hmm a lot to reply to here...
Ok, first of all my history.
2003 UMAT results available in several threads, but my scores (percentiles) were:
62 (88), 78 (96), 55 (62) and UAI 79.10 = many interviews (fake predicted 95.00) but no offers
2004 performance was:
61 (88) 69 (98) 76 (99) and TPS 5.75 = interviews at UNCLE and UWA, late bonded offer at UWA
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Slide Rule: Haha I remind you of buckyballs in the chimney? I must have pushed nano a little too far!
Speaking of Nano, I am going to miss it but it'll always be there if I want to come back and learn more. Medicine won't get me nearly as rich or famous as nano might, but I will have the satisfaction of fixing people up directly rather than "eventually" (as would have been the case had I pursued the research path). I'll miss International Studies even more.
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As for my non-med preferences, yes I would very much like to study some science and law (I have an especially keen interest in law) but I realise that I would not find sustained fulfilment in these careers. I'm satisfied with the prospect of perhaps taking an LLM later on or something short like that.
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To put it simplistically there are four kinds of place offers for medicine made to local students. The first is full fee paying, these were introduced this year and there are very few of them. The other three are all HECS places (now known as Commonwealth Supported Places - CSPs). First is your straight CSP - go in, pay HECS, graduate and practice. Just like any other course, and the most common type.
Next is BMPs, or Bonded Medical Places. These places are seperately funded by the government, and offered on the condition that the student occupying the place agree to work for a total of six years in an area of need according to their specialty. As you guessed, there are mostly rural areas but those taking on more obscure specialties find they are needed just about everywhere - it all depends on what you decide to specialise in and how desperately specialists in that field are needed.
The last kind is from memory the rarest, the MRBS place. Medical Rural Bonded Scholarships are basically bonded (BMP) places with a scholarship attached, payed to the student each year. There are probably some differences between these last two aside from the money but I don't know what they are and if you are really interested then you can find out yourself.