBBS, and Doctor of Medicine, or MD. So, how did I apply for MD programs in this post? I will write in more details about the process in this post. But firstly, what exactly is an MD program? And how many of them are there?

How many MD programs are there in Australia?

So, MD programs, or Doctor of Medicine programs, are for people that have had a Bachelor degree. The program is generally 4 years in total, and students may get subsidised for their tuition fees by the government. In Australia, there are up to 19 medical schools, 14 of which run MD programs. Each state will have 1 to 3 schools that have MD programs, and the list of them are as below:

South Australia and Northern Territory: Flinders University;
NSW: University of Sydney, University of Wollongong (UoW), Macquarie University, University of Notre Dame, Sydney (UNDS);
Victoria: University of Melbourne (UoM), Monash University, Deakin University;
Western Australia: University of Western Australia, University of Notre Dame, Fremantle (UNDF);
Queensland: University of Queensland, Griffith University, Bond University (the program of which is actually a combined Bachelor of Medical Studies/MD program);
Australia Capital Territory: Australia National University.

Last year was my very first application. I applied to 8 programs, the maximum number of programs a non-Monash domestic students* can apply, and I successfully got in one of them. So, what is the application like?

What is the application process like for domestic students?

If you are an international student, you might be wonder why I am not writing about it. Although I was an international student, I chose to become an Australian Permanent Resident before applying for medical schools. There are several solid reasons for my decision and you can read more in my post here. You can also read more about the pathways for international students another post here.

Now, as for domestic students, the application process involves 2 steps. The first step is GAMSAT, and the second step is generally medical schools’ interview. I wrote a post about how I prepared for GAMSAT here, and I will write more about GAMSAT in the future. I will also write other posts dedicated to the interview, so stay tune! In this post, I will go in details about the process that I took. I hope it might be helpful for you to navigate through it too.

Where to apply for MD programs

In Australia, there is a system called Graduate Entry Medical School Administration, or GEMSAS, that manages the application process for 10 MD programs. GEMSAS includes all the programs above except the ones of Flinders University (Flinders), Monash University, Bond University and University of Sydney (USyd) which have their own application portals.

However, GEMSAS will let you submit your application to only 6 MD programs. They will need to be placed in order from the most preferred to the least preferred. Therefore, being a domestic student aiming for 4-year MD programs, I only apply to 6 MD programs through GEMSAS and 2 other MD programs of Flinders University and University of Sydney, which are 8 programs in total.

By the time GAMSAT results are released, the applicant can start preparing for application by going to GEMSAS, Flinders and USyd websites to register an account and submit your documents. So how and when did I prep for my application?

When to start preparing to apply for MD programs in Australia

I cannot stress enough how important it is to prepare early and to start doing your research about all the MD programs, even before you sit GAMSAT. Each program has different ways of assessing your application. Although they will generally need your GPA and GAMSAT result to rank for interview, some schools might require a portfolio, and some schools might use GPA as a hurdle only.

For example, in 2020, UNDS and UNDF required applicants to submit their portfolios and statements in addition to their GPA and GAMSAT results. Additionally, UoW required applicants to sit CASPER, a situation-judgement test, and also submit their portfolio beside their GPA and GAMSAT results.

Different programs will also have different curriculum. For example, Flinders University has a Team-Based Learning program run through the first two years. And UoW has a Problem-Based Learning program and a rural third year. So, depends on your circumstances and other commitments, you might need to do your research early. For me, I was quite comfortable with all the programs and willing to move, so I applied for all of them.

How to research and prepare to apply for MD programs in Australia

To start the preparation, I firstly perused the GEMSAS guideline for 2020 as well as the admission guidelines of Flinders and USyd. Hence, I would strongly recommend you to do the same, and you can find the new guidelines on GEMSAS and the schools’ websites. If you’re not applying in the near future, I would still strongly recommend you to have a read through the programs that you’re interested in. The reason is that you might even strategically prepare yourself now.

For example, although Flinders has a very high GAMSAT cut-off for non-Flinders graduates, they have a very reasonable cut-off for Flinders graduate. And you can be eligible for the Flinders-graduate quota by completing their Graduate Certificate courses of 6 months only. So, if you’re interested in getting into Flinders’ program, you might gain some advantages now by taking a 6-month course.

After researching, I put down which programs I wanted to apply and also put them in an order. Then I went to the GEMSAS application portal and started filling up all the details required. I also started preparing all the documents, including my academic transcript, portfolios and rural evidence. As for my portfolios, I had to note down all my activities and experiences. I then wrote up the descriptions for all of them and contacted my verifiers, which would take a quite long time to do. I also had to write up different portfolios for different programs in different styles. So, I will write more in details about how I did it in another post.

After pressing ‘Submit’

Due to COVID, the deadline for application was generally early June, but different programs will have different deadlines from GEMSAS. So, you need to be careful not to miss those deadlines. After paying for the application fee and submitting your application, you will have to wait. The next step, which is interview, is normally 2-3 months after the application deadline.

For me, I used the waiting months to prepare for my interview. It’s always better to start preparing even before you know which school will offer you an interview. Having said that, it’s not necessarily sitting down and doing interview with others. I prepared early by reading more about medical school interview, Australian public health, rural health and Aboriginal health (you can read more about what I learned here). When the interview offers were sent out, I then practiced interview with my family and friends online in a more tailored style for the programs that offered me. I will also write more about how I prepared for my interview in future, so stay tuned!

In summary, to apply for MD programs in Australia, you will need to prepare early and strategically. The better you research about the programs the higher chance you will get. So, I hope my experience was helpful for you to understand more about the process. And I wish you all the best to your unique journey!

* Non-Monash students are who that did not do their Bachelor degrees at Monash University.