Australian schools/MCAT/Finance

[uncle ho]

If anyone has time and patience, I would be grateful for a little help.

First, facts about me:
32, male, American; B. A.

I have decided to dedicate myself to the practice of medicine. The fact that I am not a traditional student is of little concern to me. What is of concern is the admission/selection process of Australian medical school admissions.

Secondly, I have read that entry requires taking the MCAT or the Australian equivalent (I don't know its title). Unable to glean much more information from Aus. medical school sites, all I know is that, for example at Sydney, they require a minimum of 8 in all MCAT sections. Please direct me to more information on this topic. Furthermore, i would like some opinions on my method of study - I bought "testkrackers" MCAT series (Orsay). As my education was in liberal arts, much of the information is new to me. It's not easy, but I find that with dedication, I am learning a lot.

Finally (for now, at least), how accessible are US loans for education? Are loans available for non-citizens in Aus.? If so, what are the terms?

Thanks for reading and advising.

UH

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[Winged Scapula]

If anyone has time and patience, I would be grateful for a little help.

First, facts about me:
32, male, American; B. A.

I have decided to dedicate myself to the practice of medicine. The fact that I am not a traditional student is of little concern to me. What is of concern is the admission/selection process of Australian medical school admissions.

Secondly, I have read that entry requires taking the MCAT or the Australian equivalent (I don't know its title). Unable to glean much more information from Aus. medical school sites, all I know is that, for example at Sydney, they require a minimum of 8 in all MCAT sections. Please direct me to more information on this topic. Furthermore, i would like some opinions on my method of study - I bought "testkrackers" MCAT series (Orsay). As my education was in liberal arts, much of the information is new to me. It's not easy, but I find that with dedication, I am learning a lot.

Finally (for now, at least), how accessible are US loans for education? Are loans available for non-citizens in Aus.? If so, what are the terms?

Thanks for reading and advising.

UH

The Australian equivalent of the MCAT is the GAMSAT. If it were up to me, I'd take the former as there are many more study materials available to you. For suggestions on which materials to use, I would direct you to the the Pre-Allo and Pre-Osteo forums as well as the MCAT forums as I'm sure there is plenty of info there. The GAMSAT does have less basic science stuff than the MCAT, so some might recommend it for you, but frankly, IMHO, you need to do well on the MCAT/basic science stuff anyway, so it doesn't necessarily help you to choose a test with less of this content. Besides, if you were to change your mind and decide to attend school in another country, transfer, etc. or even to apply to a super competitive residency (which may require submission of the MCAT), you will need the MCAT.

When the schools set a minimum for MCAT scores, it simply means that you are unlikely to get an interview or admission without those minimums...that does not mean that if you exceed the minimum standard that you WILL get an interview or admission.

US government loans, the same ones US students get, are available in Oz as well as some private loans. These are generally not difficult to get as long as you haven't defaulted on any of these loans previously.

If you do a search on the Oz forums, you will find info regarding some of the private loans (which are not Australian companies...you need to get them here).

On that note, moving to the Australian forum...

 

[uncle ho]

Kimberly,

You're a sweet heart. Thanks. I'm checking into it now.
UH

 

[JoeNamaMD]

Studentloaninternational.com and IEFC.com offer loans to study in Australia. IEFC has a lower limit than the former, they offer up to 25K a year without a cosigner, the former company offers up to 300K US without a cosigner, they also offer the new PLUS loan. The former is more flexible because they offer loans for students studying other disciplines like Dentistry, Podiatry, Nursing, and Physiotherapy.

A few words of advice when you come here, get your own place, do not share a dwelling with another person unless you know them really well. I have met some IDIOTS here, mostly male slackers, and it can get annoying to the point that they distract you from your studies. Right now I live with a female, its no wonder almost every ad looking for a roomate here in Australia specified female preferred or female only.