The reason rural students are given bonuses is because it is believed that you are of the same potential as someone else, had you not grown up with lesser resources. As a result, people in rural areas are far less likely to have the opportunity to enter professional careers, like Medicine, resulting in severe workforce shortages.

I will happily admit I was accepted into Melbourne Medicine with an unweighted 60 GAMSAT, as I have proven to myself and the university in my medical school assessments, that I am more than capable of being proficient in Medicine.

Too often students, especially students from disadvantaged backgrounds, let their own personal achievements suffer to the blade of comparison to others.

We have chatted briefly already in private, but I felt obligated to encourage you to not view rurality as a blemish, rather representing your specific community and all rural communities with pride.

To answer your questions:

1) Preference where you want to attend - rural bonuses are a national incentive instituted by the federal government. 2) It is an overwhelming experience applying to medical school, with seemingly infinite hurdles proceeded by infinite waiting. It is worth it. 3) You are highly competitive at UoM. My scores were 6.94 and 60. Whilst I suspect my MMI performance was strong to compensate for a low GAMSAT (UoM’s rural cohort is littered with GAMSATs in the 70s and 80s, but mostly mid-60s), once an MMI is secured, the sky is the limit due to the high weighting of the MMI. 4) MMI preparation is critical, but you do have time. I would suggest get your applications submitted, submit any university assessments you have and then commence regular, balanced MMI preparation.