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[Originally posted by redshifteffect
I don't think it's fair for you to judge the Australian system without actually experiencing it. Keep in mind a couple of things
Redshifteffect: I was not judging the Australian system. Actually, it was quite the opposite. I am not familiar with the Australian system and hence, my hesitation, but excitement at potentially going abroad. Arguably, there are however, issues I should take into consideration, and one of them is the reputation (or, in other words, how my prospects look about getting a residency stateside, if I so choose, which is not yet determined). I am sorry if I came off that way. My apologies. I am simply trying to glean information, which SDN, discovered very recently is doing a wonderful job of saving me going through countless books and webpages.
1) It is not the norm for ppl. to get into med school after doing a bachelors degree, this is a common misconception that many north americans have...the world isn't centred around North America last time I checked. The UK/S. Africa, NZ, Aus etc. all have high school entry.
I[I have not said, nor do I believe that the world is centered around North America. I myself, although born in the US, am Asian, with strong connections to my ethnic country. I am once again, just trying to understand what is not familiar to me.
2) I too (non US citizen) got into both undergraduate medical in Aus/Ireland and accelerated medicine in the US. I chose Australia mainly because of the price but also because I wanted the option of being able to practice in Australia if I liked it there. Let me tell you that other than having to write the SAT 1 and SAT II for the US I found both universities to be equally competitive. If I got in easily into Australia I would have had no respect for their program and would have simply gone the US route (and been in quite a bit of debt)
3) I think this whole debate is similar to the DO/MD debate. The fact of the matter is that many Australians who go the post grad route do so because they don't get in as Undergrads. Until that changes the respect garnered for these ppl. will be the same as that for DOs...someone somewhere will always have a thought in the back of their mind that you did this b/c you couldn't do the other. (No disrespect to DOs or Post Grads). As tl47 said most registrars/consultants/PDs here are undergrads and in the end it's your interviews and the school you went to that counts. There are no marks (most schools don't even give them after basic sciences) no standardized tests or anything else to base anything on. So as an international wanting to stay in Australia you are at a disadvantage already, and it just makes it a bit harder as a post grad to stay but not impossible.
I am not sure yet if I want to practice in Australia as my knowledge is very little about the country, but I am very hopeful and excited at the possibility of going there for my medical education. As was stated before, the PBL form of learning appeals to me greatly and hence, I would love to learn in a curriculum based on that rather than the boring and tedious lecture-style of my undergrad years. I know about the supposed stigma attached at going intl for a medical education (the Residency Director of EM at my school told me this), but I have little worry about this notion.
4) U Syd and UQ are post graduate unis. If your intention is to stay in Australia I'm only warning you (in fairness) that even though ANU is based on UQs program its grads haven't been tested. That's where the bias comes into place...the advantage of U Syd and UQ is that they are all more established.
I am well aware of this (brought to my attn by another poster here). I only wanted in all fairness, an honest opinion about the school's reputation for ANU itself. I understand the medical school is in its first year of establishment, but I look at that not as a handicap perse, but an opportunity, a pioneering if you will. And, for other well established programs such as Usyd and UQ, they all had to start somewhere, yes? =)
5) As for applying with highschool transcripts a lot of undergrad schools (except Monash apparently) will allow you to apply with your post grad transcripts as well. You will not get any exemptions (esp. since you are an English major) but you may be a more competitive applicant. The thing to keep in mind is that in some cases the difference is only 1 year between Post grad and Under grad schools...and in the end it depends on what your future plans are.
THis was simply one of those, "Wait a minute, totally didn't get something because I had never head of it, curiousity questions." I find it interesting, perhaps "funny" was the wrong word, because its different from the US and I believe I misunderstood the first time around. I was not trying to knock anyone's opinion about the schools. I hope that clears up the air. I meant no offense.
I don't think it's fair for you to judge the Australian system without actually experiencing it. Keep in mind a couple of things
Redshifteffect: I was not judging the Australian system. Actually, it was quite the opposite. I am not familiar with the Australian system and hence, my hesitation, but excitement at potentially going abroad. Arguably, there are however, issues I should take into consideration, and one of them is the reputation (or, in other words, how my prospects look about getting a residency stateside, if I so choose, which is not yet determined). I am sorry if I came off that way. My apologies. I am simply trying to glean information, which SDN, discovered very recently is doing a wonderful job of saving me going through countless books and webpages.
1) It is not the norm for ppl. to get into med school after doing a bachelors degree, this is a common misconception that many north americans have...the world isn't centred around North America last time I checked. The UK/S. Africa, NZ, Aus etc. all have high school entry.
I[I have not said, nor do I believe that the world is centered around North America. I myself, although born in the US, am Asian, with strong connections to my ethnic country. I am once again, just trying to understand what is not familiar to me.
2) I too (non US citizen) got into both undergraduate medical in Aus/Ireland and accelerated medicine in the US. I chose Australia mainly because of the price but also because I wanted the option of being able to practice in Australia if I liked it there. Let me tell you that other than having to write the SAT 1 and SAT II for the US I found both universities to be equally competitive. If I got in easily into Australia I would have had no respect for their program and would have simply gone the US route (and been in quite a bit of debt)
3) I think this whole debate is similar to the DO/MD debate. The fact of the matter is that many Australians who go the post grad route do so because they don't get in as Undergrads. Until that changes the respect garnered for these ppl. will be the same as that for DOs...someone somewhere will always have a thought in the back of their mind that you did this b/c you couldn't do the other. (No disrespect to DOs or Post Grads). As tl47 said most registrars/consultants/PDs here are undergrads and in the end it's your interviews and the school you went to that counts. There are no marks (most schools don't even give them after basic sciences) no standardized tests or anything else to base anything on. So as an international wanting to stay in Australia you are at a disadvantage already, and it just makes it a bit harder as a post grad to stay but not impossible.
I am not sure yet if I want to practice in Australia as my knowledge is very little about the country, but I am very hopeful and excited at the possibility of going there for my medical education. As was stated before, the PBL form of learning appeals to me greatly and hence, I would love to learn in a curriculum based on that rather than the boring and tedious lecture-style of my undergrad years. I know about the supposed stigma attached at going intl for a medical education (the Residency Director of EM at my school told me this), but I have little worry about this notion.
4) U Syd and UQ are post graduate unis. If your intention is to stay in Australia I'm only warning you (in fairness) that even though ANU is based on UQs program its grads haven't been tested. That's where the bias comes into place...the advantage of U Syd and UQ is that they are all more established.
I am well aware of this (brought to my attn by another poster here). I only wanted in all fairness, an honest opinion about the school's reputation for ANU itself. I understand the medical school is in its first year of establishment, but I look at that not as a handicap perse, but an opportunity, a pioneering if you will. And, for other well established programs such as Usyd and UQ, they all had to start somewhere, yes? =)
5) As for applying with highschool transcripts a lot of undergrad schools (except Monash apparently) will allow you to apply with your post grad transcripts as well. You will not get any exemptions (esp. since you are an English major) but you may be a more competitive applicant. The thing to keep in mind is that in some cases the difference is only 1 year between Post grad and Under grad schools...and in the end it depends on what your future plans are.
THis was simply one of those, "Wait a minute, totally didn't get something because I had never head of it, curiousity questions." I find it interesting, perhaps "funny" was the wrong word, because its different from the US and I believe I misunderstood the first time around. I was not trying to knock anyone's opinion about the schools. I hope that clears up the air. I meant no offense.
