Australian Medical School 2022 Entry

[purplemermaid]

Hi purple,

If you don't mind me asking, did you get rejected from USyd at or after the confirmation email stage, and what was your MCAT score?

Not sure what you mean by the confirmation email stage?
I have a 510. Apparently they didn't send out a lot of offers this year and the min was 518 lol.

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[vakuri]

Not sure what you mean by the confirmation email stage?
I have a 510. Apparently they didn't send out a lot of offers this year and the min was 518 lol.

About a month ago they sent out a confirmation email asking you to confirm that everything on your application is true. Some people got rejected then (ie before the 1st round of offers last week).

Regarding your question above, I'd highly recommend at least paying the deposit for UWA so at least you will defo have somewhere to go.

 

[med4evah]

About a month ago they sent out a confirmation email asking you to confirm that everything on your application is true. Some people got rejected then (ie before the 1st round of offers last week).

Regarding your question above, I'd highly recommend at least paying the deposit for UWA so at least you will defo have somewhere to go.

I TOTALLY agree with Vakuri, purplemermaid. Please at least put your deposit in the school that you have a guaranteed spot (i.e. offer) with. I myself am a UQ round 2 waitlisted, and at this point, in my eyes, cannot even guesstimate what the likelihood would be with its movement. I think it would be a good idea to put your deposit with UWA. I don't know much about UWA as a school, but I have never heard anything "bad' per say... At the end of the day, all the schools are well accredited. I like UQ and would love to go there, but currently with how uncertain it is, if I were given a choice with an offer at hand vs a waitlist or a school I am still waiting to hear from, I would take the offer one in a heartbeat lol and secure a spot! I know my advice isn't much, but hopefully it helps you ! Good luck

 

[impureblood]

Like USyd, UWA does not offer year 1 online like UQ. Whereas USyd does not even allow you to accept the offer if you are offshore, UWA does and if WA border does not open by the commencing date, you can defer to next year.

 

[Damson]

Anyone know anything about whether UQ or Australia in general will open their borders to international students in time for first semester (Jan 2022)?

will pretty definitely open for commencing 2nd year students

for commencing 1st year students, probably will, but not definitely

 

[Fanofmed]

Anyone know anything about whether UQ or Australia in general will open their borders to international students in time for first semester (Jan 2022)?

Its impossible to say for sure but it's looking good. The government has said it wants all state and international borders reopened when the national vaccination rate for people aged over 16 reaches 80%. Right now 82.2% of auzzies have at least 1 dose and 61.9% are double vaxxed. It shouldn't take too much longer for the rest to get their second dose. I think different states will have their own reopening policies though, so Queensland may or may not follow that guideline. Fingers crossed but trying to mentally prepare for whatever!

 

[Rayz]

Has anyone here accepted their UWA offer?
I am currently waitlisted for UQ (round 2) and got rejected from Sydney. Just waiting on a response from Melbourne, but my UWA offer expires on October 17th. I'm worried that Melbourne may not give a response before that deadline and I'm conflicted on what to do.
My top choices were originally UQ, Sydney and Melbourne. But I'm feeling pretty discouraged after seeing how competitive this year was.

I would love to hear about anyone's perspectives on UWA. I haven't done too much research on it yet, but it seems like a decent school. Just kinda scared about being in Western Australia instead of the gold coast. Seems like it's pretty isolated from the rest of the schools.

Hey, huge congrats on your UWA offer! This is unrelated to your query but can I ask how you did for CASPer? I'm still waiting on news from UWA :s

 

[elrm257]

what are the chances that umelb releases its decisions this week? my patience is fully out of the window smh

 

[med4evah]

what are the chances that umelb releases its decisions this week? my patience is fully out of the window smh

Cant be certain...as OzTREKK had mentioned on their fb page that likely they will come end-October, though they were still confirming from Melbourne. Hope this helps

 

[vakuri]

Cant be certain...as OzTREKK had mentioned on their fb page that likely they will come end-October, though they were still confirming from Melbourne. Hope this helps

Has OzTREKK mentioned anything about Usyd second-round offers or even if offshore candidates will be given anything?

 

[purplemermaid]

Hey, huge congrats on your UWA offer! This is unrelated to your query but can I ask how you did for CASPer? I'm still waiting on news from UWA :s

Thanks! I had 4th quartile

 

[doc202]

Has OzTREKK mentioned anything about Usyd second-round offers or even if offshore candidates will be given anything?

Hey - at the start of September I asked Oztrekk about USyd and offshore candidates. They told me that USyd confirmed that their course will start only in person, likely indicating they will consider only onshore applicants (although Oztrekk said that part was not confirmed back when I asked)

 

[vakuri]

Hey - at the start of September I asked Oztrekk about USyd and offshore candidates. They told me that USyd confirmed that their course will start only in person, likely indicating they will consider only onshore applicants (although Oztrekk said that part was not confirmed back when I asked)

Yep, it's hard to tell if they are waiting to see if borders will open up in time or if they already know that no off-shore applicants will be given offers.

 

[med4evah]

Has OzTREKK mentioned anything about Usyd second-round offers or even if offshore candidates will be given anything

Sorry, haven't heard anything new on USyd MD for the offshore applicants...

 

[godgiveme528]

Hey, huge congrats on your UWA offer! This is unrelated to your query but can I ask how you did for CASPer? I'm still waiting on news from UWA :s

Me too, I haven't heard anything from them yet and I think it's getting late to expect anything.

Even if it's a rejection they should at least send out an email instead of ghosting lol :'(

 

[med4evah]

Me too, I haven't heard anything from them yet and I think it's getting late to expect anything.

Even if it's a rejection they should at least send out an email instead of ghosting lol :'(

I am just assuming, but on the OzTREKK fb page, one of the admissions officer posted on October 13th that the UWA admissions offers will lapse this coming Sunday (perhaps tomorrow I believe then), so whoever has received an offer if they wanna accept/decline should do by then...So i think you guys might hear after the Sunday's deadline for the current round...

 

[impureblood]

I just declined my offer at UWA. Hopefully it will go to one of you guys.

For UWA, the original deadline to accept was Oct 3 but it was automatically extended to Oct 17. As offers lapse, new ones will be issued.

 

[Rayz]

Me too, I haven't heard anything from them yet and I think it's getting late to expect anything.

Even if it's a rejection they should at least send out an email instead of ghosting lol :'(

I'm pretty sure we will hear back soon! Hang in there...

 

[impureblood]

What’re ur stats if u don’t mind me asking?

4.0/517

 

[impureblood]

Are you Canadian or American? Also wondering ur reasoning for not wanting to do med school in either of those countries.

Canadian. I am applying broadly.

 

[purplemermaid]

I just declined my offer at UWA. Hopefully it will go to one of you guys.

For UWA, the original deadline to accept was Oct 3 but it was automatically extended to Oct 17. As offers lapse, new ones will be issued.

If you don’t mind sharing, why did you choose to decline UWA?

 

[impureblood]

If you don’t mind sharing, why did you choose to decline UWA?

UWA requires you to be onshore to commence the course.
Vaccination rate is slow in WA and the WA premier has openly resisted reopening. These information do not grant confidence that I will be able to travel to WA by January.
The initial non-refundable tuition deposit and the subsequent total tuition deposit are also quite high at UWA so those are other deterring factors.

 

[purplemermaid]

UWA requires you to be onshore to commence the course.
Vaccination rate is slow in WA and the WA premier has openly resisted reopening. These information do not grant confidence that I will be able to travel to WA by January.
The initial non-refundable tuition deposit and the subsequent total tuition deposit are also quite high at UWA so those are other deterring factors.

yeah I know it's still so uncertain what's going to happen
do you have another offer that you're gonna choose?

 

[impureblood]

yeah I know it's still so uncertain what's going to happen
do you have another offer that you're gonna choose?

Yeah, I have some offers I am still weighing on.

 

[Damson]

4.0/517

would be bit surprised if you dont get canadian offers with those stats

 

[Wolvvs]

I'm a current UQ-Ochsner student and for first year they approved ~A$34K for all expenses beyond tuition, and Ochsner students usually have more funds for living expenses than local students. I don't think you should expect to need more than $100K per year even if you're renting a nice apartment, and you could certainly get away with less if you rent with roommates or commute a bit.

 

[Wolvvs]

If you were to take max loans, yes that's the max you would be able to take out. Most students don't need that much.

Also I do know a lot of students choose to work during their program. Minimum wage in Australia is somewhere around $20 per hour so you can cover some of your living expenses by working a few hours a week.

 

[elrm257]

If you were to take max loans, yes that's the max you would be able to take out. Most students don't need that much.

Also I do know a lot of students choose to work during their program. Minimum wage in Australia is somewhere around $20 per hour so you can cover some of your living expenses by working a few hours a week.

are you allowed to work easily as a foreigner? i know in the US it takes many student work visa hurdles to do that off campus

 

[Wolvvs]

are you allowed to work easily as a foreigner? i know in the US it takes many student work visa hurdles to do that off campus

Australian student visas allow you to work up to 40 hours per 2 weeks. During any school breaks, you're allowed to work up to 40 hours per week. These work hour restrictions are currently on hold due to COVID but will probably come back when the borders open more generally--not that I would recommend working more than 20 hours a week while in medical school! I think taking one 8 or 10 hour shift per week is about the limit of what you should be doing.

 

[Wolvvs]

Thank you!! Btw what’s the yearly textbook costs?

I don't use any textbooks. All of the required pre-readings are available online through the library, although I don't read any of them because reading textbooks makes me fall asleep lol.

If you want to stay in Australia you should be fine with materials provided by the school. One thing that could help is Boards and Beyond, a set of videos intended for USMLE board prep, they're not essential but they can help you focus in on the most essential topics, and are really helpful for clearing up a topic you're struggling with or giving you an overview of a topic before going into a complicated lecture. This costs $399 for 2 years, which is how long you'd need it for anyway.

If you do want to take US board exams, there are several other resources that could help fill in the gaps, but I think they're less essential with Step 1 switching to p/f.

 

[Wolvvs]

Does anyone know which CPR course to take? For those already in UQ, which first aid course did you take?

I just did a red cross one and it was fine. If you check the OMSA phase 1 guide I think they have some recommendations

 

[Wolvvs]

I don't think it's a big deal, especially for UQ-Ochsner which sets you up to practice in the US. I would describe the program and also highlight any connections you have to the US.

 

[Wolvvs]

Do they give you a place to describe it further if you say yes? I wouldn't take the risk of saying no, but I'm not a lawyer...

 

[Iamacat]

When the student visa application asks “has any applicant ever been charged with any offence that is currently awaiting legal action?” should I put yes or no?

Basically, I got a speeding ticket here in Canada 2 years ago but the trial/challenging the ticket has been pushed back couple of times bc of the pandemic.

Is it worth declaring yes to the question above or should I select no (bc it’s a very minor offence)?

Not a charge, I’m pretty sure you’re good

 

[Iamacat]

When the student visa application asks “has any applicant ever been charged with any offence that is currently awaiting legal action?” should I put yes or no?

Basically, I got a speeding ticket here in Canada 2 years ago but the trial/challenging the ticket has been pushed back couple of times bc of the pandemic.

Is it worth declaring yes to the question above or should I select no (bc it’s a very minor offence)?

Unless you got stunt driving, then it’s a criminal charge

 

[Iamacat]

Hahaha nope not stunt driving, just 25 km/h over

Yeah you’re fine, they’re asking about actual criminal charges

 

[Fanofmed]

- What's a reasonable price to pay for rent in Brisbane per week?
- Also how are other international students navigating accomodations with the uncertainty of the borders and not knowing when exactly we'll be able to move?

 

[elrm257]

just got an email from umelb im over the moon !!!

 

[impureblood]

Melbourne just sent out a pre-notice to everyone who is accepted. Congratulations!

 

[purplemermaid]

I got an offer to Melbourne too! Most likely will drop my UWA one now because it's unlikely we will be able to attend in person there.
If anyone else who got an offer wants to chat, hmu!

 

[Wolvvs]

- What's a reasonable price to pay for rent in Brisbane per week?
- Also how are other international students navigating accomodations with the uncertainty of the borders and not knowing when exactly we'll be able to move?

Most of the current year 1 UQ international cohort are basically in the same boat as you guys, chances are we're all going to be arriving around the same time. In a normal year, the recommendation is to find short term accommodation like an airbnb while you search for housing, but it's not clear what the best choice is going to be this coming year since we'll probably have to quarantine.

Regardless it isn't a great idea to rent anywhere sight unseen. From what I know, renting long term seems to be less common in Australia than in North America and there aren't that many corporate landlords/built to rent apartment complexes are far less common. If you don't get a furnished apartment, appliances we think of as standard like a refrigerator or stove might not be present so it's important to be careful. I don't think it's a good idea to commit to a rental before we're over there at least.

 

[Iamacat]

Hey, could someone help me with a few questions regarding the student visa application? I've tried asking literally everyone and the Home Affairs of Australia are beyond unhelpful. Here are my questions:

1. The student visa app asks if the applicant has a national identity card. Does Canada have one? I have never heard of it.
2. The student visa app asks "Is this course (i.e. UQ MD) a continuation of the applicant's studies or training outside Australia?". Probably overthinking but I dont think this counts as a continuation of my studies? Or does it?
3. In the employment section, I only wrote 1 job. Is that fine?

1. No
2.No
3. Yes

 

[yj396uquq]

I got an offer to Melbourne too! Most likely will drop my UWA one now because it's unlikely we will be able to attend in person there.
If anyone else who got an offer wants to chat, hmu!

Hi there, did you receive their official offer letter? Or just the notice?
Thanks

 

[elrm257]

Hi there, did you receive their official offer letter? Or just the notice?
Thanks

I just got the notice personally !

 

[yj396uquq]

I just got the notice personally !

Same here. Still waiting for official offer letter still

 

[vakuri]

Has anybody heard anything about USyd and offshore offers recently?

 

[med4evah]

Has anybody heard anything about USyd and offshore offers recently?

Haven't heard anything on USyd. Maybe try reaching out to Oztrekk, they might have some update

 

[elrm257]

umelb offer letter says arrive and enroll by nov 26? What does that mean like pay tuition? the school does not start till February why does it say arrive by then SOS lol

 

[Wolvvs]

How do I prepare for Clinical Sciences 1 (UQ MD first year course)? Heard its a killer course lol

Yeah this is the class that will take 80+% of your time. The other classes are Clinical Practice, Ethics and Professional Practice, and Health Society and Research. You will need to engage with them and plan out your time so they don't get in the way of Clinical Science because a lot of stuff can be due around the same time.

For preparation, most advice given to students in the months before medical school is to just relax and enjoy your free time. I agree with that, I know it's not a super satisfying answer but they will teach you what you need to know. If you really do want to prepare somehow, you could start learning some MSK anatomy especially if you haven't taken an A&P class before. Almost everything in medicine is interconnected and so it doesn't make sense to learn in isolation, but learning the names and locations of muscles and bones is something you're going to have to do eventually so it could make sense to learn in advance. But generally speaking there's nothing else you really should be doing to prepare.

 

[elrm257]

do y'all think the borders will open for new students end of January? it would suck to have our first semester online...