Anyone in Aussie med schools, some advice?

[DrL]

Hello,
I am an Australian citizen who moved to the US at 16 years old. I'm now 22, and I'm finishing up my Bachelor's in the US. I have applied to some medical schools here, but I'm really thinking of moving home due to some personal objections to the political climate here at the moment (which i won't go into). I'm fairly familiar with how the whole US med school system works, but i'm a bit curious about the Australian medical school system.

When are the due dates for applications for the entering class starting in Jan 2006?
Is financial aid easy to get or are you pretty much on your own?
I can't make it home in March to take the GAMSAT. Can I use my MCAT scores for entry?
Is an Australian medical degree easily transferrable to the US?
Which graduate entry programme in Australia has go tthe best reputation?

I will be home over christmas time, so if anyone can recommend anything i should check out whilst in the country, I would really appreciate that too.

Thanks a lot for any help you might be able to give me.

DrL.

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[rocker]

Hello,
I am an Australian citizen who moved to the US at 16 years old. I'm now 22, and I'm finishing up my Bachelor's in the US. I have applied to some medical schools here, but I'm really thinking of moving home due to some personal objections to the political climate here at the moment (which i won't go into). I'm fairly familiar with how the whole US med school system works, but i'm a bit curious about the Australian medical school system.

When are the due dates for applications for the entering class starting in Jan 2006?
Is financial aid easy to get or are you pretty much on your own?
I can't make it home in March to take the GAMSAT. Can I use my MCAT scores for entry?
Is an Australian medical degree easily transferrable to the US?
Which graduate entry programme in Australia has go tthe best reputation?

I will be home over christmas time, so if anyone can recommend anything i should check out whilst in the country, I would really appreciate that too.

Thanks a lot for any help you might be able to give me.

DrL.

You're 16 and you've already taken the MCAT?!

 

[driedcaribou]

Hello,
I am an Australian citizen who moved to the US at 16 years old. I'm now 22, and I'm finishing up my Bachelor's in the US. I have applied to some medical schools here, but I'm really thinking of moving home due to some personal objections to the political climate here at the moment (which i won't go into). I'm fairly familiar with how the whole US med school system works, but i'm a bit curious about the Australian medical school system.

When are the due dates for applications for the entering class starting in Jan 2006?
Is financial aid easy to get or are you pretty much on your own?
I can't make it home in March to take the GAMSAT. Can I use my MCAT scores for entry?
Is an Australian medical degree easily transferrable to the US?
Which graduate entry programme in Australia has go tthe best reputation?

I will be home over christmas time, so if anyone can recommend anything i should check out whilst in the country, I would really appreciate that too.

Thanks a lot for any help you might be able to give me.

DrL.

I'm sorry I can't answer your questions specifically but I can give you an idea of how things work here.
There are some students here in a similar situation. You can write the MCAT instead of the GAMSAT.. at least for the University of Sydney but since you are a citizen, you will have to come to Australia for your interview.
The GAMSAT seems much 'easier' and less comprehensive than the MCAT though.

While you are back in Australia, I would try to contact as many medical students in different programs that you can as the medical schools here are undergoing a lot of changes.

Since you will be considered a local student, fees for University will be relatively inexpensive compared to North America.

Here's a link for Sydney here:
http://www.medfac.usyd.edu.au/edprog/usydmp/prospect.html

Your application deadline is around June 2005 for 2006.

You'd be best to go here:
http://www.acer.edu.au/tests/university/gamsat/intro.html


The Australian degree is valid in the US BUT you will have to write the USMLEs and study a lot on your own as the Australian curriculum may differ a lot from the US one depending on the Uni you attend. You will also have more trouble securing a competitive residency if you graduate outside of North America... even if you score well on your USMLE.

 

[Nora]

DrL,

Just to let you know that you cannot sit for the MCAT and use it for admission to Australian schools if you are a citizen. Australians must write the GAMSAT; unfortunately, only international students have the option of presenting either results for admission.

Good luck!

P.S. You can write the GAMSAT in the US in either Washington or Los Angeles, I believe. Check out their website for updated information.

 

[driedcaribou]

DrL,

Just to let you know that you cannot sit for the MCAT and use it for admission to Australian schools if you are a citizen.

Oops. My bad. Thanks for clearing that up Nora.

I *thought* there was a student in my class that wrote the MCAT and he is an Australian citizen who came from the US.