Choosing Between Universities and Offers

[DNA]

-If you fail an exam at JCU – you can re-sit – is this also the case at Griffith/SCU/UQ?

-I’ve heard at JCU you just need to pass each exam/assessment (not sure what the pass % is though) to keep progressing (no GPA 5 requirement) – do you need more than a pass to achieve the GPA 5 for Griffith/UQ? Ultimately is it easier at JCU?

- Yep, if you fail an exam you will be offered a supplementary exam. Both results of your failed exam and supplementary exam will be used to determine your final score. The final score is then used to determine your progression in the course.

- The pass mark for each assessment/exam varies. Assessments range from 50-80% whereas the exams range from 50-60%. In the first year, the assessments are only worth around 10% of your overall mark and you are usually given the opportunity to repeat the assessments if you do not pass them.

 

[jessica20]

hi guys! i got med offers for UNE and UAdel, which is an amazing position to be in, but I'm super torn, and was wondering if anyone had any advice?

I live in Sydney and I'd really like to do my internship in NSW, so would going to UAdel make that a lot harder? I also am concerned about Armidale being a little isolating/boring since it's a smaller cohort and a much smaller town, does anyone have any insight into what it's like to be doing med there?

 

[dotwingz]

hi guys! i got med offers for UNE and UAdel, which is an amazing position to be in, but I'm super torn, and was wondering if anyone had any advice?

I live in Sydney and I'd really like to do my internship in NSW, so would going to UAdel make that a lot harder? I also am concerned about Armidale being a little isolating/boring since it's a smaller cohort and a much smaller town, does anyone have any insight into what it's like to be doing med there?

My understanding of the internships is that as someone from an interstate uni but completed high school in NSW you would be a Category 2 applicant. As a cat 2 you will pretty much be guaranteed an internship in NSW but you’ll have a much harder time getting the one you want, unless that’s Liverpool/Bankstown which is relatively unpopular amongst Category 1 applicants.

for your concerns about Armidale for what it’s worth I’ve heard that the cohort there is really tight and social, and the night life there is also great. Armidale has a large student population (~around 20k) which are mostly in their 20s and by no means as dead as other parts of rural Australia

My 2c would be go to Armidale if your goal is to work in NSW, it’s by no means a bad course, in a nice town, and if you really don’t like it I’m pretty sure you’ll spend the last 2 years somewhere else anyways. Plus it’s 5 years vs 6 years at Adelaide.

 

[chinaski]

My understanding of the internships is that as someone from an interstate uni but completed high school in NSW you would be a Category 2 applicant. As a cat 2 you will pretty much be guaranteed an internship in NSW but you’ll have a much harder time getting the one you want, unless that’s Liverpool/Bankstown which is relatively unpopular amongst Category 1 applicants.

Worth pointing out the caveat that the categories of allocation priority that you allude to here are current and applicable only to people graduating in that year. From one year to the next, these categories can change, and have done so over the past. As such, what is the case today is not guaranteed by any means to be the case in a few years time.

 

[A1]

I live in Sydney and I'd really like to do my internship in NSW, so would going to UAdel make that a lot harder?

Stats in this HETI doc may be of interest > https://www.heti.nsw.gov.au/__data/...te-Recruitment-for-the-2019-Clinical-Year.PDF

Last year 2019 NSW Health had 1024 intern/PGY1 positions available (a steady increase from 2017's 983 and 2018's 999).

Cat 1 - NSW domestic grads : 916 applied but 831 accepted a position (meaning 85 either returned to their home states or took a gap year or didn't graduate).

Cat 2 - interstate grads returning to NSW home state : 95
Cat 3 - interstate grads moving to NSW : 28
Cat 4 - NSW int'l grads : 69
Cat 5 - interstate int'l grads : 2
Cat 6 - grads from an *accredited* overseas med school : 1

(Note any grads from NZ med schools would be counted as interstate not overseas, so the 1 Cat 6 was likely from Monash Malaysia campus).

 

[mav]

Hey guys - I got an offer (unbonded) from UNE but am also in a good position for an offer from UQ or JCU and am very unsure what to choose between the three if I receive an offer for either of the QLD courses and have to decide by the 16th because of college fee deadlines.
I'm wondering what would be my best choice in terms of the actual program, career prospects, student life, and anything else I haven't thought of - also doesn't hurt to mention that my parents want me to stay home so if I am accepted, and choose, UQ they will essentially bribe me to stay with a money, things I want and covering uni fees which means money will be a lot easier and I won't have to work part time but that's obviously not the most important factor. What would you do/recommend?

 

[Crow]

Hey guys - I got an offer (unbonded) from UNE but am also in a good position for an offer from UQ or JCU and am very unsure what to choose between the three if I receive an offer for either of the QLD courses and have to decide by the 16th because of college fee deadlines.
I'm wondering what would be my best choice in terms of the actual program, career prospects, student life, and anything else I haven't thought of - also doesn't hurt to mention that my parents want me to stay home so if I am accepted, and choose, UQ they will essentially bribe me to stay with a money, things I want and covering uni fees which means money will be a lot easier and I won't have to work part time but that's obviously not the most important factor. What would you do/recommend?

This is a tough one and will really come down to your own personal preference. If I were you I would see if you get an unbonded UQ offer (I’m not 100% convinced you’ll get a UQ offer as a non-rural applicant with your UCAT score - even a bonded offer isn’t guaranteed) or JCU offer and go from there. As UQ will take you minimum 7 years, it actually works out better financially to go to JCU or UNE given you’ll graduate a year (JCU) or two years (UNE earlier). I don’t foresee you landing an unbonded UQ offer (but hopefully you prove me wrong!) so if I was in your position, it’d more be a choice between JCU or UNE (have you actually landed a JCU offer yet, though?). Ideally you will complete medical school in QLD if you want to work in QLD post-graduation (particularly for internship), so that’s another factor to consider.

TLDR: Wait for QTAC offers and then come back here and ask again if you’re still torn.

 

[dotwingz]

Cat 2 - interstate grads returning to NSW home state : 95

Hey A1, you wouldn’t happen to know which locations these Cat 2 applicants ended up getting?

 

[A1]

Hey A1, you wouldn’t happen to know which locations these Cat 2 applicants ended up getting?

Sorry I don't, but considering 831 Cat1s had first dip of the 1024 spots it's a safe bet the remaining ~200 wouldn't be prime locations. Mana might chip in when he has time.

 

[Mana]

dotwingz chipping in to say A1 is right and you're probably not getting any inner Sydney tertiary centre internships as a Category 2 unless you are very, very lucky.

 

[dotwingz]

dotwingz chipping in to say A1 is right and you're probably not getting any inner Sydney tertiary centre internships as a Category 2 unless you are very, very lucky.

i was more thinking Newcastle actually, I think it’s popular with the JMP students but I’m not sure how many of the 170 students take up the 125 internship.

I can ask around

 

[Crow]

i was more thinking Newcastle actually, I think it’s popular with the JMP students but I’m not sure how many of the 170 students take up the 125 internship.

I can ask around

I’d say Newcastle would also be very competitive - remember you aren’t just competing for places with JMP graduates, but also graduates from all over NSW (higher priority than you would be - and once the Sydney hospitals are filled the rest of NSW grads have to go somewhere, most likely another metro site like Newcastle), not to mention all the other priority 2 applicants that want to come to NSW as well.

 

[dotwingz]

I’d say Newcastle would also be very competitive - remember you aren’t just competing for places with JMP graduates, but also graduates from all over NSW (higher priority than you would be - and once the Sydney hospitals are filled the rest of NSW grads have to go somewhere, most likely another metro site like Newcastle), not to mention all the other priority 2 applicants that want to come to NSW as well.

I would think so aswell, checking out the internforum there’s not many people looking to swap out

 

[chinaski]

i was more thinking Newcastle actually, I think it’s popular with the JMP students but I’m not sure how many of the 170 students take up the 125 internship.

I can ask around

Worth bearing in mind that Newcastle is a large tertiary hospital in its own right, situated in a nice location which is also within easy geographical striking distance of Sydney. I think people can get a little myopic about "not-Sydney" locations, assuming that they must automatically be small or inferior by default (and therefore not highly sought after).

 

[jayson]

Which is better for me? Griffith medicine or UQ medicine?

 

[Crow]

Which is better for me? Griffith medicine or UQ medicine?

You’ve provided literally no information, so this is impossible to answer.....

 

[Deleted member 35034]

Which is better for me? Griffith medicine or UQ medicine?

At the moment it would be Griffith.

 

[CrackedBat]

Worth bearing in mind that Newcastle is a large tertiary hospital in its own right, situated in a nice location which is also within easy geographical striking distance of Sydney. I think people can get a little myopic about "not-Sydney" locations, assuming that they must automatically be small or inferior by default (and therefore not highly sought after).

Yep, John Hunter has almost everything including a Paeds MTS. The only one outside of Sydney.

 

[dotwingz]

Worth bearing in mind that Newcastle is a large tertiary hospital in its own right, situated in a nice location which is also within easy geographical striking distance of Sydney. I think people can get a little myopic about "not-Sydney" locations, assuming that they must automatically be small or inferior by default (and therefore not highly sought after).

absolutely. Not sure if my perception is warped because I’m from Newcastle but to me it honestly feels like one of the best places to train, I’ve heard it’s also got a reputation which avoids the whole “boys club” clique

But also my perception of Sydney siders is that they’re very myopic about nonsydney locations. I was kinda hoping that Newcastle might be easier to land as a cat 2 and be considered a little underrated but I think not.

 

[dotwingz]

Which is better for me? Griffith medicine or UQ medicine?

Without knowing anything else, if you think you can maintain a 5.0 GPA then I would preference like this

UQ CSP > Griffith > UQ BMP