Choosing Between Universities and Offers

[chinaski]

John Hunter Hospital is a sizeable tertiary centre in its own right, with a comparable capacity and case mix as urban Queensland hospitals.

 

[ThunderDragon]

Home state: SA
Offer 1: UQ provisional BMP (received 20/01)
Offer 2: UoN CSP (received 8/02)
Any scholarships offered: N/A
Any accommodation secured: Homestay for UQ
Internship location preference: SA ideally, no preferences when it comes to interstate
Other important information: Originally I had a CSP offer for UNE, and I chose UQ BMP because of tertiary hospital access in Brisbane compared to Armidale. However, after receiving an email yesterday saying I have now been offered a place at UoN, I am wondering if I should reconsider, as UoN has the John Hunter Hospital, I have a friend who is also going to UoN, compared to no support in QLD, and the difference between 7 years + BMP vs 5 years. On the other hand, the location of UQ still seems like it could provide more clinical opportunities throughout studies, though this is from my limited knowledge. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Congrats! I would choose UoN saves you 2 yrs + no BMP. Also would like to add that you can start “Proper Medicine” early at UON compared to UQ where you need to do an undergrad first

 

[uqdent]

Home state: SA
Offer 1: UQ provisional BMP (received 20/01)
Offer 2: UoN CSP (received 8/02)
Any scholarships offered: N/A
Any accommodation secured: Homestay for UQ
Internship location preference: SA ideally, no preferences when it comes to interstate
Other important information: Originally I had a CSP offer for UNE, and I chose UQ BMP because of tertiary hospital access in Brisbane compared to Armidale. However, after receiving an email yesterday saying I have now been offered a place at UoN, I am wondering if I should reconsider, as UoN has the John Hunter Hospital, I have a friend who is also going to UoN, compared to no support in QLD, and the difference between 7 years + BMP vs 5 years. On the other hand, the location of UQ still seems like it could provide more clinical opportunities throughout studies, though this is from my limited knowledge. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

If I were U, I would choose UoN. Just noticed that you from SA, not Brisbane. Accommodation is a minor issue. U definitely can find a place to live in Newcastle.

 

[yashb]

Hey, congratulations!!



Both Griffith and Monash have excellent med teaching + facilities. In terms of global uni rankings, Monash does run ahead but this is of no importance in Australia. University prestige does not influence your career opportunities and does not give you any tangible advantage.



I think you may have the wrong idea of Griffith's Bachelor of Medical Science degree. I'm not a student but I'm pretty sure you are learning 'med-specific content' since it's a medical science degree. Everyone who completes the Medical Science program and fulfils the necessary requirements will gain seamless entry into the MD. By 'students from other disciplines', do you mean students who won't complete an MD after? Most students will ultimately follow through with an MD unless they fail to fulfil the requirements of completing the first 2 years with a GPA of at least 5.0. Bear in mind that it's possible for students at both Griffith AND Monash to exit with only a Bachelor of Medical Science degree.



Coming back to QLD as an intern is definitely more difficult + more risky if you choose to study interstate. The reason why it's harder to intern in QLD after studying interstate is you will be considered in a different category BEHIND the med students who studied in QLD. However, it is definitely possible to come back to QLD in the future after your internship years.


This I'm not sure about, sorry about that!



Although I'm also from QLD and currently studying at Monash, I would choose Griffith if I had the chance. (Unfortunately, didn't get an offer)
Anyways, congrats and hope you're able to come to a decision soon

thank you for your advice!! greatly appreciate it

First of all, congratulations! I am a parent of a 2022 school leaver and after reading your post I found that you might be in the same situation as my child. Both of you got a perfect ATAR of 99.95, thus you both get scholarships from Monash. Both of you did well in UCAT and interviews so received multiple offers. Also both of you haven’t got your first preference in your home state. I guess yours might be UQ, correct me if I got it wrong.

My child now narrows the choices down to Adelaide Uni BMP and Monash CSP, with all the other offers rejected already.

We discussed the possibilities in the future years. All the years being able to live with family outweighs the advantage of one year earlier graduation in an unfamiliar place, and rural areas in SA are not too far away from CBD as Adelaide is a small city.

We are still comparing and deciding. How would 3 years of rural service affect the career path in 18 years? It’s too long to tell right now. All I know is that I would like my child to have a happy and relatively relaxed Uni life.

I post this for your reference. This is also my first post here. For this situation any comments will be appreciated!


Congratulations!
Your offers are just the mirror version of the offers my child is now holding onto. Could you please share what your thoughts are when finalising the choice? It’s so not easy that we need all the brains. Thanks!

Hi! I'm wondering what your final decision ended up being?

 

[ycxl]

Hi! I'm wondering what your final decision ended up being?

Adelaide offer has been upgraded to unbonded so we decided to take it. How about you?

thank you for your advice!! greatly appreciate it


Hi! I'm wondering what your final decision ended up being?

How about u? What is your decidion?

 

[Kiwi-ish]

I know this is early to be considering but I want as much time and information as possible to make the decision. I'm currently studying first-year biomed at the University of Auckland and with my current results and interview vibes its quite likely I'll get a place. I'm also applying to UNSW med, and with my high-school ATAR conversion and UCAT I have a decent shot at an interview/offer. Assuming I get both, is anyone able to shed light on how the experience at UNSW/Auckland might differ and how working as a junior doctor in either system would be?

 

[A1]

Assuming I get both, is anyone able to shed light on how the experience at UNSW/Auckland might differ and how working as a junior doctor in either system would be?

I can only offer a superficial comparison. At Auckland you'd be doing 5 more years of med with the 5th year being internship on (sort of) half pay. At UNSW it's 6 years med with internship in 7th year on full pay, so you'd be like 1.5 years behind.

Otoh a few months ago we chatted on MSO Hatbox with a NZ junior doc (what's his signame? he owns a $150k gun car). After comparing notes he said junior doc salaries in Australia, with shift/weekend penalty rates paid, were clearly better than in NZ.

That's all I know haha. Is the pathway to specialist training in NZ less crowded than Australia?

 

[james_tran]

Hi, I am currently sorting out my preferences and am unsure whether to put UNSW or JMP as number 1. Would anyone make a case for UNSW vs JMP? Preferably people who go there already? I live in Sydney and am not concerned at all about university “prestige”, but rather want to have a good university experience and medical education. I’m curious about what student life is like at Newcastle and whether it’s enjoyable.

 

[A1]

Choosing the right university and pathway for pursuing a medical degree is a significant decision. Let's discuss the pros and cons of each option to help you make an informed choice.

I'm going to delete this post^ as its value is questionable. For example "UWA Bonded - Financial Incentives: Bonded programs often come with financial incentives like scholarships or partial fee support in exchange for a commitment to work in designated areas or specialties after graduation." - I'm not aware of any incentives as such.

If the OP provides an explanation I'd be happy to undelete.

 

[Parterre]

Hi, I am currently sorting out my preferences and am unsure whether to put UNSW or JMP as number 1. Would anyone make a case for UNSW vs JMP? Preferably people who go there already? I live in Sydney and am not concerned at all about university “prestige”, but rather want to have a good university experience and medical education. I’m curious about what student life is like at Newcastle and whether it’s enjoyable.

Not going to dox myself so apologies for being vague. I have experience of student life from both campuses from several perspectives, but it is still n=1.

Both are great universities so you will have to work out what is important to you academically and wrt student experience. For instance, UNSW has an honours in medicine & AI. There is, however, an intangible benefit obtained in living away from parents but with their remote support (both financially and emotionally). Becoming independent is a key task of young adulthood and the long undergraduate medical path stifles it to an extent. This is clear in the intern/ resident years.

In specialty training, no one cares what university you went to.

UAC preferencing is a different issue. It may be prudent to put UNSW first, but more capable people can advise.

 

[james_tran]

Hi there. I am currently sorting out my preferences and am unsure whether to put UNSW or JMP as number 1. Would anyone make a case for JMP over UNSW? Preferably people who go there already? I live in Sydney and am not concerned at all about university “prestige”, but rather want to have a good university experience and medical education. I’m curious about what student life is like at Newcastle and whether it’s enjoyable.

 

[dotwingz]

Both UNSW and JMP are good programs. The key difference is that JMP is 5 years, but also you live in Sydney.

I would say the two questions you need to ask yourself is.

1. Can you commute to UNSW?
2. Which one are you more likely to get a CSP at.

Living at home, at least for the first years, can make a huge difference. If you think you have a good shot at the CSP (aka high ATAR and UCAT) then go UNSW, but if you think that your interview is what will seperate you from the other candidates, and hence have a better shot at ranking high at JMP, then go JMP.

What do you think? How easy is your commute and how competitive are you for UNSW?

 

[james_tran]

My commute to UNSW would be about an hour and a half from home. I am a gap year student w/ 99.80 & 3250.

I'm not really asking my question to figure out how to maximise my chances of getting an offer. I'm moreso asking because if I qualify for both JMP and UNSW, I will only receive an offer from my number 1 preference (as these universities give very limited round 2 offers to those who were eligible for a round 1 offer). Hence I have to have a clear idea about whether I will prefer to go to Newcastle or UNSW, in case this scenario arises.

 

[dotwingz]

Oh I understand. Its just that a really important factor for choosing spots is BMP vs CSP. Unfortunately you can't seperate preferences between BMP and CSP so even though you have scores that will make give you a good chance at both, if your interview is poor, you might end up bonded at JMP when you were actually eligible for a CSP at UNSW (or vice versa). If that makes sense?

Isolated from that, if you don't plan on doing the 1.5 hours each way every day, and are going to move out regardless. Def go JMP . Cheaper place to live and shorter 5 year program.

Another thing you could do is apply for CSP-only at JMP if your confident you will get a spot at UNSW, then that solves all (even tho it slightly increases risks to not get a place at either)

 

[james_tran]

Yes that makes perfect sense, thank you.

Putting JMP unbonded as #1 and then UNSW #2 would probably maximise my chances of getting an unbonded offer. However I do believe I have a chance at getting an unbonded offer at either, and I am quite confident in interview settings. Just so many factors to weigh up.

Unfortunately if I get interview offers from these unis, they will likely be after December 1 which is the deadline for UAC preferencing. Hence I won't be able to estimate my interview performance and be able to guide my decision based off of that.

 

[A1]

if I get interview offers from these unis, they will likely be after December 1 which is the deadline for UAC preferencing.

According to this > Key Date Listing Home
Jan 11th is the January Round1 offers (which is usually the round UNSW & JMP release but double check). The last day to change prefs around for that is Jan 4th.

(You may be required to enter med/dent courses into the pref list much earlier, but can swap around until Jan 4th. Also beware I don't remember which, UAC or QTAC only allows a limited number of swaps after which they charge an extra swap fee).

 

[AM74]

According to this > Key Date Listing Home
Jan 11th is the January Round1 offers (which is usually the round UNSW & JMP release but double check). The last day to change prefs around for that is Jan 4th.

(You may be required to enter med/dent courses into the pref list much earlier, but can swap around until Jan 4th. Also beware I don't remember which, UAC or QTAC only allows a limited number of swaps after which they charge an extra swap fee).

QTAC has limited swaps but the change fee is $55 - well worth spending it imo if you’re making such a big decision and have run out of free swaps.

 

[jayson]

Hi my nephew atar 99.9. Have got Umelbourn provisional with scholarship. He will get Griffith as well. So which one is better. he lives in NSW

 

[DrDrLMG!]

Hi my nephew atar 99.9. Have got Umelbourn provisional with scholarship. He will get Griffith as well. So which one is better. he lives in NSW

Please use the following template when asking questions in this thread.

Home state:
Offer 1: (CSP/BMP)
Offer 2: (CSP/BMP)
Any scholarships offered:
Any accommodation secured:
Internship location preference:
Other important information:

 

[jayson]

Home state: NSW
Offer 1: (CSP/BMP) Umelbourn biomedicine atar99.9
Offer 2: (CSP/BMP) will get Griffith
Any scholarships offered: yes from Umelbourn
Any accommodation secured: not yet
Internship location preference: NSW
Other important information: which one should I choose? Both provisional Umelbourn 7 years 3rd year need interview.