st george's vs flinders

[wmg]

Any advice on this choice. As for Carrib schools, SGU seems to have it going on, good USMLE pass rates/placement/facilities, but Flinder's might have a better reputation as well as a lot cheaper. Any comments?

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[kimberlicox]

Both of these schools have been discussed in previous threads. You may wish to do a search and peruse those postings.

IMHO, both programs have advantages and disadvantages. If there is anything specific you would care to know about Flinders that you cannot find here, please feel free to email me (as I only sporadically now have access to a computer which will let me respond here).

 

[e2k]

Flinders vs SGU?

Live in Australia and go to a real university medical school, with a program that was decorated by Harvard as one of the best in the world, or go to a degree factory down south?

I hate to be sarcastic, but I believe that if you can go to Flinders (or any of the Australian schools) I say go. You will probably get better training for cheaper, and get more respect for your degree later in life.

Agreed SGU is doing their best to be a real med school, but they're still doing it for the money. Flinders may be a young program bu they have all the earmarks for glory,

anyway, I hope this post means you've been accepted to both schools, in which case, congradulations!

e2k

 

[DrPeace]

Interesting!!

I don't know anything about Caribbean schools ,or rather, SGU, so I am not going to comment on them. But I know Flinders or medicine in Adelaide is VERY well-known in England and Hong Kong, especially plastic surgery, which I had the pleasure to confirm with Ms. Kimberli Cox awhile ago. Although I admit I didn't pay too much attention to Adelaide whenever it was brough up in the past, countless "chit-chats" had linked Adelaide and plastic surgery together in my head ever since. Just that recent posts regarding Adelaide have triggered those old memories back. Seems like most trainees in England rather have part of training in Adelaide for oral-max or plastic during their post-graduate years. So I would assume that the quality of medical training in South Australia shouldn't be anything less. If Harvard had indeed endorsed Flinders as an excellent medical school, then you can be absolutely certain that it is AT LEAST "on par" with most U.S. medical schools. Hell I have never officially heard that Harvard gave Oxford that sort of embrace!!! Maybe because our course in clinical medicine was indeed prestigious but average in actual quality.

Kato

 

[wmg]

Thanks for the responses. Just one note on SGU and "all for the money" as mentioned by E2k - ALL schools are in it for the money - state, federal, research grant, incresing tuition, you name it. Any amount of time spent at any US university will make it crytal clear that money is what makes the world go around. Whether its the perpetual scratch for research grants, pharmaceutical reps carting in the pizzas to feed and schmooze the hungry residents, or the financial aid interveiws. Dont kid yourself, SGU just doesnt have the ivy growing on the walls to hide behind.

 

[Winged Scapula]

Gotta agree with WMG on that one. While Flinders does desire to increase its name recognition in the US, I have NO DOUBT that a prime motivation in accepting US students is money. We pay 6 times the tuition of the Aussie citizens (who are used to paying nothing for higher education and are screaming about having to pay at all) and we are willing to do so (especially given the currently weak Aussie dollar). It is currently a great deal for Americans - would it be if the Aussie dollar was worth more than the US dollar? Doubtful - after all, that would be over $30,000 which is nearly the loan max you can get ($18,500 from the US government plus $15,000 from alternative sources).

Most institutions are willing to go to great lengths to increase their bottom line. Just look at the US News and World Report ranking and ask yourself "are these schools manipulating their statistics to raise their rankings" and when you answer "yes" think about why. The answer is because it increases revenue through more applications, better research funding, etc.

 

[Mikado]

In either place you will be part of the cash crop so that shouldnt be an issue. Pick Australia. In your future if you say you trained in Australia you will be interesting. If you say you trained in the carribean you will be a joke. People here are already snooty enough about state schools.

These beliefs that people have about medschools may not be founded but they sure as hell are a fact.