thanks for all that gave their opinions on this thread cause it really helped me clear up a few doubts as i'm also stuck between going for MBBS MONASH or IMU-PMS.

just 1 more question, *hopefully zstan can answer it 4 me since ur in MONASH*
if i were to take the Monash MBBS, *if i pass the requirements* i may only get a chance of 1 semester in oz?
and is my MBBS degree recognised in oz or not because the other day one consultant said that it will be while another said that it won't. which is the right statement?

thanks for any replies in advance.

You could have gone to the Monash website to find out, but here it is anyway, as far as recognition is concerned.

http://www.med.monash.edu.my/for/MBBS-About-the-course.html

Caveat: Internship placements for international students have not been sorted out, so expect to NOT have an internship position. Onshore students will be facing the very same problem, and it will seem logical that offshore students (ie those from sunway) will be placed lower in the allocation list.

there is a possibility of doing a semester of exchange in melbourne.....in addition to the mandatory 3 months rotation required by amc....

mbbs monash sunway is recognised by amc.....

that is NOT the same a being able to work.....as that will depend on 2 other factors, ie getting a job, and getting a visa to work....

podrunner has already alluded to the tsunami of new doctors and shortage of intern positions in oz....therefore, one should not enrol in monash sunway with any assumption that one will eventually work in oz....the base assumption should be that one will stay back and work in msia.....if by then one can even find a houseman job in msia.....

hence if i were thinking about doing my housemanship in oz, i might as well put that aside?
huhu, oh well,
thanks limeuu!

CORRECT!

if the strong intention one has is to work in an oecd country (ie developed world), then going there and getting their degree is what is needed.....but it will be expensive...and even if you have the money, selection is stringent, and few will qualify to enter....

therefore, the next best option is then the imu-pms programme...which is a backdoor entry.....the majority of imu-pms students will have failed to gain direct entry before, or would have failed to gain direct entry if they had tried....but they will get matching to one of the pms, and graduate as one their 'home' students....

the problem is, you will not know which one till the very end of phase one.....

also, because of the backdoor nature, the pms is now very popular and hence selection is tighter....and between 20-25% will be flunked off the cohort.....and finally, you may still get matched to canada, where you are NOT allowed to stay on and work.....

monash sunway will be a bad choice for this purpose.....

Over the weekend had a chitchat with an official of Mabecs and was informed that it was a norm that most students applying for med in UK will not get places. Those who manage to get an offer will be lucky and for those who manage to get two offers will be considered very good. Basically, she is saying that there are only abt 15 to 20 places per uni and you have to complete with other internationals on a global basis. I do feel that internationals doing A levels in UK stand a better chance as your mentor recommendation letter comes from someone familiar with the local requirements. Do you think the Mabecs official info is true?

This post has been edited by cckkpr: Mar 6 2012, 09:10 PM

Your relative is one of the lucky few!! Most applicants will know one way or another by month end or next month.

Read that for Edinburgh this year, there are 570 intl students applying for 19 places. Competition is so steep, those able to match to Edinburgh via IMU route are so lucky.

Academic excellence not a major influence. If called for interviews, maybe can blame interviews. What abt those no need for interviews? Have to concede that some of the others ps are sooooo impressive with social work n related experience. Really no idea to tell whether an applicant stand a more than good chance from his resume. Looks like those wishing to go overseas hv to depend on Imu-pms. But the no of pms getting less n less; maybe eastern Europe is the answer.

In my opinion, the only thing that UK has over Australia now is the better forex, and the very essential F1-2 training.

What do they look for when they are no interviews and you are among the top at your A levels? Presumably quite a number of these applicants have also applied to Oxbridge.

Yeah. Agreed to those match from IMU. But the clinical years are so expensive, abt 41K pounds per year!

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Added on March 7, 2012, 4:41 pmFor placement, I think oz has more places to offer per uni whereas for UK, less than 20 per uni and you got only 4 choices.

This post has been edited by cckkpr: Mar 7 2012, 04:41 PM

UKCAT/BMAT and PS, of course.

Most students will meet the UKCAT requirements. PS? The point is even experienced mentors who has assist students getting into prestigious unis previously cant seem to pinpoint what are the key requirements in the PS. Its easier to plan 2 or 3 years if you know what they look for.

A friend's son who is a top student in Taylors A levels sitting for his A2 this coming May has 3 of his choices rejected outright without even an interview being called. The father is getting desperate!

Some unis are "UKCAT heavy", like Sheffield and Manchester, some are "PS heavy" like Bristol and Liverpool. As far as PS is concerned, I guess sometimes an applicant can be unlucky, or the admissions teams simply do not like what they read.

Choices of unis is very important. A lot of top students get mediocre UKCAT but apply to unis that require high UKCaT. These unis have a cut off point. Anyone with score below the cut off will be rejected autoatically.

For UK medicine application, preparation in term of work exp is very important. Research and research!

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Added on March 7, 2012, 5:44 pmIf apply to BMAT unia, risk ia even higher as u submit the uni choices to UCAS before sitting for it. If u do not do well, auto rejection.

There are quite a number of so called top students that cannot do well in UKCAt or BMAT, probably due to nerve. The questions are not hard but just too many questions and need to do it fast. If u have to pause to think, then u probably will not be able to finish and start to get panic..


This post has been edited by eliselam: Mar 7 2012, 05:44 PM

Most applicants are aware of the specific requirements for each university. Manchester not really UKCAT heavy; slightly above average will get you the interview. You will be lucky if you get the right questions at the interview.

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Added on March 7, 2012, 5:49 pmMind elaborating on research and research.

Dont most students get their UKCAT score first before deciding which uni to apply. Surely, they know which are the walls!

This post has been edited by cckkpr: Mar 7 2012, 05:49 PM

top students are academic tops....these tests assess a different set of qualities from academic abilities......and many academically strong students are not strong in these qualities......

it is purposely made time short, as one of the qualities tested is how fast you think.....given time, others may arrive at the same answer.....but they will loose out from time shortage.....

if the tests correlate closely with academic results, why bother to have the test then...?...it does not.....

cckkpr, I know that students in Concorde College are coached for UKCAT, and their PS are also guided (read edited).

As for rejections, I know of an applicant (who did IB in Spore, with very good academic results), and was rejected outright by all 4 unis he applied to, without interviews. UKCAT scores unknown.

For my personal experience, i check my intended unis website and look at what they want in the candidate. I email to the admission officer for more info. I read almost all forums on UK medicine.
I volunteer for orphanages, hospice and teaching disabled children. I follow careworkers out to poor terminally ill patients.
Aa for Ukcat, u should get your score first before applying, ao there is no reason to apply to wrong unis. But a lot of top students assume that with good results, they can get into the top unis.

This post has been edited by eliselam: Mar 7 2012, 06:03 PM