Canadian accepted into Sydney Medical School

[Sophi]

Hi
I was accepted into medical school at Sydney University. I have a few concerns especially after reading some of the comments on this forum. I am a nontraditional student, i have a bachelors of engineering and a masters in biomedical engineering. I am in my late twenties, i applied to Canadian schools but after two years of trying thought to try abroad. It has been my dream to be a doctor, I have gone back to school to finish my premed classes.
I am concerned about this internship problem everyone is talking about, the extremely expensive tuition, should I attend Sydney medical school or should I give Carribean schools a shot?
Is there any students at Sydney Medical School that can give me some advice?

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[Medstart108]

Hi
I was accepted into medical school at Sydney University. I have a few concerns especially after reading some of the comments on this forum. I am a nontraditional student, i have a bachelors of engineering and a masters in biomedical engineering. I am in my late twenties, i applied to Canadian schools but after two years of trying thought to try abroad. It has been my dream to be a doctor, I have gone back to school to finish my premed classes.
I am concerned about this internship problem everyone is talking about, the extremely expensive tuition, should I attend Sydney medical school or should I give Carribean schools a shot?
Is there any students at Sydney Medical School that can give me some advice?

I've heard that you'll be guaranteed a spot in Australia as an intern. I say go for it if you are willing to also emigrate to australia permanently.

 

[Medstart108]

You are NOT guaranteed an internship position in Australia when you graduate, nor are you guaranteed a residency back in Canada. That having been said, no medical graduate of an Australian university has ever been turned down an internship position to date.

Regarding the Caribbean, if you want to practice in the US that may be something to consider. If you want to come back to Canada, you are far better off going to an Australian University.

Wasn't it said that for grads of Sydney medical school they guaranteed spots if you stayed in the same area? I'm not sure on this just thought i read it somewhere on forum

 

[Sophi]

hi
thanks for the replies
I have no intentions to go back to Canada at all for residency or to practice medicine. I would not mind doing my residency in the US, Europe or Australia, I am just wondering are any of you international students, is the tuition worth it I am really worried about the amount of debt I will have and if I will be struggling after my medical studies to pay it off. As a Canadian im looking at almost 68k just in tuition alone there is also living expenses and books :S

 

[514901]

hi
thanks for the replies
I have no intentions to go back to Canada at all for residency or to practice medicine. I would not mind doing my residency in the US, Europe or Australia, I am just wondering are any of you international students, is the tuition worth it I am really worried about the amount of debt I will have and if I will be struggling after my medical studies to pay it off. As a Canadian im looking at almost 68k just in tuition alone there is also living expenses and books :S

It's definitely worth it, as Australia is the best country in the world, but the tuition, of course, is bloated---if I were you I'd personally transfer to a Queensland medical school which will be cheaper and in a more fun/exotic/better part of Australia than Sydney (which is relatively dangerous these days, nearly overpopulated, a concrete jungle, and one of the world's most expensive cities). Also Victoria GUARANTEES its graduates employment which is a huge advantage over both QLD and NSW, even if Melbourne charges 80k/yr or whatever it is, it's a guaranteed position. Supposedly NSW has been impacted the most by far by the tsunami of medical graduates.

That would be my suggestion.Assume off the bat you'll never be wealthy and that you'll be spending at least 20 years paying off debt slowly and you won't be disappointed. It's going to be a better life than whatever else you could be doing now, most likely.

 

[Sophi]

hi
I was actually accepted to the University of Queensland but declined the offer to study at Sydney University. I was told that I would enjoy living in Sydney more than Brisbane.

Was this a good decision I am not sure which is more friendly towards international students from Canada?

Is it actually easy to transfer to other medical schools?

 

[Medstart108]

hi
I was actually accepted to the University of Queensland but declined the offer to study at Sydney University. I was told that I would enjoy living in Sydney more than Brisbane.

Was this a good decision I am not sure which is more friendly towards international students from Canada?

Is it actually easy to transfer to other medical schools?

Honestly, i would pick Sydney if i were you. It not only is the largest city in Australia, it has more name recognition and I would think Sydney is a lovely city.

 

[docnotsopc]

You are NOT guaranteed an internship position in Australia when you graduate, nor are you guaranteed a residency back in Canada. That having been said, no medical graduate of an Australian university has ever been turned down an internship position to date.

Regarding the Caribbean, if you want to practice in the US that may be something to consider. If you want to come back to Canada, you are far better off going to an Australian University.

Interesting because my friend in the 2015 class at USyd says otherwise.... hence why his facebook is always covered with him attending protests for more intern spots for international students........

 

[514901]

hi
I was actually accepted to the University of Queensland but declined the offer to study at Sydney University. I was told that I would enjoy living in Sydney more than Brisbane.

Was this a good decision I am not sure which is more friendly towards international students from Canada?

Is it actually easy to transfer to other medical schools?

Sydney is essentially an American city set in Australia. Nothing wrong about the city, but you won't really be getting an Australian experience going there, and most Australians consider Sydney to be the worst city in the country.

 

[Phloston]

Sydney is essentially an American city set in Australia. Nothing wrong about the city, but you won't really be getting an Australian experience going there, and most Australians consider Sydney to be the worst city in the country.

I've been living in Brisbane for almost four years and had lived in Sydney for a semester many years ago. I've also driven/backpacked the entire coast from Cairns to Melbourne. I can confirm that Qldman is 100% correct that Sydney is literally just an American-type city merely situated in Australia.

 

[Strombone]

Can the same thing be said of Melbourne (American city simply in Australia)? I am also having trouble deciding between Queensland and U Melbourne for medschool. My ultimate goal would be to match in N. America. At the same time I would be more than happy to take an Australian internship if it were available (most likely not though).

 

[514901]

Can the same thing be said of Melbourne (American city simply in Australia)? I am also having trouble deciding between Queensland and U Melbourne for medschool. My ultimate goal would be to match in N. America. At the same time I would be more than happy to take an Australian internship if it were available (most likely not though).

I really liked Melbourne...and Great Ocean Road is pretty surreal. But the weather there is pretty miserable.

 

[Phloston]

Pros and cons for UMelbourne vs UQ:

UQ has, hands-down, better weather. Sounds like a mere superficial variable, but when you fly from Brisbane to Melbourne and see how cold/windy/cloudy it is there much of the time, it's a no-brainer that the palm trees, beaches and backpackers lifestyle in Brisbane take priority.

On the other hand, Melbourne is way more "hip." It's a buzzing city and the shops/venues/food places are open late all nights of the week. The music/theatre/arts culture is more conspicuous and predominant. Melbourne is going through a Renaissance of sorts, and is definitely a thriving cultural centre. Brisbane becomes platitudinous rather quickly, unless you know specifically where to go / actively seek out its flavours.

Melbourne's med school is also viewed as more prestigious than UQ's. I didn't realize that when I applied here, but that tends to be the unanimous professional viewpoint. This is ironic considering UQ's entrance requirements make the school virtually impossible to get into as a domestic post-grad (much harder than Sydney or Melbourne). Their mandated GAMSAT baseline of 71 (not sure if this has changed in the past year) would be like not accepting anyone with less than a 40 MCAT. USyd and UMel require mid-60s+. The reason for this is because UQ's domestic spots are practically all "twosies," so the thousands of undergrads here are in a constant scramble for the few available post-grad spaces.

 

[Medstart108]

Pros and cons for UMelbourne vs UQ:

UQ has, hands-down, better weather. Sounds like a mere superficial variable, but when you fly from Brisbane to Melbourne and see how cold/windy/cloudy it is there much of the time, it's a no-brainer that the palm trees, beaches and backpackers lifestyle in Brisbane take priority.

On the other hand, Melbourne is way more "hip." It's a buzzing city and the shops/venues/food places are open late all nights of the week. The music/theatre/arts culture is more conspicuous and predominant. Melbourne is going through a Renaissance of sorts, and is definitely a thriving cultural centre. Brisbane becomes platitudinous rather quickly, unless you know specifically where to go / actively seek out its flavours.

Melbourne's med school is also viewed as more prestigious than UQ's. I didn't realize that when I applied here, but that tends to be the unanimous professional viewpoint. This is ironic considering UQ's entrance requirements make the school virtually impossible to get into as a domestic post-grad (much harder than Sydney or Melbourne). Their mandated GAMSAT baseline of 71 (not sure if this has changed in the past year) would be like not accepting anyone with less than a 40 MCAT. USyd and UMel require mid-60s+. The reason for this is because UQ's domestic spots are practically all "twosies," so the thousands of undergrads here are in a constant scramble for the few available post-grad spaces.

What is a twosie?

 

[514901]

Pros and cons for UMelbourne vs UQ:

UQ has, hands-down, better weather. Sounds like a mere superficial variable, but when you fly from Brisbane to Melbourne and see how cold/windy/cloudy it is there much of the time, it's a no-brainer that the palm trees, beaches and backpackers lifestyle in Brisbane take priority.

On the other hand, Melbourne is way more "hip." It's a buzzing city and the shops/venues/food places are open late all nights of the week. The music/theatre/arts culture is more conspicuous and predominant. Melbourne is going through a Renaissance of sorts, and is definitely a thriving cultural centre. Brisbane becomes platitudinous rather quickly, unless you know specifically where to go / actively seek out its flavours.

Melbourne's med school is also viewed as more prestigious than UQ's. I didn't realize that when I applied here, but that tends to be the unanimous professional viewpoint. This is ironic considering UQ's entrance requirements make the school virtually impossible to get into as a domestic post-grad (much harder than Sydney or Melbourne). Their mandated GAMSAT baseline of 71 (not sure if this has changed in the past year) would be like not accepting anyone with less than a 40 MCAT. USyd and UMel require mid-60s+. The reason for this is because UQ's domestic spots are practically all "twosies," so the thousands of undergrads here are in a constant scramble for the few available post-grad spaces.

I like Melbourne a lot but the weather there is absolutely atrocious. The ocean was cold even in summer and it was overcast a good portion of the time as well.

 

[Phloston]

What is a twosie?

Domestic students who score off the charts in high school can go straight into medical school. They do two years undergrad followed by four years med. Most of the domestic spots are already taken up by students straight from high school, making post-grad entry exceedingly difficult to achieve.

 

[pitman]

Domestic students who score off the charts in high school can go straight into medical school. They do two years undergrad followed by four years med. Most of the domestic spots are already taken up by students straight from high school, making post-grad entry exceedingly difficult to achieve.

I think it's still 1:1 for school-leavers to postgrad domestic (about 150 of each). At any rate, certainly the postgrad numbers have gone down since their peak of over 300.

 

[Medstart108]

Domestic students who score off the charts in high school can go straight into medical school. They do two years undergrad followed by four years med. Most of the domestic spots are already taken up by students straight from high school, making post-grad entry exceedingly difficult to achieve.

Ah i see. Queen's University is experimenting with that, they had their first class this year 2013 of 10 students. McGill has a similar program for Quebecers only though.

 

[pre med 2014]

hi
thanks for the replies
I have no intentions to go back to Canada at all for residency or to practice medicine. I would not mind doing my residency in the US, Europe or Australia, I am just wondering are any of you international students, is the tuition worth it I am really worried about the amount of debt I will have and if I will be struggling after my medical studies to pay it off. As a Canadian im looking at almost 68k just in tuition alone there is also living expenses and books :S

There are still 20 spots left at the UQ-O program. Tuition is 56K I think its worth a shot to apply. First 2 years are in Brisbane, second two years you do rotations at Ochsner clinic in New Orleans

 

[Medstart108]

There are still 20 spots left at the UQ-O program. Tuition is 56K I think its worth a shot to apply. First 2 years are in Brisbane, second two years you do rotations at Ochsner clinic in New Orleans

Pretty sure you need to be a US citizen for that program anyways...

 

[pre med 2014]

Pretty sure you need to be a US citizen for that program anyways...

There's a bunch of Canadians on the Facebook group for next years entering class

 

[Strombone]

could you post the link to the facebook group, I can't seem to find it.

 

[pre med 2014]

could you post the link to the facebook group, I can't seem to find it.

Search for class of 2017

 

[Medstart108]

There's a bunch of Canadians on the Facebook group for next years entering class

It says on the website:

http://www.mededpath.org/faq.html#

Eligibility
Q. Can non-US citizens apply?
A. U.S. citizens and U.S. permanent residents who have completed a bachelor's degree, and who are not Australian citizens, are eligible to apply for this program.

 

[Sophi]

The Canadians you see on the fb group in the Ochsner program have Canadian/American dual citizenship.

lucky them, i think they should allow canadians to apply or have a similar program for canadians

 

[Medstart108]

Best thing you can give you kid is Canadian/US dual citizenship. Makes life so much easier.

 

[Sophi]

yes i think ill marry someone with american, european and australian nationality, then my kids are set for life

 

[Medstart108]

yes i think ill marry someone with american, european and australian nationality, then my kids are set for life

Not sure if you're being sarcastic.