[update] GEMSAS interview offers in about two weeks. UQ offers soon.

Trying to put the USyd interview experience behind me, but learn from it at the same time, I've done some practice with questions in a group for the past few weeks. I've done a little talking into the mirror too, although not very much yet. But that said, I've been neglecting the study a bit. I'll try to catch up on the weekend.

According to the GMAC guide, UQ offers are released this month. I expect that I would have received an unbonded CSP from UQ if I preferenced UQ first, since they just use GPA as a hurdle (which I pass quite easily) and rank only with GAMSAT, without having an interview. There seems to be some controversy with the number of provisionals, notably a lack of an upper bound on the number of provisionals displayed in the GMAC guide or online, but I doubt the cutoff would be >83 (my guess is around 74 or 75; I think my score from last year of 77 would be enough).

However, due to the UQ (lower preference) issue, I wonder if I will get a place there if I happen to get passed on from Melbourne, if I would have received a place there initially by preferencing it first. I would have liked to have been able to apply to UQ directly to sidestep this issue like we could with USyd; with UQ pulling out actually making more sense as a non-interview uni with a different admission calendar. Otherwise, and perhaps this other option would be better to save application fees, it would be nice if they could have guaranteed that there would be spots reserved for second round offers.


Anyway, the GEMSAS interview offers, also according to the GMAC guide, will be released from 25-31 August, which is in about two weeks. I think that I will get one from Melbourne, but I am quite interested in what the cutoffs will be. I'm quite sure they will rise from last year though, due mainly to the big increase in the biomed and science cohorts this year.