australian university Do Australian universities consider extra-curriculars, letters of recommendation, interview etc. or just your final IB score?

[ibdude]

?

[ToThinkIsToLive]

For courses like Medicine and Dentistry there is an interview and your UMAT score also counts. Letters of recommendation and stuff like that is not part of the application process. I suppose in your interview you could talk about your extra-curriculars but I was reading somewhere on the Internet where an IB student said (and I don't know if they were joking or not) that universities (globally) apparently ask you if you only did your extra-curriculars because of CAS. 

[Guest]

Letters of recommendation and extra-curriculars do tend to be important for your hall applications, and extra-curriculars anywhere where you need an interview when it is relevant for answering a question - leadership, teamwork, etc. Other than that, it's as ToThinkIsToLove said - basically just your grades and any other specific requirements for the course.

[tim9800]

I am applying for a scholarship at Sydney University next year (its a general, all-purpose scholarship) called Sydney Scholars, and the process of application requires you to answer six questions about yourself and your achievements in a "Personal Statement". Questions 4 and 5 are

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4. Discuss any extra curricula, personal or community activities you are involved in and why?  

5. How do these activities contribute to your current and future aspirations?  

One of the "Steps" in the "How to Apply for Sydney Scholars Award 2017" also recommends that you should

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Step 3 Get involved
At The University of Sydney, we look for all‐round students who demonstrate leadership skills and involvement in school, community and extracurricular activities. Keep track of your involvement and tell us what you have been up to as all activities are relevant. To complement Sydney Scholars Awards you may also be considered for a range of faculty specific scholarships. For more information please visit here.  

But in general, a lot of the courses (in contrast to scholarships) that you can apply for consider only your ATAR, or ATAR equivalent (seeing as your avatar banner is USA). When applying to Unis, also be sure to check if they offer lower ATAR requirements for international students - they most probably do, but if you are looking into a specific course, always check before assuming you have lower reqs.

Edited October 2, 2017 by tim9800

[ToThinkIsToLive]

Hello, I thought the University of Sydney did not offer undergraduate Medicine. Am I misinformed?

[tim9800]

 

19 minutes ago, ToThinkIsToLive said:

Hello, I thought the University of Sydney did not offer undergraduate Medicine. Am I misinformed?

Yes, you are correct, they do not offer undergraduate medicine. You can get into postgraduate medicine at Sydney through one of two ways:

• Achieving a perfect ATAR (99.95) or equivalent IB Score (45), giving you guaranteed entry into USyd's postgraduate course
• Taking any undergraduate course you like, at any university you like, and maintaining good grades (Distinction or above for most of your units), then transferring to Sydney via sitting the GAMSAT and achieving a high enough score (Graduate Australian Medical School Admissions Test)

If you are familiar with the UMAT (the Undergraduate Medical Admissions Test), then its pretty much an extended version of that (6 hours instead of 3 hours), and for university graduate students, instead of high schoolers.

Edited October 3, 2017 by tim9800