After Applying

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Section 12: After Applying (Offers, Waitlists, and Rejections)

Once you’ve gone through the gruelling process of applications, tests, and interviews, there comes the period of waiting for outcomes and then making decisions. In this section, we discuss what happens after you apply: understanding offer rounds, how waitlists work, dealing with rejection, and considering alternative pathways if you don’t get an immediate offer.

Receiving and Responding to Offers

Offers for Undergraduate Courses: These are typically released through the Tertiary Admissions Centres. As mentioned in Section 8, most first-round offers for undergrad medicine come out in January (for February start). Key points:

• Offers will usually be for a specific course at a specific uni (e.g., “UNSW Medicine – CSP” or “Monash Medicine – CSP Bonded”). The offer letter or email will specify if it’s a bonded place, CSP, or (for internationals) an international place.
• You often have to accept the offer within a week or so (the exact deadline will be given). Accepting usually involves logging into the portal and clicking accept, and possibly enrolling in units or attending an enrolment/registration session.
• You can accept an offer and later withdraw if you get a better one in a subsequent round (for domestic undergrad, you might get, say, an offer from a lower preference in January round 1, then if someone declines at your top choice, you could get an offer in round 2; you can then accept the new one and withdraw the first before term starts). However, by main round, most med courses fill. Some second round or “late round” offers may occur into late Jan/Feb, but count on the first as likely your only offer.
• If you receive multiple offers (across different states’ TACs), you can technically accept more than one initially if their deadlines come before you decide (since different states operate separately). But obviously, you can only attend one medical school, so you’ll need to choose and formally decline the others by notifying those admissions offices, so that waitlisted candidates can get those seats. Ethically, try to decide as soon as you can so others can get offers.
• If your offer is a bonded place, read the terms carefully. You will have to sign an agreement with the government (via BRoSS) by June of first year¹. If you’re not sure about committing, you typically have until that date to decide, but if you withdraw after accepting the course but before signing the bond, you might leave a spot that could have gone to someone else. So try to decide if you’re willing to accept a bonded obligation when you accept the offer. If you have both a CSP-unbonded and a bonded offer from different schools, consider if the unbonded (even if second preference school) might be preferable to you over bonded at first preference. It’s a personal choice – some would choose location/school prestige over bond status, others vice versa.
• International offers: will come directly from universities on a rolling basis often earlier (sometimes Nov-Dec). Accept by paying a deposit (often quite large, e.g. AUD $10,000 or a semester’s fee) to secure your place, then proceed with visa.

Offers for Graduate Courses: These usually come via GEMSAS (for the consortium schools) or directly from the university (Sydney, Flinders, etc.). Timeline: first round often mid-October.

• You may get multiple offers if you applied outside GEMSAS as well (e.g., a GEMSAS offer and a USyd offer). You’ll have to choose one, as acceptance deadlines might clash. Usually the MD programs want a quick response (within 1-2 weeks).
• For grad offers, you’ll often have to enrol quite soon, as courses may start late Jan. That means planning to move if needed by early Jan. Keep an eye out for enrolment instructions, immunisation requirements (you’ll need to show proof of vaccinations, etc., before clinical placements), and other onboarding tasks.
• If you get an offer for a full-fee place (like at Macquarie or Melbourne), and you’d prefer not to pay those fees, you can decline it and hope for a CSP from another school if you think it’s coming. But be cautious: turning down an offer is final; you can’t change your mind later. It’s often better to hold onto any offer until you are sure of another. For example, you could accept Macquarie (full-fee) in Oct, then in Nov if you get Melbourne CSP off the waitlist, you can withdraw from Macquarie and go to Melbourne.

Waitlists

If you’re not accepted in the first round, you might be placed on a waitlist (reserve list) for a course. How and when waitlists move:

• Undergrad: TACs don’t explicitly tell you “you’re waitlisted.” Instead, if you just didn’t get an offer in first round, you might still be considered in subsequent rounds. Some universities may informally rank overflow candidates and issue late round offers if others decline. For example, UNSW might make more offers in Round 2 if someone chose to go elsewhere or an international spot converted to domestic, etc. The number of waitlist offers in undergrad med is not huge, since most who get an offer accept it. But a few seats can open (especially if a student gets multiple med offers across states and has to pick one).
• Graduate: GEMSAS will often indicate if you are on reserve for a preference. You might get an email that says, “You have not been made an offer in the first round. You are ranked X on the waitlist for University Y” (some schools provide such feedback via GEMSAS or direct email). If you’re high on a waitlist, you might reasonably expect an offer by December or even January if someone withdraws late.
• Communication: If you are waitlisted, you usually don’t need to do anything but wait. However, ensure your contact details are up to date and you’re checking email (including spam) through December and January – I’ve seen people miss a late offer because they thought the cycle was done and stopped checking email.
• Probability: It’s hard to gauge. For undergrad, maybe a handful of shuffles. For grad, some schools like UQ or UNSW (when they had interviews) might waitlist dozens and then fill half of those by mid-Jan due to people opting for other schools or failing to meet final undergrad completion, etc. If you’re on a waitlist and really want that school despite having another offer, you can hold out, but remember to not burn the one in hand unless/until the other materialises.
• Expiration: Once courses start (or when the university finalises enrolment), waitlists end. Occasionally someone drops out in the first week or two of med school – usually those spots are not filled by new people; the class just gets slightly smaller, or a late internal transfer might happen from another course, but as a new applicant you won't get a call after the course has begun.

Handling Rejection

If you do not receive any offers, it can be very disheartening. Medicine is extremely competitive and many capable, passionate applicants don’t get in on their first (or second) attempt. Here’s how to cope and plan:

• Allow yourself to feel disappointed – it’s natural after working so hard. Talk to family, friends, or mentors about how you feel. Many doctors and med students experienced rejection and can offer perspective.
• Seek feedback if possible: Some universities (especially grad ones) might provide general feedback upon request (like your interview score quartile, etc.). Most undergrad ones do not give individual feedback due to volume, but you might glean some insight (e.g., if you know your UCAT was low percentile, focus on that next time, or if you didn’t get an interview, maybe your ATAR/UCAT combo was the issue).
• Reflect on your application: Identify any areas of weakness. Was your ATAR/GPA not competitive? Did you underperform on UCAT/GAMSAT? Did you perhaps not prepare enough for interviews? Or did you apply too narrowly (only a couple of the most competitive schools)? Use this analysis to formulate a new plan.
• Consider your passion: If you’re still absolutely set on medicine, realise that many people get in after multiple tries. Persistence is often key. Most grad-entry med students are people who either didn’t get in from high school or decided later – resilience and determination got them there.
• Alternative paths for next year:
  • If you just finished high school and missed out, enrol in a related university program (Biomedicine, Science, etc.). Work hard and either try to transfer after 1 year (to an undergrad med if available) or prepare for GAMSAT and go for graduate entry. Graduate entry gives you up to 3-4 more years to improve your candidacy.
  • If you finished undergrad and missed out on MD offers, you can consider doing a postgraduate course that might enhance your application: e.g., a one-year Honours or Masters in a health-related field. This can keep you academically engaged, maybe boost your GPA a bit or add to your portfolio. Or you could work in a healthcare-adjacent job (research assistant, clinical trials, etc.) which gives relevant experience and some break from study while you reapply.
  • Some consider going abroad for medicine. Options include medical schools in countries like the UK/Ireland (some of which actively recruit Aussies, but fees are high), Eastern Europe, or Asia (where some programs are in English). However, returning to practice in Australia after a foreign medical degree can be a complicated path due to licensing exams and limited residency spots for IMGs (International Medical Graduates). So weigh that carefully and research the long-term implications.
  • Another route: consider related careers. You might find fulfilment in dentistry, pharmacy, physiotherapy, physician associate roles, nursing, research, etc. Some decide if not medicine, a different healthcare role can still meet their desire to help people. There is also the possibility of postgraduate medicine overseas if not in Australia.
• Timeline for reapplication: If you plan to reapply for undergrad med, note that some undergrad programs won’t consider you if you’re more than 1-2 years out of school (they'll push you to grad entry). Check their “non-standard” policy. If you’re only 1 year out, you can still sit UCAT again and apply as a non-school leaver to those that allow it (e.g., JCU, UNSW, UTAS often allow people up to a few years post-school). Many prefer to just shift focus to graduate entry at that point.
• Enhancing the next application: Use the intervening time to improve whatever you can:
  • Study hard to raise GPA.
  • Perhaps retake admissions tests with a new prep strategy.
  • Get more involved in volunteering or leadership to have richer material for interviews.
  • Address any interview shortcomings by practice and perhaps professional coaching if needed.
• Mental resilience: It’s easy to take rejection personally or doubt yourself (“Am I not good enough?”). Remember that supply-demand plays a big role; many who don’t get in are perfectly capable of being great doctors. Keep your end goal in mind and take inspiration from others who succeeded on later attempts. On forums or open days, you’ll find plenty of stories like “I got into med on my third try – so glad I didn’t give up.”

Alternate Options and Future Applications

If medicine isn’t happening right now, chart out an alternative plan that still progresses you toward a fulfilling career:

• Consider other medical courses: Some people pivot to dentistry or veterinary science which have similar entry processes but maybe slightly less competition. If your passion lies in human health, dentistry might still appeal (though it's quite a different career).
• Allied Health and Graduate Medicine later: One strategy is to do an allied health degree (like nursing, physiotherapy, paramedicine, etc.), start working in healthcare, and then attempt graduate medicine a bit later. The advantage is you gain tons of relevant experience and a stable career either way; the challenge is balancing work with GAMSAT prep.
• Research or Academia: If you love science, consider doing a science degree and perhaps a PhD, focusing on medical research. Some with a doctorate later enter medical school via special pathways (less common, but e.g., some MD programs give extra weighting for PhD holders²). Even if not, you could contribute to healthcare through research.
• Public Health or Health Administration: There are one-year Master of Public Health (MPH) or Health Management programs. They won't directly lead to being a clinician, but they open careers in health policy, epidemiology, etc. It's possible to do an MPH and still apply to med later with a broader perspective (some med schools might view that positively, although typically they still focus on undergrad GPA and GAMSAT mostly).

If You Get an Offer but Are Unsure: Occasionally, someone gets an offer and then second-guesses (perhaps they realise the location or the bonded obligation or medicine itself gives them pause). It’s okay to defer in some cases – a few schools allow deferment of enrolment for 1 year for undergrads (not all; some don’t allow deferring med at all). Most graduate programs don’t allow deferrals except under special circumstances. If you truly are uncertain about committing, it may be better to defer (if possible) or decline and reapply later, than to start and drop out, but think very carefully. Talk to mentors or career counsellors if you feel this way. It might be last-minute nerves – which is normal.

Starting Medical School

If you’ve accepted an offer – congratulations! Prepare for a significant life transition.

• Complete any pre-matriculation requirements: paperwork, vaccination proof (you’ll need Hep B immunisation, etc.), uniforms or equipment if required (like stethoscopes usually you get in first year).
• Perhaps brush up on foundational knowledge if you feel weak (some suggest revisiting first-year biology or anatomy basics the summer before med school, though it’s not strictly necessary).
• Enjoy your break before med starts – you earned it. The journey ahead will be challenging but exciting.

Finally, whether you’re celebrating an offer or regrouping after a rejection, keep perspective. The path to medicine can be nonlinear. Doctors come from all walks of life and timelines. What matters is ultimately developing into a compassionate, competent doctor, not how straight or quick the road was. So persist if it’s what you truly want, but also remember that no single career defines your worth – you can make a meaningful contribution in various roles in healthcare or elsewhere. This application process can be character-building; whatever the outcome, you will have learned about perseverance, self-improvement, and resilience – qualities that will serve you well in any endeavour.