UQ (traditional) or Griffith for a Canadian

[med4evah]

Hi guys! As a Canadian applicant, who possibly would like to try coming back for residency, could anyone please recommend why you would choose UQ (traditional) or Griffith. Both schools are in beautiful locations, seem in much chilled out environment. Their curriculum also sounds good but quite different from each other, I am not sure if I can comment or evaluate on curriculum as I have no experience as to what is better teaching/assessment style lol ! Rn, I have tug between these two as:

1. Griffith is much cheaper university (so will be forgiving on the LoC and loans payback hopefully)​
2. But I have heard that comparing elective placements at home, Griffith offers 1 but UQ offers ~4 (please do correct me if I am wrong). The more electives away may be helpful in strengthening the CaRMS application(?)​
3. Also, UQ has better research opportunities (to help CV, especially for Canadian schools that looove research stuff), and has higher rank internationally so more recognized. They even have USMLE courses as electives embedded in their program (in case I may want to try my luck at USA). But then you hear their student support is not that great, and the biiiiig cohort size can be a negative.. etc .​

If you were given an option between Griffith and UQ, would you pick UQ (would most people if you know have)? Will going to Griffith put you at a disadvantage in coming back compared to someone who went to UQ, or even Sydney and Melbourne (due to High in rank, research, electives) ?

Any guidance, your personal experience, would be much appreciated! Thank you <3 <3

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[Wolvvs]

I'm not Canadian so can't really speak to what Canadian residencies are looking for, but you could email each school to ask about success rate for CaRMS applicants over the past few years, they should be able to provide that information.

Your instinct that UQ will be more helpful when it comes to name/research opportunities/connections to overseas institutions is probably correct.

 

[med4evah]

I'm not Canadian so can't really speak to what Canadian residencies are looking for, but you could email each school to ask about success rate for CaRMS applicants over the past few years, they should be able to provide that information.

Your instinct that UQ will be more helpful when it comes to name/research opportunities/connections to overseas institutions is probably correct.

Thank you so much for replying <3! UQ very openly puts its CaRMS success rate out which has been helpful. You dont think the other schools will mind if I ask them, right? Also are u studying at one of these schools by chance? If you dont mind me asking, could you share your school experience, especially with the shift to online learning due to Covid (if the school has been supportive, etc)?

 

[Wolvvs]

Thank you so much for replying <3! UQ very openly puts its CaRMS success rate out which has been helpful. You dont think the other schools will mind if I ask them, right? Also are u studying at one of these schools by chance? If you dont mind me asking, could you share your school experience, especially with the shift to online learning due to Covid (if the school has been supportive, etc)?

Sure. I'm an M1 in the UQ-Ochsner program but I did interview at other schools including Griffith. You're dedicating the next four years of your life to this choice, so it's important you ask all the questions you need to. If a school is too afraid to share their CaRMS match rate, or gets annoyed at you for asking, that tells you something.

I personally felt that online learning has gone very well at UQ. I'm an older non-traditional student with a good support system already in place, but some of my younger classmates have struggled a bit with feeling disconnected from the onshore cohort. Also my program has only two years in Australia so some students who chose this program specifically for the chance to study in Australia are feeling a bit ripped off. I feel overall UQ has been supportive. Hopefully next year we'll be in person so this stuff won't be as much of a problem!

 

[med4evah]

Sure. I'm an M1 in the UQ-Ochsner program but I did interview at other schools including Griffith. You're dedicating the next four years of your life to this choice, so it's important you ask all the questions you need to. If a school is too afraid to share their CaRMS match rate, or gets annoyed at you for asking, that tells you something.

I personally felt that online learning has gone very well at UQ. I'm an older non-traditional student with a good support system already in place, but some of my younger classmates have struggled a bit with feeling disconnected from the onshore cohort. Also my program has only two years in Australia so some students who chose this program specifically for the chance to study in Australia are feeling a bit ripped off. I feel overall UQ has been supportive. Hopefully next year we'll be in person so this stuff won't be as much of a problem!

Thank you very much!!! Wishing you the best for the rest of your year!