Haha very true! Thank you for the advice Yamster DrDrLMG! At the moment the masters fees are around $67k a year, but it's likely to go up by the time I'm in my masters.Fee for the Masters two years is $132k so $110k more than two CSP years.
Yamster given your reluctance to start working you shouldn't have any trouble deciding. Why have to work for the $110k instead of not having to pay it
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Choosing Between Universities and Offers
- Thread starter bbydaisy
- Start date
Please use the template provided for asking this question.
Home state: SE QLD
Offer 1: JCU Med (CSP)
Offer 2: Monash Med (CSP)
Any scholarships offered: no
Any accommodation secured: sorted for both, need to finalise within next few days
Internship location preference: either SEQ or Melbourne
Other important information: any advice greatly appreciated
Offer 1: JCU Med (CSP)
Offer 2: Monash Med (CSP)
Any scholarships offered: no
Any accommodation secured: sorted for both, need to finalise within next few days
Internship location preference: either SEQ or Melbourne
Other important information: any advice greatly appreciated
CONGRATULATIONS!! That's amazing
Personally, I would choose Monash; because
- 5 years
- In Melb (relatively big city bc I'm a city gal hahaha)
- I don't have much interest in JCU's big emphasis on tropical, rural health so Monash's course seems more appealing
In particular, being in city is sth important to me; in more remote areas, it's hard to access things I need in my daily life - especially food (I'm Asian, so Asian groceries and restaurants would be rarer) - and I think that while life after med school is important, I want my uni life to be as enjoyable as possible!
I heard that JCU's content is very focused on tropical, rural, Indigenous health - so if you're willing/excited to learn about that, then go for it! Maybe research into JCU and Monash's courses online and on MSO
So, in conclusion, it's all up to you, but here are some things I consider:
- Course content
- Opportunities in uni (e.g. through societies, programs to learn more, research) that I'm interested in
- Location of uni / lifestyle in this location
- Cost of uni + cont the lifestyle there
- Uni life
- Opinions of school of people who go there
chl.yn_2935
Member
For me, what's making this decision difficult is because JCU is in QLD but Monash is 1 yr shorter. I think it's important to consider:
1. Where do you want to stay for the next few years including the years of early practice? Where you will receive an internship is dictated by which uni you attend. If you graduate from JCU, you will be prioritised first for internship in QLD, including the hospitals in SEQ. (I think you'll need to think about which internship location you prefer over the other)
2. Monash's 5 year course is shorter so you get to finish earlier and start working. This also means one year less of school fees + an extra year of salary in 6 years time.
Personally, I would choose JCU because after graduating and I get an internship at a SEQ hospital, I would be able to move back home and save myself the cost for accomodation during my internship years. I also think that the connections you make during your internship years will come in handy if you want to practise in SEQ after internship. Also, I think it's important to know that VIC is the only state with merit-based intern allocation, i.e. your academic results will influence whether you get into the top Melbourne hospitals and you'll effectively need to compete against your classmates during med school.
If you're someone interested in the rural, Indigenous aspects of JCU but also don't want it to limit your opportunities since it's a smaller, less well-known uni, I'd still recommend JCU since prestige doesn't really influence your career opportunities. 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.
This is just my personal perspective but definitely research into both courses!
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Hi all (again!),
Still deciding between a hypothetical unsw non-bonded offer and my current uAdel non-bonded offer - whether it comes down to these two, i'll have to see, but would be interested in hearing your thoughts beforehand. If I am fortunate enough to get a monash unbonded offer, it is likely i will select that over any current offer - so will not factor that in here.
Home state: QLD
Offer 1: UAdel Medicine (6 years) CSP
Potential Offer 2: UNSW Medicine @ Kensington (6 years) CSP
Any scholarships offered: No
Any accommodation secured: Yes for both
Internship location preference: Ideally QLD, but doesn't really matter
Other important information:
Both courses have the same duration and an emphasis on group & scenario-based learning, which I like. Both are programs with some exposure to the practical side of things from first year. UNSW has a research year but UAdel also has a supervised research project. It's also likely (just like any med cohort) that I'll be working with the top students from each state. For me right now, it seems to come down to location and facilities. Location wise, I prefer adelaide as a quieter city. But those i've spoken with say being in a larger city, unsw offers better access to resources and facilities. Any thoughts?
The bonded/bonded vs uni (and what it offers) is also something i'd like to explore further. For instance, these are the possible scenarios should i be fortunate to get a unsw or monash offer as well:
monash bonded vs unsw unbonded
unsw bonded (or @PM/WaggaWagga) vs adelaide unbonded
monash bonded vs uadel unbonded
To help make this decision, I'm also curious to know whether studying at PM or Wagga Wagga vs Kensington is a major difference in terms of resources, infrastructure, clinical opportunities, etc.
I know typically non-bonded is recommended (and I would prefer non-bonded, but this weighs up against clinical exposure + access to resources, etc.) and I assume it comes down to whether or not being bonded is a major deterrent personally, but wondering if anyone had any thoughts or experience in a similar position?
Thanks!
Still deciding between a hypothetical unsw non-bonded offer and my current uAdel non-bonded offer - whether it comes down to these two, i'll have to see, but would be interested in hearing your thoughts beforehand. If I am fortunate enough to get a monash unbonded offer, it is likely i will select that over any current offer - so will not factor that in here.
Home state: QLD
Offer 1: UAdel Medicine (6 years) CSP
Potential Offer 2: UNSW Medicine @ Kensington (6 years) CSP
Any scholarships offered: No
Any accommodation secured: Yes for both
Internship location preference: Ideally QLD, but doesn't really matter
Other important information:
Both courses have the same duration and an emphasis on group & scenario-based learning, which I like. Both are programs with some exposure to the practical side of things from first year. UNSW has a research year but UAdel also has a supervised research project. It's also likely (just like any med cohort) that I'll be working with the top students from each state. For me right now, it seems to come down to location and facilities. Location wise, I prefer adelaide as a quieter city. But those i've spoken with say being in a larger city, unsw offers better access to resources and facilities. Any thoughts?
The bonded/bonded vs uni (and what it offers) is also something i'd like to explore further. For instance, these are the possible scenarios should i be fortunate to get a unsw or monash offer as well:
monash bonded vs unsw unbonded
unsw bonded (or @PM/WaggaWagga) vs adelaide unbonded
monash bonded vs uadel unbonded
To help make this decision, I'm also curious to know whether studying at PM or Wagga Wagga vs Kensington is a major difference in terms of resources, infrastructure, clinical opportunities, etc.
I know typically non-bonded is recommended (and I would prefer non-bonded, but this weighs up against clinical exposure + access to resources, etc.) and I assume it comes down to whether or not being bonded is a major deterrent personally, but wondering if anyone had any thoughts or experience in a similar position?
Thanks!
As someone moving interstate to study medicine, I would take unbonded over bonded all day and every day. There's just no reason to be locked into a 3-year mandatory return of service obligation in return for a place at medical school. Yes, you may end up enjoying working rurally, no one knows. But the key point is you're locked into a contract, in which the government more or less dictates where you work for 3 years. You don't get any freedom. No one is stopping you from working rurally as an unbonded student, or you can work in a metropolitan area if you prefer - what's important is you are free to make your own life decisions.
To hammer it home, say after you graduate from medical school, you realise that medicine is not your calling and you want to work in consulting instead (I know a person who did this). With bonded, you still have a 3 year return of service obligation you need to fulfill, that would suck.
The only reason I would consider a bonded offer over a unbonded offer is if the bonded offer was in your home state, eg. for you getting UQ bonded. Then the benefits of staying with family, saving $$ on rental payments every year etc. might outweigh the 3 year return of service obligation. Otherwise, I would not choose a Monash bonded over Adelaide unbonded, etc.
I haven't experienced the clinical years of medicine yet, but it's commonly said that all AMC accredited medical schools are more or less equal in terms of access to resources, facilities, and the overall quality of education. And, Adelaide, UNSW and Monash are all prestigious Group of 8 universities, if that even matters to you personally. I reckon just choose the city you'd prefer living in.
jintei
Member
Offer 1: Uadel BMP
Offer 2: UQ CSP
Offer 3: UoN CSP (won't choose)
Scholarships: None
Accom: Both unsecured, but will sort out after Feb 1 depending on Monash/Uadel/UQ
As I aspire to return to singapore after grad, i need a go8 degree. so UoN is out of the question
So I got Uadel bonded on the second round, and I'm tossing it up against UQ CSP and UAdel BMP. Any thoughts on it?
And, is the UCAT grind worth it to try to get in from UQ provisional --> UNSW med? How hard is interstate actually....this time i failed with 3170 99.8, maybe i need 3300 in the future??
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Did you get a UNSW interview (I’m assuming yes)? Rather than necessarily thinking it was your UCAT that let you down (I’ve just had a quick look through the offers thread at the successful score combos and yours certainly could have been) it may have been your interview performance on the day that was the issue. A higher UCAT could potentially compensate but not in all cases.
1. I'm optimistic on your behalf you'll get Monash unbonded, it'd be your obvious choice.
2. Otherwise wait for Adelaide upgrade from BMP to CSP, if yes take it.
3. If no upgrade I think UQ CSP is better. Being bonded can make your Singapore plan complicated.
jintei
Member
Mine was an interstate application , yes that's common in round 2, my UCAT and interview was not good enough.
All ppl i knew who got offers in round 2 for UNSW had 3200+ UCAT...
Also, I felt like I prepped and answered everything that I could, aka I couldn't diagnose my problem (except for a few coulda been better answers). ATM i don't see how my next year's answers would be different by too much, technically the way I prepped for MMI worked for MMI, (I understand panel is very different though) so a higher UCAT, at least maybe 98 or near 99 could help.
But, I dk if I should try again for UNSW. that means UCAT grind again, and without the same score i did this time, it'd be useless.
I'm interstate to monash, I was given an answer by monash med admissions that I'm in consideration for feb round and future only due to overseas y12 qualification. Made things much harder already
That said, I hope I get it.
If I don't, I guess just UQ CSP then, yea bonded is a bit complicated esp. the 1.5y after fellowship, not sure i want to buy it off.
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swagatronium
Member
Home state: QLD
Offer 1: UAdel Med CSP
Offer 2: UNE Med @ Armidale CSP
Offer 3: UNSW Med @ Kensington CSP
Any scholarships offered: None
Any accommodation secured: Yes for Adelaide, No for the others
Internship location preference: NSW/Victoria
Other important information:
I've tried to weigh up things for myself, but definitely happy to take on some other input! I'm waiting on February 1st to see if VTAC offers anything, fingers crossed! I think I'd prefer to be in a metropolitan area despite the greater accom cost that's going to come with it, so I may be leaning towards either UAdel or UNSW. I think that may make my decision a bit similar to ar456's, though I've heard quite the contrary about the resources - I've heard UAdel has the health simulation centre and a really nice medical building (though I think the latter shouldn't weigh too much into my decision), and not so much about UNSW. I've looked into the specialties both universities offer with placements, and it seems they're relatively similar if I'm not mistaken.
I think the tie-breaker could be that I want to do an internship in NSW, but in all honestly, I've had limited exposure to Australia outside of QLD, so not sure if that would actually be the best fit for me.
I feel as if this may be a moot point, but I'm considering this: if would it be easier for me to move into an Adelaide internship from NSW (attending UNSW) then move into a NSW internship from Adelaide (attending UAdel). Not sure if that makes sense, but what I'm trying to get at, is whether NSW would be a more competitive place to move to practise then Adelaide.
Thanks for any input!
Offer 1: UAdel Med CSP
Offer 2: UNE Med @ Armidale CSP
Offer 3: UNSW Med @ Kensington CSP
Any scholarships offered: None
Any accommodation secured: Yes for Adelaide, No for the others
Internship location preference: NSW/Victoria
Other important information:
I've tried to weigh up things for myself, but definitely happy to take on some other input! I'm waiting on February 1st to see if VTAC offers anything, fingers crossed! I think I'd prefer to be in a metropolitan area despite the greater accom cost that's going to come with it, so I may be leaning towards either UAdel or UNSW. I think that may make my decision a bit similar to ar456's, though I've heard quite the contrary about the resources - I've heard UAdel has the health simulation centre and a really nice medical building (though I think the latter shouldn't weigh too much into my decision), and not so much about UNSW. I've looked into the specialties both universities offer with placements, and it seems they're relatively similar if I'm not mistaken.
I think the tie-breaker could be that I want to do an internship in NSW, but in all honestly, I've had limited exposure to Australia outside of QLD, so not sure if that would actually be the best fit for me.
I feel as if this may be a moot point, but I'm considering this: if would it be easier for me to move into an Adelaide internship from NSW (attending UNSW) then move into a NSW internship from Adelaide (attending UAdel). Not sure if that makes sense, but what I'm trying to get at, is whether NSW would be a more competitive place to move to practise then Adelaide.
Thanks for any input!
What’s the rationale for UNSW? I’m not 100% following that. Is it just a preference for a Sydney based location?
jintei
Member
NSWers are given out offers in first round UAC first.
All interstate AND some non-standards are then given out offers in second round UAC.
Round 2 for UNSW is likely to be more competitive than round 1 according to my own observation. This is my theory only. UNSW could gatekeep the no. of interstates by giving out more offers in round 1. All people I know who got offers in round 2 were 99.8+ 3200+ non-standards (3 in fact.)
Ofc, it could be my interview not being well enough, hence I'll improve on that as well, as well as aim for a 98+ UCAT if I am to try for UNSW again.
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No, I mean the rationale for you to re-do UCAT and move there/repeat first year?
jintei
Member
So if my family moves to Sydney, dad would be able to find a job easier than in Brisbane haha.
Also, I get to start med earlier.
Those are the two main reasons
pochacco12345
Member
Hello! Just randomly jumping in here but some non-standards were actually given interviews in december, and I have indeed heard that some non-standards (particularly those who commenced an undergraduate degree at USYD) were given offers in the first round of UAC. The non-standards in the second round of UAC primarily consisted of UNSW students who transferred from other degrees (including myself with vision science/optometry).
It's quite difficult for an interstate like you to get a NSW internship due to two reasons:
- You are priority 3 behind the domestic NSW grads + the interstate grads who were NSW Y12s.
- The way NSW allocation works, the priorities are applied within each hospital network, not overall. The int'l grads know they are "orphans" so to maximise their chances for the crucial internship they preference the remote networks (fewer competitors there). Whereas if you preference the non-remote networks full of higher competitors you miss out i.e. some priority 4 get their spots while you priority 3 don't.
If you want an internship around Sydney best to take UNSW.
ThunderDragon
Regular Member
Will add that if you get Monash offer in Feb round and that you would like to intern in Victoria, that would be your best option. Victoria is known to be extremely notorious to get an internship from interstate uni (almost impossible)