JCU Med 2012 (Interview and Admissions Offers)

Hey everyone,

Another question I am curious as to whether anyone knows what is the ATAR required to surpass the threshold for entry into Medicine at James Cook University?

Thanks

Dependent on how good your written application is and how rural you are. The better those two are, the lower it can go.

There are people I know of in the course with OP5's and 6's which is around a 90-92ish... but they're mostly bonded and ridiculously good applicants - i.e. the kind of person who you see and think, god damn that person is amazing. Since Hobart is rural (I think? All Tasmania is, right?) you're in with a pretty good shot as long as you get an ATAR of 95+. Obviously the higher the better and the less chance you have of getting a bonded spot.

From what I've picked so far the average ATAR is about a 95ish, but rurality skews that a lot.

With rurality, is there an advantage for being more rural or not?

Originally Posted by ashllis91

With rurality, is there an advantage for being more rural or not?

Yep. For example, the people I know that got in with an ATAR of 90ish are RRMA5 and amazing applicants. If they were RRMA3 I don't think they would have gotten in. Some numbers that I dragged out of a lecture we got in first week and just found:
- 40% from small town/remote
- 20% from larger rural towns
- 20% from outer regional
- 20% indigenous

Obviously though they don't always fill those quotas because the applicants aren't always 'good' enough. As a side note, I've theorised that an applicant score is calculated in the following way:

(predicted or actual ATAR/GPA+interview/application score) x rurality

So before the interview they count your (ATAR+Application score) x rurality... your rurality score however isn't just based on how rural you are, but is established from your application as well. For example, someone from Brisbane who only lived in a rural area for 4 years of their life (and thus don't qualify as rural) could get a great rurality score if they showed insight etc. Similarly, someone from the middle of nowhere could get a bad rurality score if they said they hated rural practice and so forth. So, rurality = RRMA+(application rurality) where the latter can be +ve or -ve.

After your interview the applicant score is (ATAR+Interview) x rurality where the rurality score was established by what you said in the interview.

N.B. This is just what I've come up with. It fits with things that I've seen over the past two years and with information I've gotten from older years.

Thanks all that info is great...

I am only on a gap year here in Hobart I am actually from Woodgate Beach, a little over an hour out of bundaberg and about 20minutes out of childers I am not sure what category of rurality this is how do I find out?

Also I have a feeling you'll regard this as a stupid question but what is a bonded place? Is it like a place with out government financial help?

Edit: Also I forgot to mention I already have an ATAR and it is below 95 I got 93.1 ATAR I can't remember what my OP was I have been doing a lot of looking down here and talking to unis and they all refer to ATAR not OP. So am I still a shot for entry with this ATAR?

Originally Posted by nctanner

Thanks all that info is great...

I am only on a gap year here in Hobart I am actually from Woodgate Beach, a little over an hour out of bundaberg and about 20minutes out of childers I am not sure what category of rurality this is how do I find out?

Also I have a feeling you'll regard this as a stupid question but what is a bonded place? Is it like a place with out government financial help?

Edit: Also I forgot to mention I already have an ATAR and it is below 95 I got 93.1 ATAR I can't remember what my OP was I have been doing a lot of looking down here and talking to unis and they all refer to ATAR not OP. So am I still a shot for entry with this ATAR?

Well Bundaberg is RRMA3, so yep it's rural You've got a shot, it's a long one but it's still there. There's no harm in trying.

A bonded spot is where you are given a conditional spot, the condition being that upon graduating you have to work in a rural area for a given number of years. I can't remember the exact details, unfortunately. Your OP is just under a 4, and there's a fair few people I know here with OP 4's so you've definitely got a shot Just make sure you application is good

Just slightly off the main point here, but would you know if the application score is used in the final ranking process of applicants? Or is it just used as a barrier for interview spots, along with predicted ATARs/OPs?

Originally Posted by arkay

Just slightly off the main point here, but would you know if the application score is used in the final ranking process of applicants? Or is it just used as a barrier for interview spots, along with predicted ATARs/OPs?

Only a barrier. Once you get into the interview it's no longer considered.

Alright thanks for clarifying that man.

Hey! So it's that time of the year again when QTAC pre
ference lists take shape and the boards get frantic. I'm interested in studying Med at JCU and would like to have a general discussion as to what people have written for the 4 questions on the application form? Thanks to anyone who posts