Hi Angela, about Australia not registering you as a doctor is it true? Because from what I heard is even if you cant do your housemanship there, you still graduate with an Australian degree which allows you to return there any time in the future if you can secure a job. Anyway that's just disheartening...

Oh Hi IMU seniors, I'm in quite a dilemma and I need your precious opinion. I'm already in the grad pathway, and I'm targetting ANU(well, If I'm really that capable..) and suddenly this friend of mine popped up this question:"If you're really that capable, why dont go Edinburgh?" Well that's how my dilemma started.
-I'm already in the graduate pathway, and to switch(which I'm not even sure if it's possible) will be messy.
-How do I say this U is better than that? As we all know the rankings dont necessarily count. And I've consulted my mentor on this, her answer was:"Edinburgh is prestigious, yes in the old days, now not necessarily. Unless oxbridge is in undergrad pathway, going through all the mess wouldnt be worth it."
-And I've checked with a couple of lecturers, technically, graduating from ANU or Edinburgh wouldnt even affect my Job prospects and my specialty training.
-I have plans to settle in Australia, but if Edinburgh is really so worth it, I wouldnt mind giving up that.
-Yes I have considered the difference in cost.
-Nonono I'm not being smug saying that Edinburgh or ANU wants me for sure... As in this stage I'm really just trying to find out an answer for the "Edinburgh is better than ANU" statement, comparison between Universities.

I'm composing this message in a rush, will edit soon. Thanks so much for any feedback!

-Yes I have considered the difference in cost.

I can see that Australia is advantageous in terms of living and tuition costs but given that the currency is high currently, it makes minute difference in cutting costs.

My advice would be to choose the country of your medical school (eg UK Aus Canada US) than to go for a specific prestigious medical school. And YES in graduating in ANU or EDINBURGH will affect your job prospect significantly - you cant work in the UK at all if you graduate from Aus, but you can work in Aus if you graduate from UK + after 1 year of Housemanship (aka FY1) via AMC competent authority pathway.

It's unfortunate that Australia is going through a  medical student tsunami, and chances are there will be some international students who will fail to secure internships in Aus. I couldnt predict the future like what limeuu said things might turn around but my advice would be to go for a UK/US/Canada medical school.

And for UK wise, I am not sure about the chances of you securing a training position after 2 years of housemanship (FY1 and FY2) - someone could advice you better on that. Oh by the way, it's extremely difficult for you to get Permanent Residency in the UK, unlike Ireland or Aus.

Hey guys, thanks for your prompt replies, it really clears up some of my doubts.

I'm sorry that I forgot to mention that I dont plan to work in UK, as for now my ideal plan is to settle in Australia after graduation.
-My main concern now is still about choosing between these 2 schools, ideally I would like to settle in Australia, but then at this time I feel that getting the best degree and training out of these 2 is more important than PR.
-Honestly I still cant see how different they are. I asked my lecturers and apparently specialty is not affected by this also. But what if I really would like to "dream big"-John Hopkins(IMU does have an alumnus who made it there from Jefferson) are my chances different with an Edinburgh or ANU degree?
-Or Specialty differs among countries? Say, US will be dependent on USMLE scores(from what I heard) while in UK(I'm not sure myself...)
-Job prospects in Australia should be better(at least easier) if I graduate from ANU as compared to Edinburgh I suppose?

So in UK, you're allowed 4 months to find a job and to get a tier 2 visa, but then to get a PR there is really hard?

Again I sincerely thank you guys for your feedback.

Hey guys, thanks for your prompt replies, it really clears up some of my doubts.

I'm sorry that I forgot to mention that I dont plan to work in UK, as for now my ideal plan is to settle in Australia after graduation.
-My main concern now is still about choosing between these 2 schools, ideally I would like to settle in Australia, but then at this time I feel that getting the best degree and training out of these 2 is more important than PR.
-Honestly I still cant see how different they are. I asked my lecturers and apparently specialty is not affected by this also. But what if I really would like to "dream big"-John Hopkins(IMU does have an alumnus who made it there from Jefferson) are my chances different with an Edinburgh or ANU degree?
-Or Specialty differs among countries? Say, US will be dependent on USMLE scores(from what I heard) while in UK(I'm not sure myself...)
-Job prospects in Australia should be better(at least easier) if I graduate from ANU as compared to Edinburgh I suppose?

So in UK, you're allowed 4 months to find a job and to get a tier 2 visa, but then to get a PR there is really hard?

Again I sincerely thank you guys for your feedback.

You don't really have to worry about your prospects after graduation. Just do your best in medical school and you will be head hunted by hospitals. And if you're really good, they'll somehow find some way to circumvent the immigration obstacles so that you may settle in the country (UK or Aus) permanently. In terms of career advancement, I would say US is probably the best for overseas doctors simply because of the USMLE. Generally a score of >230 on Step 1 will get you into most residency programs but for competitive ones will require 250 and above.

If you're expecting a smooth ride after graduation, you can forget about it. It's the same case for any field - I don't see why it should be any different for doctors. Survival of the fittest

Just bear in mind by the time you graduate there might be no more internship places left for you in Australia and you have to cry back to singapore.

And if you want to go to the US your best bet is Thomas Jefferson, otherwise they do not discriminate overseas degree, ie a degree from bangladesh is no different from a degree from cambridge, if their USMLE score and CV are comparable. BUT most training hospitals have SPECIFIC NUMBER OF PLACES for TJU so if you graduate from TJU you wont take the leftovers, you take the reserved places instead.

While studying in the UK guarantees you 2 years of work, and possibility of going to Australia as a 2nd year or 3rd year doctor.

And hey, really, unless your from oxbridge, all degrees are essentially the same. This is speaking from experience wise. And "getting the best degree", "graduating from Edinburgh owns those graduates from Liverpool big time" are not true, but most of us probably underwent the same phase of life, lol.

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Added on April 25, 2011, 4:50 pm

Sorry mate hospital dont headhunt you eventhough you are the creme de la creme, you have to go through a centralised process and some top students may still ended up jobless in first round if they didnt put the selection wisely

No it's not easy to settle in UK permanently.

Just bear in mind by the time you graduate there might be no more internship places left for you in Australia and you have to cry back to singapore.

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Added on April 25, 2011, 4:50 pm

Sorry mate hospital dont headhunt you eventhough you are the creme de la creme, you have to go through a centralised process and some top students may still ended up jobless in first round if they didnt put the selection wisely

Sadly too, examples of these cases are plenty. One of my friends just finished her MBBS in Sydney but didn't get an internship in an Australian hospital as they were all reserved for the locals. She had to apply to do her internship in America instead. Another friend of mine whose about 1 month through the Melbourne MD but he was refused to attend the any metropolitan hospital-based clinical attachments (which the locals are entitled to). But he was only given the rural attachments. International students are quite disadvantaged in Australia although these concerns have been raised by many committees but there's nothing that can be done.

Yes. Hospitals don't usually look for candidates unless if you have a very close relationship with the people in the hospital.

so imu is same with other colleges which have lion club...and societies to let the students take part?

I trust doctors and specialists will be able to spot a true talent when they see one, but that's besides the point.

Nobody actually forced any of your friends to study medicine in Australia, they did it out of their own free will. There's no point blaming the system - when has life been fair? Besides, they should have done some research on the market situation PRIOR to starting medical school in Australia (or for this matter IMU). While I agree that the treatment of international students in Australia has been somewhat unethical, you can't expect the Australian government to shake things up for non-citizens. They don't conform to your needs, it is and always has been the other way round.

Hindsight is always 20/20 

I've submitted application for IMU BPharm a few days ago and had just banked in the processing fee yesterday. Anybody here knows how long it takes for IMU to issue me an offer letter. thks!

they posted the offer letter to me within a week.

Hi, need advise!  I want to study Medicine at IMU but when I call IMU to enquire, they said becoz I have PR status in UK, I cannot apply to partner universities in UK. I have the PR many years ago when I was a young child, but I live and study in Malaysia now. I am wondering whether is there anyway to overcome this! If I dont tell IMU about my PR status, will they find out? I will be paying fee like normal Malaysian students. Also my passport does not show any PR stamp. Please help.

If your a UK PR, that'll show up when you apply for a student visa right so it'll still be a problem right?