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tezuka87
12-07-2007, 11:54 PM
Malaysia has many public and private institutions offering Medicine. There are also many abroad. It's hard to choose, and every institution will tell you theirs is the best...So, why not get it from the horses mouth....medical students, can you tell about your Medical School? Whether you're from UM, UKM etc public universities, or IMU, UCSI, AIMST etc private universities, or Manipal, NUS, Cambridge, etc foreign universities...please try to answer the questions below to enable others to know first hand about the university.

NOTE: this is NOT a discussion thread, this thread is aimed to be a reference thread. If you have questions for a particular poster, then please direct your question directly to that person via PM or start another thread of your own.

PLEASE refrain from discussions, questions, and comments in this thread. Thank you!

However, please feel free to comment on any opinions you may have within the context of the standard format below. Please elaborate and be specific as much as possible. This thread will only be as good as those who are willing to contribute to it.


Standard Format:

1) Name of Your Medical School

2) Which year are you in?

3) What is your examination schedule like? Block Schedule (midterms and finals week) or several every week?

4) What is the hardest class? Why?

5) What is the easiest class? Why?

6) Are your classmates generally gunners and try to sabotage each other? If not, is the culture one where everybody tries to help everybody out?

7) Are the class notes based primarily on textbooks? or based on lecture powerpoints made up by professors?

8.) Do you get to work with cadavers? Or models only? Simulation patients?

9) What is the grading system? Pass/Fail/Honors? Letter Grades? Percentages?

10) Is there a note taking service for lectures available?

11) Is class attendance mandatory?

12) In general, are teachers approachable for questions? Or are they for the most part very busy and unreachable (research, etc...)?

13) Is there a big brother/big sister program that pairs you with an upperclassman or professor who "mentors" you?

14) Do you get a block of time off before boards to study? If so, how long? When are your holidays and how long?

15) Do most people study in the University Library? Or does the place clear out right after school and everybody studies on their own?

16) Are patients readily available to fulfill clinical requirements or do you have to do a lot of work to get them in? Which hospital is your university attached?

17) Are there opportunities for different off-site clinic rotations? If so, what are they?

18.) Are there opportunities for outreach trips to under served areas or countries? If so, what are they and for how long?

19) Is there sufficient preparation for practice management? What career placement opportunities does your school offer?

20) What is the dress code at your school?

21) What are the course fees for the whole course/per semester?

22) Loans available?

23) Scholarships available?

24) MMC accredited?

25) Average CGPA (A-level, STPM, foundation) to enter.

This shows a list of Medical Schools in Malaysia and abroad:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_medical_schools

Please feel free to add any other potentially helpful information about your medical school below!

Got this idea from another forum! Don't seem to have a comprehensive guide I can find anywhere...

wgy589
14-07-2007, 03:32 PM
It's a good thread, but I suggest to add in another Q.

Which year are you in? Year 1, ..final Year?

As for me, I'll contribute to this thread once I matriculate into medical school this Aug.

jane_gun
27-07-2007, 02:06 PM
wgy589, tezuka87 did have that question on which year one is in - it's Q2 in the list... =) Now, the answers...

1) Name of Your Medical School
The University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, Australia

2) Which year are you in?
2nd year (Phase 1)

3) What is your examination schedule like? Block Schedule (midterms and finals week) or several every week?
We have a 100% exam at the end of each block of 8 weeks - this is only for Phase 1. There's an end-of-phase exam as well. Schedule differs for Phase 2 and 3...

4) What is the hardest class? Why?
Uhh, can't really decide - reckon it's embryology (at least in my case) - but manageable after you understand the concepts...

5) What is the easiest class? Why?
Public health - common sense in my opinion but others seem to think differently...

6) Are your classmates generally gunners and try to sabotage each other? If not, is the culture one where everybody tries to help everybody out?
Definitely the 2nd culture! We're all helpful people here who share notes and stuff! =) [this includes the "Asian gang" of Malaysians and Singaporeans who are supposedly believed to be "kiasu"]

7) Are the class notes based primarily on textbooks? or based on lecture powerpoints made up by professors?
Lecture powerpoints - our lecturers don't see the point of reproducing stuff out of the textbooks which we can easily pick up and read on our own...

8.) Do you get to work with cadavers? Or models only? Simulation patients?
Cadavers, hehe... At least twice a week... We also use models for additional learning activities...

9) What is the grading system? Pass/Fail/Honors? Letter Grades? Percentages?
For individual assignments, group projects, portfolio exam and OSCEs (clinicals) - F=fail, P-, P and P+ (where P=pass). For written and practical exams, PS (Pass) =50-64, CR (Credit) =65-74, DN (Distinction) =75-84, HD (High distinction) =85-100.

10) Is there a note taking service for lectures available?
Nope. But there's an online service where you can listen to the lecture recording... And lecturers post up their lecture slides online as well...

11) Is class attendance mandatory?
Minimum 80% attendance in scenario group sessions, tutorials, science practicals and clinical skills sessions. Attendance not compulsory for lectures.

12) In general, are teachers approachable for questions? Or are they for the most part very busy and unreachable (research, etc...)?
Very approachable - you can ask them after lecture or email them if you want... They include their email addresses in the lecture slides so you can reach them to ask anything relevant... There's also a staff directory on the medicine website for you to seek up the email addresses and phone numbers...

13) Is there a big brother/big sister program that pairs you with an upperclassman or professor who "mentors" you?
There's peer-to-peer teaching here where 1st years and 2nd years attend the same classes and sit for the same paper. It's Cycle A the first year, then Cycle B the next year, then back to Cycle A and so on so forth. Eventhough the contents for both cycles differ, 2nd years are expected to be more well-versed in the course materials and basic stuff and can so assist the 1st years... A mentoring program is currently under implementation as well. You also get your own supervisor for your Independent Learning Project (ILP) in Phase 2.

14) Do you get a block of time off before boards to study? If so, how long? When are your holidays and how long?
Usual Easter, winter, spring and summer breaks. There's also about a week off before the end-of-course exam... Hols are reduced in Phase 2 and 3 where there will now be summer classes and some students may also opt to continue their research/classes during winter break...

15) Do most people study in the University Library? Or does the place clear out right after school and everybody studies on their own?
Equal number or around that... considering that there are quite a number of Aussie students who don't exactly live that near the uni and have to travel a distance back to their homes... The number of those in the library increases nearing exam period...

16) Are patients readily available to fulfill clinical requirements or do you have to do a lot of work to get them in? Which hospital is your university attached?
In Phase 1 itself (we start clinicals from 1st year), the clinical tutors would have already sought the appropriate patients for review in the clinical sessions. If you want to self-practice on your own (i.e. during your free time and unsupervised), you can easily do so by firstly reporting to the nurse on duty and off you go! =) The hospitals for Phase 1 students are Prince of Wales, Sydney Children's Hospital (yes, it's the one that receives huge funds and many visits from Nicole Kidman - medstudents have spotted her around before!), Royal Hospital for Women, St Vincents, St George, Liverpool, Fairfield, Bankstown and Campbelltown. There are more hospitals added to this list for Phase 2 and 3 students.

17) Are there opportunities for different off-site clinic rotations? If so, what are they?
There's optional rural rotations and even overseas electives but that's in Phase 2 and 3...

18.) Are there opportunities for outreach trips to under served areas or countries? If so, what are they and for how long?
See 17. Usually ranges from 3 months to a whole year... our Medsoc always raise funds so people on overseas electives can bring them over to the respective developing countries to buy supplies and medications...

19) Is there sufficient preparation for practice management? What career placement opportunities does your school offer?
I should say there's sufficient preparation seeing that we're examining patients (clinicals) even from the 1st week of medschool itself! Career placement is more of internships which you apply through the Aussie government...

20) What is the dress code at your school?
Labcoat and closed shoes for science practicals. Formal and stethoscope for clinicals. Anything goes for all other classes.

21) What are the course fees for the whole course/per semester?
About AUD38000-40000 (about RM120000) per year - increases every year due to inflation...

22) Loans available?
Not for overseas students.

23) Scholarships available?
Haha, not from the uni - from JPA, yes! =)

24) MMC accredited?
You bet! <wink>

25) Average CGPA (A-level, STPM, foundation) to enter.
Minimum requirements: Foundations/SAM/AUSMAT - UAI/TER of 97, IB - Score of 36, A-Levels/STPM - 3As. There will also be a question-style application form to be completed as well as an interview for shortlisted candidates. Note that interview plays important role - there have been people scoring UAI of 100 or 99 but not admitted into medschool because of their interview - there's an emphasis on all-rounder medstudents, not just bookworms...

Feel free to email me if any of you have any questions/comments... ^_^

wgy589
28-07-2007, 03:21 PM
Honestly, I never notice the 2nd Q. Sorry for it.

And to Jane_Gun, a nice explanation on UNSW. Thank you.

tezuka87
28-07-2007, 10:36 PM
Haha, actaully I added it after wgy pointed it out. Thanks jane_gun for the contribution.

jane_gun
24-08-2007, 02:20 PM
No worries, guys... =) Other people should really contribute to this forum to help our juniors... >.< wgy589, you're in med school now, right? (your previous post said you're matriculating into one this month) Which uni are you in? Have fun studying med! ^_^

wgy589
24-08-2007, 07:11 PM
No worries, guys... =) Other people should really contribute to this forum to help our juniors... >.< wgy589, you're in med school now, right? (your previous post said you're matriculating into one this month) Which uni are you in? Have fun studying med! ^_^

Hi, I'm in National Uni of S'pore YLL School of Medicine.
Still in the first few weeks of medschool, so u may take my advice lightly.

1) NUS

2) year 1

3) 2 CA (Continuous Assessment) n 1 final for year 1.

4)?

5)?

6) both

7) latter

8) all 3

9) pass/fail, quite impossible to get honours, but can

10) depends on lecturer

11) lecture/practical not mandatory(but all kiasu people will definitely go), not sure abt tutorials.

12) very approachable

13) both mentor (prof) and counsellor (year 2)

14) yes, but u got 2 see the timetable to get the details

15) depends

16-19) ?

20) formal attire to hospital/ bacisally no dresscode for lecture/tutorials.

21) whole course=abt RM 220 K

22) sure

23) got in considered lucky already, but there're

24) should be laa

25) the best of the best (CGPA 4.00 is definitely not enough)

But i was just lucky enough to get in