James Cook uni UnderGrad Medicine (1 Viewer)

[RyBo]

Hi all. I'm in year 11 on the Gold Coast, (studying my butt off to hopefully get into med)

As a queenslander, there are very few options when it comes to studying under-grad med in my state.
UQ and Griffith are graduate,
Bond is good if your rich,
leaving James Cook.
Despite much leg work, I could find very little info (opinions) on james cooks' med course. (this could be due to the fact most QLDers are out surfing )


There are several rumours floating around the net such as:
JQ is extremly biased towords QLDers.
It's an 'Old Skool' course with no PBL.
JQ is basically one big rural Uni.

I know that interstate application is almost a must these days, and i would be prepared to move interstate, however I like to explore all options (especially the easier ones)

If anyone knows more or has heard anything else, could they please post.

 

[+Po1ntDeXt3r+]

wat u sed is generally wat other med students seem to say..

at least no UMAT..

 

[Slidey]

Hi all. I'm in year 11 on the Gold Coast, (studying my butt off to hopefully get into med)

As a queenslander, there are very few options when it comes to studying under-grad med in my state.
UQ and Griffith are post grad,
Bond is good if your rich,
leaving James Cook.
Despite much leg work, I could find very little info (opinions) on james cooks' med course. (this could be due to the fact most QLDers are out surfing )


There are several rumours floating around the net such as:
JQ is extremly biased towords QLDers.
It's an 'Old Skool' course with no PBL.
JQ is basically one big rural Uni.

I know that interstate application is almost a must these days, and i would be prepared to move interstate, however I like to explore all options (especially the easier ones)

If anyone knows more or has heard anything else, could they please post.

Have you actually considered postgraduate medicine? Is there a reason you need to do undergrad?

 

[kimmeh]

With that selection criteria already, its extremely competitive for a spot in JCU. Theres a big focus on "tropical medicine" and they will ask you on your questionaire why you're interested in it.

 

[+Po1ntDeXt3r+]

Have you actually considered postgraduate medicine? Is there a reason you need to do undergrad?

grad-entry..
not postgrad..
postgrad=u hav a prev degree in that field

if lexi sees it he gets pissed

 

[inasero]

im sure that rybo is not as stupid as u think he is...he probably has thought about it

 

[Lexicographer]

Not pissed anymore, since I know Slide Rule should know better.

Anyway, JCU is very far away. The stuff you said is basically what all the not-JCU meds know, and even then it's not "knowledge" so much as collective anecdote.

They put a strong emphasis on medicine for the tropics and indigenous Australians.

 

[RyBo]

Thanks guys. Yes I have considered grad entry, but only as a backup plan. This is mainly because grad is 1 year longer, and under grad seems much harder to get into; there must be a reason eg. its better/more popular/shorter.
Of course I don't know these things, but I figure that its better to aim high (under grad), and have grad to fall back onto, rather than aiming low to begin with.

NB: This post was not written to offend any Graduate med students. I have a great deal of respect for anyone doing Medicine, no matter what course they are doing.

Thankyou to everyone who replied.
Looks like interstate for me. (damn, i'll have to live somewhere cold :-(

 

[Lexicographer]

Hehe, I guess you have more to learn. Graduate entry is no less difficult, it just seems that way to uninitiated school leavers. The GPA requirements are monstrous (not impossible, but still requiring about as much work as those crazy UAIs) and the GAMSAT is like being hung, drawn and quartered only less pleasant.

 

[RyBo]

I knew someone would grill me for that last post. Sorry Lexi, just blame my lack of life experience And i agree, i do have a lot to learn.

However:

Isn't their a much better chance (approx. 1 in 1.2 - 1.7) of getting into Graduate compared to 1 in >5 for under grad?


(I do realise the fact that the odds are better doesn't change the massive amount of work required, just checking stats.)

Also, the comment about 'coons', could be offensive to some users. i have a few mates who happened to be born aboriginal, and they get pissed (angry, not drunk ) when called that.

 

[velox]

Would be nice to keep these threads void of racist terminology.

 

[Slidey]

grad-entry..
not postgrad..
postgrad=u hav a prev degree in that field

if lexi sees it he gets pissed

Sorry, I didn't mean to offend anyone. I was just suggesting the possibility of a BSc with units closely related to whatever field of medicine he wants to enter, and then entering medicine afterwards (however that is done).

 

[Lexicographer]

Hmm, I only learned that word here in WA - and everyone who has said anything about it so far said it just means "aboriginies". I used it here to see if there were any hidden meanings - clearly I was right.

Didn't mean to offend. Just found it unusual - whenever someone mentions "coons" I think of cheese.

 

[NichNich]

I think you're looking at a pretty impressive UAI/Enter/(or whatever they call it in QLD) to get an interview in James Cook. I had a >98 circled on the CV by my principal, and spent a very long time with my CV, a lot longer than the UNSW one.

Then I received every single interview from all the other medical schools, except James Cook -_-" Since James Cook doesn't use the UMAT, it will focus a lot on the UAI/Enter.

Just a little humple input from me

 

[Lexicographer]

Ah, but they also read the CV thing a lot more deeply than UNSW (who don't bother at all). If you don't say stuff they want to hear, then you don't hear from them.

 

[RyBo]

So basically, to get in JCU Med,
- i have to have a OP 1 (TER/ENTER >99),
- live in a rural area,
- consider myself to be a rural kid,
- have an interest in tropical medicine,
- have an interest in Aboriginal Health,
- actually want to live in stinking hot and extremely humid Cairns
- be willing to visit only small tropical North QLD Hospitals.
- My CV also has to say that I've done heap of extra-curriculam stuff that proves my abovementioned "interests".

Great, sounds easy.
(JUST JOKING)

 

[inasero]

- My CV also has to say that I've done heap of extra-curriculam stuff that proves my abovementioned "interests"

You actually should have done heaps of extracurricular stuff instead of merely saying you did. I just thought I should make that distinction.

 

[velox]

Meh, they'll see through the bullshit anyway.

 

[RyBo]

Meh, they'll see through the bullshit anyway.

What is this in reference to??

Either:
they will know that I haven't done extra-curriculum

or:
They don't really care about what anyone's CV says??

 

[Lexicographer]

The first. Even the smallest lie will basically blackball you in any interview. They're not hard to spot.