no more direct apps for USYD internationals?

[Macguyver83]

Hi all,

I read this on the USYD MP page: http://www.medfac.usyd.edu.au/edprog/usydmp/osadmission.html



International applicants for the Medical Program should submit their applications to the Australian Council for Educational Research (contact details see Admissions Test section below). (Note: No direct application will be accepted by the Faculty of Medicine or International Office.)

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[pitman]

strange, wonder if that was imposed on them by NSW or was a marketing decision. looks like flinders is the only one that has a separate app now?

 

[banana k]

whoops, that was probably cos of me or students like me who used the direct application advantage to apply to multiple schools at once-- a la USA style. then when i was making the decision between sydney and melbourne, the admissions officer at melbourne was like, "you can't hold two offers at once! what are you thinking?!". i'm sure there's a stack of stories out there like that that have irritated admin types, and i'd bet there's some pressure from them to eliminate direct apps. but come on... it's good consumerism.

 

[pitman]

the melbourne officer was being naiive. Our med soc (w/ me pushing ) will be trying to get UQ to have a separate app for int'l students.

-pitman

 

[banana k]

damn tootin'! well, melbourne was particularly naive and irritating anyway... wouldn't tell me whether i'd made the interview cut till the date for passing applications on to second schools was well and gone. not impressed.

 

[pitman]

damn tootin'! well, melbourne was particularly naive and irritating anyway... wouldn't tell me whether i'd made the interview cut till the date for passing applications on to second schools was well and gone. not impressed.

Yikes. I hate that sort of under-handedness. After you secure a place elsewhere, you may want to write a note to Melbourne saying that you went elsewhere due to bad juju. I sort of told that to Sydney's dir of admissions before they gave me their decision

 

[banana k]

really, what did sydney do that made you write juju notes?

i sent melbourne a note saying sorry i'm going to sydney, but i didn't bring in the juju... although that's sort of a fun idea.

 

[pitman]

they yanked a bunch of candidates around by a chain and didn't tell us for about 8 weeks when our interview was, for starts. they told me, "i assure you that only happened to YOU" after the interview in sydney (i just happened to be around for other interviews but had to extend my trip when they finally contacted me, 3 days before the interview). hmmm, as though "only you" would ever be a good thing to tell someone. but they don't read the boards, which i told them they should, to see how other candidates reported the same. went downhill from there.

 

[Insider]

they yanked a bunch of candidates around by a chain and didn't tell us for about 8 weeks when our interview was, for starts. they told me, "i assure you that only happened to YOU" after the interview in sydney (i just happened to be around for other interviews but had to extend my trip when they finally contacted me, 3 days before the interview). hmmm, as though "only you" would ever be a good thing to tell someone. but they don't read the boards, which i told them they should, to see how other candidates reported the same. went downhill from there.

Yes, they do yank international students around. And international students yank them around! Admissions is only the beginning. But look at if from their standpoint: Why would they care what you think? They don't care whether you accept their offer. They just go on to the next person. Currently, they seem able to fill their spots and get their money. As for "reading the boards": They are running medical schools! Why would they care? [You are NOT that important.]

 

[pitman]

But Insider, USyd is one school. You won't find the students at Flinders feeling they're "yanked around" by their administration, nor do i find it at UQ. Not that there aren't any issues the students have, but not particularly ones that make them feel the admins are a bunch of aholes!

Now why might a school care about how it treats its int'l students? Best business practices. it's not rhetorical as you seem to imply above. schools want to keep or grow an image, they don't want different "tiers" of quality of students, they don't want a backlash, they don't want unhappiness spreading to students in general, etc. Aside from that, some heads of school actually like to help students!

Now I only know about USyd via hearsay and from my experience with an interview with the dean of students and dir of admissions a couple years ago, so i am NOT an authority on the school. but i've gotten the opinion that admin there is particularly arrogant. to the point that they don't seem to think their behavior might be self-defeating.

i have noticed that the forum members who are most down on going down under, the ones who are the most cynical and/or despondent and/or spiteful, go to USyd. And generalizing from one school is not justified. For example, and this is not to toot my own school, but so far my admin has been quite responsive to some measures i've suggested that will help the school attract, and keep happy, good int'l students. further, it doesn't seem nearly as impossible to stick around in queensland after graduating as it does to stay in nsw (where australians all seems to want to go).

-pitman

 

[pitman]

-- duplicate post removed --

 

[pitman]

I was just surfing around the USyd site and came upon this:

http://www.medfac.usyd.edu.au/edprog/usydmp/osdirect.html

...which claims you can apply with the direct application. However, b.c. of the roundabout way I got to that page, it's probably just an overlooked link to an old page.

At any rate, anyone interested in USyd should email them to ask (since direct app means you can apply and potentially get an interview at some other school on the ACER application, so three schools total), then post back here the definitive answer!

-pitman