Hey there! Congrats on achieving the residency you wanted! Can you extrapolate on how UQ allowed you freedom to study what you wanted? It sounds like you got to choose which classes you can take (like undergrad) while US med school standard is a set curriculum.
I know you would rank UQ over a new DO program, but I would not because for me, studying medicine in Australia is complicated from working with the banks funding your education to navigating different courses/in house exams qualifying for sitting for STEP lol. But obviously for you, it was worth it. Did you turn down any DO or perhaps even USMD acceptances to go to UQ? If so, what was your thought process. Anything you can share would help new students make up their minds for themselves if it is worth for them to pursue their medical degree at UQ or somewhere closer to home. Although I have made my personal decision to go to a DO program, I still have lots of friends who are my juniors that will be applying the next cycle so new information would really help me recommend certain programs including UQ over others. Thanks and congrats again.
UQ is a set curriculum as well, but the amount of time REQUIRED to be spent in class is pretty minimal and the workshops/CBLs in my opinion are well set up and thought out. Until the STEP 1 prep course in semester 2 of MS2 where UQ students get an elective and UQO students must take that course, you are treated the same way as the aussie students. I'd estimate the required hours per week in class to be roughly 10-15h depending on the week plus 6-8h per week of optional lectures, which means that the UQO students have plenty of time to use 3rd party study resources. It also means that the students with a proclivity to procrastinate can do so without any consequences until they fail at the end of the semester. The curriculum really rewards self-motivated students but might not provide the discipline needed for those who can't keep their own schedule. It's entirely possible to have time for fun and hobbies while still performing at the top of the class if you study efficiently. A major achilles heel is the anatomy workshop. They have cadavers but they're all pre-dissected and you're not allowed to be in there outside of scheduled hours. I personally think this is by far the weakest point of the UQ medical education and partially why more UQO students don't try for surgical specialties.
As for my path to UQ, you're welcome to DM me but I don't want to share that in this forum.
For the financial aspect, it's no different than going to a domestic school. All of the loans are federal, not private, and you will be able to do PSLF if you stay in the US after graduation. Navigating the aussie curriculum wasn't a big deal. Almost everyone in the UQO program ignores the aussie study materials until reading slides the day before the exam and does fine. The STEP material is enough for you do pass or do well on the UQ exams.
My advice for students considering the program would be that it's honestly a high quality medical education with a good network in the deep south but has the significant drawback of IMG status. That's heavily mitigated with a lot of non-surgical specialties specifically in Louisiana, Miss, Alabama, and Arkansas where PDs know what the program is, but outside those states how you're perceived as an applicant will depend on whether that specific program has taken an applicant from the program or not. If they haven't, you're just another IMG. A lot of programs are just gonna be off limits because of the IMG status and your path to specialties like derm and the surgical subs will be much more difficult than it would be for USMD students. When comparing to DO programs, the disadvantage is a lot less clear because it's really a program by program thing. Some well connected and reputable DO programs are going to provide students with a lot more residency options than UQO can, but some of the brand new rural or lowest quality DO schools struggling with accreditation will match their students worse than UQO does.
I think that the student who UQO is BEST for is: someone who has some connections to the deep south and wouldn't mind staying there for residency, has a decent med school application but hasn't gotten into a domestic MD/DO program because of some things like GPA or volunteering hours that UQ is more forgiving on, and is in a living situation where moving to Australia is something that is either a neutral or positive aspect of the program.
Another student that it might be good for is someone from the east/west coast who has applied to domestic schools for a cycle or 2 and has no acceptances or a single acceptance to a similarly priced DO school with a well documented bad reputation.
If you're considering a Caribbean school, then UQ is a way better option if you get accepted.
If there are some simple things holding you back like clinical/volunteering hours or a subpar MCAT score, then by all means fix those and reapply. However, if you have the choice between going to UQ now or doing a 2 year post-bacc before reapplying to DO programs, the right answer is much less clear to me. It's a personal choice.
