Having 4 children aged 15 - 25 I have personally been through the rigors of selecting appropriate courses for their education. The minefield is vast and pitted with traps for those lacking in relevant knowledge.
Having introduced UMAT training in Australia, as the original pioneer who has assisted over 3,000 students into medicine and dentistry I have devised a 'SHOPPING LIST" for your facilitation.

Before taking the leap with your hard earned money ask the UMAT training provider you are investigating the following questions and expect prompt honest straight talking answers.

PARENTS OLD FASHIONED SHOPPING LIST TO AVOID GENERAL MARKETPLACE TRICKERY

Here are your "10 Demandments" from your UMAT training provider. Ask these questions and "expect prompt honest straight answers".

1 - What are the names of "all the teachers" who do the clinics not just the main teacher? Ask if they all have teaching qualifications!

A UMAT training provider may employ students or even their own children for example so please dig. Do they have teaching qualifications eg Diploma of Education, Bachelor of Education, Master of Education?

# Note. Ask to sight a copy of the degree. You are entitled to ask the UMAT training provider to email a copy of the degree to you. A PhD is a research degree not a teaching qualification.

An old ploy here is when students who have sat the UMAT say they scored well, passed their interview and so they are qualified to train other students. If you get this response then ask who trained them and check out that UMAT training provider for all 10 items listed here on your 'SHOPPING LIST". One of my sons did a driving test, scored 100% on his road rules examination and passed his driving test first time. Does this qualify him as a good driving instructor? Would you send your child to him to learn driving? Such an action would be foolish! I trust you would look for a qualified credentialled experienced driving instructor.

Avoid being trained by unqualified back yard students or unprofessionals who seek a quick dollar by defaming others!

Click on the following links to see our Senior Trainers "relevant education training" qualifications

PGrad Dip TTL

MEd

FRSH

FRSTMH

2 - Are the teachers university students who study full time themselves? Ask what teaching qualifications they have!

# Note. Many uni students especially in medicine make a quick buck during the "UMAT" season. If you are in doubt about any names just email us as we have trained many medical students. We know of one UMAT training provider who employs their own children to conduct clinics. Medical students and interns should be flat out studying? Do you agree? Do you believe they will push their career aside just to assist your children with theirs? Do they have time throughout the year to fully support your children? We have trained many medical students so please call us if you are in doubt and we will confirm if we have trained them for UMAT and their medical interview (Toll free 1800996659 in Australia - 0800666659 in New Zealand).

3 - Look for written endorsements from Doctors on the UMAT training provider's website.

# Note. These are most difficult to obtain as Doctors do not advertise openly unless they stand behind the product and have used it for their sons or daughters.
For example click here.

4 - Does the UMAT training provider have "supermarket discounts" i.e. Buy one get one free or enrol 2/3/4/100 students and we will give you a discount!

# Note. This is a dead give away. UMAT is a high stakes test and most competitive. Would you treat your child's chances at their chosen career like shopping in a $2 reject shop?

Approximately 1 out of 5 students interviewed get a place so taking along another 2 or 3 or more students to a course is self defeating and substantially reduces your child's chances of being the 1 out of 5 chosen. Statistically one of those extra people is more likely to get the place in Medical or Dental School. The idea is to gain an advantage by special coaching so bringing along some more competitors saves you a few dollars but removes that advantage thus wasting your initial investment for your son or daughter. After failing entrance into medicine it is too late to claim a refund!

Medical degrees do not come with discounts. We are talking about serious careers here! The thought of having poorly trained Supermarket doctors scares me! How about you? Australia doesn't require anymore "Dr Patels" from India!

CLICK here to read more
CLICK here to read more

Beware the supermarket discount approach when it comes to career preparation. Good products are seldom cheap and cheap products are seldom good!

Imagining asking a private school for a discount? They don't and can't discount quality and neither should you.

Another ploy is to place a large mark up on something and then pretend to offer a discount by marking the initially over inflated price down. These are in fact false discounts.
For example: Normal price $700 but bring 3 friends and you pay only $450 (and unfortunately reduce your child's chances of having a superior UMAT score and entering medicine.)

5 - Does the UMAT training provider have something to hide in their history?

# Note. By going to this website you can freely check the history of the UMAT training provider.
Some UMAT training providers block their past notices which may be contradictory or shifting which reveals the inconvenient truth about them.

Click here and type in the website address to check if their history is open to the public or hidden. Important information and controversial evidence can be concealed from the unsuspecting and unknowing public in this way. You may see a sign like this for example:

Robots.txt Query Exclusion. We're sorry, access to http://www.medentry.com.au has been blocked by the site owner via robots.txt.

6 - Does the UMAT training provider have a large viewable forum open to the public?

# Note. Successful organisations have no fear of forums as long as they do the right thing by their students?
Most organisations are not committed and do not have the time or resources to maintain a large open public forum to assist prospective students.

7 - Does the UMAT training provider copy or plagiarise their training questions from third party sources?

# Note. If the UMAT training provider claims to have permission then ask to see their permission from these third parties then send it along to us at <info@medical-entrance.edu.au>. We can freely check and confirm this for you.

Some organisations claim their training questions are researched and of the highest quality. We have checked some UMAT training providers and found this is far from the truth. Get your son or daughter to ask around as these courses are not cheap.

Paying for copied or plagiarised materials is a "rip off." We checked one UMAT training provided and were stunned to see the extent of their pirating material especially after claiming on their website that their materials are researched and of the highest quality.

8 - Is the UMAT training provider ethical and professional?

# Note. Read around the UMAT training providers website and get a "smell" for the type of people you are dealing with and to whom you are trusting your child's education. Do they seem open or are they “knockers” who seek to climb on others backs while distracting from their own inadequacies?

Medentry and the Boyapati Family are suing us in court. The case has run over two and a half years during which there were 7 motions. Medentry and the Boyapati Family lost them all.
The Boyapati Family have conveniently left this off their website!

9 - Does the UMAT training provider advertise openly a price for past students while claiming to be a premier training organisation and being results oriented?

# Note. Why do they have so many students who fail and need to repeat? Is this results oriented? What results are we speaking of here? Does any such UMAT training provider have your children's interest at heart or your pocket? Having done poorly once would you waste your money there again and be bitten twice? Read websites thoroughly and ask probing questions.

10 - Does the UMAT training provider advertise deceptively?

# Note. One UMAT training provider posts on their website:

"Medical students across Australia are doing their bit to help disadvantaged year 12 students prepare for the Undergraduate Medical and Health Sciences Admission Test (UMAT)."

Under the name of the group MedEntry, medical students will offer a one day intensive workshop to high school students from disadvantaged areas who are generally under-represented in medical school. The group's website is www.medentry.com.au.

We believe these philanthropic medical students may be the children of Medentry which collects approximately $1,000,000 annually from UMAT students. We believe that they put on a clinic for 20-30 people in Mildura charging each student approximately $200 while offering the most expensive standard course in Australia for everyone else.

# Note. One UMAT training provider posts on their website:

"Our success rate is outstanding. A survey of a random sample of students who have been through our full training program showed that 92% were offered interviews, and 88% were offered places in one or more medical schools?.
This means nothing to a future buyer. How many "students have been through the full training program" Might this be the most exorbitantly priced one? Are we talking about 30-40 students a year in which case 88% of 40 students is approximately 35 students into medicine each year. We don't think this is outstanding at all. ICARUS College gets 10 to 12 times this many into medicine and dentistry every year and has been doing so for many years.

# Note. "Feedback statistics show that 99.1% of our customers would recommend our services to their friends."
When were these surveys taken about recommending - after the UMAT test or after a clinic? There is a big difference! Straight after a workshop students know no better as to how good the course was. All surveys should be done "after the UMAT test has been sat not before".

Think about it and you will see the sense here! The acid test is to obtain an endorsement after the student has sat the UMAT when they are best equipped to answer surveys from an informed point of view. All of ICARUS College surveys are conducted after the UMAT!

#Note. Sign on one UMAT training provider's website as of August 2007:

"While they are numerous people who contribute to our products and services in various ways, we wish to particularly thank the following professional consultants".

Anyone can post a professional list of names on a website without saying "exactly" what these peole do in their consultancy. We urge you to contact these people and ask them how they have contributed.

You may be surprised as may be some of them. This UMAT training provided had to take down similar sponsor logos as the various associations threatened legal action action against this provider. Demand to see a copy of the consultancy letter or ask for the consultants phone number. This stops them dead in their tracks

Genuine consultants describe the nature of their consultancy so don't be misled by someone simply popping up lots of doctors or professionals names. For genuine non deceptive, open and descriptive Consultancy Endorsements Click here.

#Note. We know of one UMAT training provider claiming to be sponsored by Novartis a drug company. Click here for an interesting article about Novartis.

Don't be conned parents! - Do your homework well!

If you have any questions about your child's future please email me at >dallas@icarus.edu.au< or call me at 1800996659 and "expect prompt honest straight answers".

Best wishes

Dallas

Dallas Gibson
Director, ICARUS College (Govt RTO 21457)
BHSc, MEd, MHSc, MHA&IS, PhD
PGrad Dip TTL, PGrad Dip PHC.
MACE, FRSH, FRSTMH.

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Whether you believe you can or whether you believe you can't - YOU'RE RIGHT!!!