inasero
Reborn
- Joined
- Nov 27, 2002
- Messages
- 2,497
- Gender
- Male
- HSC
- 2003
It seems that so far, all discussion has centred on the UNSW medical school. I highly respect the knowledge of UNSW students, with many of my close friends studying there. However, with the increasing length of the UMAT over the years and increasing competition with more students trying to jump onto the Med/Dent/Physio bandwagon, the competition is indeed 'hotting up'...
Many of you may not have considered at this stage studying interstate. However, as Alvin (pointdexter) has mentioned elsewhere in this forum, you should apply for different universities as a 'backup'. I found that his words hold very true for a high school student facing stiff competition, as I did so last year. There may be many misconceptions you hold about studying interstate so I'm here to tell you that it's not at all so bad as it sounds.
I applied for UNSW, Newcastle, Monash, WA, Tasmiania, Melbourne, and with a dream that I'd be accepted into any. So acheiving an okay UMAT score and UAI, I plonked my gluteus maximus down at the first four universities and told them stuff. I was sad to discover that I was not accepted into UNSW, but I did get a letter from Monash. The problem was whether to accept the offer or stay with B. Eng (Biomed) at Usyd or ditch uni all together and go into theological college and get a B.Div.
So I talked it over with my parents.
CONS
-LIVING AWAY FROM FAMILY AND FRIENDS. Homesickness to the max
-High living costs associated with self-care
-Little or no initial support networks
-Looking after yourself, including budgeting
-Temptation to play around and not study
-Hassle moving between cities
-Moving all of your stuff. Trust me, despite having a checklist you will have to go back to your home several times to grab stuff you forget
PROS
-New friends
-Learn to live independently and tasks you will require as an adult
-Don't have your parents' prying eyes on you all the time
-Experience new culture, visit attractions, learn history etc. In all a new experience you won't forget, and certainly a refreshing change from the city you've been living in for so long
-Centrelink Youth Allowance and Rent Assistance certainly helps!
-You get the degree you want instead of worrying about transfers or graduate courses
In terms of difficulty of acceptance and offers to other students, I found that UNSW and UNCLE were on a par, followed by Melbourne, then Monash, then Adelaide and UQ. Therefore as you can see, you don't have to limit your options to the most prestigious and geographically convenient university.
If you have any further queries, please don't hesitate to contact Alvin (pointdexter, studying at University of Adelaide) or me regarding our interstate experience. Furthermore, you may want to peruse Alvin's interstate guide (excellent, IMHO) posted elsewhere on the forum for the procedures you should undertake.
Good luck!
edit: I have recently come across an excellent site which provides a list of all medical schools regitstered internationally. This may be a good option for those who do not gain entry into an Australian medical school or are looking to broaden their perspective on international health. Of course, the disadvantages are that the costs may be very high but it seems as though there are some medical courses which are substantially cheaper than Bond University's. Another disadvantage is that most international universities other than those in New Zealand are not recognized by the AMC so registration with the respective state medical boards cannot be guaranteed, and this is dependent on final exam results.
An advantage is that some of these courses are very short (even as short a four years) and scholarships are sometimes provided- high acheivers may be happy to hear about this.
http://imed.ecfmg.org/search.asp
Many of you may not have considered at this stage studying interstate. However, as Alvin (pointdexter) has mentioned elsewhere in this forum, you should apply for different universities as a 'backup'. I found that his words hold very true for a high school student facing stiff competition, as I did so last year. There may be many misconceptions you hold about studying interstate so I'm here to tell you that it's not at all so bad as it sounds.
I applied for UNSW, Newcastle, Monash, WA, Tasmiania, Melbourne, and with a dream that I'd be accepted into any. So acheiving an okay UMAT score and UAI, I plonked my gluteus maximus down at the first four universities and told them stuff. I was sad to discover that I was not accepted into UNSW, but I did get a letter from Monash. The problem was whether to accept the offer or stay with B. Eng (Biomed) at Usyd or ditch uni all together and go into theological college and get a B.Div.
So I talked it over with my parents.
CONS
-LIVING AWAY FROM FAMILY AND FRIENDS. Homesickness to the max
-High living costs associated with self-care
-Little or no initial support networks
-Looking after yourself, including budgeting
-Temptation to play around and not study
-Hassle moving between cities
-Moving all of your stuff. Trust me, despite having a checklist you will have to go back to your home several times to grab stuff you forget
PROS
-New friends
-Learn to live independently and tasks you will require as an adult
-Don't have your parents' prying eyes on you all the time
-Experience new culture, visit attractions, learn history etc. In all a new experience you won't forget, and certainly a refreshing change from the city you've been living in for so long
-Centrelink Youth Allowance and Rent Assistance certainly helps!
-You get the degree you want instead of worrying about transfers or graduate courses
In terms of difficulty of acceptance and offers to other students, I found that UNSW and UNCLE were on a par, followed by Melbourne, then Monash, then Adelaide and UQ. Therefore as you can see, you don't have to limit your options to the most prestigious and geographically convenient university.
If you have any further queries, please don't hesitate to contact Alvin (pointdexter, studying at University of Adelaide) or me regarding our interstate experience. Furthermore, you may want to peruse Alvin's interstate guide (excellent, IMHO) posted elsewhere on the forum for the procedures you should undertake.
Good luck!
edit: I have recently come across an excellent site which provides a list of all medical schools regitstered internationally. This may be a good option for those who do not gain entry into an Australian medical school or are looking to broaden their perspective on international health. Of course, the disadvantages are that the costs may be very high but it seems as though there are some medical courses which are substantially cheaper than Bond University's. Another disadvantage is that most international universities other than those in New Zealand are not recognized by the AMC so registration with the respective state medical boards cannot be guaranteed, and this is dependent on final exam results.
An advantage is that some of these courses are very short (even as short a four years) and scholarships are sometimes provided- high acheivers may be happy to hear about this.
http://imed.ecfmg.org/search.asp
Last edited:
I think no matter what offer i'll get, i'm off to take it. I'm not letting a good chance for entry into denitstry or medicine pass me by. Especially when i've worked hard for it 
