USyd vs. W'Gong vs. ANU???

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mak530

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Hey all,

Mainly a question for Australian medicial students. GAMSAT scores came out last week and now its the big scramble as to were to apply.

USyd, W'gong and ANU are my 3 choices. Any suggestions as to why any one is better than the other? Why? Any experiences?

Any information would be greatly appreciated!

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USyd and ANU have very similar, if not almost identical curricula.

The clinical teaching facilities in ANU used to be the 'Canberra Clinical School' of USyd in the 90s, and USyd was involved in developing the graduate medical programme at ANU (sorry but no references here - this is what I was told by Prof Ann Sefton who was behind the introduction of USyd GMP in 97').

ANU GMP is a new programme which will only graduate its first cohort next year. So in this regard you might expect USyd to have ironed out more creases in various aspects, but I guess this is difficult to ascertain unless somebody actually attended both programmes.

Wollongong GMP is newer still, and has a larger emphasis on rural medicine, with selection criteria that favours those who demonstrate an interest in this area (paraphrased from the W'gong GMP website).

Perhaps you should base your decision on the selection criteria (such as minimum GAMSAT scores needed, the relative weighting of GAMSAT vs interview score vs grades from undergrad). For example, USyd selection process is such that once you reach the interview stage, your GAMSAT score does not matter (unless you receive an indeterminate interview score, in which case they will go back to the GAMSAT score to fill the admission quota), whereas in UMelb they combine your interview score and the GAMSAT score for the final decision (but this is back when I was applying and things may have changed, so check on the application booklet that should have come with your results).


Good luck,
 
USyd and ANU have very similar, if not almost identical curricula.

The clinical teaching facilities in ANU used to be the 'Canberra Clinical School' of USyd in the 90s,

Canberra Clinical School was developed in 1993 by the University of Sydney.
I think Canberra stopped taking new USyd students from the Canberra Clinical school in 2004.... USyd students were slowly phased out of Canberra.


It's going to be interesting to see how Wollongong places their students...

I would personally go for USyd or Canberra - I am a firm believer in centering learning in a tertiary hospital - rural placements are useful but because they are so isolated, it really is important to learn at a main centre and get exposed to as many things as you can before going out on your own.

Then again, Wollongong might have a very impressive undergraduate curriculum... it's cheaper to live there too.

Apply broad and make the best of it - good luck!
 
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Sydney is the best choice of three, especially if you are looking to work in the US or UK, it is the most prominent research school in Australia. Wollongong is a new program, and a large percent of your rotations will be in a rural setting.
 
Sydney is the best choice of three, especially if you are looking to work in the US or UK, it is the most prominent research school in Australia. Wollongong is a new program, and a large percent of your rotations will be in a rural setting.

I don't know if it's necessarily the most prominent research wise but definitely the most recognizable name.

Melbourne Uni usually edges out Sydney in rankings.
 
Thanks for your comments. I'm still getting my head around the whole application process...I know you only get one interview. While I think USyd has my 1st preference, I know that I'm going to get pretty sick of travelling and parking in the city (also partner isn't keen on Sydney to live). I did my undergrad at Wollongong, but...it's such a new school. Who knows whats going on with it. Canberra is a good location for me family wise, but freaking cold!

I guess a med degree is a med degree (they are all AMA approved). But it's hard trying to decide which one will be better at the end of the day (especially as the information packs/curriculum from all the schools look identical).

Rural medicine appeals to me; yet both USyd and ANU have the rural stream option of spending a year rurally, and obviously Wollongong is selling itself as a 'rural' campus. I guess I just don't want to sell myself short when it comes to specialities etc. (FYI cardiology appeals as a future specialty).

Any futher comments would be greatly appreciated!
 
I am going to assume you are from North America, in that case the best school by far would be Sydney because it is the most established of the three. There are some US states who will not license you if your overseas medical school has not existed for at least 20 years. Sydney has been around for a while. The other established programs include Queensland(where I go), UWA, UNSW, Melbourne, Monash, and Flinders. Newcastle is also another program but no longer takes international students.

In terms of US residency placements, Flinders graduates seem to perform the best.
 
As an aside, how many people sit GAMSAT and how many people then go on to be offered an interview?

Basically, what % of people pass GAMSAT?
 
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