UQ-Ochsner 2021 Cohort

[deleted988668]

Waitlisted :/

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[Damson]

@Wolvvs I saw your input on my thread indicating you applied to other schools so you likely have interviews other than UQ by now? If so keep calm drink green tea you got dis

@hebrewhomie Head high. Y'all gonna get off the waitlist in time

 

[HopefulDr.Dragon]

Waitlist here as well. There weren't very many people in our interview, I don't think. Maybe 6 or 7 in the meeting, right? Anyone heard any conditional acceptances from 8/20 crowd?

@AussieMD @greghouse14 @Wolvvs @hebrewhomie

 

[deleted988668]

Waitlist here as well. There weren't very many people in our interview, I don't think. Maybe 6 or 7 in the meeting, right? Anyone heard any conditional acceptances from 8/20 crowd?

@AussieMD @greghouse14 @Wolvvs @hebrewhomie

There might've been multiple interviews on 8/20. Yeah, it was about 7 in my meeting. Haven't heard of anyone from 8/20 receiving an acceptance yet. They must've run out of spots because it seems like the majority of us (who interviewed on 8/20) were waitlisted.

 

[greghouse14]

There might've been multiple interviews on 8/20. Yeah, it was about 7 in my meeting. Haven't heard of anyone from 8/20 receiving an acceptance yet. They must've run out of spots because it seems like the majority of us (who interviewed on 8/20) were waitlisted.

Yeah, I haven't seen anyone so far who's been accepted. It will be interesting to see what ends up happening.

 

[Wolvvs]

I counted 8 people in my interview, mine was at 12:00 PM. Did any of you have interviews at different times? I suppose it's possible they had multiple rounds of MMIs!

And @Hazle thanks for the encouragement 🙂 I have an offer at Flinders and will be accepting it for now, but will probably switch back to UQ if I get off the wait list. It's very unfortunate because the Flinders deposit is nearly $17K USD and you only get half back if you subsequently turn it down.

 

[skiteflies123]

I counted 8 people in my interview, mine was at 12:00 PM. Did any of you have interviews at different times? I suppose it's possible they had multiple rounds of MMIs!

And @Hazle thanks for the encouragement 🙂 I have an offer at Flinders and will be accepting it for now, but will probably switch back to UQ if I get off the wait list. It's very unfortunate because the Flinders deposit is nearly $17K USD and you only get half back if you subsequently turn it down.

If I remember correctly there are multiple mmis groups in one day. Something like 2 or 3 of them.

 

[Determin3D AneurysM]

@Iamground I don't mind. 3.6/516. I don't think I bombed the interview by any means so I am a bit confused...

Ditto, man (I was rejected). I personally feel the UQ-Ochsner acceptance protocol is a very peculiar mystery. You know, wherever we all end up attending medical school, we're going to become physicians. And after that, we should all get together in Brisbane one day regardless and enjoy the city.

 

[Determin3D AneurysM]

I'm sorry to hear that 🙁, but it's most likely not over. You can ask for feedback (in fact I recommend it, it shows interest), just be aware they might not give you much information beyond what their criteria is. However to give you closure, I'll provide my opinion. It honestly might just be that they're being more selective now since their class is filling up. You may get accepted later as people drop to go to US schools. However, if you already have other interviews, I would focus on those (especially if they're usmd)

Edit: just saw your stats they may also be skeptical because your stats are so high lol. Most people would stay in the US. Again, I'm just making assumptions

I thought waitlisting was a thing of the past for this program. I read about waitlisted applicants in prior year threads. I didn't realize they still do that. At least one can be waitlisted and not rejected, I guess. I don't mean to be a Debbie Downer but I highly doubt anyone here will get any feedback. I've politely pushed Chase Hardy via email several times for feedback help. I said I don't need specifics but rather could they just say it was interview, not MCAT or GPA....or it was MCAT, not interview or GPA etc. I was told I would not be receiving any more assistance beyond what I already received. What did I already receive? - nothing. This is no different than a U.S. school not providing feedback. The exceptions for me at least were the Univ. of Alabama and Univ. of Florida. They provided generalized feedback.

 

[Determin3D AneurysM]

@Iamground I don't mind. 3.6/516. I don't think I bombed the interview by any means so I am a bit confused...

Yea like wtf? that's incredible stats. I don't understand that either. Or, maybe simply as it was said the program is reaching capacity and has nothing to do with anything else. Anybody re-applying for 2022?

 

[Determin3D AneurysM]

Perhaps it's time I say how I really feel. Part of me wonders what response I would get if I sent the all below comments to UQ-Ochsner. Don't get me wrong I love y'all but this is just stress relief humor.
Re: Being waitlisted or rejected by UQ-Ochsner:


This is why I'm going to go to SGU and f'n rock that program. I want to become a doctor! Enough with this applying s**t and get down to the meat of the matter - studying medicine. It's a long road, and it's time to get started. Way too much mental strain otherwise and not worth it.

I watched Rob Malicki's videos and at 7:06 he pointed out something (elitist) I noticed and mentioned in my prior post way back. I can't necessary agree to that being a positive vibe.


UQ is an excellent school but I still did not feel the two-way connection. Obviously you can tell I am not 100% a fan of UQ but if you're accepted then yes, go!

But please do not be like this guy and act like "I want, I want, I want" It's on DirecTV On Demand for free btw.


You all are probably going to bash on me (I'm still rooting for everyone here and supportive just as many of you have been for me thus far already) for this but my impression thus far is that applicants are also after the prestige title of UQ/the MD degree it provides, beaches, warm weather, nightlife etc. Please, don't...

And then once you graduate you can live the life of yacht, Lexus, Infiniti, etc in an upscale locale. My father (no contact) is a pediatrician but my parents split when I was a teen. He'll buy a new luxury car just every few years.


Edit: That student and doc would hunt me down for my comments. I mean nothing cruel-hearted against them, I'm just cautioning against viewing this journey in the wrong way.

 

[Determin3D AneurysM]

@Wolvvs I saw your input on my thread indicating you applied to other schools so you likely have interviews other than UQ by now? If so keep calm drink green tea you got dis

@hebrewhomie Head high. Y'all gonna get off the waitlist in time

Bro I've been drinking green tea every single day for 9 years. I can't complete my day without it. It's good stuff.

 

[*insert clever ign*]

@Iamground I don't mind. 3.6/516. I don't think I bombed the interview by any means so I am a bit confused...

Longtime lurker here. I got in with almost identical stats as you but was accepted earlier in June. I'm also thinking that they may have run out of room already at this point of the year. I believe in you regardless, good luck with your US interviews!

 

[premed9267]

Longtime lurker here. I got in with almost identical stats as you but was accepted earlier in June. I'm also thinking that they may have run out of room already at this point of the year. I believe in you regardless, good luck with your US interviews!

If they ran out of room, what was the point of interviewing the 8/20 group? Confused as to what changed in the interim

 

[Damson]

Perhaps it's time I say how I really feel. Part of me wonders what response I would get if I sent the all below comments to UQ-Ochsner. Don't get me wrong I love y'all but this is just stress relief humor.
Re: Being waitlisted or rejected by UQ-Ochsner:


This is why I'm going to go to SGU and f'n rock that program. I want to become a doctor! Enough with this applying s**t and get down to the meat of the matter - studying medicine. It's a long road, and it's time to get started. Way too much mental strain otherwise and not worth it. View attachment 318111

I watched Rob Malicki's videos and at 7:06 he pointed out something (elitist) I noticed and mentioned in my prior post way back. I can't necessary agree to that being a positive vibe.


UQ is an excellent school but I still did not feel the two-way connection. Obviously you can tell I am not 100% a fan of UQ but if you're accepted then yes, go!

But please do not be like this guy and act like "I want, I want, I want" It's on DirecTV On Demand for free btw.


You all are probably going to bash on me (I'm still rooting for everyone here and supportive just as many of you have been for me thus far already) for this but my impression thus far is that applicants are also after the prestige title of UQ/the MD degree it provides, beaches, warm weather, nightlife etc. Please, don't...View attachment 318120

And then once you graduate you can live the life of yacht, Lexus, Infiniti, etc in an upscale locale. My father (no contact) is a pediatrician but my parents split when I was a teen. He'll buy a new luxury car just every few years.

have you applied to other aussie schools though?

 

[skiteflies123]

If they ran out of room, what was the point of interviewing the 8/20 group? Confused as to what changed in the interim

A lot of people probably drop plus they already guarantee everyone an interview that meets the prereqs.

 

[Determin3D AneurysM]

have you applied to other aussie schools though?

Yep, and I got accepted to Griffith and Flinders. Like Wolvvs said the deposit is high, refund is high but it can be done. These are better schools than SGU, for certain. Griffith no longer offers U.S. Loans, so it is a risky financial proposition.
Edit: I'm in favor of a FMG-U.S. program over a full international Aussie program because while I'd love to live in Australia, being stuck there with a job for X number of years is not something I really feel I want to do. Adelaide sounds fine for 4+ years of medical school but being stuck there beyond that? Yuck... And that's if I'm able to even secure an internship. The chances of getting a U.S. residency in such a situation sound really low although there are stories of it being done. Look, life itself isn't without risk and doing something is better than doing nothing. If I have multiple choices I'm just going to pick the one that's best for me based on a variety of factors. I'd rather work hard to get my training stateside and heck, move Down Under later on if that's a desire. Plenty of time at our age to make those decisions later. I feel it's financially smart too. There are many people worldwide who would give a lot to train here in the U.S. I was about to rank the Aussie international schools, UQ-Ochsner, U.S. MD, U.S. DO, Atlantic Bridge and Caribbean but that's kind of hard to do based on UQ-Ochsner having good placements. Perhaps?: U.S. MD > UQ-Ochsner > Atlantic Bridge > U.S. DO > International Australian and European medical schools >>> Caribbean
I've heard debate over UQ-Ochsner vs. U.S. DO. I'm just repeating what I've gathered from other SDN threads. I now feel this ranking is personal to each applicant based on their wants and needs.

 

[Determin3D AneurysM]

A lot of people probably drop plus they already guarantee everyone an interview that meets the prereqs.

I really do wonder if there is a certain MCAT or GPA sort of "cut-off" they are applying because of the sheer number of applicants with high stats. I'm going to take a shot in the dark and say "sheer" number because I think that's how it really is. The people talking on this thread are those who were accepted or waitlisted. How many were rejected? Darn thing is we'll never know. I notice schools divulge a bit more insider info when you're Zooming with them in an interview, for instance.
Just re-apply this Nov. But now they're adding pre-reqs and lowering the class size. No doubt there is an exponentially growing level of competitiveness that just makes it harder and harder to get accepted into a program tied to the U.S. each year. The changes seem to be eye-opening drastic compared to 5-7 years ago. Maybe some of us should one day try to start our own IMG-U.S. programs and make admission transparent.

 

[premed9267]

Any idea when we might hear about waitlist decisions?

 

[HopefulDr.Dragon]

Any idea when we might hear about waitlist decisions?

This is based off of nothing concrete, but my thought would be after they have all MCAT scores on Oct 19. After that, it’ll probably be based off of people dropping acceptances to take US school acceptances.
Again, this is just my opinion based off of the webinars I’ve seen from them.

 

[marlborough man]

Just curious, how Is this program is going to begin In Feb, 21 when only Australian citizens and residents are currently the only people allowed to enter Australia at the moment due to Covid. What guarantees or information has UQ given the accepted cohort for 2021

 

[akinetopsia]

Just curious, how Is this program is going to begin In Feb, 21 when only Australian citizens and residents are currently the only people allowed to enter Australia at the moment due to Covid. What guarantees or information has UQ given the accepted cohort for 2021

Just a hunch, but I'm thinking UQ has an interest in getting full fee paying international students to enter Australia successfully for an on-time start for the entering class of 2021. I'm not sure what all that will entail. Visa holders should probably be ready to self quarantine upon entry to Australia for two weeks.

 

[hyperactivehippo]

Accepted and just completed the telegraphic transfers! Excited to meet y'all! This is a dumb/silly question, but is parental information necessary for the FAFSA?? I was going to skip it but then I saw that it was recommended for "law/health students".

 

[theastroboy123]

Accepted and just completed the telegraphic transfers! Excited to meet y'all! This is a dumb/silly question, but is parental information necessary for the FAFSA?? I was going to skip it but then I saw that it was recommended for "law/health students".

Accepted and just completed the telegraphic transfers! Excited to meet y'all! This is a dumb/silly question, but is parental information necessary for the FAFSA?? I was going to skip it but then I saw that it was recommended for "law/health students".

When did you interview? Do you mind me asking if you were waitlisted/stats?

 

[canquito]

Non-Australian Panel Physicians - just booked my appt and it was not cheap. Idk about these sites, but my nearest location did not accept insurance and all outside lab tests or imaging studies would not be accepted. In addition to the visa referral letter and UQ Immunization Records Form with shot history, is there anything else I should take to the appt?

After some googling I found interesting stuff:

An Ed-X course that is really relevant to this thread: Understanding the Australian Health Care System. Apparently it's being offered as an alternative to the 4 weeks of self-arranged observership. (It looks like normally 4 weeks of observership are arranged by the school and the subsequent 4 are left up to the student to figure out.)

Heads of Agreement signed between CSL and the Australian Government to supply 51 million doses of University of Queensland [COVID] vaccine to Australia, with first doses scheduled for release from mid-2021 following successful clinical trials.

In good news UQ will possibly have another vaccine to brag about in a year's time.

Lastly, I found two legal cases that made me consider some of UQ's choices and policies (i.e. the "sit-to-progress" rule, emphasis on grades/timeline for entry, and inclusion of certain MMI questions last year, etc.) as CYA responses to unfortunate circumstances: Case 1 (and commentary but even more than that, plaintiff's got a history of suing med schools and courts eventually telling him to f*** off) and Case 2 (this one is actually tragic).

 

[hyperactivehippo]

When did you interview? Do you mind me asking if you were waitlisted/stats?

8/20 not waitlisted

Non-Australian Panel Physicians - just booked my appt and it was not cheap. Idk about these sites, but my nearest location did not accept insurance and all outside lab tests or imaging studies would not be accepted. In addition to the visa referral letter and UQ Immunization Records Form with shot history, is there anything else I should take to the appt?

After some googling I found interesting stuff:

An Ed-X course that is really relevant to this thread: Understanding the Australian Health Care System. Apparently it's being offered as an alternative to the 4 weeks of self-arranged observership. (It looks like normally 4 weeks of observership are arranged by the school and the subsequent 4 are left up to the student to figure out.)

In good news UQ will possibly have another vaccine to brag about in a year's time.

Lastly, I found two legal cases that made me consider some of UQ's choices and policies (i.e. the "sit-to-progress" rule, emphasis on grades/timeline for entry, and inclusion of certain MMI questions last year, etc.) as CYA responses to unfortunate circumstances: Case 1 (and commentary but even more than that, plaintiff's got a history of suing med schools and courts eventually telling him to f*** off) and Case 2 (this one is actually tragic).

Thank you for sharing, especially the last part.

 

[subparman]

"Warning" post from Reddit:
Take it with a grain of salt, I just thought some might find it interesting or discussion-generating.

 

[canquito]

Interesting points, obviously a disgruntled student and this doesn't inspire confidence in the program, but let's be honest, if we're reading this we've mostly drank too much from the kool-aid. But what I'm getting from the post is that no matter how far we may fly, administrative bulls*** is inescapable and inextricably sown into the fabric of medical education except now there's the added chance of pervy and/or power-hungry test proctors, getting doxed, or repeating a year because school says so? I'm kinda disappointed but not shocked. The case I linked above already made it clear to me that the program can be ruthless if you fall out of its good graces, so I didn't expect it to be an entirely nurturing environment.

It went so far as one of my peers was told by the registrar that we are literally "paying for the diploma."

Crudely stated but where's the lie....?

Tim, I’m happy to find your site. It was everything I needed in submitting the Borrower Defense application.

My story is actually very different than what you’re used to. I attended the University of Queensland, a public university in Australia, for medical school. They had this new program in effect since 2008 where they were partnered with a hospital in New Orleans called Ochsner to send their American students to for their clinical rotations. They inflated their USMLE pass rate and residency match rate (synonymous to job placement rate) to attract more students to join their program that costs nearly half a million dollars to complete. They do not include students that were dismissed or dropped out in the total. They also do not include the students that could not apply because they did not receive the adequate preparation for the USMLE to take them as advertised to us. I was one of those students that did not have the preparation needed to take the exams. A thorough medical education is also comprised of substantial, high-quality research opportunities that UQ advertised and was nonexistent up until 2018 when I departed.

UQ and/or Ochsner were not publicly reporting the high number of unemployed graduates of their program, but Ochsner felt guilty enough about their deception that they began offering jobs in research specifically designed for graduates of the program. I accepted this job, believing it would be an opportunity for me to prepare for the USMLE while continuing my relationship with Ochsner. However, it became clear within 6 months that these jobs were meant for Ochsner to squeeze further profit off of the UQ graduates by paying them a fraction of the salary they’d pay anyone else to run clinical studies that are lucrative for providers.

Not only this, I noticed that there was significant discrimination occurring at Ochsner as a student, which was only more pronounced when I was working in research. When I reported it, Ochsner retaliated. The retaliation was so severe that even over a year later, I’m having to regularly go to therapy to learn how the cope with the consequences I’ve faced as a direct result of Ochsner’s illegal actions.

I know that this last piece is the job for the EEOC, but I feel more than just defrauded for the false advertising. UQ and Ochsner robbed me of a small fortune in borrowed federal money and then kicked me while I was down on top of that. University of Queensland should not have access to such a large amount of federal funds without demonstrating their ability to responsibly deliver what they have advertised. It is clear to me that they have partnered with Ochsner to literally milk the unregulated US federal loan market for all the US Department of Education has without the need to even respect their current and former students.

- Source

 

[marlborough man]

Just a hunch, but I'm thinking UQ has an interest in getting full fee paying international students to enter Australia successfully for an on-time start for the entering class of 2021. I'm not sure what all that will entail. Visa holders should probably be ready to self quarantine upon entry to Australia for two weeks.

Covid or no Covid UQ definitely has a vested interest in getting international students back into their schools. Most Australian universities are in the dumpster financially because of their heavy reliance on international student fees. If stranded Australians abroad cannot get home and if they can, the airline ticket price is exorbitant, it will be very interesting to see how UQ can even pull this off. I’m doubtful. If you let one university, then all the rest will be lining up to do the same. Australia is trying to stamp out Covid as best they can, before letting foreigners in. It would be nice to hear from accepted 21 cohorts what has UQ told them about starting? Potentially courses may need to be on line until the border opens up again.

 

[Eo Ipso]

Overseas/Returning to Aus: I don't know if its different for 2nd years but for first years, all assessment can be completed online. For 2nd years, maybe its different because they I think they have OSCEs. But bottom line is no one made anyone fly home during a pandemic. We were told by UQ and Ochsner that they recommended we stay in Australia. I know if your family got sick, it is another thing, but you can still just take a leave of absence. I've been told that UQ has gotten some Ochsner students exemptions to return to Australia.

Can you expand on this? If entering first years from this thread aren't in Aus yet (and most probably aren't), do they need to travel to Aus?

 

[skiteflies123]

"Warning" post from Reddit:
Take it with a grain of salt, I just thought some might find it interesting or discussion-generating.

Isn't this a copy of a post and comment from Bibimbop4lyfe and furphyfan?

 

[subparman]

Isn't this a copy of a post and comment from Bibimbop4lyfe and furphyfan?

it wasn't posted too long ago so I assumed it's newish. maybe just similar complaints or a salty person with multiple accts? no way to be sure, just thought it was pertinent

 

[skiteflies123]

it wasn't posted too long ago so I assumed it's newish. maybe just similar complaints or a salty person with multiple accts? no way to be sure, just thought it was pertinent

Posted on the same day, I think.



Anyway, if we are having a discussion about it. I think there's probably some truth to what he says in terms of the admin being not that great at uq. I've heard watered down versions of what he said, but nothing to the same extent. If you ask me, I'm weirdly more relieved seeing this. It was starting to get a little creepy with the amount of positive things I've heard and nobody has said anything bad. If something seems to good to be true it usually is. It's all about picking your pros and cons

 

[subparman]

It's all about picking your pros and cons

so true, the high match rate and international ranking of the school make the program quite attractive, but conversely there are those who say it's only just a step up from caribbean schools. My uni didn't have any premed advisors or anything like that so the lack of guidance thing isn't really a standout issue to me. I just hope that returning to the US with an Australian education won't pose too much of a hurdle (even though the clinical years at Ochsner are part of the program people online seem to equate this program with other international degrees).

 

[skiteflies123]

so true, the high match rate and international ranking of the school make the program quite attractive, but conversely there are those who say it's only just a step up from caribbean schools. My uni didn't have any premed advisors or anything like that so the lack of guidance thing isn't really a standout issue to me. I just hope that returning to the US with an Australian education won't pose too much of a hurdle (even though the clinical years at Ochsner are part of the program people online seem to equate this program with other international degrees).

The only thing I can say to that is you were probably better off not having a premed advisors. They can be bought off in a way. Kevin from med school insiders talks about this in one of his videos.

Well the good thing is that we will have some good connections at least in Louisiana and if I've learned anything about the US it's that the people here are hella good at marketing and if you have good enough connections, you can typically get pretty far. The bad thing is that internationals do have a bad rep and yes we are internationals, you're most likely not going to get high usmd level matches (unless you can outscore usmds). Step 1 may be p/f but they still have deans letters, shelf exams, step 2, etc...so here's to hoping for the best for us!

 

[Determin3D AneurysM]

I used ProctorU for a portion of my grad studies (the examination parts) and I never had a problem with it other than occasional tech issues. It's interesting what you found out about it. I agree that picking a school really comes down to personal decision of weighing pros and cons. In the end, I want all others here to be excited about Australia, UQ-Ochsner and becoming a successful medical doctor. I support everyone 100%.
I do like the idea of being closer to the U.S. and my family via other schools given my health conditions. My plan is to make lemonade out of lemons. Those lemons better be there. I noticed nobody talked much about UQ-Ochsner cons. Then again, I'm assuming most everyone here is entering the program and not yet attended. I also read in past UQ-Ochs threads that rejected applicants tend not to post about their rejections. Certainly, there are cons anywhere but these are good points and I'll PM you sometime soon to maybe ask a few questions before I consider re-applying. Money? It rules everything everywhere. If things were even a little less about $ and more about other quality things then the things would be better. I got out of the ER recently due to a severe med reaction and could seriously use some more sleep for focus. The ER and elsewhere did very little to help and made stupid notation errors in my chart. I'm just doing my best to keep up and I do still read this thread. Thus, I'll comment a bit more later. Don't have any anxiety or fear of posting your experiences. UQ should accept feedback and improve, not revolt back. You are completely within line and said nothing inappropriate (strict SDN rules, etc.).
Take care, stay safe

 

[Determin3D AneurysM]

Posted on the same day, I think.

I used ProctorU for a portion of my grad studies (the examination parts) and I never had a problem with it other than occasional tech issues. It's interesting what you found out about it. I agree that picking a school really comes down to personal decision of weighing pros and cons. In the end, I want all others here to be excited about Australia, UQ-Ochsner and becoming a successful medical doctor. I support everyone 100%.
I do like the idea of being closer to the U.S. and my family via other schools given my health conditions. My plan is to make lemonade out of lemons. Those lemons better be there. I noticed nobody talked much about UQ-Ochsner cons. Then again, I'm assuming most everyone here is entering the program and not yet attended. I also read in past UQ-Ochs threads that rejected applicants tend not to post about their rejections. Certainly, there are cons anywhere but these are good points and I'll PM you sometime soon to maybe ask a few questions before I consider re-applying. Money? It rules everything everywhere. If things were even a little less about $ and more about other quality things then the things would be better. I got out of the ER recently due to a severe med reaction and could seriously use some more sleep for focus. It's been listed as an allergy and I'll likely report it to the FDA. The ER and elsewhere did very little to help and made stupid notation errors in my chart. I'm just doing my best to keep up and I do still read this thread. Thus, I'll comment a bit more later. Don't have any anxiety or fear of posting your experiences. UQ should accept feedback and improve, not revolt back. You are completely within line and said nothing inappropriate (strict SDN rules, etc.).
Take care, stay safe

 

[Morky-Mouse]

If any accepted/waitlist/reject wants to share their stats and their experience applying this year, that would be greatly appreciated for all the anxious prospective future applicants like me.

 

[Damson]

Non-Australian Panel Physicians - just booked my appt and it was not cheap. Idk about these sites, but my nearest location did not accept insurance and all outside lab tests or imaging studies would not be accepted. In addition to the visa referral letter and UQ Immunization Records Form with shot history, is there anything else I should take to the appt?

After some googling I found interesting stuff:

An Ed-X course that is really relevant to this thread: Understanding the Australian Health Care System. Apparently it's being offered as an alternative to the 4 weeks of self-arranged observership. (It looks like normally 4 weeks of observership are arranged by the school and the subsequent 4 are left up to the student to figure out.)

In good news UQ will possibly have another vaccine to brag about in a year's time.

Lastly, I found two legal cases that made me consider some of UQ's choices and policies (i.e. the "sit-to-progress" rule, emphasis on grades/timeline for entry, and inclusion of certain MMI questions last year, etc.) as CYA responses to unfortunate circumstances: Case 1 (and commentary but even more than that, plaintiff's got a history of suing med schools and courts eventually telling him to f*** off) and Case 2 (this one is actually tragic).

Hey canquito - what is the appointment for?

 

[skiteflies123]

Hey canquito - what is the appointment for?

Not canquito, but I think it's because after you submit your visa you're required to go to an Australian approved doctor for a physical of sorts. It's required to complete your visa I believe. I think they are also trying to knock out the immunization records form that UQ requires while they are there if possible.

 

[skiteflies123]

If any accepted/waitlist/reject wants to share their stats and their experience applying this year, that would be greatly appreciated for all the anxious prospective future applicants like me.

Sure we can do this. Honestly though I'm not sure how much it'll help since it seems to be less focused on stats and more on timing and some unknown variables during the interview.

Having that said, if enough people are interested in giving their stats, I'd be down to create a thread of stats of rejected and accepted applicants for uq, so it's easier for future applicants.

Mine: accepted. 504 MCAT 3.7 GPA.

 

[canquito]

Hey canquito - what is the appointment for?

Skiteflies is right
Ater submitting the 500 class visa app on the immi website, I clicked on my name > "View Details" > "Health Assessment" on the left side of the page and it generated a referral letter that looks like this. I was asked for the HAP number under the barcode and instructed to show up to my appt with my passport and another form of ID.

Because I have my immunization history and recent blood work saying I'm clear for all the bloodborne viruses, I'm taking the UQ immunization form as well and asking the doc to sign-off on it since he's licensed in Australia as well.

Edit: Redacted it b/c privacy > helpfulness

 

[Damson]

Skiteflies is right
Ater submitting the 500 class visa app on the immi website, I clicked on my name > "View Details" > "Health Assessment" on the left side of the page and it generated a referral letter that looks like this. I was asked for the HAP number under the barcode and instructed to show up to my appt with my passport and another form of ID.
View attachment 319003

Because I have my immunization history and recent blood work saying I'm clear for all the bloodborne viruses, I'm taking the UQ immunization form as well and asking the doc to sign-off on it since he's licensed in Australia as well.

thanks so much man

 

[Damson]

Non-Australian Panel Physicians - just booked my appt and it was not cheap. Idk about these sites, but my nearest location did not accept insurance and all outside lab tests or imaging studies would not be accepted. In addition to the visa referral letter and UQ Immunization Records Form with shot history, is there anything else I should take to the appt?

After some googling I found interesting stuff:

An Ed-X course that is really relevant to this thread: Understanding the Australian Health Care System. Apparently it's being offered as an alternative to the 4 weeks of self-arranged observership. (It looks like normally 4 weeks of observership are arranged by the school and the subsequent 4 are left up to the student to figure out.)

In good news UQ will possibly have another vaccine to brag about in a year's time.

Lastly, I found two legal cases that made me consider some of UQ's choices and policies (i.e. the "sit-to-progress" rule, emphasis on grades/timeline for entry, and inclusion of certain MMI questions last year, etc.) as CYA responses to unfortunate circumstances: Case 1 (and commentary but even more than that, plaintiff's got a history of suing med schools and courts eventually telling him to f*** off) and Case 2 (this one is actually tragic).

visa referral letter?

do we really need to do this "health exam within 12 months"?

 

[*insert clever ign*]

visa referral letter?

do we really need to do this "health exam within 12 months"?

Yes, it is required to receive a visa from the Australian government. You can print the referral letter from online.immi.gov after you submit your visa for review, and you have to bring it to your appointment because they need your HAP number that is printed on it.

 

[Damson]

Yes, it is required to receive a visa from the Australian government. You can print the referral letter from online.immi.gov after you submit your visa for review, and you have to bring it to your appointment because they need your HAP number that is printed on it (I think)

Yup, I just called local hospital familiar with aussie visa applicants, they also want me to bring that visa referral letter. Did you just click "no" for the "health examination 12 months prior to application" and it lets you print the referral letter, or did you have to wait a while until it's ready?

Also will it be a problem since our visa app isn't a "priority" cuz it's 4 months prior to start date?

 

[canquito]

Yup, I just called local hospital familiar with aussie visa applicants, they also want me to bring that visa referral letter. Did you just click "no" for the "health examination 12 months prior to application" and it lets you print the referral letter, or did you have to wait a while until it's ready?

Also will it be a problem since our visa app isn't a "priority" cuz it's 4 months prior to start date?

On the ImmiAccount portal and visa info page, it says that currently 75% of apps are processed within 57 days. I like those numbers, so I'm getting it out of the way now in case a miracle happens and we can head over to Brisbane.

Edit: Came back from the panel physician visit. Being a panel physician =/= registered medical physician in Australia. My doc was Canadian-US licensed and could do medical checks for Canadian, Australian and New Zealand visa applicants but not sign off the UQ forms bc again, not licensed in Australia. Being able to pay for my tests & visit made me really appreciative of having my job nowadays. Funny enough, the doc pitched the program after I hand-wavely said I'd be "studying at UQ for a couple of years." All that's left to do is wait.

 

[*insert clever ign*]

Yup, I just called local hospital familiar with aussie visa applicants, they also want me to bring that visa referral letter. Did you just click "no" for the "health examination 12 months prior to application" and it lets you print the referral letter, or did you have to wait a while until it's ready?

Also will it be a problem since our visa app isn't a "priority" cuz it's 4 months prior to start date?

Yep, I chose no for that question since I've never applied for any visa, let alone done any kind of health exam for one. It lets you print it out immediately. And for your second question no, I submitted my visa around mid-July (I think), did my health exam around mid Aug, and just got my visa approved a couple days ago.

 

[altcheese]

Hi, just wanted to add insight.
I'm a current UQ-O first year in Brisbane, but there are a handful of us who went home to the states when the pandemic started. What I've heard from my friends is that FoM is being wholly unhelpful regarding information about next year which is fair, considering everything will depend on the Australian government and not UQ. I'm saying this because yes, UQ has an interest in getting the intl tuition but it's really whether the Aus government want to allow the thousands of international students in while limiting the closed border exceptions to just international students. There were talks of a pilot test of 300 U Adelaide intl students being being brought to Australia, but even with this being successful, I think it'll take a bit of luck for this to be available to all intl students by Feb 2021. Other rumors are that current UQ first years who went back home (both Ochsner and Intl students) may have to do a forced deferral for our second year because all much (?) of year 2 sem 2 material is in-person patient-related work. Not sure what will be done regarding the Observerships which are done between year 1 and 2, and must be done in Australia (as mandated by the govt, not UQ). Of course, these are just rumors but until my friends get confirmation they will be able to come back from both UQ and the govt, they are nervous at the possibility.
I'm saying this not to dissuade anyone from committing to UQ, but to not burn bridges if you are interviewing at US MD/DO schools until the situation is more clear.

 

[skiteflies123]

Hi, just wanted to add insight.
I'm a current UQ-O first year in Brisbane, but there are a handful of us who went home to the states when the pandemic started. What I've heard from my friends is that FoM is being wholly unhelpful regarding information about next year which is fair, considering everything will depend on the Australian government and not UQ. I'm saying this because yes, UQ has an interest in getting the intl tuition but it's really whether the Aus government want to allow the thousands of international students in while limiting the closed border exceptions to just international students. There were talks of a pilot test of 300 U Adelaide intl students being being brought to Australia, but even with this being successful, I think it'll take a bit of luck for this to be available to all intl students by Feb 2021. Other rumors are that current UQ first years who went back home (both Ochsner and Intl students) may have to do a forced deferral for our second year because all much (?) of year 2 sem 2 material is in-person patient-related work. Not sure what will be done regarding the Observerships which are done between year 1 and 2, and must be done in Australia (as mandated by the govt, not UQ). Of course, these are just rumors but until my friends get confirmation they will be able to come back from both UQ and the govt, they are nervous at the possibility.
I'm saying this not to dissuade anyone from committing to UQ, but to not burn bridges if you are interviewing at US MD/DO schools until the situation is more clear.

Thank you for the insight. It seems that usyd has already gone the direction of postponing ths years admissions until 2022 if you're not in the area. Honestly, I didn't consider this, but at this point, I honestly don't know. I'll just cross my fingers then.