2020-2021 Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School Application

[wash345]

Hi All!

Current MS1 support here, hope everyone is doing great. I would try my best to answer question, if any.
Dont stress too much and all the best

Hello Cyberdoc2077! So glad to know a current Duke-NUS MD student here!

Just wonder if you know how many applicants would use GAMSAT instead of MCAT score for application? And what's the average GAMSAT score for admission? I searched the school website but they only posted MCAT score and GPA.

For the early admission, how long did you usually have to wait for the notification?

Thanks a lot and hope to be your junior next year!

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[vaneyyik]

Still waiting for my WES Report . Do you guys have any experience, will the cgpa usually be increase or decrease after the evaluation

my grades 'increased' when converted from wam (weighted average mark) at an australian uni to a US gpa due to their conversion benchmarks i think

 

[vaneyyik]

Hello Cyberdoc2077! So glad to know a current Duke-NUS MD student here!

Just wonder if you know how many applicants would use GAMSAT instead of MCAT score for application? And what's the average GAMSAT score for admission? I searched the school website but they only posted MCAT score and GPA.

For the early admission, how long did you usually have to wait for the notification?

Thanks a lot and hope to be your junior next year!

not sure how many people applied with gamsat but i think we're in the minority here...

from what i recall in an admissions webinar, they do not have an average gamsat admission score but will use the 90th percentile as a cut-off mark

 

[wash345]

not sure how many people applied with gamsat but i think we're in the minority here...

from what i recall in an admissions webinar, they do not have an average gamsat admission score but will use the 90th percentile as a cut-off mark

Hello vaneyyik! thanks for your msg! are you an australian/ international stud? seems 90th percentile is quite high

 

[vaneyyik]

Hello vaneyyik! thanks for your msg! are you an australian/ international stud? seems 90th percentile is quite high

i'm singaporean but doing my undergrad in australia, so i decided to take the gamsat to apply for duke-nus as well as some aus unis for backup! have you already applied/which gamsat did you sit?

 

[wash345]

i'm singaporean but doing my undergrad in australia, so i decided to take the gamsat to apply for duke-nus as well as some aus unis for backup! have you already applied/which gamsat did you sit?

i have received some offers from aussie unis but wanna try dukenus. i have sat for both May and Sep GAMSAT

 

[wash345]

i'm singaporean but doing my undergrad in australia, so i decided to take the gamsat to apply for duke-nus as well as some aus unis for backup! have you already applied/which gamsat did you sit?

Have you received any offers from aus unis? For dukenus, have you been called up for interview already? i just wonder if my score is enough for duke nus interview

 

[vaneyyik]

Have you received any offers from aus unis? For dukenus, have you been called up for interview already? i just wonder if my score is enough for duke nus interview

as of now, i have a conditional offer from UQ (pending final term's results haha) and waiting to hear back from unimelb! unfortunately unable to be considered for usyd as i am currently offshore (they are only taking in onshore intl students for 2021). those were the only three aus unis i applied for, especially since moh/smc cut down the list of recognised overseas medical schools again -- and i intend on practising in singapore.

for duke-nus, i attended the september applicant day so just playing the waiting game now!! it's definitely my first choice over aussie unis lol

have you submitted your duke-nus application? and which aus unis did you get an offer from!

 

[wash345]

as of now, i have a conditional offer from UQ (pending final term's results haha) and waiting to hear back from unimelb! unfortunately unable to be considered for usyd as i am currently offshore (they are only taking in onshore intl students for 2021). those were the only three aus unis i applied for, especially since moh/smc cut down the list of recognised overseas medical schools again -- and i intend on practising in singapore.

for duke-nus, i attended the september applicant day so just playing the waiting game now!! it's definitely my first choice over aussie unis lol

have you submitted your duke-nus application? and which aus unis did you get an offer from!

Congrats! Those three are all top unis for medicine and i also received offers from them as well as offers from wollongong and griffith (due to their relative lower fees)

yes i have already submitted my DN application using the May GAMSAT results but also took Oct GAMSAT hoping to boost my score for a better chance!

i also intend to practice in sg as i consider that the country is more suitable as an multilingual asian.

Glad to hear that you have attended the Applicant Day! good luck and all the best mate! how's your applicant day?

 

[Cyberdoc2077]

Hello Cyberdoc2077! So glad to know a current Duke-NUS MD student here!

Just wonder if you know how many applicants would use GAMSAT instead of MCAT score for application? And what's the average GAMSAT score for admission? I searched the school website but they only posted MCAT score and GPA.

For the early admission, how long did you usually have to wait for the notification?

Thanks a lot and hope to be your junior next year!

Hi!

I only knew ~3 classmates (72 cohort) took GAMSAT. Though I am not sure the exact avg for this, I will check with other student!

I applied through EA last cycle, completed in last Aug and received interview in early Oct. It might depends on each individual profile.

Hope this help and all the best!

 

[Cyberdoc2077]

How are you liking Duke-NUS so far? Do you have time to pursue other activities outside of class (volunteer, sports, hobbies, etc)? How did you stop yourself from checking your email every 5 minutes and going crazy while waiting (or is it just me?)

Hahaha!
Duke is fun! You will understand our favorite quote form one great mentor that the curriculum is “tight and demanding, relentless and unforgiving”. We have stressful periods but we also work hard and play hard!

Admission might be stressful. As a reapplicant (been through my stressful period), I could say you will achieve your goal if you keep doing your best! Every life event is a good opportunity to learn!

All the best!

 

[Cyberdoc2077]

thanks pretty much the same questions as speedysloth haha but would you happen to know how many offers were released for early admission? :0

and i hope starting MS1 in the midst of covid wasn't too bad!!

I think they might release offer by interview batch, they might offer more if some ppl didn’t take the offer. I am not sure the exact number lol

I think COVID provide us a chance to study medicine in a unique way. We will see how it go!

 

[vaneyyik]

Congrats! Those three are all top unis for medicine and i also received offers from them as well as offers from wollongong and griffith (due to their relative lower fees)

yes i have already submitted my DN application using the May GAMSAT results but also took Oct GAMSAT hoping to boost my score for a better chance!

i also intend to practice in sg as i consider that the country is more suitable as an multilingual asian.

Glad to hear that you have attended the Applicant Day! good luck and all the best mate! how's your applicant day?

congrats on your offers too! maybe we will meet next year (in duke-nus or aus... haha) just fyi wollongong and griffith aren’t recognised by smc! but i’m sure you’ve already evaluated your options for next year~

(virtual) applicant day was quite an interesting experience! i feel that the interviews might be a bit subjective though based on the interviewer :0 hope you hear back from duke-nus soon!

 

[wash345]

congrats on your offers too! maybe we will meet next year (in duke-nus or aus... haha) just fyi wollongong and griffith aren’t recognised by smc! but i’m sure you’ve already evaluated your options for next year~

(virtual) applicant day was quite an interesting experience! i feel that the interviews might be a bit subjective though based on the interviewer :0 hope you hear back from duke-nus soon!

Thanks mate! if you don't mind, i actually have some questions regarding the interview. i know one senior (in fact should be a doc because he graduated in 2016 haha) who told me that the applicant day involves lots of group discussion/ teamwork in addition to the interviews with profs. So i wonder how it has become when it has changed to a virtual/ online one. do you guys have gp discussions or? thz again

 

[wash345]

Hi!

I only knew ~3 classmates (72 cohort) took GAMSAT. Though I am not sure the exact avg for this, I will check with other student!

I applied through EA last cycle, completed in last Aug and received interview in early Oct. It might depends on each individual profile.

Hope this help and all the best!

thanks for your reply !
Just wonder after your interviews, how long did you have to wait for the offer notification?
Also, since you are a reapplicant, would you mind sharing with us what you had added or changed in the second application?
Thz!

 

[vaneyyik]

Thanks mate! if you don't mind, i actually have some questions regarding the interview. i know one senior (in fact should be a doc because he graduated in 2016 haha) who told me that the applicant day involves lots of group discussion/ teamwork in addition to the interviews with profs. So i wonder how it has become when it has changed to a virtual/ online one. do you guys have gp discussions or? thz again

yup so applicant day is now split into two sections - virtual teamlead and interview (both on zoom). as far as i know, the teamlead (aka group discussion) isn't assessable and is just to demonstrate/simulate how some classes are run.

 

[Jayelle]

Ended applicant day today.

TeamLEAD was an interesting experience. I'm thinking it would be very fun to learn under such a setting.

On the interviews, although the interviewers were both friendly and it played out like a conversation, it was still rather intense. I can't remember much of what I said anymore, but I remember the questions being phrased in a rather personalized manner for me.

Back to waiting now.. Hope to hear good news in a few months time!

 

[speedysloth]

Ended applicant day today.

TeamLEAD was an interesting experience. I'm thinking it would be very fun to learn under such a setting.

On the interviews, although the interviewers were both friendly and it played out like a conversation, it was still rather intense. I can't remember much of what I said anymore, but I remember the questions being phrased in a rather personalized manner for me.

Back to waiting now.. Hope to hear good news in a few months time!

Congrats on finishing applicant day! How many other applicants were there? There were so many on the first applicant day (or many more than the previous year) that we sorta ran out of time for TeamLEAD and had to do the financial aid talk separately!

 

[Jayelle]

Congrats on finishing applicant day! How many other applicants were there? There were so many on the first applicant day (or many more than the previous year) that we sorta ran out of time for TeamLEAD and had to do the financial aid talk separately!

Maybe 20+ other applicants, close to 30? I was quite surprised at the group size. We did financial aid talk before TeamLEAD. But had to wrap TeamLEAD up hastily due to time constraints too.

 

[Cyberdoc2077]

thanks for your reply !
Just wonder after your interviews, how long did you have to wait for the offer notification?
Also, since you are a reapplicant, would you mind sharing with us what you had added or changed in the second application?
Thz!

Of course!
I waited around one month last year. The usual waiting time is around 2-3month.
I think at least I improved my MCAT score and other research activities.
Hope it helps

 

[Ambitious_duck]

Just got the applicant day invitation for 11/10! SO Excited! Would greatly appreciate previous attendees to share some experiences of the day, like how many applicants for the day in total, what kind of questions they would ask, if available.

 

[speedysloth]

Just got the applicant day invitation for 11/10! SO Excited! Would greatly appreciate previous attendees to share some experiences of the day, like how many applicants for the day in total, what kind of questions they would ask, if available.

Congrats friend!! I attended the first AD in September and there were ~40 other people if I'm not mistaken, it was a large crowd. Just relax and be yourself, I didn't feel like anyone was out to grill me at all, the other applicants + staff and faculty were all very nice!

 

[Ambitious_duck]

Congrats friend!! I attended the first AD in September and there were ~40 other people if I'm not mistaken, it was a large crowd. Just relax and be yourself, I didn't feel like anyone was out to grill me at all, the other applicants + staff and faculty were all very nice!

Thanks so much for sharing! What kind of interview format it will be? A panel interview, one on one, or group interview with multiple applicants?

 

[speedysloth]

Thanks so much for sharing! What kind of interview format it will be? A panel interview, one on one, or group interview with multiple applicants?

There was TeamLEAD (which had some group discussion and teamwork pertaining to the articles they've sent you or will send you soon) followed by two 1-1 interviews with faculty members.

 

[wash345]

Just got the applicant day invitation for 11/10! SO Excited! Would greatly appreciate previous attendees to share some experiences of the day, like how many applicants for the day in total, what kind of questions they would ask, if available.

Congrats mate! Would you mind sharing your stats?

 

[Ambitious_duck]

Congrats mate! Would you mind sharing your stats?

Thanks！Early applicant, GPA 3.72, MCAT 512, undergrad in the US

 

[pleasetakeme]

Hi! Anyone knows how long each interview takes?

 

[speedysloth]

Hi! Anyone knows how long each interview takes?

Should be around 30 minutes for each faculty interview, although one of mine was shorter than that (maybe closer to 20 mins?)

 

[lichoking]

Anyone has heard back post intervie from Duke-NUS? I completed the interview in early September ans still waiting. Anyone know what their timeline of As will be like for this year?

 

[speedysloth]

Anyone has heard back post intervie from Duke-NUS? I completed the interview in early September ans still waiting. Anyone know what their timeline of As will be like for this year?

Nope nothing yet, I know from reading last year thread that the earliest A's came out Nov 5th, and it's said on their website that results are being rolled out starting in November, so hopefully we hear back soon

 

[ANNAINTL]

Nope nothing yet, I know from reading last year thread that the earliest A's came out Nov 5th, and it's said on their website that results are being rolled out starting in November, so hopefully we hear back soon

Do you know if the A's come out in a huge wave or one by one slowly? If it is in a big wave then I will get really neurotic if I don't hear anything on Nov. 5th lol

 

[speedysloth]

Do you know if the A's come out in a huge wave or one by one slowly? If it is in a big wave then I will get really neurotic if I don't hear anything on Nov. 5th lol

Lol I actually have no idea, it sounded like it's a "wave" instead of one by one, but there's no guarantee they're gonna come out Nov. 5th either From last year's thread I also knew people from the same applicant day heard back at different times (some who interviewed in Sept. heard back Nov, some Dec, some Jan of next year). I guess we can only wait

 

[Ian233]

Does anyone know how to prepare for the two 30-minute interviews? Applicant for interview on 10th/Nov. here.
And are they both traditional interviews or one of them would be medical ethics related? Thanks~

 

[speedysloth]

Does anyone know how to prepare for the two 30-minute interviews? Applicant for interview on 10th/Nov. here.
And are they both traditional interviews or one of them would be medical ethics related? Thanks~

I'd say they're both pretty standard. I just googled practice interview/MMI questions!

 

[Ian233]

I'd say they're both pretty standard. I just googled practice interview/MMI questions!

I got it. Thank you!

 

[tzehua97]

Hi, do you guys think I have chance in this round with GPA:3.65 MCAT:502?

 

[speedysloth]

Hi, do you guys think I have chance in this round with GPA:3.65 MCAT:502?

I honestly don't think anyone can answer that except for the actual admission committee (and maybe not even them if they don't know your complete application)! You can look up Duke-NUS most recent class profile which includes average GPA and MCAT for reference, but even that can't really determine how good your chance is. I like to think that as long as you are eligible to apply, you have a chance If you feel confident about your whole app, go for it. If you're already doubting your chances even before you start applying, that might be a sign that you might benefit from waiting til a later cycle and strengthening your app in the meantime.

 

[Ambitious_duck]

Being kind of neurotic on TeamLead... are we going to be assessed during this session? How will the intedashboard thing work?

 

[speedysloth]

Being kind of neurotic on TeamLead... are we going to be assessed during this session? How will the intedashboard thing work?

Oh don't be haha I thought it was super chill and no, I don't think you get assessed based on it. It felt more like a "let you experience the learning style at Duke-NUS" kinda thing. You should've received (or will soon receive) an email with the articles and links to the dashboard. You can sign up beforehand, but you can't open anything else in there until the TeamLead session.

 

[Ambitious_duck]

Any thoughts on yesterday's applicant day? I was wondering how everyone answers the question 'why Singapore', cause I felt kind of stumbling on that, definitely mentioned great healthcare system and nice country etc, but not sure whether that comes across convincing. Anyway, it will be if its meant to be!

 

[speedysloth]

Any thoughts on yesterday's applicant day? I was wondering how everyone answers the question 'why Singapore', cause I felt kind of stumbling on that, definitely mentioned great healthcare system and nice country etc, but not sure whether that comes across convincing. Anyway, it will be if its meant to be!

Congrats on finishing Applicant's Day! Now join us in the dreaded wait lol

 

[ANNAINTL]

Congrats on finishing the applicant day!

The waiting is so annoying...
I am checking my mailbox almost every hour and my friends are asking me every day lol.
Since Nov. 5th already passed, clearly this year they are delayed because of covid?

 

[tzehua97]

I honestly don't think anyone can answer that except for the actual admission committee (and maybe not even them if they don't know your complete application)! You can look up Duke-NUS most recent class profile which includes average GPA and MCAT for reference, but even that can't really determine how good your chance is. I like to think that as long as you are eligible to apply, you have a chance If you feel confident about your whole app, go for it. If you're already doubting your chances even before you start applying, that might be a sign that you might benefit from waiting til a later cycle and strengthening your app in the meantime.

Thanks for the sharing, hope to receive the email soon

 

[kjs8028]

Hi All!

Current MS1 support here, hope everyone is doing great. I would try my best to answer question, if any.
Dont stress too much and all the best

@Cyberdoc2077, hi classmate

@others, I'm a current MS1. Please let me know if you have any questions! I'm international as well. Perhaps, I can answers questions related to international and other stuff!

 

[wash345]

@Cyberdoc2077, hi classmate

@others, I'm a current MS1. Please let me know if you have any questions! I'm international as well. Perhaps, I can answers questions related to international and other stuff!

Hello, may I ask where you are from? May I also ask some "outside" questions like what is the local to intl stud ratio, how intl students adapt to the SG life and how you guys find the accommodations in SG?

Thank you so much!!!

 

[kjs8028]

Hello, may I ask where you are from? May I also ask some "outside" questions like what is the local to intl stud ratio, how intl students adapt to the SG life and how you guys find the accommodations in SG?

Thank you so much!!!

1) I just heard today in a seminar that our school used to have many international students before (50%). However, the ratio kept decreasing that the number has been stable for the past few years. In the class of 2024, there are about 18 international students, which is about 25% of the student body.

2) With regard to accommodations, there is no school housing sadly. All of the international students that I know, they live either alone or with their housemates (and in some cases, classmates).

3) As an international student who lived in the US for a quite long time, I can say that our international students adapt very well to the new environment. It is partially because there are a lot of efforts from many different people; there are many social/cultural events which are usually hosted by either our school or class councils. In my case, I did not have any issue with adapting to a new environment although I did not have any significant experience in Singapore before med school.

I just hope you found my answer helpful! If there is any other question, please don't hesitate to ask! I hope you have a great day.

 

[billy04052]

just received invitation to 19/11 applicant day

 

[speedysloth]

Congrats on finishing the applicant day!

The waiting is so annoying...
I am checking my mailbox almost every hour and my friends are asking me every day lol.
Since Nov. 5th already passed, clearly this year they are delayed because of covid?

Yeah, I feel like they might also have a much higher number of applicants this year (that's the case for most, if not all, US medical schools this cycle). They did say in the first applicant day that they had many more applicants attending than usual. I jump at every gmail notification too, and I log in to the portal about 5 times a day "just in case" they forgot to email me

 

[ANNAINTL]

Yeah, I feel like they might also have a much higher number of applicants this year (that's the case for most, if not all, US medical schools this cycle). They did say in the first applicant day that they had many more applicants attending than usual. I jump at every gmail notification too, and I log in to the portal about 5 times a day "just in case" they forgot to email me

Yeah, I feel they have more applicants than usual. From last year's thread it seems that they normally only interview around 15 people per applicant day. But you know a huge group of people showed up in our applicant day lol.
I accidentally discussed about it with my interviewer. Her guess was that they were combining the sessions they usually held separately in the US with the one in SG since everything is virtual. Maybe they just want to interview more people and give more chances to everybody, which is a good thing but can potentially delay the process?

 

[ANNAINTL]

1) I just heard today in a seminar that our school used to have many international students before (50%). However, the ratio kept decreasing that the number has been stable for the past few years. In the class of 2024, there are about 18 international students, which is about 25% of the student body.

2) With regard to accommodations, there is no school housing sadly. All of the international students that I know, they live either alone or with their housemates (and in some cases, classmates).

3) As an international student who lived in the US for a quite long time, I can say that our international students adapt very well to the new environment. It is partially because there are a lot of efforts from many different people; there are many social/cultural events which are usually hosted by either our school or class councils. In my case, I did not have any issue with adapting to a new environment although I did not have any significant experience in Singapore before med school.

I just hope you found my answer helpful! If there is any other question, please don't hesitate to ask! I hope you have a great day.

Hi! Thank you for providing all the info! May I ask why the number of international students decreases over the year? So is it a lot harder for international students to get in now?