UNSW vs UWS Med 2013

[Shadow999]

Sup

Im hoping for med 2013, gotta know which uni is better

pros cons pls, and any advice/opinions.

Cheers

 

[will_]

of course unsw is better in terms of social life etc but uws is much easier to get into and the degree lasts only 5 years rather than 6.

 

[m.jakaran]

(In before the politically correct comments arguing that both are AMA accredited and that's all that matters.) Anyway, imo UWS has a better course structure, but the UNSW ILP program is great for building industry contacts which are apparently very useful. It could also be argued that UNSW entrance is far more competitive so you'll study with a higher caliber of students but honestly I don't think HSC success neccessarily flows on to uni-I know many people who've scored 99.5+ and are now scraping by on a credit/pass average. Additionally there's the obvious 1 year advantage with UWS but the commute could be a hassle. Either way, they're both good courses and both can prepare you well for internship. Btw I'm an imparial Usyd student lol

 

[Dylanamali]

^ well said,

along with that.. however,
5k scholarship /year from UWS.

IMO, depending on where you live and the convenience would be where you decide to study medicine.

 

[someth1ng]

5k scholarship /year from UWS.

The academic scholarship is awarded to a certain amount of top ATARs from Greater Western Sydney, if you're not from GWS then a lot of the scholarships are harder to get.

 

[mirakon]

As a uws student who is good friends with a lot of unsw guys this is what I got:

-Unsw obviously has a more experienced faculty.
-Unsw is affiliated with hospitals that possess better facilities
-Unsw has a more prestigious reputation (imo this last point isn't really what I care about tbh)
-greater scope for extracurricular activities at unsw
-There's more stuff to do around campus

-Uws is a 5 year course instead of unsw's 6 yrs for the same amount of content, so you'll be out working faster.
-Uws has a lot more of a clinical focus, so you get a lot more practical experience
-The school of med gets an absolute crapload of funding and thus has awesome facilities.
-A lot of the lecturers have a crapload of experience, having not only taught at other unis for many years but some have gained international recognition for their research.
- Unsw meddies have a better social life than uws meddies? lolno

Also whilst unsw is more competitive there isn't really a substantial difference in calibre. The median ATAR of a unsw student is about 99.6 or so. From what I gathered of this year's first years in uws is a median ATAR about 99.3, which is still pretty goddamn high. UWS's school of medicine is far more established now, and unlike the year it started (5 or so years ago) you can't get a 95 ATAR to get in as a school leaver, you should really be aiming for low 99s at least and a solid UMAT to back it up.

Ultimately travel is also something you have to think about, so this is really dependent on you.

 

[Dylanamali]

UWS's med program still views ATAR as a threshold e.g. non-GWS people need 95.55 and GWS people only need 93.55.
So ATAR doesn't matter too much.

 

[mirakon]

UWS's med program still views ATAR as a threshold e.g. non-GWS people need 95.55 and GWS people only need 93.55.
So ATAR doesn't matter too much.

Thats what they say, but judging from the fact I know *no one* from my cohort with an atar under 97. And the vast majority of school leaver have a 99+ atar, I highly doubt atar doesn't matter.

Its gotten competitive to the extent that if you dont't have an ayar exceeding 99 or a umat percebtile of 90+, you have minimal chance of getting direct undergrad entry to med anywhere in nsw

 

[delian]

It's hard to objectively say which uni is definitively better, but you can compare certain aspects e.g. UWS 5yrs vs UNSW 6

 

[passionxmusic]

Well there is:
UWS Medicine is at Campbelltown - a nice and quiet campus/easy to get to (right next to Macarthur square). 5 years of study.
UNSW Medicine is at Kensington - higher student population = better social life, big campus with various libraries to study in. 6 years of study.
BOTH have good academics and you'll get your fair share of clinical placements at either university for hands-on work. It really doesn't matter about which university is better - you just gotta make sure you study (don't blame it on your lecturers for not knowing what they're doing), and that which ever university you go to is easily accessible.

OH PS. UWS requires you to be "super ninja" and register for your lectures and tutorials (hence why majority of UWS students do not get the classes they want) whereas UNSW has a lot of classes you can choose from in order to make your timetable. But then again, are you really going to pick a university just because its easier to gain favorable class times and gain satisfactory days off/breaks?

EDIT: Or as Mirakon stated below UWS Medicine does not require registration for tutorials or lectures but UNSW does have more classes to choose from - only stating what my Med Friends at UNSW are saying (no bias).

 

[mirakon]

Well there is:
UWS Medicine is at Campbelltown - a nice and quiet campus/easy to get to (right next to Macarthur square). 5 years of study.
UNSW Medicine is at Kensington - higher student population = better social life, big campus with various libraries to study. 6 years of study.
BOTH have good academics and you'll get your fair share of clinical placements at either university for hands-on work. It really doesn't matter about which university is better - you just gotta make sure you study (don't blame it on your lecturers for not knowing what they're doing), and that which ever university you go to is easily accessible.

OH PS. UWS requires you to be "super ninja" and register for your lectures and tutorials (hence why majority of UWS students do not get the classes they want) whereas UNSW has a lot of classes you can choose from in order to make your timetable. But then again, are you really going to pick a university just because its easier to gain favorable class times and gain satisfactory days off/breaks?

Med at uws doesnt require regiatration for tutorials and lectures

 

[passionxmusic]

^ I don't know about Medicine... but it applies for Nursing and other faculties. But being an ex student there I can quote that it sucks knowing your friends got into the classes you really wanted.

 

[mirakon]

^ I don't know about Medicine... but it applies for Nursing and other faculties. But being an ex student there I can quote that it sucks knowing your friends got into the classes you really wanted.

Yeah I can understand where ur coming from, it'd be a hassle for those degrees. But as I said, u dont have to register for ur tutes in med, you're allocated them and then each semester they shift the groups a bit

 

[kaz1]

UNSW med students are isolated from the rest of the uni, they have their classes right on the edge next to the hospital where no one else really goes and their semesters are different to everyone else.

So I would say their social life is pretty shit.

 

[mirakon]

UNSW med students are isolated from the rest of the uni, they have their classes right on the edge next to the hospital where no one else really goes and their semesters are different to everyone else.

So I would say their social life is pretty shit.

Uws meddies are pretty separate from the rest of the uni too to be fair, but the lesser proportion of basements means their social life is better lol

 

[passionxmusic]

Uws meddies are pretty separate from the rest of the uni too to be fair, but the lesser proportion of basements means their social life is better lol

I like the Faculty of Medicine Building at UWS a lot better - maybe because its new and near a lake plus its near Macarthur Square. But UNSW is redeveloping their faculty so...

 

[Dylanamali]

Thats what they say, but judging from the fact I know *no one* from my cohort with an atar under 97. And the vast majority of school leaver have a 99+ atar, I highly doubt atar doesn't matter.

Its gotten competitive to the extent that if you dont't have an ayar exceeding 99 or a umat percebtile of 90+, you have minimal chance of getting direct undergrad entry to med anywhere in nsw

ah really..
I met a girl named Milly whose a 2012 uws meddie at Aspire Camp who actually received 93.55 ATAR and a 95-ish UMAT and gained acceptance. So she was right on the border of the "ATAR threshold".
I think your basis is just on the general trend that higher ATAR -> higher UMAT in most cases whereby most people have a higher combination but tbh, I don't think that's the case.. as UWS cannot say that the ATAR is just a threshold yet still consider it and rank people by it.. as that is just misleading.

 

[mirakon]

ah really..
I met a girl named Milly whose a 2012 uws meddie at Aspire Camp who actually received 93.55 ATAR and a 95-ish UMAT and gained acceptance. So she was right on the border of the "ATAR threshold".
I think your basis is just on the general trend that higher ATAR -> higher UMAT in most cases whereby most people have a higher combination but tbh, I don't think that's the case.. as UWS cannot say that the ATAR is just a threshold yet still consider it and rank people by it.. as that is just misleading.

Ah milly yes,but tbh she is like the sole outlier and most likely got in cos she killed the interview. I'm talking about the general trend of students, which indicates a median atar approximating 99+, which indicates my point that the calibre of uws students is not massively inferior to unsw meddies

 

[Riproot]

unsw simply for the social aspects (I can't survive without the social side of uni)

That said, I would probs go to UWS just because of the distance (UWS is 15-20 minute drive and UNSW is ~2 hours away) and the $5k/year and other benefits because I'm GWS.

 

[mirakon]

unsw simply for the social aspects (I can't survive without the social side of uni)

This is the main positive for unsw imo. Whilst uws probably has a better social life within the med cohort, uws med has poor prospects for involvement with the rest of the uni community simply because its so detached