how do i decide between aussie schools (Flinders vs. UQ, etc...)?

[jaketheory]

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Hi all,
If I get accepted to multiple aussie schools, could i head over to aus immediately to check out the schools/cities before making a decision?

Would I have enough time between when offers are issued and when they require a deposit to get my visa/plane ticket and check the schools/cities out?

I'm thinking mostly between Flinders and UQ (but will apply to others as well). I have lived in Adelaide (semester abroad) and visited Flinders med school, but have not been to Brisbane. I hear all good things about UQ, but same for Flinders. I would not be comfortable accepting an offer from UQ (or other schools) over Flinders when I hadnt been there.

all comments welcome. thanks.

 

[SkyeJ]

Hi,

If you are applying directly to the schools (UQ and Flinders), which I suspect you will, having multiple offers is a luxury and choosing between the two is a problem worth having. It shouldn't really be something to worry about yet. If applying to the other schools through ACER, the maximum interviews you'll get is ONE (1) and can hold one more admission from the remainder of graduate programs.

Both schools are accredited, of high quality and reputation, subscribe to PBL and self-directed learning, offer early clinical experience, and have admit international students for several years. Their tuition fees might differ, albeit slightly. Usyd currently holds the highest rate at 47K or so and the rest are about 10K less, unless they raise the fees.

You should be able to go to the campuses and check out the schools without any problem. Some would even arrange for you to speak to their current students to get feedback on the program. The time between interview/acceptance/deposit tends to be one month each but you can get more information from their individual sites.

While it may be difficult to get, see if you can get some information on the USMLE scores/pass rates of their recent graduates. Being a foreign medical graduate has its challenges no matter the school you attended, so your agency and initiative in the program would ultimately matter the most. Things like your Step 1 scores, electives done stateside, and letters of recommendation are of prime importance.

The one significant difference between UQ and Flinders is that the former admits about 300 students per year while the latter admits about 100-130 (not sure). People who attended/attend the schools maybe better suited to comment on their experiences in either environment.

Good luck!

 

[aussiellie]

I'm a Flinders student, so obviously I can only speak for Flinders, but we like to think of our course as being superior to UQ! 🙂

Both schools use similar curriculums, however one advantage that Flinders has over UQ is in the 'blue sheets'. What this means, is that at the end of each PBL case, we at Flinders are given a 'blue sheet' which lists the learning objectives that we are expected to have covered through the case - which is used as both a feedback tool to improve the case and as a guide for making sure you've covered everything you have to know before exams. UQ does (reportedly) not have blue sheets which makes it even more difficult for students to know exactly what they are expected to have learned. (Note, any info I offer on UQ is at best 3rd-hand so I can't vouch for its accuracy). This is more relevant in the first couple of years, and some people deny they ever looked at the blue sheets anyway.

Flinders is a smaller school, but is the oldest and most well-established graduate medical program in the country. And yes, our curriculum has been sold to other unis both within uni and overseas. It was based initially on that of McMaster uni in Canada. Our class is about the largest - we have about 110 in our year - 30 of whom are internationals (mostly from Canada). It's fun and very social and in 3rd year you get the opportunity to go rural for the year (if that's your thing) or study up in the Northern Territory as well. However, as most Australian students pick Flinders because of its rural/NT opportunities, these places are often highly sort after.

I can speak for the class ahead of me, in that of the international students sitting USMLE step 1, something like 13 out of 14 passed on the first try (can't remember exactly how many sat - I just know that only one failed).

Living in Adelaide leaves a little to be desired, in that it's very spread out (Flinders is about 30min south of the main city - where the only decent nightlife is to be found) and public transport is somewhat wanting, but it can be very cheap, or quite reasonable, depending on your standard of living.

In the end though, it's up to you. I like Flinders, I like the course and I love my classmates, but thats just my opinion. It may well change if I don't pass the final exams! (I'm currently in 3rd year).

 

[aussiellie]

I nearly forgot - as a guide, in the last medical schools accreditation round, Flinders got the maximum 10 years accreditiation, whereas UQ got 1 year - not sure why....

 

[Pollux]

Apparently, UQ also got the maximum 10 year accreditation.

The University of Queensland
Current Accreditation: Until 31 December 2011.

http://www.amc.org.au/accredhistory.asp

 

[Pollux]

Regarding the 'blue sheets' thing that aussiellie mentioned, UQ also has a list of faculty learning objectives. I've gotta say they are kinda vague and a bit too broad; I only use them occasionally just to check that I'm on the right track.

The main thing that I don't really like about UQ is the class size. Having 300+ people in the class feels a bit impersonal: it's quite hard to get to know other classmates outside of one's own PBL group.