3rd year at USyd here. So obviously everything I say here is going to be biased and about USyd.
You can do about to 20 weeks of away rotations. Including 8 week electives, 8 weeks core (or 4 weeks core + specialty), 4 weeks print as an international student. Most people don't do that many, even the ones keen to go back to North America. At most people do about 12 weeks or so if they are serious. Especially as New York residencies have a rule where you become ineligible if you do more then 12 weeks abroad (very IMG friendly state, where alot of people match to in the US). The main goal of the away rotations are to get reference letters, and learn about the healthcare system in North America. 3 references are plenty for your application back home. And the N.A. electives are hard work, you learn lots but you need to be on your game.
The class sizes are smaller at USyd. There has been no internship issues, if you want one, you will get one somewhere. It might not be urban, most likely regional/rural. Like someone mentioned, they are totally revamping the program with a dedicated 14 week MD research term. Much earlier clinical exposure, condensed pre-clinicals and almost like a full year of PRINT. That full year of PRINT is good IMO, if you are staying here, it will make your transition to a JMO much easier.
Plenty of opportunities to be involved in research if you want, but you need to prioritize your time. If you are gunning to go back, you have to sit many exams (USMLE, MCC), and score well while also passing the medical program. A tutor told me that learning in medicine is like drinking water from a fire hydrant. It is demanding, and the knowledge is endless. Everyone has plans to do everything, but when it comes down to it, you need to prioritize your time and sometimes you really don't have time for everything or you'll get burned out.
Oh and you get to live in Sydney at USYD. One of the best cities in the world.
