Guide: Choosing Between Multiple Offers for Medicine/Dentistry

[DrDrLMG!]

The surveys are taken in August I read, so potentially early enough so that students are not thinking about exams, passing, or failing.

I haven't looked at the data to know which year it is taken from (as in, which cohort), but if it includes final year students (I'd assume it does and that they'd be in a good position to comment on the degree as a whole), then August is right around when final exams are generally held, I believe. At least, this is the case at the University I attend (2020 dates: 10th-14th August).

 

[walktest]

I haven't looked at the data to know which year it is taken from (as in, which cohort), but if it includes final year students (I'd assume it does and that they'd be in a good position to comment on the degree as a whole), then August is right around when final exams are generally held, I believe. At least, this is the case at the University I attend (2020 dates: 10th-14th August).

Thank you for the clarification

 

[A1]

If you're still undecided after reading Mana's post come to WA, it's awash with money. The gov has in recent years built two new hospitals costing $2 billion each and now a third is coming. Your job future is safe

> McGowan hospital plan for HUGE surplus

 

[chinaski]

If you're still undecided after reading Mana's post come to WA, it's awash with money. The gov has in recent years built two new hospitals costing $2 billion each and now a third is coming. Your job future is safe

> McGowan hospital plan for HUGE surplus

Buildings don't automatically come with salaries, and I'd be cautious about making long-term claims about a state being "awash with cash" to those who are years and years off seeking employment. I work somewhere with lots of investment in infrastructure, but a near-indefinite freeze on employing permanent staff. Never underestimate the capability of administrators to prioritise trappings without any thought to the practicalities of staffing. See also: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eyf97LAjjcY

 

[nancy123]

Just wondering the CQU offer joint MD with UQ for 2021, this is newly approved program, couldn't find accreditation report from AMC, does this will be ranked low in Mana list? thanks.

​

 

[dotwingz]

CQU is just a MedSci degree that gives you automatic entry in UQ's already accredited medical program so it doesnt need AMC accreditation. However you complete the MD portion completely at UQ's Rural Clinical School in wherever that CQU undergrad degree was done, rather than UQ's main campus in Brisbane.

It's probably towards the bottom unless you live near the area. 7 year provisional degree. At least with UQ's provisional program you could explore interests outside MedSci in the undergrad portion, but with CQU its a bit :/ ...

 

[nancy123]

CQU is just a MedSci degree that gives you automatic entry in UQ's already accredited medical program so it doesnt need AMC accreditation. However you complete the MD portion completely at UQ's Rural Clinical School in wherever that CQU undergrad degree was done, rather than UQ's main campus in Brisbane.

It's probably towards the bottom unless you live near the area. 7 year provisional degree. At least with UQ's provisional program you could explore interests outside MedSci in the undergrad portion, but with CQU its a bit :/ ...

Thank you for sharing insights, I will move down CQU as I'm interstate.

 

[dotwingz]

Preference lists are highly personal, Mana's list isn't comprehensive and is just his opinion (good advice for the most part, not diminishing it at all)... what made you interested in it in the first place to bring it up in your preference list?

 

[justwantdent]

since a lot of us are going interstate, will the living cost also be an important factor to compare? eg im not sure how to compare the college costs of griffith vs adelaide vs UQ and their convenience (which would lead to more transport money etc)

 

[TKAO]

since a lot of us are going interstate, will the living cost also be an important factor to compare? eg im not sure how to compare the college costs of griffith vs adelaide vs UQ and their convenience (which would lead to more transport money etc)

I think it is reasonably safe to assume that most residential colleges are transport-wise similar to each other, and the transport costs of Australian cities can vary but is likely to be a small fraction of what you rent is anyway. Of course it is important to compare the living costs to see whether you can afford living in the larger or smaller cities however.

 

[Crow]

Worth mentioning that you would save boat loads if you live in a share house compared to a uni college.

 

[ucatboy]

Every field has its own potential. It totally depends on you where you want to go. I will suggest you to go for osteopathy Instead of medicine and dentistry.


It's a opinion from my side.

I hear chiropractic is pretty good too

 

[dotwingz]

- Offer 1: OuM Osteopathy
- Offer 2: University of Nimbin Bachelor of Herbal Science


Thoughts?

 

[chinaski]

- Offer 1: OuM Osteopathy
- Offer 2: University of Nimbin Bachelor of Herbal Science


Thoughts?

Both potentially very lucrative long-term options if you are not opposed to the exploitation of vulnerable people - and an added bonus - neither would involve boring material about evidence-based practice. Two thumbs up!

 

[tagenarine]

Which undergrad unis have the best/newest/most resouced facilities for Med? And where does UoN rank amongst them?

 

[A1]

Which undergrad unis have the best/newest/most resouced facilities for Med?

Pick 1 (or maybe 2) out of best/newest/most resourced, you can't have all 3 in one.

Pretty sure newest is Curtin opened in 2020. CSU & CQU are newer med schools but not necessarily newest facilities
> Curtin opens new campus in the heart of historic Midland

As for where UoN rank you need to specify relative weightings between the 3 criteria, plus the math method to sum them

 

[tagenarine]

Pick 1 (or maybe 2) out of best/newest/most resourced, you can't have all 3 in one.

Pretty sure newest is Curtin opened in 2020. CSU & CQU are newer med schools but not necessarily newest facilities
> Curtin opens new campus in the heart of historic Midland

As for where UoN rank you need to specify relative weightings between the 3 criteria, plus the math method to sum them

Ok so which is the best (in your opinion)?

 

[A1]

Ok so which is the best (in your opinion)?

It's not so much opinion but personal circumstances so very individually subjective. My first choice was UNSW as I would like to graduate & intern/work in Sydney. When that didn't work out I went for my second choice UWA being 5-minute bus from home. My third choice would've been Monash being 5-year in a major city etc. Other students would have completely different priorities.

I didn't care much about new/old facilities, how well resourced, contents/teaching quality... because after all they have all been judged to meet AMC-accreditation requirements. Whichever med school we go to we graduate with an accredited degree, get a guaranteed intern job and it's all level playing field from there.

Btw maybe just me but I find it a bit nose-up to talk about school ranks before the offer rounds, as if we anticipate having choices to make. Most applicants will be lucky to get one place offer and gladly accept it whether best or worst school. (Not a criticism, just want to remind you of the reality).

 

[MedASP2023]

I'm wondering how do you find out number of places for specialist training (Basic + Advanced) by state? is there a website where this information is available? As I think it is equally important to understand the availability of speciality training and how competitive it is given the limited places.

 

[dotwingz]

Usually if these are published they are published by individual colleges.

In addition Queensland Health has made MediNav which shows you Queensland-specific stats