Medicine

Likes – fairly close to city center (15 min bus), large beautiful campus like back in Canada, the weather, supplemental exams are given so you can have a second chance before officially failing a course, if you fail a course you can still repeat and continue in medicine (lots of worst-case backup plans if things don’t go as planned), professors are extremely approachable and helpful, libraries open 24/7.

Small classes (just under 100 for the cohort but 20-40 for tutorials), very welcoming and friendly staff and student community, love being rural in first year, lots of hands-on learning (clinical skills, placement at the hospital, and cadaver labs). Being in Churchill for first year has been a really calm place to study but still has a solid library, study spaces, and gym facilities.

Unfortunately, there’s the expectation that students travel to Melbourne 1-3 times per month for the cadaver session. The program is fast-paced and stressful because it’s just one year of class-based learning before three years on placement, but we get enough holiday time.

They picked me up right from the airport when I landed, kept me updated with Covid info, have beautiful campuses, really tight knit student groups.

I love how helpful, kind and accommodating everyone is in the med cohort. The profs are also amazing and supportive, which has made the program enjoyable so far. The entire university shares one library and it is often tough to find a spot to study. I love that there is no competition at all amongst the students. This creates a very collaborative environment. Griffith med focuses a lot on communication skills so I am learning much more than just the science of medicine. The instructors are quite supportive.

I like the facilities and the teachers who actually do care about their students. Emphasis on mental health is very important and is actually followed through on.

Class size and course material are great. The instructors so far that I have had have been great. The teaching method going forward at Griffith for Med is changing from small group to large group sessions which would affect how people learn.

lots of services, good culture, needs more support for internationals, help with studying (how to study more effectively). decent class size (130) small groups for building connections. Quite a few clubs available. Im part of the Skill it Kitchen – learn to plan and make affordable and nutritious foods.

Great facilities, instructors and program, especially the dissection component. Be prepared to undergo a lot of self-regulated learning i.e finding own resources, learning from peers, etc.

I’m glad I accepted my JCU offer and I’m loving it here—the people are super friendly and welcoming. There are lots of Canadians here and the culture is amazing. The material is super fun too. I’ve already attended 2 clinical skills sessions and I just can’t believe I’ve begun my med journey which used to be a dream at one point.

Griffith takes a more holistic approach to medicine and structures the learning directly towards clinical practice, right from day 1. In addition, Griffith combines ethics, stats, and law right in with the medical sciences, which helps us approach cases and patients with a broader understanding.

Great program! Very supportive program with professors always keen to help. So much cool stuff to learn!

University of Sydney is an amazing University with everything a student can ask for. The only issue that I have is that it can be hard to find spaces to study since there is a huge student population. I am definitely enjoying the program at USYD. This is because there are amazing lectures both at the main campus and the teaching hospitals. The only issue is that the program is being changed to an online based one with MD2020 so not everyone is on board with online teaching.

Great weather in Sydney, well renowned institution, and great emphasis on research projects…. The early clinical exposure is really good and allows us to apply our theoretical learning into real clinical and practical applications.

I like USYD. It is a great program with a long history of success. I am enjoying it. I feel like I’m learning a lot and feel that the clinical introduction from an early date has been beneficial to our learning.  Take advantage of all the events that happen to make friends and get the most out of the program.

I do like my university. It is a world-class university in a wonderful city. I love how supportive the students are to each other. The Usyd Med program has such a family-like culture where everyone wants you to do well.

Love it. Weather is great, the cohort is friendly and the campus is really nice. Cons: I recommend self learning (recommended readings on your own and using additional resource like boards and beyond/pathoma even if you are not going to do USMLE). Also, the campus needs more study space. Love the content we are learning and I have a greater appreciation for the medical profession. You will see that some kids in the program are absolutely brilliant and are willing to help you out if you ask.

Yes UQ and the people there are great. There’s some stuff that the students complain about, but I’ve never been to another med school, and I imagine each has their flaws. I realize the rankings are relatively irrelevant, and what you put in is what you’re going to get out anyway…. Certainly some room for improvement, but overall, lots of good instructors and lecturers, and very comprehensive information is supplied.

University of Melbourne is a very good school and their campus is beautiful full of all the amenities that a student might need. It’s also within walking distance to the core business district making it easy to get access to all the city has to offer. Melbourne’s MD program is ranked as one of the best in the world and it’s clear to see why. There are many methods deployed to teach the content. From lectures, to anatomy dissections to lab practicals. With only year being pre clinical, having the extra year being in the hospitals is definitely helpful to becoming a better medical professional!

MQ is a really nice campus, the MD program is a little isolated (closer to the hospital) but that’s okay. It’s in a part of Sydney that doesn’t require you to live deep in the big city which is really nice. Being so close to the mall makes it easy to do all the life things outside of school too (ie. banking, phone plans, grocery shopping – you can do all of that on your lunch or before going home). The MQMD program is fantastic. Being so small it really feels like a little family. The faculty know each of us as individual people and supports us as such. Since it is new there are admin bumps and hiccups – but that happens at every school – and the faculty is really open to feedback.

Love Macquarie University. The campus is beautiful and there is a strong support network available to anyone who needs it. The MD program has been great. With the small class size and great team of staff around us, they give you the tools to succeed, especially in such a stressful program.

I have really nothing but good things to say about the program so far. Griffith has a great med program and the difference from other schools is becoming more apparent (we have the biggest/best funded cadaver/specimen lab in the country, there is a big emphasis on clinical application of knowledge like x-ray interpretation and clinical reasoning from day one). I think I made the right choice coming here.

The facilities are state of the art, the staff are very clearly invested and engaged, and the program takes a very holistic approach. The program relies heavily on self-directed learning which means you’re given guidelines of what you’re expected to know and its up to you to go and learn that information. Some material is supported in lecture but the main idea is to train you to be able to acquire medical knowledge on your own once you’re a practicing physician. I think some students struggle with this but I enjoy the freedom/responsibility given to us and the opposition to spoon-fed teaching like other courses use. 

Gold Coast is also a great place to live, the weather is amazing so it does feel like you’re on holiday most of the time. I’m definitely looking forward to second year though where we have more clinical rotations and hospital shifts.

The medical program itself and my interactions with other students and faculty have really increased my confidence in my abilities. Australia is a beautiful country that has a lot to offer. There is fantastic clinical exposure, an amazing cohort of students I call colleagues and friends, and a supportive faculty who are passionate about teaching and training the next generation of doctors.

Griffith is super supportive of their students. We have had 11 sessions on studying smart, making sure we know who to go to for help, the various resources and support systems on available to us. In almost every one of our intro lectures, each instructor encourages us to send feedback. From my experience in school this genuine invitation for feedback is almost unheard of.

It is very obvious that Griffith really cares about their students. It’s also more obvious that Griffith values students who are not only intelligent, but also personable, empathetic and team-players. It is a very innovative take on medical curriculum and I can see how much effort the admin has put into the program.

Monash is a great place where live and make friends. It is more than just studying, indeed there are an infinite number of clubs to join and different activities to do. The program is very careful about its students well being and correct coping with the amount of studying to do. Students are then constantly monitored, to be sure that all the support they need is given to them. The people are extremely friendly and welcoming. It is really easy to make friends and share facts, learning about others’ great life events. The weather has also been terrific so far.

Fantastic school, really good opportunity to learn clinical skills.

Right into the hospital ASAP. I get a lot of clinical experience. Additionally, there are many different learning activities so I rarely get tired of any. For example, the pathology labs, the team-based learning classes, clinical days, anatomy labs, lectures, and seminars.

Pros: large university with a very active campus so there is always something going on within the med program and beyond. World class lecturers teaching challenging material is very cool and rewarding. The anatomy labs and cadavers are an amazing tool to study anatomy and the staff is incredible. Cons: Organization of the lecture material sometimes seems thrown together without much thought so flow throughout a block of study can be a bit scattered.

I like how hands on and practical it is from the first weeks of the program and the variety of learning environments offered through the program. The campus is quite large and busy, and there aren’t any devoted spaces for medical students to study or congregate on the main campus outside of lectures. There is a graduate library, but it is small and fills with people in other programs near the ends of their semesters.

The Sydney medical program can be a bit disorganized, but it is very hands on and you are expected to learn things quite fast. Definitely a challenging course but worthwhile.

The University of Sydney is a well-renowened university and the campus is very nice and walkable. The students are well-supported by staff. We have a close relationship with some of the staff, especially at our clinical schools. Despite being away from home, I always feel like someone is looking out for me.

The University is huge, well established and with some very supportive and experienced faculty. Some aspects of the program are disorganised. Time tables change often depending on the block of study and this ends up keeping us on our toes regarding how to study each block. This is especially true when lectures get switched around in an order where more complex topics end up being covered before the intro lectures. The clinical days are extremely useful learning opportunities. One has the opportunity to learn a great deal from the doctors at the clinical school especially if one is able to spend some extra-curricular time there.

I love the university and program. The university has a lot of events and things on campus to help you destress during exam time. It’s also very beautiful with lots of cute coffee shops to do homework at. The one awful thing about UQ is how unbelievably crowded it is. Finding a place on campus to study can be impossible and the place for medical students on the main st. Lucia campus is too small and almost always full to capacity. This is my own big problem with the university. The program is usually fantastic. I love the small groups for learning and the anatomy practicals (although there should be double the amount we’re getting) and the clinical coaching at the hospital. The large class size hasn’t been an issue as far as I’m concerned because everything is done in smaller groups out of lecture. The one problem is sometimes the modules can be disorganized and you might get a little lost if you don’t have the motivation to learn on your own time and search for your own resources. Also, from year to year they’ve been changing the exam formats and it seems like they’re not really sure about how they want to test you. There’s certainly a lot of support though with fellow class mates and the small group tutors if you need it.

The program always teaches me something new everyday. I enjoy hearing from doctors in various disciplines. I have found it valuable to learn about epidemiology and Australian healthcare system. I have found the peer tutorials at UQ valuable part of my learning. I wish there was more teaching done in anatomy practicals rather than self-learning. Also more time in anatomy facility would be awesome.

Everything is actually really really good. I’m surprised at the resources UQ pours into its students. Like, my old university was technically higher ranked on a lot of global indexes, but they didn’t really care as much about students as they do here.

I like the way the program is set up, and the administration seems very open to feedback and suggestions. The clinical coaches and tutors are all great.

Living in Australia is incredible and I’m so happy with my decision to move here. The warm weather, and great people, close friendships have all been worth it. The university of Queensland is a beautiful large campus. Very clean, lots of activity, and feels very vibrant. There’s lots to do on campus to get involved with events, food, etc. It’s a little quiet on late evenings/weekends. The program is great! It’s certainly challenging but very well organized. The program takes student feedback regularly and seriously and is constantly making changes to accommodate our needs. We have many good lecturers and mentors.

The people are very kind and interesting. The program allows for a lot more clinical experience than other programs.

Griffith puts a huge focus on communication skills with patients, and has a strong reputation for its graduates being better skilled in that regard.

The supportive and friendly environment with extensive clinical and research opportunities at the University of Melbourne provided the best starting point for my medical career. Not only did I get a taste of a different healthcare culture, I also had the opportunity to practice and build on my clinical knowledge and hands-on procedural experiences.

I love my program. The clinical skills part is the most intriguing aspect. Do not underestimate the workload, but also don’t let it swallow up your whole life. Balance is key. Also get to know others outside of the program. Being surrounded only by medical peers sometimes can be draining.

I like everything about the program and the university. The only downside I have found is that it was different than getting education in North America and the standards are much higher. It is going well, I took to it fairly quickly though I still adapt to new things every day.

I like the amount of clinical work they make you do which really prepares you for the field. The transitioning process is easier than expected and as long as one stays on top of the school work, it is also manageable.