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Choosing Between Universities and Offers

chinaski

Regular Member
I think it's worth underlining the fact that you're in medical school for years - this is not an inconsiderable period of time. The school itself has the ability to make those years difficult and personally miserable if you pick a course that is incompatible with your goals and/or needs as a student. I'd focus more on what the school can deliver during the time you are a student with them, rather than any promise of advantage beyond graduation (which doesn't exist).

Only thing I would factor in WRT to post-graduation influence would be bonded places and state/territory of graduation (as the latter will directly influence the location of your internship year). These are not variables specific to any particular school, however.
 

SLP

Bond MD I
I think it's worth underlining the fact that you're in medical school for years - this is not an inconsiderable period of time. The school itself has the ability to make those years difficult and personally miserable if you pick a course that is incompatible with your goals and/or needs as a student. I'd focus more on what the school can deliver during the time you are a student with them, rather than any promise of advantage beyond graduation (which doesn't exist).

Only thing I would factor in WRT to post-graduation influence would be bonded places and state/territory of graduation (as the latter will directly influence the location of your internship year). These are not variables specific to any particular school, however.
I guess the biggest issue with focusing on what the med school has to offer in terms of their degree is determining which would be more suited or a better fit for you. Even listening to people's opinions on what they think can be misleading as they may not think the same as you or they may not value the same specifics as you may do in terms of a quality education and a good general university experience.
 

chinaski

Regular Member
Agree. In that sense there is no absolute "right" or "wrong" - merely what's "right" for you. I think it helps to hear about how others have found a course you are considering, as it can give you insight that you otherwise would not read about in the official university blurb (for instance, poor admin or lack of support for students is never publicised but can be a common problem with universities). However, some experiences are personal and not universally applicable, for sure.
 

Caffeine

Regular Member
Yeah, beggars can't be choosers. I'd take any offer tbh.

Yeah I feel like I am in uncharted waters, so it's hard to make any decisions. I don't even know if the places offered for Aboriginal pathway applicants are CSP or BMP.

I'm pretty impressed with the Nura Gili unit from UNSW - they seem to be very supportive of future and current Aboriginal students.
I think it's important to also understand that many applicants "want" to be specialists in a particular field when they start but most change their minds a lot during the actual course of medicine. Specialisation in a set field might seem attractive now but it's not something I would be concerned about because you could want to initially be a surgeon when you start med school but then pray to god that you never have to touch surgery again when you finish [Sometimes you might also just feel really sorry for surgeons]. People also at the start might find the whole surgical/diagnostic aspect very interesting but absolutely hate it by the end and pursue Admin instead. Medical specialities in particular are things that students change opinions in every 1 to 2 semesters and it's best not to be too worried about it now.
 

chinaski

Regular Member
I think it's important to also understand that many applicants "want" to be specialists in a particular field when they start but most change their minds a lot during the actual course of medicine. Specialisation in a set field might seem attractive now but it's not something I would be concerned about because you could want to initially be a surgeon when you start med school but then pray to god that you never have to touch surgery again when you finish [Sometimes you might also just feel really sorry for surgeons]. People also at the start might find the whole surgical/diagnostic aspect very interesting but absolutely hate it by the end and pursue Admin instead. Medical specialities in particular are things that students change opinions in every 1 to 2 semesters and it's best not to be too worried about it now.
Whilst all of this is true, it's also understandable that people have a desire to set themselves apart as soon as they can, even on the off-chance they end up wanting to pursue a competitive specialty. It's like insurance: put in the hard work early, and you might be able to capitalise later if you decide that's the path you want to take. The problem lies more in the fact that students are led to believe that medical school is more critical in post-graduate life than it really is. This is not helped by the marketing of university degrees and courses that often imply they will bestow an advantage which they actually do not.
 

SLP

Bond MD I
Agree. In that sense there is no absolute "right" or "wrong" - merely what's "right" for you. I think it helps to hear about how others have found a course you are considering, as it can give you insight that you otherwise would not read about in the official university blurb (for instance, poor admin or lack of support for students is never publicised but can be a common problem with universities). However, some experiences are personal and not universally applicable, for sure.
Like for example, if a few med students at 'University X' had complaints about the lack of facilities or the lack of communication between students and teaching staff, then that could be a genuine concern to be worried about. However, with issues like poor teaching by 'Professor/Lecturer X', that is very subjective and opinionated at the end of the day, one which is especially prevalent more in high school I'd say than in university itself.
 

chinaski

Regular Member
Yes, exactly. Repeated complaints or praise from multiple parties regarding systemic issues should be something to which you pay attention. Not so much personal gripes. However, it can still be informative to know what other people found good or bad about their course if you compare it against your own style/expectations. For instance, some people really like blended schools that accept school leavers alongside graduates for reasons of diversity etc. If you are a graduate on the other hand, you may not enjoy that so much if you don't relish the idea of sharing your classes and learning space with younger students.
 

SLP

Bond MD I
Yes, exactly. Repeated complaints or praise from multiple parties regarding systemic issues should be something to which you pay attention. Not so much personal gripes. However, it can still be informative to know what other people found good or bad about their course if you compare it against your own style/expectations. For instance, some people really like blended schools that accept school leavers alongside graduates for reasons of diversity etc. If you are a graduate on the other hand, you may not enjoy that so much if you don't relish the idea of sharing your classes and learning space with younger students.
I guess it would be a unique and opening experience to be peers with non-standard applicants, especially if you are a standard applicant, as forming friendships with them allows you to gauge an idea of what life may be like at that age (both academic and personal). At the same time, with universities which only accept school leavers, students may understandably feel more comfortable interacting with peers of their same age group due to the same life experiences.
 

Deboza

UNSW MD II
I think it's important to also understand that many applicants "want" to be specialists in a particular field when they start but most change their minds a lot during the actual course of medicine. Specialisation in a set field might seem attractive now but it's not something I would be concerned about because you could want to initially be a surgeon when you start med school but then pray to god that you never have to touch surgery again when you finish [Sometimes you might also just feel really sorry for surgeons]. People also at the start might find the whole surgical/diagnostic aspect very interesting but absolutely hate it by the end and pursue Admin instead. Medical specialities in particular are things that students change opinions in every 1 to 2 semesters and it's best not to be too worried about it now.
Thats true. I've had the luxury of working in healthcare for a while now, with exposure to both medical and surgical specialities (of course I'm looking at both realms from an outsiders perspective), and I can see what areas I like and don't like.
 

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chinaski

Regular Member
Off topic, but you'd be surprised how much people's perspective changes, regardless of how much they've seen or done before med school. Off the top of my head, only one of the (many) former healthcare workers I went to med school with and/or worked with as a junior doctor ended up in the specialty they originally envisaged. That's actually much of the fun of med school and your pre-vocational years as a junior doctor - figuring out your best fit.
 
this question might have been asked a few times before but nonetheless

what should i preference higher between the Flinders Uni and Adelaide Uni course (assuming both CSP) coming in as an interstater?
I understand that Flinders is a bit further from the city center but I was wondering if anyone could provide insight into the facilities/atmosphere within the universities.

Thanks in advance!
 

Crow

Staff | Junior Doctor
Moderator
this question might have been asked a few times before but nonetheless

what should i preference higher between the Flinders Uni and Adelaide Uni course (assuming both CSP) coming in as an interstater?
I understand that Flinders is a bit further from the city center but I was wondering if anyone could provide insight into the facilities/atmosphere within the universities.

Thanks in advance!
I would personally preference Adelaide on the basis of it being “medicine” for the full six years while Flinders is a provisional entry course and comes with the minimum score requirements in the undergrad component to progress to the MD. However, the differences will likely be minimal in the grand scheme of things.
 

LeSpicyGinger

Flinders MD II
this question might have been asked a few times before but nonetheless

what should i preference higher between the Flinders Uni and Adelaide Uni course (assuming both CSP) coming in as an interstater?
I understand that Flinders is a bit further from the city center but I was wondering if anyone could provide insight into the facilities/atmosphere within the universities.

Thanks in advance!
If you are looking for some specific comparisons between the universities I've written a summary in the international students page from the perspective of a Flinders student. Most of it should still apply to you:

 
F

footballcake

Guest
JMP VS CSU - Help, I change them around every day hahaha
Edit: Getting a BMP or CSP doesn't matter to me.

CSU:
Pro - close to home (can live at home and save $).
- potential to get a $25,000 scholarship. (Low chances but still a chance)
Con:
- small cohort (40), new and unorganised
- 5th year is not pre-intern year
- only rural hospitals (of which they don't even know some of them yet, About 8 ppl per hospital in years 3-5).
- not many opportunities to choose to go on electives.

JMP
Pro:
- 2x 5-8 week electives of your choice throughout the course
- bigger cohort
- 5th year is pre-intern
- more established and has been running for many years
- potential to get a $50,000 scholarship. (Low chances but still a chance) OR $25,000 at UNE.

Con:
- have to move and thus will cost more to rent etc $$
- potential of getting Armidale (may as well be in Orange if Im gonna be rural lol)
 

Caffeine

Regular Member
JMP VS CSU - Help, I change them around every day hahaha
Edit: Getting a BMP or CSP doesn't matter to me.

CSU:
Pro - close to home (can live at home and save $).
- potential to get a $25,000 scholarship. (Low chances but still a chance)
Con:
- small cohort (40), new and unorganised
- 5th year is not pre-intern year
- only rural hospitals (of which they don't even know some of them yet, About 8 ppl per hospital in years 3-5).
- not many opportunities to choose to go on electives.

JMP
Pro:
- 2x 5-8 week electives of your choice throughout the course
- bigger cohort
- 5th year is pre-intern
- more established and has been running for many years
- potential to get a $50,000 scholarship. (Low chances but still a chance) OR $25,000 at UNE.

Con:
- have to move and thus will cost more to rent etc $$
- potential of getting Armidale (may as well be in Orange if Im gonna be rural lol)
Consider the cost of expenses. If you are closer to CSU it makes more sense to put JPM first as even with a scholarship the cost over the period will be much greater due to the length of the course.

Also Newcastle is more competitive than Armidale so it makes more sense to preference WSU first as you would have a better chance for getting locations you preference if Orange > Armidale and Sydney > Newcastle.

A much bigger cohort is dependent on where you go and also might not be the best thing as it means resources are more spread out. Both courses have ample exposure to clinical placements and WSU is quite a old program by itself so as CSU is a part of it I doubt it would be too different in content or quality. Also having rural hospitals is sometimes much better than metro hospitals as you have so many students in those hospitals that you get far more exposure in rural hospitals
 

Sweety12

Lurker
Hi everyone! I haven't got an offer yet but I wanted help deciding which uni to choose for medicine: Curtin or UWA. I am from WA so both universities would be close to me. I know medicine is really intense right from the first year and so my thinking is (correct me if I am wrong) that because at UWA you can do an undergrad degree of your choice (which would be less intense compared to medicine) you can learn how things work at uni (in terms of how assessments work, uni life, etc.) and then slowly move into doing medicine after 3 years. UWA medicine is also ranked higher than Curtin. But then the length of UWA vs Curtin would be 6 vs 5. Can anyone give me an insight into this? Any help would be much appreciated!
 

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Hi everyone! I haven't got an offer yet but I wanted help deciding which uni to choose for medicine: Curtin or UWA. I am from WA so both universities would be close to me. I know medicine is really intense right from the first year and so my thinking is (correct me if I am wrong) that because at UWA you can do an undergrad degree of your choice (which would be less intense compared to medicine) you can learn how things work at uni (in terms of how assessments work, uni life, etc.) and then slowly move into doing medicine after 3 years. UWA medicine is also ranked higher than Curtin. But then the length of UWA vs Curtin would be 6 vs 5. Can anyone give me an insight into this? Any help would be much appreciated!
Curtin’s program starts with an interprofessional year, where you do three basic health science units per semester alongside the other allied health courses & one med-focused unit. Because of this, it begins like any other traditional undergrad course - I wouldn’t really say that 1st year is super intense, esp. bc I had three days off a week with careful class selection, and the health sci units complimented the medicine unit quite well.
2nd year is when everything ramps up in difficulty, so it’s up to you if you need the extra time that UWA would offer to settle into uni life.
Ranking won’t matter in terms of job prospects, and up until recently one major reason to lean towards UWA was that Curtin students didn’t have access to Sir Charles Gairdner for clinical placements - however, this is no longer an issue.
The pros and cons of finishing a year earlier have already been discussed in this thread, so I encourage you to have a read and see what sits better with you.
Good luck!
 
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Crow

Staff | Junior Doctor
Moderator
Hi everyone! I haven't got an offer yet but I wanted help deciding which uni to choose for medicine: Curtin or UWA. I am from WA so both universities would be close to me. I know medicine is really intense right from the first year and so my thinking is (correct me if I am wrong) that because at UWA you can do an undergrad degree of your choice (which would be less intense compared to medicine) you can learn how things work at uni (in terms of how assessments work, uni life, etc.) and then slowly move into doing medicine after 3 years. UWA medicine is also ranked higher than Curtin. But then the length of UWA vs Curtin would be 6 vs 5. Can anyone give me an insight into this? Any help would be much appreciated!
If both offers are CSP, I'd personally select Curtin on the basis of time length and studying "medicine" from the get-go but I imagine you're not in too much of a rush to graduate and perhaps there's another interest of yours you'd like to explore in an undergraduate degree before commencing medicine.... so really, there's no correct choice and you should go with what appeals to you more!
 

SmoothCriminal

Regular Member
Hi guys, I have been contemplating on two potential offers that I might receive with my ATAR of 99.75 (eligible for UES as well) and 3040 UCAT, which are Flinders and USC/Griffith. So the pros about the Flinders degree is that it is a CSP place as opposed to USC where it will be decided by the first three years whether I get a CSP or a BMP. The other advantage of Flinders is that it is a year shorter than USC. But for Flinders, I will have to move away from home, whereas with USC I will only be moving away for the first three years and then I can stay with my family for MD at Griffith.
Could you please provide some advice as to which course I should choose if offered both?
 

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