Anu?

[neulite]

Has anyone heard anything about this medical program? I'm already going to Brisbane to UQ but I was offered an interview at ANU and I've rarely heard anyone speak of this medical program.

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[Dr.Millisevert]

Has anyone heard anything about this medical program? I'm already going to Brisbane to UQ but I was offered an interview at ANU and I've rarely heard anyone speak of this medical program.

Great program! It is still "relatively" new. It used to be a teaching hospital for the University of Sydney about 10 years ago. However, Sydney University relinquished those teaching hospitals to ANU when they said they wanted to develop their medical program. For the first couple of years it was pretty much the same curriculum as Sydney's, however... they have really built up the program and have modified things a bit. ANU as a University is consistently ranked in the top 5 of all Australian Universities. Canberra (where the university is located) is the capital city of Australia. Imagine Washington DC in the middle of West Virginia with all the memorials and museums, but without all the nightlife .... and that may give you an idea of what Canberra is like as a place to live. (it is a lot cleaner and a Hell of a lot safer than DC though).

Again.. the program is great. You can't go wrong. Good luck with your applications.

 

[prepsych]

if you don't mind me asking neulite, when did you recieve your invitation from anu? i too applied to them and am curious about the timeline.
thanks and congratulations!

 

[neulite]

if you don't mind me asking neulite, when did you recieve your invitation from anu? i too applied to them and am curious about the timeline.
thanks and congratulations!

Two days ago on the 15th. I am emailing them right now to tell them I have already accepted another place at UQ. So there will be a spot opening up.

 

[JoeNamaMD]

Its a fairly new medical school, its heavily researched based. Its in Canberra. Its probably the best one of the new medical schools such as UOW, Griffith, Bond, Notre Dame, and JCU.

 

[gannet]

Hello there, I'd be grateful for some thoughts on how ANU's medical program compares with USyd's.

I've to admit that I've heard more abt USyd and even of their clinical schools (i.e RPAH and Westmead), simply because USyd has a more established international reputation. Honestly though, while I've been to Sydney as a tourist, I've never actually visited the campus. I hear that it's located in a somewhat dodgy part of the city?

I've also never been to Canberra at all. How does the general costs of living in Canberra compare with the other cities like Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane?

 

[JoeNamaMD]

ANU is a newer school, but they do a lot of medical research there. Their research unit used to be affiliated with USyd, but they decided to become independent and open their school.

The highest ranked Australian medical schools in terms of research are Melbourne, Sydney, Monash, ANU, and Queensland. In reality though they are all roughly equal.

Camperdown if you compare it to areas like Pyrmont and Bondi would be considered somewhat dodgy, still its not like an American inner city area, you still have to be careful, particularly at night. Westmead which is in Western Sydney is in a semi okay area but there are some areas of Western Sydney where you definitely have to be cautious. Some parts of Eastern Sydney which can be rough include King's Cross and Redfern(which is actually Inner West I think).

 

[leilad]

what areas in brisbane would you deem as dodgy? i know its not as bad as sydney in terms of crime/safety, but i would assume that, as in any other city, there are parts I should avoid at night, etc.

thank you.

 

[JoeNamaMD]

The CBD and Fortitude Valley are not good areas to be around very late at night alone. The issue with these areas is that there are a lot of pubs and night clubs in the area and transportation shuts down at midnight, so you have a lot of drunk people stuck in an area. In general during the day and normal evening hours its fairly safe to be in those areas. Brisbane in general is a very safe place.

Even Sydney which is considered to be the most dangerous major city in Australia is actually not too bad, the real issue with Sydney is money and the fact that its hard for students to find discounts. I know a registrar in QLD who graduated from USyd and moved to Brisbane did not say too many nice things about Sydney in terms of cost of living. I am looking for apartments there and am amazed at some of the astronomical rents. Although some areas are not too bad either, but any area that has a view of the water is going to be expensive.

Anyway as a medical student you will most likely spend your evenings and late nights at home studying. Clinical rotations will mostly be during the day. Even registrars are rarely around late night in the hospitals.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crime_in_Sydney#King.27s_Cross This is an article about the most notorious area in Sydney, a definite place to avoid.

 

[gmacpac]

Hey Joe:

I know you have mentioned cost of living in other posts, and places to find apts in.

I recently saw a one bedroom apt, pics looked very nice, in "student apt complex" (I notice there are a couple of these with websites).

The apt was going for $800/month which includes utilities and wireless internet.

Does that sound real to you? Or is something sketchy about these numbers? I plan on living around UQ if not on campus for my first year. Are you familiar with any apt complexes that are nice, are closer to stores and campus?

 

[JoeNamaMD]

What's the name of the complex? Its a good idea to see the place before you sign a lease. There are some big corporate style housing complexes for students like Unilodge, Southbank, and Campus Villages. In reality you will probably have fewer problems with the big corporate places than with individual landlords/realty companies. Its probably better if you go through a big realty company than with an individual landlord.

UQ housing is really expensive, and they make you buy a meal plan, plus you will have to put up with undergraduate students(loud noise, vomit in the bathrooms, etc).

St. Lucia where you will have your first year classes is kind of expensive, there are some areas nearby that are decent in terms of price in Toowong and Indooripilly. Try Yahoo Australia, they usually have a pretty detailed list. Brisbane is small enough that as long as you live in a Zone 1 or 2 bus area, its not going to be terribly hard to get to school, they even have a boat that goes the campus, a bit of gimic if you ask me because buses are much faster. Try to make some friends with your classmates, so you can share a residence, that could cut your living costs by a decent amount. I would advise against going into sharehouses with people you do not know, I actually did this and it was a big mistake.

 

[gmacpac]

What's the name of the complex? Its a good idea to see the place before you sign a lease. There are some big corporate style housing complexes for students like Unilodge, Southbank, and Campus Villages. In reality you will probably have fewer problems with the big corporate places than with individual landlords/realty companies. Its probably better if you go through a big realty company than with an individual landlord.

UQ housing is really expensive, and they make you buy a meal plan, plus you will have to put up with undergraduate students(loud noise, vomit in the bathrooms, etc).

St. Lucia where you will have your first year classes is kind of expensive, there are some areas nearby that are decent in terms of price in Toowong and Indooripilly. Try Yahoo Australia, they usually have a pretty detailed list. Brisbane is small enough that as long as you live in a Zone 1 or 2 bus area, its not going to be terribly hard to get to school, they even have a boat that goes the campus, a bit of gimic if you ask me because buses are much faster. Try to make some friends with your classmates, so you can share a residence, that could cut your living costs by a decent amount. I would advise against going into sharehouses with people you do not know, I actually did this and it was a big mistake.

This was my gut feeling too. I am very reluctant in living with people because differences in priorities. I can totally see a chaotic undergrad environment in dorms, so I will try to look around campus for the first year.

Thanks for the advice. I will check out yahoo australia.

 

[gannet]

Hi Joe, thanks very much for sharing your thoughts.

I've been leaning towards USyd, but the high cost involved keeps me grounded. I've to admit it's going to be a little tough for me to reach an objective decision, given I know so little about Canberra and ANU. But seriously, given that Canberra's the capital city, is accommodation in Canberra really friendlier to the self-financing medical student as compared to Sydney?

 

[JoeNamaMD]

Canberra is probably cheaper than Sydney, I have never been there, but Sydney has the most expensive average real estate prices in Australia. I am going to pay more for a one bedroom apartment in Sydney than I did for a whole house in suburban Brisbane, I know still its an apples to orange comparison. There are areas outside of Sydney that are not too bad in terms of cost, but as a student you want to be near campus or have good transportation options.

Smaller cities like Brisbane and Adelaide are better for people with children, because the cost of living is lower. A good number of people from the Sydney region have been moving elsewhere in Australia, I know quite a few registrars from USyd and UNSW working in Brisbane. They think I am a bit out of my mind for wanting to live in Sydney, but I will probably be there for only a year.

 

[DrIng]

Canberra is cheaper than Sydney in terms of cost of living, it's also got the advantage of being smaller- in that it will only take you half an hour to drive just about anywhere you're likely to need to go but it's only a few hours drive to the coast, the snow or Syndye so there are lots of possibiities for weekend trips. Most of the ANU students I know seem happy wit the program, haven't met too many international students though...

 

[gannet]

Hi Joe, if you don't mind me asking, what draws you to Sydney?

Hello DrIng, thanks for sharing. How do clinical sessions in ANU compare with Sydney? I would imagine that Sydney being the bigger (and more cosmopolitan?) city would encompass a wider patient base. Does this neccessarily translate into more clinical exposure though?

 

[JohnnyRockets]

I heard Stafford loans are hard to get for ANU, I think the rule is that they need to have at least two graduating classes before the school can qualify for US Federal loans. UOW right now does not, I think its mainly UQ, USyd, Melbourne, Flinders, and few others that qualify for US Federal Aid.

I am thinking about USyd but does anyone have any input on how USyd would compare to UQ besides costing 10k more in tuition and probably more in living costs?

 

[DrIng]

I don't really know about the depth of clincial exposure. Canberra used to be one of the four rotations available for USyd students (obviously it isn't now they'v got their own medical school) so I would imagine USyd considered the exposure equivalent, and youc an always do electives later on to provide exposure to things you think you've missed out on...

 

[skatertudoroga]

I heard Stafford loans are hard to get for ANU, I think the rule is that they need to have at least two graduating classes before the school can qualify for US Federal loans. UOW right now does not, I think its mainly UQ, USyd, Melbourne, Flinders, and few others that qualify for US Federal Aid.

I am thinking about USyd but does anyone have any input on how USyd would compare to UQ besides costing 10k more in tuition and probably more in living costs?

Hey, since that post has been made is it still hard to get stafford and gradplus for ANU? And another question I have is on their website it says you need to have taken mcat after Aug2008 if you apply for 2011 and I took it in June2008. Does it make me ineligible? And also could you compare the preclinical curriculum and clinicials for ANU versus Flinders? Thanks!