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UQ degree overloading

HelloWorld

Faux-American
Since UQ changed their MBBS to MD, the twosie scheme is no more (or at least not going to be for me, If i get in)(n)

I found this on UQ's website:
Students will be permitted to enrol in more than 8 units in either Semester 1 or 2 and 6 units in Summer Semester if their GPA is greater than or equal to 4.5 in the most recent semester of full-time enrolment.

Would it be possible to overload on your first degree and complete it in two years, then do the four years of the MD?

Does anyone know whether people are doing this to shorten their total time to 6 years?
 

frootloop

Doctor
Moderator
I don't see why not? Like, you'd be having to work your butt off, and you'd have to plan your degree structure pretty well (like, in terms of satisfying prerequisites for 300-level papers before/during second year), and you may not be able to do exactly which subjects you want, depending on which papers you can take at summer school. You'll probably have to check with UQ to see if they've got some weird rule against pre-meddies overloading, though.
 

Limobean

Regular Member
Hmm.. I'm not so sure about that since all MD programs require a bachelor to be completed in the minimum time of 3 year. I'm not sure whether overloading would count.
 

mrlol

Regular Member
Hmm.. I'm not so sure about that since all MD programs require a bachelor to be completed in the minimum time of 3 year. I'm not sure whether overloading would count.

It does count.
Griffith do their pre med degree in 2 years and you graduate with an MD
 

chinaski

Regular Member
It does count.
Griffith do their pre med degree in 2 years and you graduate with an MD

What Griffith does may not be relevant to UQ. I agree with froot; it would be wise to directly contact the university if there isn't a clear policy stated on their site.
 

Cide

Regular Member
My view is regardless of whether you can or can't you are setting yourself up for burn out. An extra year may seem like a long time but in reality it will go quickly. It may be worth it purely because it will be less stressful.
 

Benjamin

ICU Reg (JCU)
Emeritus Staff
My view is regardless of whether you can or can't you are setting yourself up for burn out. An extra year may seem like a long time but in reality it will go quickly. It may be worth it purely because it will be less stressful.

This.

It's not like studying at university is an easy thing you can just ramp up at will without consequences - sure, you can do this if you want to but you're going to need to sacrifice things to do it and if you aren't financially stable I wouldn't recommend it at all. Plus you then come into your 4 years of medicine which arguably aren't going to be any easier having already spent two years cramming more information into your head than you would think possible.

If you're a super organised person who is financially stable, has no trouble with excessive exam stress and is willing to put themselves under some crazy pressure for the next 6 years then I say go for it... If however you can't say all of that about yourself then I don't think it's the best idea. It's only an extra year, there's also the fact that if you're getting a UQ offer you're likely in a good enough position to get other university offers which if time is of the essence may be a better option.
 

geeoftee

Regular Member
Structurally you cant complete a full three years in the two years given how prereqs work (you guys will be treated as a normal science student and hence none of the prereqs will be forgiven for you guys like it was for us) and the timing of courses. I guess you could if your major in BSc was ecosciences or plant biosciences where there are only a handful of prereqs needed to unlock the third level courses but thats something you would need to check up. If you do overload you could end up with a semester of only part time study or something. Perhaps you could overload and then enjoy the subsequent relaxed semester abroad. If the extra year is really bothering you then I would suggest going to Griffith. The entry requirements for uq and griffith are similarish so you would have a smashing chance at griffith if your marks are good enough for uq.
 

HelloWorld

Faux-American
Perhaps you could overload and then enjoy the subsequent relaxed semester abroad. If the extra year is really bothering you then I would suggest going to Griffith. The entry requirements for uq and griffith are similarish so you would have a smashing chance at griffith if your marks are good enough for uq.

Going to Griffith is much much more dangerous for me.

As a Kiwi, I can only accept a CSP place (no conditions), so if I score in the bottom 25% of the medsci cohort, I might not be allowed entry into Griffith MD.

I would prefer not to take that risk, if at all possible. (I might consider Bond just to avoid all the stress of medsci and maintaining a 6.5+ GPA, knowing full well the consequences)
 
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chinaski

Regular Member
It seems a little incongruous to hear that you are simultaneously worried about your ability to stay out of the bottom 25% of a university cohort, but reasonably confident you'd be able to cope with the demands of an overload degree, chased by the medical degree thereafter.
 

HelloWorld

Faux-American
At least with an overloaded degree, I just have to maintain better than a 5 GPA.

The "bottom 25%" of the medsci cohort get less than a 6.3 GPA. While I am reasonably confident of an IB 43 (maybe a little optimistic, but we'll see), I am NOT confident that I can outcompete the rest of the medsci cohort, if I get in (they're all going to have gotten higher atars than me anyway).
 

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