Super Six to Study Medicine

Science, methodology, practicality, patience, personality, and empathy….

These are the words we often use to encapsulate the subject of medicine.

The amount of knowledge required to study medicine is one thing, but being accepted into the course can prove to be even more difficult.

Medical school acceptance rates are extremely low in Australia.

This is why the College is proud to announce that six (yes, you read that correctly) of our graduates from 2021 have been accepted into medical school across various universities in Western Australia!

Sophie Krummenacher, Hannah Potula, Sirena McDowell, Grace McCormack, Tahlia Fairhead and Shanice D’Silva, have taken the leap of faith and will be pursuing a career in medicine.

We sat down with the girls and had a chat with them about what they attribute to their success.

“Consistency in my studies is something which lead to my acceptance into medicine. In saying this though, I still think it is equally as important to maintain a healthy school-life balance. Don’t give up on the out of school activities that you enjoy, as these provide the breaks needed to stay dedicated to your studies.”, said Sophie.

Tahlia added, “For me, it was the ability to manage my time effectively. Scheduling my days and sticking to it was so vital. Routine and structure really are key.”

The girls also had plenty to say about the College, making mention of the supportive and encouraging staff, who assisted in making their ATAR journey a smooth sailing process.

Sirena explained, “Santa Maria guided me through my studies with dedicated and enthusiastic teachers. The other students at Santa Maria in my cohort were also invaluable through my Year 11 and 12 studies as talking with friends, consolidating knowledge and discussing key issues was a major key to my success.”

“The positive learning environment encouraged me to have an active approach to my learning – that is to learn from my mistakes. I will take this with me through to my university studies and everything else that I do.”, said Hannah.

For Shanice, it was the diverse array of co-curriculars, which helped develop the skills she will need to succeed in the medical field.    

Shanice said, “Through these co-curriculars I developed several friendships, made a difference in the community, and dived into leadership opportunities, which gave me the confidence and belief I needed to take up medicine. A good ATAR isn’t the only thing required to gain entry, so dividing my time across co-curriculars, socialising and studying was important.”