monash interview tips
it was a quick post to address some of the repeated emails i get about the upcoming monash medicine interview. however, these would-be students at monash seem to be very impatient at browsing through old comments and content. so here’s a helping hand to direct you straight to the interview-related comments:
The Monash Interview also includes a final section where u can ask some questions to the interviewers: i posted my advice on that here.
For those who have an offer from Monash and would like to find out how’s life at Monash and some tips on what to do before flying over to Melbourne, preparation and stuff, there are 2 websites you can go to. MonashMed2010, and Meddies2007.
If you are deciding between going to Australia and the UK for medical school, maybe you can read this post of mine to help you decide. I was once faced with deciding between Manchester and Monash.
My concluding statement will be that to do well in a medical school interview, you got to be really clear why you want to do medicine. Make sure you’re really convicted in this “calling”. What are your REAL reasons for doing so? It doesn’t hurt to be realistic to say “Being a doctor is a stable career”, or honest like “I’ve always like science and how the body works”. Be honest to yourself, be humble, be yourself. Much of the doctor you’re going to be, you already are, so don’t fret.
Update: Lucia from Cambridge (Medscape Student Blogs) shares her reasons for reading medicine.
There was a boy breathing with a brown paper bag who was in my interview session in Adelaide. I thought that was pretty swell. Hmm. Perhaps we could put together a comprehensive post specifically for Australian interviews together? I know a lot of HSC students that would benefit from it.
Personally, I had to finance my “interview circuit” around Australia and it cost me in excess of $1000. It honestly wasn’t worth the money. Ranking university options against my aggregated marks and a little common sense would have made me realise I was competitive enough for UNSW, cutting my expenses down to a $5 return fare.
After all, some of those preparation courses are charging in excess of $695 for the mock interview alone. I think it’s an absolute scam.
Haha. yea. people should really learn how to relax and let it flow. that way you present your true self and are more likely to perform in the interview. no point getting all angst-y.
yea, feel free to quote this post.
Jeff, the “present your true self” is a very bad advice.
Aside from personal prejudices from the interviewers that an interviewee must navigate around, the Schools are looking for a set of ideals that very few people possess and even fewer are able to normally convey under 45 minutes.
Everyone I knew pretended to be something they were not at the interview, hoping to impress. Those that didn’t – well, they never made it.
That’s why there is a niche market in interview prep.
“Show me the money lah! All docs rich one so I wanna be one too” would have been my preferred response but honesty was clearly not what they were looking for. Btw, it was an uplifting experience to intimate to an interviewer that money was my prime motivation after I was accepted.
At least I am honest.
well i would say if your sole reason was to become rich as a doctor, then firstly i would reject you because obviously you ain’t very smart. the richest profession clearly doesn’t lie in the medical profession. it lies in something like the investment banking or trading industry, or maybe the actuarial profession. something business related. secondly, if getting rich was the sole reason, then the rigours of medical school will make you quit and waste everyone’s time and money in training you.
however, if u said “something like being a doctor is a stable profession and that is something i am looking for in a career.” then that is certainly wiser. if you genuinely have an interest in patient care and/or the study of human diseases and the human body, be prepared to back it up. for some, like me, its a combination of all these that propelled me into this profession, and i made it clear in the interview. i don’t think anyone can fault you for being practical and pragmatic.
Reject me?? Oops. Too late, Jeff, too late.
Blame the farcical interview system.
Maybe for you, the rigours of medicine can sour the ambition to earn the great moolahs in medicine… but not for many, really.
Well, of course there’re faster ways to earn money, but smart people prefer the stability as the key to wealth.
Hope this helps.
yeah. its a pity. how are you doing now? we always need two sides of the coin to get a more balanced perspective.
Hi, I just received an e-mail from Monash. They’re offering me an interview in November and I was wondering if i should give it a shot. I’m not very confident and am thinking it might not be worth flying down to Melbourne for an interview considering my ISAT score is a mere 49 percentile. Please advice! Thank you(:
well its good that you got an interview. just do your best.
Seriously, you have to be yourself and find ways to make yourself comfortable. I like the tips you posted here. I also liked what I saw at a similar website if any of ya’ll are interested http://www.schoolsoutwhatnow.com