Which is a better school for me/What are my chances?

[Aslank]

Hi,

I recently graduated from UofT, my GPA is a 3.6 according to GEMSES. I wrote my MCAT in Dec 2014 and got a 10V, 8PS, 8BS (I know it isn't great but my first score was a mere 6 VR, 7 BS, 7PS). I have applied to UQ, Monash, Syd and Mel(I have really no hopes for even an interview call). My situation is a bit different from most Canadian students who apply to Australia to study medicine. I am married and my husband lives in Australia (on a student visa). His educational program makes him eligible to apply for a PR upon completion (Dec 2015). Although currently I am applying as an international student I am almost certain of gaining a PR during the course of my medical education and both of us would like to permanently move to Australia (We prefer living in Victoria). I have received an interview offer from Monash, and the applications haven't opened yet for other schools.

In light of all of this information, what kind of path would be the best in terms of finding a job and settling in permanently? Please be objective in your answers. (I don't care that UQ has a 500+ students or that Gippsland is in the middle of nowhere).

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[qldking]

1. Don't go to UQ.
2. I can't imagine anything more boring than moving to a foreign country to be with a spouse.

 

[Aslank]

You're comments are absolutely useless given that they don't consider any of the concerns in my original post. This thread is NOT about you or your dislike against UQ. Please refrain from trolling on here.

 

[lyndal]

Hi Aslank. Good luck with your application - you have applied to some excellent schools. Your MCAT is OK and your GPA is good so well done. For what its worth you would also be considered eligible (and likely to be competitive ) at Wollongong however if you are aiming to get PR during the degree you need to very carefully check out what happens to your place in that circumstance. Potentially you could lose your place in the program if they do not have a domestic place available to you - that would certainly be the case at Wollongong and maybe some of the other schools you have mentioned. I would strongly recommend you chat to each of the schools (you may have already done this so sorry if I'm telling you stuff you already know) and explain that you plan to gain PR during your degree and what the implications of that would be. As for which is the best school - all the schools you have listed are different in style and philosophy, but all of excellent quality- I think the important issue is where you are competitive, what works for you and your husband, and which schools can accommodate you if you become PR during the program. Thats the riskiest bit from that I can see. All the best!!

 

[Aslank]

Thank you so much Lyndal for that useful input. If for example, I wait till the end of my medical education to acquire PR, how would that affect my standing at Wollongong University? Also, how would I be affected by the internship crises? I know of Monash and UQ and Mel U policy on students who gain PR, I am uncertain about sydney. If I lose my standing as an international student I think gaining admission as a domestic will have its own unique set of hurdles which I would want to avoid.

 

[lyndal]

At Wollongong if you change residency status during the degree you could well lose your place so we strongly recommend all applicants to either stay as an international throughout your degree or attempt to gain PR before you apply. You are right though, there are hurdles either way. Becoming a PR first makes your degree cheaper and internship placements easier, however the domestic application process is very competitive and you would need to sit GAMSAT, undertake interview in Australia etc as well as realistically pushing back your application until at least 2017 if not 2018. If you apply as an international, you are more likely to be competitive and can apply for 2016 with your current scores, but as you are aware you are then an international when it comes to internship placements. So far at Wollongong everyone who has wanted to stay in Australia has gained an internships here, but no one can predict what the future will hold and whether the situation could get worse instead of better. This is a difficult situation and you certainly have some hard decisions to make. Feel free to email me on [email protected] if I can be of any assistance in your decision making.

 

[pitman]

Assuming the school you choose is ok with your getting PR while a student, if you got PR before applying for your state Ballot in your final year, then (at least in Qld, but I would have thought it the same for any state) you would be Priority 1 for internship placement (i.e., guaranteed an internship).

You would nonetheless be subject to the so-called 10-year Moratorium, and if you're not familiar should do some searches for discussions of the implications.

 

[Aslank]

Thank you Pitman! I'll be sure to check it out.

 

[singmed15]

As a general rule of thumb, you usually would want to go a school in a place you want to work in. So if you want to live in Victoria, then it's Melbourne, Monash, and Deakin.

The situation for international students in Aus is less than ideal in terms of internships, simply because of the increases in student numbers. Having that said, the numbers have more or less plateaued, and it's unlikely that they'll be any new med schools in the short-med term, so whatever the situation is now is likely what it'll be when you graduate. I think lyndal and pitman can give you more nuanced view on this though. But you should keep this in mind when making your decision. I'm not sure how the PR process works (domestic student) but if you can get your PR before applying to Aus. med schools, it might be worth it. Your tuition fees would be MUCH lower (unless the government screws us all) and you have a better shot at a job in the end. There is of course a trade off in that getting in as a domestic student is not easy, (comparable in some ways to the US and Canada).

 

[Aslank]

I got accepted into Monash and will be attending in 2016. Thank you all for your input, most of it has been very helpful.

 

[flyawaybird89]

I got accepted into Monash and will be attending in 2016. Thank you all for your input, most of it has been very helpful.

Congrats on your acceptance. This is exciting news indeed. Did you get your PR situation handled?

I wish you the best in your future endeavors!

Cheers!

 

[Aslank]

Flyawaybird89, are you going for the 2016 intake too? If yes, what schools have you applied for? As for my PR, my agent said that I should worry about it when I am eligible for it in a few years. She said I may lose my place in the program and should contact my faculty to get more information. Obviously, I would never want to jeopardize my medical education and may wait till the very end to apply if eligible.

 

[flyawaybird89]

Flyawaybird89, are you going for the 2016 intake too? If yes, what schools have you applied for? As for my PR, my agent said that I should worry about it when I am eligible for it in a few years. She said I may lose my place in the program and should contact my faculty to get more information. Obviously, I would never want to jeopardize my medical education and may wait till the very end to apply if eligible.

Yes I have been offered admissions and accepted my position at University of Wollongong. I think it is a good fit for me and really like what they have to offer. I had applied to UQ-Ochsner, Monash, Flinders, Deakin, and ANU. However once I got my offer from UOW, I withdrew my application from all the other schools.

I am sure you are probably just as eager as I am to start. ^_^

Yes it would be nice to get that PR situation cleared up, but it seems either way you'll figure it out.

Congrats again on your admissions!

 

[Aslank]

Hey bashwell, thank you for that! Could you tell me more about your school? In particular, how many hours a week did you spend time in school plus self study. Also, did you have any time left for a part-time job to support yourself?

 

[Aslank]

Thank you bashwell! you've been so helpful. If you don't mind me asking, what school did you/are you going to and if you had to do this all over again would you change anything? Sorry about the wordiness.