Hello everyone. I have just finished year 12 in Queensland and am hoping to do postgraduate medicine. This question is a bit specific, but I have noticed that a lot of people complete a science degree in Griffith instead of UQ, then proceed to study medicine at UQ. Is there an advantage of doing science at Griffith instead of UQ? Is it easier to get a high GPA in Griffith?
-
Welcome to MSO!
We are an online community for current and prospective medical, dental and allied health students and early career professionals from Australia and New Zealand.Please read: About MSO | Annual Welcome and Important Information | MSO Rules
Quick Links To Forums
Tests/Interviews: UCAT | GAMSAT | Interviews Entrance Discussion: Graduate Medicine | Undergraduate Medicine | Dentistry -
Please consider registering on MSO. Benefits of registering are:
- Able to post and participate in the forum
- After 10 posts: Private Message Other Users
- After 25 posts: Access to the Chatbox
- After 100 posts: Custom user titles and Ad-free experience
If you would like to get involved with MSO or have ideas, suggestions, comments, criticisms or other feedback please Contact Us
Griffith Griffith Medicine: [Gold Coast] Foundation Year Health Overview and Q&A
- Thread starter Crow
- Start date
That’s an unusual observation! I know my cohort at Griffith consists of more students who did their undergrad at Griffith than UQ (excluding the provisional entry students and despite the UQ student numbers being higher) so I’d expect the opposite for the UQ medicine cohort.
Up until 2020 entry, UQ has only used GAMSAT as its sole entry criterion for the past few years (with GPA only being used as a hurdle requirement) and Griffith has used a 50:50 GPA:GAMSAT combo to determine interview eligibility, followed by 50:25:25 interview score : GPA : GAMSAT to determine place offers. Naturally the UQ student profile is going to consist of students who scored very highly on GAMSAT.
Doing a degree at Griffith isn’t going to prepare you for GAMSAT any better than doing the same degree at UQ is, so I don’t think the location of undergraduate degree would have much influence on the UQ cohort student profile other than the fact that Queenslanders (obviously inclusive of both Griffith and UQ students) are going to preference QLD universities higher in their applications and are thus more likely to end up at one.
TLDR: If graduate entry medicine at UQ is your end goal, studying your undergrad at Griffith isn’t going to make you more competitive at UQ.
ETA: The GPA question is a debatable topic but I’m going to go with “no” and leave it at that.
Lyyrre
USYD MD I
It seems I've exceeded my course limit when I tried to submit all my classes haha, I'm enrolled in 6 classes.
1) 1001MSC Chemistry of Biological Systems I.
2) 1002MSC Introduction to Biomedical Data Analysis.
3) 1014MSC Cells, Tissues and Regulation.
4) 1016MSC Anatomy and Physiology Systems I.
5) 2805NRS Legal and Ethical Principles in Healthcare.
6) 3016MSC Macromolecular and Cellular Biochemistry (elective).
I tried to add my second elective which would've fit into the timetable schedule quite well but it didn't allow it because apparently I would exceed the trimester limit. Is 60 CPs the limit for each trimester?
1) 1001MSC Chemistry of Biological Systems I.
2) 1002MSC Introduction to Biomedical Data Analysis.
3) 1014MSC Cells, Tissues and Regulation.
4) 1016MSC Anatomy and Physiology Systems I.
5) 2805NRS Legal and Ethical Principles in Healthcare.
6) 3016MSC Macromolecular and Cellular Biochemistry (elective).
I tried to add my second elective which would've fit into the timetable schedule quite well but it didn't allow it because apparently I would exceed the trimester limit. Is 60 CPs the limit for each trimester?
Drop MCB - you only need to do 5 subjects and you’re going to have a hell of a time trying to pass that without having done any foundational subjects (also: I’d do a different elective if I was you when the time comes
).
Lyyrre
USYD MD I
Drop MCB - you only need to do 5 subjects and you’re going to have a hell of a time trying to pass that without having done any foundational subjects (also: I’d do a different elective if I was you when the time comes
Good point, I never really thought about the difficulty haha. Since most electives are trimester one only classes, if I drop it now, does that mean I'll (most likely) have to be doing two electives in trimester one of 2nd year medical science then?
Also, are electives mostly intended to be completed during the second year? That's the feeling I'm getting given the supposed difficulty of it.
Have a look at the structure here: Bachelor of Medical Science (1280)
You aren't meant to do electives in your first two trimesters. You should do one in trimester 3 this year and one in trimester 1 of second year. Electives aren't designed as super challenging subjects, they're just there for you to pick out the subjects you're most interested in. Nutrition is one of the listed electives that's quite a relaxed subject, for example.
If you or anyone else reading hasn't already figured out, course codes beginning with 1 are aimed at first year level, codes beginning with a 3 are third year level etc. This doesn't necessarily correlate with difficulty, but it's a reasonable guide to go off. Certainly you don't want to be doing a 3rd year level biochemistry subject in your first semester of university.
Lyyrre
USYD MD I
Nutrient looks good. I completed Sports, Exercise and Health Science (SEHS) doing the IB and seem to have covered most of these listed:
"At the completion of this course, students will have knowledge of basic human nutrition, nutrient requirements, nutrient content of foods and the broad role of nutrition in maintaining optimal health."
Obviously the content will have some difference, but I think I have a decent foundation to build on. It seems the HSC doesn't have a Sports Science equivalent, except PDHPE which is apparently much easier than the IB SEHS course (according to my HSC friends).
On top of that, we had a number of "options" that we could choose to study, and our school had a heavy emphasis on nutrition, digestion and absorption, energy balance and nutritional strategies. I had a young substitute teacher once who was studying Sports Science in University, and he said that the content we were learning in IB SEHS was mostly the same as First Year University Sports Science.
So if that's the case, I may pick up Nutrition in the First Trimester and see how I go, and if it gets too difficult or overwhelming, I'll drop it by closing date.
"At the completion of this course, students will have knowledge of basic human nutrition, nutrient requirements, nutrient content of foods and the broad role of nutrition in maintaining optimal health."
Obviously the content will have some difference, but I think I have a decent foundation to build on. It seems the HSC doesn't have a Sports Science equivalent, except PDHPE which is apparently much easier than the IB SEHS course (according to my HSC friends).
On top of that, we had a number of "options" that we could choose to study, and our school had a heavy emphasis on nutrition, digestion and absorption, energy balance and nutritional strategies. I had a young substitute teacher once who was studying Sports Science in University, and he said that the content we were learning in IB SEHS was mostly the same as First Year University Sports Science.
So if that's the case, I may pick up Nutrition in the First Trimester and see how I go, and if it gets too difficult or overwhelming, I'll drop it by closing date.
Are you saying you’re going to be enrolling in 6 subjects? Basically nobody does that and the timetable clashes are likely to be very significant + exam time will be beyond stressful. Would strongly advise against doing this given that you’re competing with your classmates for CSP/BMP positions and you’ve never actually studied at university before - some find the transition tougher than they think it will be.
Lyyrre
USYD MD I
Compulsory First Year Orientation is Thursday 21st February (in 4 days). I'm currently in Sydney and flying to GC on the 21st, so I'm likely to miss part of the Orientation Day. Just wanted to know how important this orientation day is from students who have done it in the past. Is it absolutely essential to attend?
Not important at all haha (regardless of what the school may say) - just email and explain why you won’t be there. It’s mainly an opportunity to make new friends, but you’ll have plenty of opportunity throughout the degree so no need to worry about that.
Lyyrre
USYD MD I
Awesome, thanks Crow. The email made it seem absolutely essential haha.
Not sure if they’ve changed anything up in recent times but I doubt it - did they give any information about what you’ll actually be doing during the day? Did you get told to wear enclosed shoes or anything?
Lyyrre
USYD MD I
"First-year Orientation is Thursday 21st February, registration to attend is not required as this is a Compulsory event. Starting at 9:00 am for signing in at G40_Auditorium. You will be finished by 3:30 pm. We offer a light lunch at approx 12:30 pm. we have made attempts to cater for Vegetarian however other dietary restrictions have not been catered for and you may need to bring something. Catering outlets are available on campus, including GyG, Asian Flavours, Burger Urge, Salad Bar and others. "
And in another email:
"Your school ORIENTATION is fast approaching and is a compulsory event to familiarise yourself with the environment. Attending orientation will help you get connected with your school community and enable you to meet other commencing students who are enrolled in your program. It will also help you feel more informed and prepared, so you can make a confident start to your studies this trimester."
And in another email:
"Your school ORIENTATION is fast approaching and is a compulsory event to familiarise yourself with the environment. Attending orientation will help you get connected with your school community and enable you to meet other commencing students who are enrolled in your program. It will also help you feel more informed and prepared, so you can make a confident start to your studies this trimester."
Hi, I'm trying to enrol into my BMedSci at Griffith but I'm getting confused with the 'plan courses' section. Some courses are 'not avaliable' and some courses are for Tri 2 or 3. At the top, it says 'Enrol in Trimester 1 2021' so do I only 'add course' for Tri 1 courses and leave the Tri 2/3 courses? There are three sections: year 1, year 2 and electives that each say 'you must complete the following courses'. Do I just add all of the courses that I actually can (that don't say not available)? There are only 5 courses available for Tri 1 (excluding electives) so is that all I select? There are also only 2 possible electives I can do: I think nutrition and histology and they both say Tri 1 and it says I need 20CP. Are you supposed to have electives in Tri 1? I am quite confused.
Received via PM, answering here:
In-person labs will be.... in person
You'll learn more effectively (particularly anatomy) in-person and I'd strongly recommend selecting the in-person option where possible. It will make your life easier all round when it comes to understanding of content and once you've reached the MD. The online version is being offered but I expect it will mainly be taken up by those located interstate or overseas.
Every person I've known to jump ship to a different uni did so because they wanted to go back home. I've only heard of Griffith provisional entry students going to USYD and UniMelb for the MD after completing their undergrad at Griffith and these were all people who were from Sydney or Melbourne.
In-person labs will be.... in person
You'll learn more effectively (particularly anatomy) in-person and I'd strongly recommend selecting the in-person option where possible. It will make your life easier all round when it comes to understanding of content and once you've reached the MD. The online version is being offered but I expect it will mainly be taken up by those located interstate or overseas.
Last edited: