My name is Angela Chang and I am a 3rd year medical student at the University of Queensland (UQ), Australia. I'd like to share with you how Sophia Chang and her team at Newton Education have accompanied me through my journey from Taiwan to Australia.
I first met Sophia at the exchange student tour on the Gold Coast organised by Newton Education back in 2007 (I was at the end of Year 9). I instantly fell in love with Australia and was determined to continue and further my education over here. I stayed in touch with Sophia after the tour and finished my senior high school education in Taiwan. My focus during senior high school years was on building up my science knowledge through self-teaching university-level biology, anatomy and physiology. I also sat IELTs in Year 10 and achieved an overall of 6.5. I did not attend any IELTS course but purely relied on past exam papers published by Cambridge. Towards the end of Year 12, Sophia recommended UQ and its Foundation year program to me for their prestige, national and international reputation, and excellence in teaching and research.
The Foundation year program offers Australian Year 12 level subjects, aiming to help international students settle into Australian education system. It was not hard to ace in the program and it did help me familiarise with the style of assessment marking, expectations from examiners etc. I also established many solid friendships during the Foundation year, which have continued into university years and even now. During my foundation year, Sophia was there for me to fall back on, seeking accommodation close to school for me and making sure I was coping with the new environment and tasks well.
At the end of the foundation year, I was granted an unconditional offer to commence a Bachelor degree of Biomedical Science at UQ. I spent three years completing this degree, during which I sat GAMSAT three times. The first go was done in the second year of university with a couple of friends to 'test the water'. The second and last attempts were backed by intense preparation and I was admitted into medical school at UQ with my last GAMSAT result.
I did not participate in any commercially available preparation courses, nor did I invest in any GAMSAT preparation materials to assist my preparation. This is because GAMSAT assesses candidates' abilities to apply knowledge and think logically and critically, and I believe these skills cannot be acquired in a short period of time. I practised writing essays on a daily basis for an intense 3-month period and read broadly on various news sources and articles to sharpen my critical thinking patterns. In saying that, I have very advanced writing skills, which were built upon in my high school years. My strategy for the science part of GAMSAT was simple: I went through my lecture notes in 1st year university level biology and chemistry and studied my physics notes from high school years.
Initially, I applied to a number of medical schools across the country because I wanted to cast my net far and wide. Australian medical schools have just as high entrance standard as any oversea medical schools. For about four weeks, Sophia and her assistant invested much time and effort in helping me with the applications. Thanks to them, I was offered a spot at UQ medical school after months of waiting.
As far as I am concerned, Sophia hasn't been just an average education agent. Over these years, she has offered me the most heartfelt advice on both education and life. Like a mother, she is always there for me and I know she has my back. In retrospect, I would not have come so far in life without her companionship and I am indebted to her for the rest of my life.
