Moderation Note: This thread will only be visible to mods until 18th of November (1 week before confirmed results are due on PIMS), with the option of locking it until results are known to be up.
Dev discussion at http://www.medstudentsonline.com.au/...tml#post273014
(Acknowledgements: this thread is based on my original 2011 ranking scores thread, with additional elements adapted from various postings by @greenglacier and @frootloop in 2011 and 2012.)
With grades due out soon, it would probably be a good time to set up the annual thread for ranking scores, and offers when they become available. This year's thread starter is a question-and-answer style information pack for this year's HSFYers, it's based on my original 2011 ranking scores thread, with additional elements from various postings by @greenglacier , @frootloop and myself.
Why should I post anything at all?
As you guys all know, for the past few years we've been able to give HSFY students a fairly precise indication of the cutoff data from previous years. This is not because we have access to some "insider information", but because our forum members (even the lurkers who only sign up to post their results or message their results to one of us) have made generous contributions by sharing their own grades and application outcomes. We would like to continue being able to provide precise, recent data for future HSFYers, but to do this, we need your help, and if you've found MSO helpful this year, this is one way of giving something back, and helping us help future HSFYers.
You'll also benefit yourself by posting your ranking scores (and offers), in addition to helping MSO. Here are a few benefits:
You'll get your ranking score calculation double-checked (if you provide UMAT scores and HSFY grades).
One (or more) of the senior members of the forum will personally give you their opinion on your chances of receiving an offer for medicine.
You'll get to find out how close you are to the actual cutoff when offers come out.
What is the ranking score, anyway?
The "Ranking Score" is a score that combines your UMAT section scores and HSFY grades into one number that the admissions office presumably ranks people using. You'll find it mentioned in the admission rules (links below), along with all the weightings. It's an arbitrary number with no units, and there's no minimum or maximum. (So no, it's not out of 100 as it's commonly thought to be.)
To calculate, there are two components which are combined:
Weighted UMAT = S1 x 0.45 + S2 x 0.45 + S3 x 0.10
(S1 = raw score for Section 1, S2 = raw score for Section 2, S3 = raw score for Section 3)
HSFY Average = (Sum of best 7 grades) / 7
(Note: If you've done an 8th paper, then it's the average of your best 7; if you haven't, it's just the average of your 7 core papers.)
(Note 2: If one of your 7 core papers is below 70, then unfortunately you are not eligible for medicine; this applies even if you have taken an 8th paper.)
Links to official admission rules:
1) Health Science Admissions Office page: Link
2) Unviersity Calendar MBChB Rules page: Link
How do I go about contributing?
The easiest way is to simply sign up (if you haven't already), and post a reply in this thread with your ranking score (see below), and update it with offer statuses once those come out. Your post can be as detailed or as obscure as you want, ranging from a simple "my ranking score is ..." to a full breakdown of all your marks - all that's really necessary for posting is the willingness to share your ranking score and (eventually) offer status. Do be aware that what you post here is available for the entire world to see (although it's not very meaningful for the rest of the world), so only post what you're comfortable sharing with strangers.
If you're not comfortable posting your scores publicly, you can send them via private messages to myself, @frootloop or @greenglacier , we'll check your calculation and give an opinion on your chances, and your scores will be used to help us work out the cutoff, but will be treated confidentially and only publicly posted in an anonymous manner.
Here's an example of what your post could look like, the example has all the bells and whistles, and has been updated with the offer status in late December. You can of course choose which of those things to post, but a ranking score is essential, and I would encourage you to provide as much information as you're comfortable providing, especially if you'd like your ranking score double (or triple) checked.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cathay
Cathay:
UMAT:
S1: 73
S2: 56
S3: 67
Overall = S1 x 0.45 + S2 x 0.45 + S3 x 0.1 = 64.75
HSFY:
CELS191: 97 (terms test: 19.7/20. GLMs: 4.44/5, 5/5. BETs: 10/10.)
CHEM191: 94 (terms test: 30/30. Labs: 15/15)
HUBS191: 93 (terms tests: 24/25, 22/25. Labs: 6/6. GLMs: 8/8.)
PHSI191: 100 (terms test: 20/20. Labs: 6/6. Homeworks: 6/6.)
BIOC192: 91 (terms test: 50/50. BETs: 10/10.)
HEAL192: 86 (terms tests: 25/28, 26/28. Tutorial Tests: 9.5/10.)
HUBS192: 91 (terms tests: 25/25, 23/25. Labs: 6/6. GLMs: 8/8.)
No 8th paper
HSFY Average: 93.14
Ranking Score: = Overall_UMAT x 1/3 + HSFY_Average x 2/3 = 83.68
Applications:
Medicine - Offered a place [Accepted]
Pharmacy - Offered a place
Med Lab Sci - Offered a place
So how are my chances?
The cutoff for straight into med (that is, direct offer without being on waiting list) has been fluctuating in the past few years, ranging from 77.2 (2009?) to 79.8 (2012); the last two years were: 2011: 78.9, 2012: 79.8. Like any other year, this cutoff can move in either direction, depending on prevailing UMATs, prevailing grades, and how the admissions office feels (seriously, they get the ultimate decision on the HSFY : Graduate : Other ratio). Anything above the past cutoffs (79.8) should, at the very least, give you a good chance with the waitlist. However there are no guarentees that the cutoff point will not move.
We reckon that anyone with ranking score over 82 should feel very safe, but this does not by any means imply a score below 82 doesn't have a good chance. Unfortunately we are unaware of the cutoff point from previous years for entry off the waiting list.
Disclaimer: As I'm sure you can all appreciate, any advice anyone gives you about your chances via MSO is speculative only (albeit based on previous year's cut-offs), and as such cannot be guaranteed to be correct. That said, we're obviously not trying to mislead you, and any advice we do give is with the best of intentions, and to the best of our knowledge. -NZ Forum Development Team