University of Queensland (Traditional) 2017

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bulaian

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Hey guys, just wondering if there were other people that have accepted their offer to the traditional UQ MD program (4 years in Australia) starting in 2017. Is there a group we could join?
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Also if there are current students in the traditional program, I'd appreciate it if you could share some thoughts about the program/tips that you may have. I've seen heaps of information and reflections on UQ-O and hence the first two years in Australia (which from my understanding is essentially the same for Ochsner and traditional students), but not too much on the clinical phase in Australia.
 
bulaian said:
Hey guys, just wondering if there were other people that have accepted their offer to the traditional UQ MD program (4 years in Australia) starting in 2017. Is there a group we could join?
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What is traditional program? I thought there is only one MD program in UQ?
 
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Meatballhahaha said:
What is traditional program? I thought there is only one MD program in UQ?
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There is the UQ-Ochsner program for US citizens that has its preclinical phase in Brisbane and clinical phase in New Orleans, so 2 years in Australia and 2 years in the US. There is also the traditional program at UQ that is open to anyone, which is all 4 years in Australia. Both are MD programs.
 
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bulaian said:
There is the UQ-Ochsner program for US citizens that has its preclinical phase in Brisbane and clinical phase in New Orleans, so 2 years in Australia and 2 years in the US. There is also the traditional program at UQ that is open to anyone, which is all 4 years in Australia. Both are MD programs.
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I see, I am applying to the traditional one then. You already had your offer? When did you apply?
 
bulaian said:
I applied in May and heard back in early June.
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I just applied yesterday. If you don't mind, can you share your MCAT score? The places in traditional seats are purely academic right? No interview, just MCAT?
 
Meatballhahaha said:
I just applied yesterday. If you don't mind, can you share your MCAT score? The places in traditional seats are purely academic right? No interview, just MCAT?
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Good luck! I would share my MCAT scores but I didn't take the exam -- I did the GAMSAT. They only look at your MCAT or GAMSAT, as well as your GPA, so no interviews. My impression is that as long as you have above the minimum requirements and apply early, they will give you an offer.
 
bulaian said:
Good luck! I would share my MCAT scores but I didn't take the exam -- I did the GAMSAT. They only look at your MCAT or GAMSAT, as well as your GPA, so no interviews. My impression is that as long as you have above the minimum requirements and apply early, they will give you an offer.
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I also did the GAMSAT ! I did both this year. My gamsat is 67 and MCAT is 510 and I think it should be enough?
 
Meatballhahaha said:
I also did the GAMSAT ! I did both this year. My gamsat is 67 and MCAT is 510 and I think it should be enough?
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I think your GAMSAT and MCAT scores are quite competitive as an international applicant to UQ.

You can PM me if you have more questions!
 
Meatballhahaha said:
I also did the GAMSAT ! I did both this year. My gamsat is 67 and MCAT is 510 and I think it should be enough?
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I have no idea what the new MCAT scores mean, but isn't 67 on the GAMSAT ~85-90%ile? That should get you in anywhere in Oz as an int'l student, and would make a domestic applicant competitive at all but maybe one or two schools. Here are stats for domestic cutoffs by school, which are going to be much higher as percentiles than for int'l students:

http://www.gamsat-prep.com/GAMSAT-australia

(as a comparison, a 24 on the old MCAT (50%ile) would have been the low cutoff as an int'l applicant for many of the schools, while a 30 (~75-80%ile) would have been sufficient at any of them, indeed almost certainly higher than any of their averages)
 
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pitman said:
I have no idea what the new MCAT scores mean, but isn't 67 on the GAMSAT ~85-90%ile? That should get you in anywhere in Oz as an int'l student, and would make a domestic applicant competitive at all but maybe one or two schools. Here are stats for domestic cutoffs by school, which are going to be much higher as percentiles than for int'l students:

http://www.gamsat-prep.com/GAMSAT-australia

(as a comparison, a 24 on the old MCAT (50%ile) would have been the low cutoff as an int'l applicant for many of the schools, while a 30 (~75-80%ile) would have been sufficient at any of them, indeed almost certainly higher than any of their averages)
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Yes, GAMSAT 67 is 88 to 90 percentile. But I have a crappy GPA of 3.02 :(, the GPA in HK is generally low.
Even with my GAMSAT and MCAT score, I wasn't offered an interview in my home country, they expect 95 to 98 percentile, jesus..........
I am glad that I am competitive in aussie schools, at least my dream is gonna come true, yay!!
MCAT 510 is equal to 31 or 32 in old MCAT
 
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I applied in May, with an offer made in May. I just accepted on Friday. I wanted to know more about match rates back home here in Canada, and in the US before committing. The return rates compared to other international regions are pretty appealing with an average 65% residency match rate in Canada and a 51% match rate in the US.
 
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I got into Uq to. I have the most recent stats if anyone wants to pm me. And is there a group yet? If not let's make one?
 
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The only groups I saw were for Australian provisional entry, Canadians, and UQ-Ochsner. I thought it'd be nice to have a general group for internationals in UQ med class of 2020, since I think we would be in a more or less similar situation in regards to after medical school (i.e. internships/residencies).

Also for anyone wanting to find out more about the program, pagingdr forums have a lot more information on the traditional 4 year program.
 
Do u mind sharing the link for what groups you did find for 2020
bulaian said:
The only groups I saw were for Australian provisional entry, Canadians, and UQ-Ochsner. I thought it'd be nice to have a general group for internationals in UQ med class of 2020, since I think we would be in a more or less similar situation in regards to after medical school (i.e. internships/residencies).

Also for anyone wanting to find out more about the program, pagingdr forums have a lot more information on the traditional 4 year program.
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What are your plans after graduation in Australia? Are you all planning on going back to the US or staying in Australia? I am kind of worried because of that internship year after graduation, since internationals are not guaranteed a spot
 
Ilizia said:
What are your plans after graduation in Australia? Are you all planning on going back to the US or staying in Australia? I am kind of worried because of that internship year after graduation, since internationals are not guaranteed a spot
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I'm planning on applying to US residencies as well as Australian internships. Although internships in Australia aren't guaranteed, my impression is that it is definitely an option especially since we would be 4-year onshore graduates.
 
I just recently got an offer from UQ as well. There was a great thread on UQ and its Pros and Cons on this site. I am in the process of accepting this offer. If anyone creates a group please pm me :)
 
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Hello everyone. I just decided to make an account today, after I saw this thread. I got my offer to UQ's MD program, just yesterday. I'd love to know, if you are planning on accepting your offers! I am sort of on the fence about it.
 
MeteoraLux said:
Hello everyone. I just decided to make an account today, after I saw this thread. I got my offer to UQ's MD program, just yesterday. I'd love to know, if you are planning on accepting your offers! I am sort of on the fence about it.
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Why are you on the fence?
 
Kakaonkaka said:
Why are you on the fence?
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Reading around the forums, I am starting the get the idea that it may be a better idea, to pursue a second undergrad, to have a shot at Canadian medical schools. Also, read some posts about people who couldn't land an internship in the Australia, nor get back to Canada, which means they got a 300k+ debt and a useless piece of paper.

I'm not trying to bring anyone on this thread down, but the excitement of having received an offer, has now washed away, letting me think a bit more clearly.
 
MeteoraLux said:
Reading around the forums, I am starting the get the idea that it may be a better idea, to pursue a second undergrad, to have a shot at Canadian medical schools. Also, read some posts about people who couldn't land an internship in the Australia, nor get back to Canada, which means they got a 300k+ debt and a useless piece of paper.

I'm not trying to bring anyone on this thread down, but the excitement of having received an offer, has now washed away, letting me think a bit more clearly.
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Hi MeteoraLux, I am Canadian too and was in a situation similar to yours.

I did, however, do a second degree and you face quite an uphill battle after completing it successfully. My 4.1/4.3 GPA and 516 MCAT has not opened many doors for me in Canada for a number of reasons (some look at overall GPAs, some are concerned about course numbering in 2nd ug and disqualify you, my physics was low on MCAT, some schools look at pre-reqs, some are strongly against OOPs, some are French :) etc.). Look at your situation and what stopped you from getting in. A second undergrad could definitely be a better option if there is a clear path ahead, but no guarantees.

You might end up right back here after it...Feel free to PM me if you have any questions :)
 
MeteoraLux said:
Reading around the forums, I am starting the get the idea that it may be a better idea, to pursue a second undergrad, to have a shot at Canadian medical schools. Also, read some posts about people who couldn't land an internship in the Australia, nor get back to Canada, which means they got a 300k+ debt and a useless piece of paper.

I'm not trying to bring anyone on this thread down, but the excitement of having received an offer, has now washed away, letting me think a bit more clearly.
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Statistically, your chances of matching back to Canada is ~65-70% coming from Australian schools. You can also take your steps and try your luck in USA. If both of these options fail, you'll have to try getting an internship in Australia which, you're right, you may or may not have any control over.
If you're unwilling to try US MD/DO schools, then i'd take the Queensland offer and run with it. A 2nd bachelor's would come in handy for Canadian med schools only...and no one knows what rule changes Canadian med schools will come up with during your 2nd degree that might disqualify you for applying to the small subset of schools that even look at a 2nd degree. In my personal opinion, it's not the most efficient use of time.
 
torontopharm said:
Statistically, your chances of matching back to Canada is ~65-70% coming from Australian schools.
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Is this stat specific to Australia or assumed from stats generally on Canadian IMGs?

Could someone give a reference for such stats and/or their recent trends?
 
MeteoraLux said:
Reading around the forums, I am starting the get the idea that it may be a better idea, to pursue a second undergrad, to have a shot at Canadian medical schools. Also, read some posts about people who couldn't land an internship in the Australia, nor get back to Canada, which means they got a 300k+ debt and a useless piece of paper.

I'm not trying to bring anyone on this thread down, but the excitement of having received an offer, has now washed away, letting me think a bit more clearly.
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torontopharm said:
Specific to Australia.
http://www.carms.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Table_50_IMGs_by_Region_of_Graduation_English.pdf

Last year i believe it was 67%. This year it's a bit lower. In any case, it usually hovers between the 60%-70% range.
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Yeah this number's been pretty consistent for a good number of years. I'm going to say 5 b/c that's what I'm remembering.
 
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NewKidonTheBlock said:
I just recently got an offer from UQ as well. There was a great thread on UQ and its Pros and Cons on this site. I am in the process of accepting this offer. If anyone creates a group please pm me :)
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I applied in May with a GAMSAT score of 67 and got an offer in June - have already accepted it. Likewise, if anyone creates a UQ 2020 group, please pm me! :)

I read the other thread on UQ's Pros vs. Cons and that got me a little worried. Am now keeping my options open / considering other Universities too. It seems like the teaching quality at UQ might not be up to scratch? Would anyone have any idea / experience on this? How does this compare to the other universities?
 
pickedpickeles said:
I applied in May with a GAMSAT score of 67 and got an offer in June - have already accepted it. Likewise, if anyone creates a UQ 2020 group, please pm me! :)

I read the other thread on UQ's Pros vs. Cons and that got me a little worried. Am now keeping my options open / considering other Universities too. It seems like the teaching quality at UQ might not be up to scratch? Would anyone have any idea / experience on this? How does this compare to the other universities?
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depends on what/where you want to practice/how well you know yourself to perform. There's going to be a lot of self studying involved, if you do well with that style of studying, you'll be fine
 
Kakaonkaka said:
depends on what/where you want to practice/how well you know yourself to perform. There's going to be a lot of self studying involved, if you do well with that style of studying, you'll be fine
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Thanks Kakaonkaka! Yes, indeed i think having the attitude to be self-sufficient in studying will be critical throughout our course. Btw, are you going to commence in UQ next year too? Are you considering other Universities?

Well, the ultimate aim is to eventually practice Medicine in Australia, i am not particular with the states / locations as each does have their pros vs. cons too. But i am well aware this dream also hinges on landing that almighty internship spot! Would you have any idea in which state would the chance for this be the greatest? Ive heard that due to the large med cohort in UQ, chances are extremely slim, especially for IMG like ourselves...
 
pickedpickeles said:
Thanks Kakaonkaka! Yes, indeed i think having the attitude to be self-sufficient in studying will be critical throughout our course. Btw, are you going to commence in UQ next year too? Are you considering other Universities?

Well, the ultimate aim is to eventually practice Medicine in Australia, i am not particular with the states / locations as each does have their pros vs. cons too. But i am well aware this dream also hinges on landing that almighty internship spot! Would you have any idea in which state would the chance for this be the greatest? Ive heard that due to the large med cohort in UQ, chances are extremely slim, especially for IMG like ourselves...
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Hey, I think if you have a look around the Australia forum on here as well as the International Applications forum on pagingdr, you'd get a better idea of what to expect in terms of medicine in UQ, as well as the internship situation for internationals.

In terms of which state has the best odds for an international student to land an internship, as far as I know, it's the Australian Capital Territory because ANU guarantees its graduates internships. There seems to be some discussion on whether or not this will stay the same though.

I recommend you to do some research especially since you have about 300k at stake in tuition alone, and since you can find all these information easily on Google (for example, googling for "internship priorities in Australia" brings up this table as the first result).
 
bulaian said:
In terms of which state has the best odds for an international student to land an internship, as far as I know, it's the Australian Capital Territory because ANU guarantees its graduates internships. There seems to be some discussion on whether or not this will stay the same though.
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I think @pitman actually laid out the percentages showing which university gives you the best shot and I think they were all around the same, except as you stated ANU is the best.
 
bulaian said:
Hey, I think if you have a look around the Australia forum on here as well as the International Applications forum on pagingdr, you'd get a better idea of what to expect in terms of medicine in UQ, as well as the internship situation for internationals.

In terms of which state has the best odds for an international student to land an internship, as far as I know, it's the Australian Capital Territory because ANU guarantees its graduates internships. There seems to be some discussion on whether or not this will stay the same though.

I recommend you to do some research especially since you have about 300k at stake in tuition alone, and since you can find all these information easily on Google (for example, googling for "internship priorities in Australia" brings up this table as the first result).
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Thanks Bulaian! Yes i reached out to several friends and realized that, unfortunately, they didnt have too many good things to say. For one, apparently the clinical training years were kept with minimal hands-on experience - not sure if this has changed already, my friends graduated 4 yrs ago. I will also check out PaginDr, thanks for the reference!

Indeed, its 300k at stake here and pity that the application to ANU has already closed :(. Tasmania priority for us is #2, but there isnt any sch that offers post-grad MD. Cant get into Victoria as i didnt meet their bio module pre-requisites!! Seems like SA and WA are both priority #3 vs NWS and QLD at priority #4... But yea, no one can really tell what the situation will look like in the future, eh?

Latest Internship publication from AMSA too, i found quite useful: https://issuu.com/amsa-publications/docs/amsa_s_2016_internship___residency_/1

Do you plan to stay in Oz?
 
drvfedorov said:
I think @pitman actually laid out the percentages showing which university gives you the best shot and I think they were all around the same, except as you stated ANU is the best.
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Hey thanks! i tried to relook at the thread and searched for Pitman's posts, but only found it to be speaking about matching for residency back in Canada..? i didnt find any percentages showing which universities have a better chance for IMG internships..? i might be blind... pls kindly point that out for me..?
 
pickedpickeles said:
Do you plan to stay in Oz?
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I've written above that I'm planning on applying to both US residencies and Australian internships, but I'm more keen on staying in Australia (at least at this point in time).
 
drvfedorov said:
I will try and find those. I can't remember where I read it exactly, it was on here or pagingdr.
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Thanks Bulaian!

Also found the post from Pitman in Pagindr - that was really helpful although am skeptical on the percentages. but then again, its from the AMSA, so it cant be that wrong.. can it..? i can live with a 8% chance of failure :)
 
oh awesome! Well nothing in life is going to be a guarantee. Whether or not those calculations are 100% correct is debatable, but it is my opinion that currently the "crisis" is overexaggerated. What will it be 5-10 years down the road? No one can predict that. If we look at history then we can say it will be alright in terms of internships. JMO positions are another topic I think.
 
pickedpickeles said:
Hey thanks! i tried to relook at the thread and searched for Pitman's posts, but only found it to be speaking about matching for residency back in Canada..? i didnt find any percentages showing which universities have a better chance for IMG internships..? i might be blind... pls kindly point that out for me..?
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You can find a table listing the prioritization of overseas students in different states in google. As of now, ACT (ANU) guarantee its graduates internship for both local and graduate medical students whereas for other states, students are placed as 3rd or 4th priority.
 
Thanks guys - you have all been very helpful!

Cheers and good luck to all!
 
NewKidonTheBlock said:
I just recently got an offer from UQ as well. There was a great thread on UQ and its Pros and Cons on this site. I am in the process of accepting this offer. If anyone creates a group please pm me :)
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I wrote a pros and cons thread years ago. Not sure if that's the 'great' one you're talking about, but what I will not do is be presumptuous.

Anyway, decided to give it an update just now if that is something that might help out.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/thr...and-here-are-pros-cons-of-the-program.907899/
 
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Any of you 100% on going to UQ or are you still waiting on other schools?
 
drvfedorov said:
Any of you 100% on going to UQ or are you still waiting on other schools?
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Moi

I think most first round offers are out now and UQ is apparently full so if anyone else is also firm on going, let's start a Facebook group!
 
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drvfedorov said:
isn't there already one made?
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Is there? I only see groups for Ochsner students, Canadians, or provisional entry students, and I don't fall into any of those categories. Thought it'd be nice to have one that isn't so exclusive.
 
There is at least one collective UQ 2020 group made on FB.

Also, I've been offered and accepted the offer to UQ.

Curious, what made you guys pick UQ over USyd or Melbourne?
 
yvrau said:
There is at least one collective UQ 2020 group made on FB.

Also, I've been offered and accepted the offer to UQ.

Curious, what made you guys pick UQ over USyd or Melbourne?
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Do you mind linking me to the group on here or as a PM? The only MD related groups I see for 2020 graduates are still the three mentioned above.

As for why UQ, my view is that what you get out of any MD program would largely depend on what you put in, at least for respectable institutions such as those that you mention. With that in mind, I stuck with UQ because both tuition and living expenses are less than in Sydney or Melbourne.

How about you?
 
bulaian said:
Do you mind linking me to the group on here or as a PM? The only MD related groups I see for 2020 graduates are still the three mentioned above.

As for why UQ, my view is that what you get out of any MD program would largely depend on what you put in, at least for respectable institutions such as those that you mention. With that in mind, I stuck with UQ because both tuition and living expenses are less than in Sydney or Melbourne.

How about you?
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Hi could I ask if you've found the UQ 2020 MD group?
 
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