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Choosing Between Universities and Offers

Perplex

Emeritus Staff
Emeritus Staff
Hey Guys, So with the curtin versus UWA dilemma. I was tossing up both, leaning strongly towards UWA as I wanted to do a second major, UWA was closer to home, more established etc. However at the bottom of their enterance page it says you have to maintain a 5.5 GPA to enter post graduate Medicine. I don't know how feisable a 5.5 is in a Medical sciences major course where everyone enters with a 99. I also hear, (very often in the past years) that UWA is very snobby and all about the rep, whilst Curtin's social life is booming a little more now. Then there is the MD versus MBBS question, does it really matter? All in all very confused, but thinking Curtin?

I just wanted to chime in a bit here, a 5.5 GPA is not very difficult to achieve if you just study consistently. As A1 has mentioned it means that most of your grades float between low 70s and 60s, which again just requires some study and nothing hardcore. I wouldn't be discouraged by this clause.

MD vs MBBS means nothing different in Australia in terms of medical school. It's a primary medical degree which will allow you to be an intern and gain registration. A research MD is a higher research degree which is a qualification Drs may add to their CV. Hope this helped.
 

Ruffle

Puffle
Emeritus Staff
Hey Guys, So with the curtin versus UWA dilemma. I was tossing up both, leaning strongly towards UWA as I wanted to do a second major, UWA was closer to home, more established etc. However at the bottom of their enterance page it says you have to maintain a 5.5 GPA to enter post graduate Medicine. I don't know how feisable a 5.5 is in a Medical sciences major course where everyone enters with a 99. I also hear, (very often in the past years) that UWA is very snobby and all about the rep, whilst Curtin's social life is booming a little more now. Then there is the MD versus MBBS question, does it really matter? All in all very confused, but thinking Curtin?

2nd major is a lot of work, and not much use unless you actually intended to do something with your 2nd major, like languages, commerce for private practices, etc. As far as I'm aware, people in the medical field won't care too much about a second major.
5.5 GPA is a walk in the park haha, wouldn't need to worry about it at all. Apparently they let you resit your final exam twice. There's really no way you can fail. :)
UWA certainly has a different atmosphere than curtin, but it's not too drastic and I've heard good things about both unis. A more active medical students society for sure (does Curtin even have one?) .
One thing to consider is the length of the degree, UWA 6 years vs Curtin 5. UWA lets you do broadening units/electives and everything during undergrad, which you might find interesting, not sure about Curtin.
 

MedicHP

Curtin MBBS IV
Grrr yes we have a medical society. And it's quite active with both UWA and Notre Dame but more so with Notre Dame. Curtin has a very relaxed and social environment with everyone helping each other. Nobody so far is toxic or anything like that and it's quite banterous on the whole. However, in terms of electives, we have been told that we won't have any. The MedSoc itself is quite strong on the social side since we don't have much funding at the moment, we make do what we've got and it usually goes quite well. We've had a quiz night of some sort for people to get to know each other at the start of the year, lots of pizza nights and every now and then mental health awareness breakfasts. Our pinnacle for this year was definitely the cocktail night. We have some plans for next year including a sleepover at the med building (which is some wonderful architecture and very well equipped) during the world cup as well as bigger and greater events with the welcoming of a new cohort. Another thing that I've found quite great, and I'm not sure how much other unis can relate but every single student knows each other and all the staff know the names of the students. The Dean and Associate Dean are really friendly and also know everyone on a personal level. The admin are the nicest group of people I've had the fortune to come across and I feel like relevant support networks are available within the uni.

Also, you said UWA is closer. Curtin is 7.6km away from UWA. Perth is so small, surely distance isn't an issue (compare students in Sydney travelling over 60km to uni)
 
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Mel99

Member
I'd really appreciate advice on the pros and cons of each uni. I'm from Sydney and UQ is a quicker and cheaper flight home but also 7 yrs rather than 6 yrs at JCU. Also, JCU is straight into medicine whereas UQ is 3 years prior to starting medicine. I'm not at all worried about maintaining the GPA at UQ for Biomedical Science in order to guarantee entry into postgrad med. Is UQ more prestigious and are there more opportunities to specialise? I'm interested in the rural aspect of JCU but also don't want it to limit my opportunities as I know I can get a city education but still work in rural areas in the future. All advice and opinions would be appreciated.
 
L

Logic

Guest
I'd really appreciate advice on the pros and cons of each uni. I'm from Sydney and UQ is a quicker and cheaper flight home but also 7 yrs rather than 6 yrs at JCU. Also, JCU is straight into medicine whereas UQ is 3 years prior to starting medicine. I'm not at all worried about maintaining the GPA at UQ for Biomedical Science in order to guarantee entry into postgrad med. Is UQ more prestigious and are there more opportunities to specialise? I'm interested in the rural aspect of JCU but also don't want it to limit my opportunities as I know I can get a city education but still work in rural areas in the future. All advice and opinions would be appreciated.
I'd personally take JCU over UQ mainly because as you said it's shorter and also straight in to medicine in comparison to UQ. JCU grads are considered by many to be some of the most preparared for the internship year. Although UQ is a more well-known university, it won't help much in medicine as prestige doesnt matter very much.
 

Isiyara

UQ MD II
I'd really appreciate advice on the pros and cons of each uni. I'm from Sydney and UQ is a quicker and cheaper flight home but also 7 yrs rather than 6 yrs at JCU. Also, JCU is straight into medicine whereas UQ is 3 years prior to starting medicine. I'm not at all worried about maintaining the GPA at UQ for Biomedical Science in order to guarantee entry into postgrad med. Is UQ more prestigious and are there more opportunities to specialise? I'm interested in the rural aspect of JCU but also don't want it to limit my opportunities as I know I can get a city education but still work in rural areas in the future. All advice and opinions would be appreciated.

Hi, before I answer, I'm at UQ and I mainly made the decision to do med here based on location (I live in Brisbane).

I wouldn't worry too much about prestige as (according my understanding), the university you attend for uni for med doesn’t really influence your career opportunities. I would definitely consider if you want to finish early because that’s a huge advantage. If you are super super interested in research, UQ has a lot of people/institutions associated with this but I probably wouldn’t choose it over JCU just for this reason since you can do research anywhere (and you don't have to have to do research). Can’t really comment on the rural aspect of JCU, but I would imagine that would be better at JCU. Location might also influence decision, costs of living, different environments, etc. Also, do you want to do an undergrad? Currently I am enjoying doing an undergrad as I’ve been able to take a lot of non-med subjects but the downside is that I haven’t done anything med-related whereas JCU students have placements etc. in first year.

I know I haven't given a clear answer but if you're not at all interested in an undergrad, I would probably go JCU since you'd finish a year early and you would have to move either way. Good luck!
 

ffields

Lurker
Hey hey, I study at the Armidale campus in the JMP program and am also from Port Macquarie. Can't say I know much about the med school in port but it is a nice town and close to the beach etc etc. Armidale town itself is probably a bit more isolated but I can pretty much guarantee a great time and a fantastic program! You'll have the support of many cohorts above you (which is invaluable!) and more of a uni campus culture. But best of luck with your decision, med anywhere will be fantastic :)
 

Crow

Staff | Junior Doctor
Moderator
Hi Mel! Some other things to consider (in addition to what has been mentioned above) are your holiday length, general cost of living and what you like to do in your spare time. 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 UQ are a fair bit longer, and you won't be required to do any placements in this time either (until you reach the MD). However, I personally view early placements as a bonus to give you some clinical exposure and help contextualise your learning earlier in your degree - this of course depends on the person.

I believe cost of living is generally cheaper in Townsville compared with Brisbane, although perhaps you are planning to live on college (?) in which case the fees will be pretty similar. You come from Sydney, and so are probably more accustomed to a busier, city-like lifestyle; if you would like to continue this lifestyle, Brisbane is much more similar to Sydney than Townsville is in my opinion. Living in Brisbane means you are close to the Gold Coast (and everything it offers, such as beaches, nightlife 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 Brisbane and GC). 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.

I would say the rural focus at JCU will certainly not limit you in any way, but rather provide you with more insight into an area which is covered in less detail at other universities. 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.

Hope that helps!
 
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Mana

there are no stupid questions, only people
Administrator
Unless you have a specific desire to live specifically in Brisbane for a few years, JCU is by far the better choice. One year earlier of graduation is one more year of pay and one more year of medical experience as a doctor, and one less year of student loans and fees.
 

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Ruffle

Puffle
Emeritus Staff
See if you can swindle an offer to do UQ Dent as your undergrad degree before UQ MD, then you're on the way to the coveted OMFS.
Just wondering if it's possible at all?
Doubt it, then everyone would be doing it. Isn't UQ Dent postgrad anyway? (nice try though!)
 

A1

Rookie Doc
Moderator
Doubt it, then everyone would be doing it. Isn't UQ Dent postgrad anyway? (nice try though!)

UQ Med is grad with provisional entry while UQ Dent is undergrad, that's why it presents a unique opportunity.

I have a suggestion: accept your UQ provisional offer then move UQ Dent to pref #1, who knows you might get Dent in the second round!
(A UQ doc even says Dent is an acceptable undergrad degree for Med provisional)
 

Isiyara

UQ MD II
UQ Med is grad with provisional entry while UQ Dent is undergrad, that's why it presents a unique opportunity.

I have a suggestion: accept your UQ provisional offer then move UQ Dent to pref #1, who knows you might get Dent in the second round!
(A UQ doc even says Dent is an acceptable undergrad degree for Med provisional)

That makes sense, a friend of mine (ditched me and) is doing dent as her undergrad after accepting provisional med!
 

karenh

Regular Member
See if you can swindle an offer to do UQ Dent as your undergrad degree before UQ MD, then you're on the way to the coveted OMFS.
Just wondering if it's possible at all?

UQ Med is grad with provisional entry while UQ Dent is undergrad, that's why it presents a unique opportunity.

I have a suggestion: accept your UQ provisional offer then move UQ Dent to pref #1, who knows you might get Dent in the second round!
(A UQ doc even says Dent is an acceptable undergrad degree for Med provisional)

That makes sense, a friend of mine (ditched me and) is doing dent as her undergrad after accepting provisional med!

Hey A1 and Isiyara,

So accept UQ provisional before UQ dent or accept UQ dent before UQ provisional? Or do I just accept UQ provisional, then when it comes to choosing my undergrad, I choose UQ dent through the uni (not QTAC)? (Like we don't need to choose our undergrad e.g. science through QTAC. So I thought we only choose our undergrad after accepting UQ provisional, but apparently not for dent?)

Isiyara- Do you know what happens if your friend/ anyone can't maintain the 5.0 GPA for their undergrad required for provisional med? Is there an opportunity to resit the exam/ repeat the year or are you kicked out? And how's your friend finding the workload/ maintaining the GPA in dent?
 

A1

Rookie Doc
Moderator
So accept UQ provisional before UQ dent or accept UQ dent before UQ provisional? Or do I just accept UQ provisional, then when it comes to choosing my undergrad, I choose UQ dent through the uni (not QTAC)? (Like we don't need to choose our undergrad e.g. science through QTAC. So I thought we only choose our undergrad after accepting UQ provisional, but apparently not for dent?)

I'm not sure if you can freely choose UQ Dent for your provisional MD's undergrad degree. Most likely not since Dent has a stricter quota than other degrees, but ask UQ to be sure.

So assuming both offers are needed, you have to accept provisional MD first then hope for 2nd round Dent, not the other way since I believe there's no 2nd round for provisional MD. (In your quote above about before MD, I meant studying Dent before studying MD).
 

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UpTheGunners

Griffith MD II
Man if you want to do that, be ready for 9 years of uni life. 5 years dent then 4 years MD damn... All intense stuff too.... unless you REALLY want to do OMFS
 

marucomma

Lurker
Hi! I got an offer for USYD Double Degree Medicine recently and am currently waiting for UNSW Medicine offers, and I think I have a pretty good chance of getting an offer (98 UMAT). So I just wanted to sort out my priorities and decide where I wanted to go should I get the offer from UNSW.

I've reserached the courses so I do have basic knowledge of studying medicine at both universities but I just wanted to clarify:

While USYD course is a year longer it gives you an extra degree (I would do science) - will that greatly help in my career in the future (I understand that science knowledge would help build better foundations for me as a doctor. I only want to check if it makes a large difference in terms of career prospects or entry into specialisation programs)? Also, I understand that I need to maintain a D average and WAM of 65 at USYD to continue into medicine. Could I get a measure as to how hard that really is? Another thing, I have also heard (it is not my belief) that USYD is much more prestigious with a better reputation. Would that make a difference in the future as a doctor?

On the other hand, UNSW is undergraduate and a year shorter. In terms of convenience and distance as well it is the better university for me. Do the benefits at USYD outweigh that at UNSW or does UNSW has its own unique benefits as well?

I apologise for the lengthy enquiry - I am simply and desperately in need of advice.
 

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