Hey
med12345, I discussed this a little bit in another thread for UQ vs JCU, but here are some things to consider (the reasoning is pretty similar for Griffith/UQ).
You get slightly less holiday time at JCU in your pre-clinical years (and in addition must do several placements during your holiday time) whereas the breaks during the undergrad portion at Griffith are a bit longer, and you won't be required to do any placements in this time either (until you reach the MD). In saying this, Griffith recently made the change from semesters to trimesters, so you now have to study in November-December of your first year to cover all the subjects you need to, so the break time is probably only 1-2 weeks better at Griffith in the first year (but after completing undergrad you will get a bigger break of a few months before starting the MD). I personally view early placements at JCU as a bonus to give you some clinical exposure and help contextualise your learning earlier in your degree (which you wouldn't get until your third year at Griffith) but this of course depends on the person.
I'll comment on living in Townsville vs Gold Coast, but I am aware if you go to Griffith you may also study at Nathan or Sunshine Coast for your first two pre-clinical years- unfortunately I don't know enough about the latter to give you much insight sorry, but Sunshine Coast is certainly a nice place to live.
I believe cost of living is generally cheaper in Townsville compared with Gold Coast, although perhaps you are planning to live on college at JCU (?) in which case the fees will be pretty similar. If you are more accustomed to a busier, city-like lifestyle, it is easier to find this on the Gold Coast and Nathan than Townsville, which is a bit more laid back in my opinion. But you can definitely live a laid-back lifestyle on the Gold Coast also. Living on the Gold Coast (or near it) means there is plenty of things to do in your free time (beaches, the nightlife, multiple large shopping centres, close to Brisbane and Sunshine Coast etc) whereas I think you may be a bit more limited in Townsville in this regard (although I can't comment much on this, I've only been to Townsville once and don't know that much about it - I know much more about GC). If you don't own a car and need to rely on public transport, the Gold Coast is ideal with a tram line that goes straight to Griffith as well as regular buses literally everywhere. Another thing to remember is that there is a possibility you will need to move from Townsville (to Cairns/Mackay/Darwin) in the second half of your degree at JCU.
If you are interested in rural and Indigenous health of course JCU will give you an edge here - I am aware some people even say doing your med school placements in rural areas will expose you to a lot more that you won't see in metropolitan areas, although this is of course debatable. Remember, all med courses have certain criteria/content they have to cover and all will provide you with the preparation necessary to become an intern, so both Griffith and JCU will leave you much prepared in this regard (as would any med school!).
One more thing is JCU will allocate whether you receive a CSP or BMP when they make you an offer. Griffith doesn't do this - you need to compete with your classmates in your undergraduate medical science degree and those with the highest GPAs get the CSPs and those with the lowest get the BMPs. If you don't want a BMP, you need to be willing to study hard enough to outrank your classmates at Griffith (who are among the smartest and most hard working students in the country) or get a CSP from JCU.
If you have other questions (particularly about Griffith or the Gold Coast) please let me know.
Hope that helps!
