MEET YOUR HALAD GAMSAT TUTOR: GRACE
GRACE TUTORS SECTION 2!
Halad to Health is a NFP that runs Australia’s most affordable GAMSAT tuition students, where all proceeds raised from tuition fees go directly towards the Halad to Health Foundation Philippines, to give access to proper health education to students in rural Philippines.
Here’s A Bit About Grace
I’m currently a first-year medical student at the University of Sydney, and I honestly have to pinch myself sometimes to remind myself I’m here. Although I am a Melbournian, I moved to Sydney in December 2020 and have loved every minute of it.
My decision to study medicine was a little bit of an odd trajectory. As really young kid, I was absolutely fascinated with the human body — I wanted to know everything… and I mean everything (my parents had to give me ‘the talk’ super early just to stop the questions). Although as I got older the story changed — chef, flight attendant, teacher, accountant, movie director, who knows what else. However, I so distinctly waking up one day when I was 15 years old and had my mind so made up there was no going back — it had to be medicine. The only problem being I would faint at the sight of blood. I decided that this would not matter and after a few years of trying to expose myself to all the bloods, here I stand well on my way to becoming Doc Martin 2.0. That aside, what I would love most for my future (aside from not fainting the first time I watch theatre *jks… maybe not… watch this space*) is to become a medical advocate for wom*n’s and children’s health and sexual health as an OB/GYN one day.
As far as hobbies go, cooking and cleaning are my go-to’s. I know, super weird, but what can I say, all that domestic stuff — LOVE IT. Although my relationship with cleaning has been tested like I never thought it would be, because moving to Sydney has introduced me to my new friend, mould. Having said that, I now think I could tackle anything life throws at me with vinegar and bicarb. Other than that, you will find me putting on very complex (yet cheap) communal dinners for my housemates and feeding oranges to anyone I meet. If you are in Sydney — hit me up for a bag of oranges, our tree is prolific. My occasional feel-good fun includes going for a swim at Bondi (Sydneysiders don’t hate, it’s basic — I know), taking a heels class, or down at the Imperial with a Negroni wishing to be half as fierce as the queens up on stage.
I Had An ‘Expedited’ GAMSAT Journey
I’ve sat the GAMSAT twice — once in second year of my Biomedical Science Degree in September 2018, and once in third year in May 2020. The first sitting, I didn’t do any preparation and decided to roll the dice; see what I got and where my weaknesses lay. I was not surprised in the slightest to find my worst section was Section 2, but I still wasn’t in a starting place in need of as much recovery as I first thought. With one score under my belt, I decided to sit my ‘proper’ sitting in my final year. Although there I was in March 2020, mentally preparing myself to waste a hard-earned $500 because I simply had not done the preparation that I owed to myself. So when the email came through that it had been delayed I could not be more relieved. But I also vowed that I wasn’t going to waste my second chance.
Cue Halad to Health — my saving grace 🙏🏻. If I’m truly honest here, I was time-short, underconfident, and struggling with self-study when I started Halad’s 6-week intensive course. My tutors were kind, patient, and amazing at building my confidence. I worked particularly on S2 and where it was my worst score first time round, second time round it was my best, having improved by 23 points. Most importantly though, I began to enjoy the process and when it came to the day of the GAMSAT I can honestly say I enjoyed writing the essays I wrote — a position I never thought I’d be in as I’d not been keen on English or writing at school and my vocabulary isn’t fantastic. The Halad course left me with such a wealth of knowledge about how to play the GAMSAT game, but also so much that I’ve taken past that and now I’m honoured to be able to pass that onto new students.
The Way I Teach Section 2 Is All About Confidence.
Part of what makes Section 2 so challenging is that you’re choosing something of yourself to put out there on paper. That can feel really difficult and can make you feel so vulnerable. A huge part of my Section 2 journey was learning how to combat that, enjoying what I wrote and how I wrote it, and most importantly how to deliver a sense of self in your writing and feel completely unabashed by it. I want everyone to be able to bring that same confidence to the table, with it will come your passion and a certain eagerness and the structure and cohesion is a simple flow on from there. With S2 the world really is your oyster, and even though the prompts may feel oddly specific, you can honestly take it anywhere. And if you feel like you can do it, writing it won’t seem like such a mammoth task.
The Way I Teach Section 2 Is All About Studying Smart, Not Studying Hard
It might be controversial, and it might not work for everyone — but I’m here to tell you that you don’t necessarily need to be writing an essay a day leading up to the GAMSAT to do well. That is some people’s journey, but it wasn’t mine. I know what it’s like to feel shameful that it doesn’t look like you’re putting in as much effort as the person next to you, but everyone is on their own journey. Having tried out a couple of different techniques, I’m keen to work with my students on an individual level to find something that will enable their own personal active engagement. Work to your own schedule and strengths and you will be proud of the outcome.
If You’re In My Class, Ask Me About Cleaning Tips
Seriously though — I wasn’t lying before. Recipes for homemade cleaning solutions galore!
But also on a more normal note, this is my cat (sadly left back in Melbourne with my parents). So I need to feel the animal love — have your pets come say hi in my class!
Feel free to contact Grace at grace@haladtohealth.org anytime!
Enrol into Grace’s Section 2 classes here
