Griffith University

Cohort is small and allowed me to make good friends. Lots of support from staff. Very hands on. But you feel like you’re thrown in the deep end in the first semester. LOTS OF WORK. Lots of social events to meet people and get free stuff. People are friendly.

Love it here. Love the program. Tip: Prepare months before arrival.

Receptive staff, very supportive peers, good facilities. Dislike: needs more study areas, more plug points, certain staff members have poor teaching skills. Come in with an open, positive attitude because building community will make or break your experience. Don’t be afraid to make friends with the Australians too, because it’ll be very tempting to stay in Canadian circles. Work hard, but remember this is a marathon, not a sprint, so it’s important to have fun and socialize.

Great teachers and straight to the subject. Dislike – No meal plan. Lots to study, high quality education.

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.

University is good so far. The program keeps me busy so I don’t really experience the activities that the uni has to offer. It is actually quite intense. I would say that its quite different in terms of Canadian teaching styles. I would probably say [to future students] mentally prepare for a tougher program, and just make sure to make friends with your cohort. It’s a small class and if you have friends, it makes school is more manageable, and the whole experience worthwhile.

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.

[I like the] campus and its services, location of the campus. Everything is great! I would say in some cases, the instructors could be really hard markers. Class size is great! depending on class taken some course material is overwhelming. Prepare to grow as a person while studying, getting comfortable with the discomforts of life (social and personal aspects)

[I like the] support from educators, clinical opportunities, class size, and getting to meet people from different backgrounds.

The campus is just really beautiful. It’s a drastic difference from back home in Calgary, because here it’s all open and there’s tons of greenery around. There’s also tons of sports facilities everywhere, like a huge track, multiple basketball courts, tennis nets, etc. and they’re all outdoors. The liveliness of it all just makes the degree I’m pursuing much more bearable. I don’t like how small the cohort is, because it’s everyone knows everyone and you’re around the same group of people all the time. It’s nice to go to other uni events and stuff to surround yourself with a larger variety of people. Just do it! I feel like everyone has their doubts & worries when it comes to such a big move, but at the end of the day I don’t think that anybody can ever be 100% certain about something like this. It’s a big move and there are definitely tons of uncertainties, but I feel like if you have to study/get a degree you might as well make a story out of it. 5+ or however many years will pass by regardless, it’s just up to you for how you want them to play out.

I’m doing a lot of self learning but I don’t mind it as I learn better that way any. The campus is beautiful and the facilities seem great. Class sizes – 81 people which is great as more one on one opportunities for learning. The course material – I feel that the first year dental professor has been recycling his slides from 5 years ago but is not the best. Definitely go! Look up some of the first year courses you can get credit for at Griffith like chemistry and anatomy and do them in Canada.

Griffith Med Society is amazing. The supportive community, great location, plenty of activities to do and balanced lifestyle. Only downside is that sometimes it gets really hot here in GC. Class size is just right. Everyone is friendly and cooperative. Med school is hard, but with good company and supportive environment makes everything durable.

I like what I am learning about, they are all topics that I am very interested in. The university has a lot of nice facilities for learning that are available to students.

I really enjoy the class sizes and how everyone becomes close and familiar with each other. The blended teaching method is great for learning at your own pace. I really enjoy the services on campus and how they support students in all ways. They have lots of events and support available to everyone.

I’m at Griffith University.  The location of the university is stellar, only a 10 minute tram ride from surfers paradise beach. Tuition is the cheapest I believe of all the Australian medical schools, and the medical building is relatively new and offers modern facilities. All lectures are recorded or pre-recorded, and none of them are mandatory to watch live. if you fail anything there are multiple opportunities to redo the assessment. Program is very supportive of you and wants you to succeed. Anatomy part of the course is great, many cadavers to study off of [and] communication skills training is very thorough. Exams are pass/fail the first two years so you don’t need to worry about maintaining a percentage average (this takes a huge amount of stress away).

Campus itself is quite nice with lots of trees and nature interspersed within it. Very friendly atmosphere. There are two gyms which spreads out the student pop. One of the gyms is open 24/7 so there are no time restrictions on when you may want to work out. very nice outdoor swimming pool, beach volleyball court, basketball court, and two tennis courts. There’s also a race track with all the track and field amenities. lots of places to study and chill. Multiple cafes and places to get food.

I love the anatomy learning facilities, medical services on campus, the relaxed feel, the passion that most of the faculty has for teaching, and the proximity to everything I need (gym, health care, public transit, housing, groceries, and more in walking distance). I slightly dislike the size of the university. Since Griffith is spread over many campuses, it feels quite quiet at times. There also isn’t much “school spirit” the way there is back in Canada.

I like the class size a lot. There are about 100 of us, with much of the cohort being Canadian (including my housemates), so I’ve gotten to know a lot of the cohort quite well, but there are still quite a few people I’m yet to talk to. The teaching methods in the university in general have been stellar with regard to anatomy courses, but can be lacking in a couple of courses, where lecturers intentionally make life unreasonably difficult. Most instructors are excellent, going above and beyond to supplement our learning, though a few do the bare minimum and still expect excellence from students. However, there are usually additional resources to get guidance outside of these lecturers (such as PASS, or tutorials), so it was manageable… we don’t really start on our hand skills until our second year. In first year we have “haptics” sessions, where we have virtual simulated drilling, but it isn’t really analogous to the simulation clinic in later years.

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.

I never imagined I’d have the courage to move to a new country and study law but I’m so glad I made the decision. I’ve learned a lot about myself and grown as a person. The staff is very helpful. Reach out to the Griffith Canadian law students association for additional advice and to guide you when you arrive/throughout your studies. It has worked wonders for me.

The location is amazing and so is the program. love the program bc it recognizes credits from Canadian uni’s

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.

Griffith is an amazingly supportive university. My mind is blown. Can’t say I’ve experienced this type of accommodation elsewhere (and totally unexpected).

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.

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

I love my University and program; I love having the balance of studying and fun in the Gold Coast. My dental program provides state of the art facilities and the professors have been very helpful through the transition. I also got credited for many courses which saved me a lot of time and money.