Myths, BS and a little bit of truth...for interviewees!!

[Guest studentz]

Hi and congrats to everyone who has already received an interview invitation, and to those who are still waiting, don't lose hope!

 

I know what most of you are going through right now as I also received 13 days notice before interviewing on the first weekend last year. Despite the fact UofT was far and away my first choice then (which added to my nervousness), I was concerned about the UofT rumours that pop up all the time. And while there is a bit about this on the admissions website, I thought I'd give you (admittedly only) one 0T9's perspective after 6 months...

 

1. UofT is competitive...MYTH!

- There are competitive people in all medical schools and anyone, anywhere, who tells you otherwise is lying. I think people maybe individually competitive, in that they want to do well and be outstanding physicians. But aside from maybe one or two instances, I can't think of situations in which this has impacted ANYONE in a negative way. People send out random links, tape lectures, post digital versions of notes, send out summaries, ECG guides etc. I think each person's drive to become great physicians betters those around them because for the most part we realize that such a goal is very much dependent on the success of those around us. I can have a great conversation with pretty much anyone in the class at any time, it's a great group of people.

 

2. All people do is study...MYTH!

Yes, first year is hard, and intense. You will have a lot of work, you will study a lot, and you it may seem overwhelming at times. But it never really is. One of the advantages of going to UofT is the crazy number of things to do at the school and in the city. There are numerous intramural teams, the meds band Orbital Groove, Earthtones, Daffydil, numerous student groups in the Faculty and beyond, informal foreign language lunch meetings etc. The Daffydil people have been practicing for pretty much the whole year, for full days in the February weekends and will have 20+ hours of practice in the next 2 days...with an exam in a week. You won't find a group of people this committed to outside endeavours anywhere.

 

Our class sent 2 full buses, almost as many people as there are in any med school class in Ontario, to Med Games with 4 exams in the two weeks that followed the event. We've had crazy (I mean that) parties in which we've 140+ people out. Yes we work hard, but we play just as hard. Many of my classmates will draw straws to be the first at me if I post some of my pics here.

 

3.UofT med students are one-dimensional academic keeners/gunners who love texts and research more than their mommas...MYTH.

- Now, you will certainly find people who love research, and have done some pretty impressive things in the past. And certainly, if this is your thing, or you're curious, the huge summer program and soon-to-be implemented longitudinal program make UofT the best place in Canada to do research as a med student. But the admissions procedure alone will tell you that they are looking for different things in people; afterall, cutoffs alone will not get you an interview invitation. Many of my friends have never done research beyond a 4th year thesis and don't intend to in the future. And may of the ones that have done research haven't come close to a microscrope, instead focusing on clinical work, policy, epi, bioethics, international health etc. This is related to topic 1, but after Earthtones, Orbital Groove, and many informal conversations, I can honestly say that I have never met a more ridiculously talented group of people and I likely never will...I can't wait to be blown away at Daffy this week!

[Guest studentz]

4. The H/P/F system is a drag...TRUE (according to me)

- It's better than having grades, though few places still do that. I think the knowledge that there is a distinction between a 79 and an 80 can encourage studying for exams rather than reading for interest or for, oh, practical use. It does add a bit of stress to some people, no question about it. But other simply don't care. They have administered a survey on this and I would be surprised if a swith to P/F doesn't happen soon for at least part of the curriculum.

 

5. The curriculum is old-fashioned...MYTH

- Really, this depends. For the first 2 months, maybe. That's when we're doing anatomy and pretty much only anatomy w/ embryo & histo (aside from DOCH and ASCM). However, I can tell you that you cannot possibly learn anatomy without a significant practical component and it really does lay a good foundation for what follows. Plus, Taylor and Wiley are amazing and the former is responsive, apparenly reducing the head and neck lab component next year in response to feedback.

 

Beyond the fact that we do anatomy as a course and it's the first thing we do, UofT really has a hybrid program. The second half of structure and function features resp and cardio blocks which each deal with reviews of anatomy plus the related histo, biochem, physiology, pharm etc. We don't sit in lecture all day--there are numerous seminars, histo labs, tutorials etc. In MNU, this is taken one step further as we cover renal, endocrine, GI and nutrition in an integrated manner with numerous seminars and tutorials, plus PBL, each week. There are many hours of "self-study" time scheduled in.

 

We also have symposia on CF, Down syndrome, schizophrenia etc. in which we hear from clinicians, researchers, allied health workers and patients.

 

For DOCH we go out with allied health professionals to visit home care patients in their homes; we visit schools in the inner-city to learn about child health; and we are about to go into various community agencies to learn about health promotion. Even the recent DOCH classes have been good (seriously)!

 

And then there's ASCM...the highlight of the year. My tutors have been teaching a session together for years and are unbelievable. The quality of teaching is so good that the commute to Sunnybrook seems like a joke.

 

Take a close look at other programs and try to find one with a greater variety of organizational and delivery methods for the curriculum. You will spend way more hours in traditional lectures at many other schools.

 

Like anywhere else, it's not all roses though. Some teachers are better than others, and there have been a few technical lectures that seemed to be given mainly because someone's a bigshot researcher in the field rather than for the information's clinical relevance.

6. The admin doesn't care about students at UofT...MYTH!

Two names: Diana Ali and Anne Jarvis. Both in student affairs and both will learn prety much everyone's name. Diana is basically the class mom, she's amazing, 'nuff said. You have to realize that this is still a pretty small program, and everyone from the Dean to financial aid seems to appreciate the struggles that come with being a med student, and are there to help. The central OSAP office screwed up my paperwork and despite the delay, Bill Gregg got me bursary support by putting in an emergency request. There may be a 2nd round of bursaries this term and there is talk of a significant increase in financial support in the very near future. Even the Medical Alumni Association has a pool of money it uses to issue moderate, no-interest loans to those who have had to access LOC's. The PASS support program is very active and is composed of students and faculty members who are there to give you confidential help if you need it. Though I had a good registrar in undergrad at UofT, I'm amazed at the support we get here.

 

That's it for now...it's late, and I have other stuff to do! Please forgive any spelling/grammar mistakes.

 

You can research a lot about the structure of the program and other technical things, and my goal with this was to comment on issues/things I dealt with/heard at this time last year. If it gives you something to think about and ask about at your weekend, I've done my job. Good luck, and if you're coming in this weekend, come early and see Daffydil! (Google uofttix for tickets)

[Guest familyboy]

Thank you so much for very helpful and encouraging information (and most of all, your kind heart to share it with us) ! If you do not mind, can I ask a few questions about UT program?

 

1. I am really fascinated to see that Determinants of Community Health and Art and Science of Clinical Medicine have "field" component, in which students can learn in hospitals and communities. Could you tell me more about this and if possible, share your exprience?

 

2. As a person who is very interested in pursuing family medicine, I am more than happy to learn more about ealry exposure to patients, shadowing opportunities or any other courses or opportunities in which I can develop skills in patient relationship and communication.

 

I apologize for loaded questions and I thank you greatly in advance

[Guest Macmo]

Hey,

thanks for posting that.

the info is really helpful

[Guest peachy]

1. I am really fascinated to see that Determinants of Community Health and Art and Science of Clinical Medicine have "field" component, in which students can learn in hospitals and communities. Could you tell me more about this and if possible, share your exprience?

In first-year DOCH, there are usually three groups of "field" visits. The first is doing home visits with a CCAC employee, who is a nurse, an occupational or physical therapist, a social worker, etc. There are two visits with the employee to various clients at their homes, and then you return on your own a third time to do an in-depth interview with a client in their home. These experiences are really diverse. It's a really interesting experience to be able to visit people in their home environments and hear about their interactions with the health care system. It can be terribly sad as well.

 

The second is visiting a school. Personally, I found this component to be pretty useless, as I've already worked with kids and in schools, but YMMV. Basically you hang around and help out in the classroom, observe the kids, and interview the teacher. You get to make a health presentation to the kids at some point, and that can be pretty fun.

 

The third is visiting some kind of community agency. Some people visited seniors' homes, or daycare centres. I visited a detox centre. I really felt that I learned a ton about addiction, and it was so interesting to talk to the clients there about what services they found useful, etc.

 

I don't know that there's too much to say about ASCM in first year. It's a half-day per week. Most of the first half of the year is on interviewing, and the second half is on basic physical exam skills. You will meet a mix of standardized patients and "real" patients. There's a history-taking exam in January, and an OSCE at the end of the year.

 

2. As a person who is very interested in pursuing family medicine, I am more than happy to learn more about early exposure to patients, shadowing opportunities or any other courses or opportunities in which I can develop skills in patient relationship and communication.

You might want to check out the Interest Group in Family Medicine site, they have a fair bit of information, and a mentoring program. There are also mentoring programs available through some academies, through the OMA, etc.

 

One unique opportunity at U of T is the therapeutic communication program. This is an optional program for first-year students where you are put in a group of 3-4 medical students with a psychiatrist. Each student is assigned one "patient" who is an individual who wishes to talk through issues in their life, and has some goal such as improving relationships, or getting over a loss, etc. Typically, they do not have any psychiatric illness. You then meet individually with your patient for about 45 minutes each week, and with your group for another 1.5 hours or so each week. In your group meetings, you work on strategies for getting through to your patient, learning to listen effectively, etc. Like any program, your experience will vary widely depending on your tutor and your patient. But, it's absolutely amazing to be meeting (on your own!) with "your" patient in first year. And, you get to see this person for ~ 3-4 months - something you'll probably never do again in medical school, even in clerkship.

[Guest DancingDoc]

Hi,

great information, and lots of it I did nnot know about UofT. Definitely makes the program even more exciting for me. I have a question about shadowing and electives. Where there are so many of you, how much do you actually get to learn and do in both preclerk and clerkship years? For instance, if I wanted to shadow an ENT in first year, would there likely be lots of other students or would there be a possibility for one-on-one teaching experiences? OR later in clerkship, how much do you get to do compared to a smaller university like Dalhousie or Memorial where I know you do have lots of opportunities like this? Basically it is my one main concern about UofT, if I were lucky enough to get in so I'd love to know what to expect!

[Guest scrubbed]

Hi there,

 

I think that there are definitely opportunities out there if you wish to shadow a certain physician.

 

You could request an ENT physician for Day of the Doctor, which occurs in the fall.

 

There is also mentoring opportunities available through some of the academies where you can request a specific specialty.

 

In addition, there is a website which lists doctors who have said that they would be willing to shadow students.

dante.med.utoronto.ca/cem/

You could also set something up by contacting a physician as well.

 

Overall, I think the opportunities are definitely there if you go look for them. As first year students, we now get Tuesday mornings off. Second years have even more time off.

 

Hope this helps.

[Guest cheech10]

There are lots of us, but there is also a ton of teaching faculty and 6 teaching hospitals fully affiliated with the University, so there are plenty of opportunities to shadow and do electives. Because of the number of fellows and residents, sometimes you may be passed over in doing a procedure, but if they've done one before and you haven't, speak up and you'll get to do it as often as not. Other than procedures, day-to-day clerkship stuff is similar at other programs.

[drduiib]

The list of different learning methods sounds pretty good, but someone please post a sample schedule of what a week may be like in the life of a 1st year for the Fall and Winter semesters?

 

I'm currently trying to decide between UofT and UAlberta. In terms of con, I'm trying to decide between UofT's supposedly more intense curriculum versus UAlberta's location (I'm from Ottawa).

[Meds1T1]

The schedule varies depending on which course you are in. The first 10 weeks of school are the most intense in terms of time spent in class - here is an example of a week in the first part of Structure and Function (NB: all labs are anatomy dissection labs. You do not need to attend each one, depending on if you are dissecting or not, but I would estimate you need to attend 66-75% of them, because you will either be dissecting or presenting dissections).

 

Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday:

8-10 Lecture

10-12 Lab (anatomy dissection)

1-3 Lab

3-5 Lecture

Thursday:

8-10 Lecture

10-12 Lab

1-5 DOCH

Friday:

8-12 ASCM

1:30-2:30 Lecture

2:30-4:30 Lab

although often we get Friday afternoons off. Just depends on the week

 

The schedule lightens considerably after the first 10 weeks, with you being in class 8-3ish on most days, with a mixture of lectures, seminars, tutorials.

The schedule gets even better during the second course, Metabolism and Nutrition, which runs during Feb-March. Most days have lecture 9-12, with seminar or PBL for 2 hours in the afternoon. Also you get every Tuesday morning and many Friday afternoons off.

Brain and Behaviour (April-May) is a bit more intense again, but less so than the beginning of the year. You go back to lab for the first 4 weeks, but only 2 labs twice a week to learn neuroanatomy. The schedule is roughly 8-12 lectures, with PBL or seminar for 2 hours in the afternoon. We get most Tuesday mornings and most Friday afternoons off, but not all.

 

Hope that helps! I really don't think the schedule "intensity" should be your main deciding factor because it's only a year or two of your life. At UofT the schedule gets considerably more reasonable during 2nd year.

[drduiib]

Hi guys,

 

Thanks for all your input on the scheduling. It's very help for me with my decision of whether I want to go to UofT or UAlberta.

 

Would any current UofT student care to comment on how they're handling in "intense" first 10 weeks of first year and how this has affected social life? What's the point of living in Toronto you can't get to enjoy it right? "Intense" can also mean different things to different people. Feel free to PM me.

 

Thanks in advance for the help!

[Ollie]

Hi guys,

 

Thanks for all your input on the scheduling. It's very help for me with my decision of whether I want to go to UofT or UAlberta.

 

Would any current UofT student care to comment on how they're handling in "intense" first 10 weeks of first year and how this has affected social life? What's the point of living in Toronto you can't get to enjoy it right? "Intense" can also mean different things to different people. Feel free to PM me.

 

Thanks in advance for the help!

I moved to Toronto for med school and didn't know a single soul, but during first year I definitely had a very full social life, especially in the first few months. I think there were social events pretty much every weekend except right before exams. And in October there is of course OMSW which many people went to (having OMSW and Medgames is a good reason to go to school in Ontario!). I'm actually kind of glad that I didn't know anyone else in Toronto because my med school social calendar was so full I don't think I would have had time for anything else!

 

To be honest, I actually didn't find first year to be ridiculously intense. It was sort of what I expected, busy but not overwhelming.

[Meds1T1]

Hi guys,

 

Thanks for all your input on the scheduling. It's very help for me with my decision of whether I want to go to UofT or UAlberta.

 

Would any current UofT student care to comment on how they're handling in "intense" first 10 weeks of first year and how this has affected social life? What's the point of living in Toronto you can't get to enjoy it right? "Intense" can also mean different things to different people. Feel free to PM me.

 

Thanks in advance for the help!

 

I agree with Ollie's experience of the first 10 weeks. With regards to the first 10 weeks it is definitely busy but definitely doable in addition to having a social life. Like I said (or meant to say in the above post regarding the schedule), anatomy lab is a great time to socialize with your labmates while dissecting. Also, a plus of the first 10 weeks is that you do so much learning in class/lab that, while of course you do have to review and keep up, there is time for an outside life in the evenings.

My experience with U of T this year is the vast majority of people have amazing social lives/extracurricular involvement almost all the time except for the week leading up to a big exam, where you'll notice everyone suddenly go into study mode. I really enjoyed my first year here and I love living downtown near campus because so many first years live in the area.

I'm not trying to sway you one way or another since I've never gone to U of A, just trying to share my experience, but IMO U of T is a great choice for med school!

[Panaphonics]

6. The admin doesn't care about students at UofT...MYTH![/b]

Two names: Diana Ali and Anne Jarvis.

 

I would disagree with this. 1T0 here and I find that the supportive admin crew is "superficial" at best. Having sat on numerous committees, I can tell you that D. Anna Jarvis couldn't care the least about students, despite her persona. Diana Alli is a very nice lady but can offer little more than pacifying discussions when it comes to serious issues.

 

I can offer several examples but none are more striking than the case of a student in class of 1T1: Anna Jarvis gave a spectacular discussion to governing council on why this man should have had to fail the year because of two weak sauce "major lapses" in professionalism during the 1st year "Structure and Function" course -- he skipped a handful of anatomy labs so they started taking his attendance ad hoc in lectures (by trying to spot him in the crowd). When they estimated he missed 50% of lectures, they failed him "for not maintaining professional behaviour" despite his H in the course (and they revealed his numerical grade, which was in the top 5 in the class). Extremely weak form for someone who supposedly cares for students. Thankfully this was quashed. The woman is as two-faced as they get.

 

Having seen the U of T system in action for 3 years, I would have to say that it is very much true that the administration could care less about its undergraduate MD students.

[estairella]

I would disagree with this. 1T0 here and I find that the supportive admin crew is "superficial" at best. Having sat on numerous committees, I can tell you that D. Anna Jarvis couldn't care the least about students, despite her persona. Diana Alli is a very nice lady but can offer little more than pacifying discussions when it comes to serious issues.

 

I can offer several examples but none are more striking than the case of a student in class of 1T1: Anna Jarvis gave a spectacular discussion to governing council on why this man should have had to fail the year because of two weak sauce "major lapses" in professionalism during the 1st year "Structure and Function" course -- he skipped a handful of anatomy labs so they started taking his attendance ad hoc in lectures (by trying to spot him in the crowd). When they estimated he missed 50% of lectures, they failed him "for not maintaining professional behaviour" despite his H in the course (and they revealed his numerical grade, which was in the top 5 in the class). Extremely weak form for someone who supposedly cares for students. Thankfully this was quashed. The woman is as two-faced as they get.

 

Having seen the U of T system in action for 3 years, I would have to say that it is very much true that the administration could care less about its undergraduate MD students.

 

After reading this story I had to go get some confirmation from some 1T1s/1T0s I know.

 

It sounds like it happened but what you failed to mention was that (at least according to a 1T1), this guy did not attend ANY of his classes (including PBL, DOCH, etc.). So while perhaps failing would be inappropriate given his academic performance, I would still call that a lapse in professionalism.

[Laika]

I would disagree with this. 1T0 here and I find that the supportive admin crew is "superficial" at best. Having sat on numerous committees, I can tell you that D. Anna Jarvis couldn't care the least about students, despite her persona. Diana Alli is a very nice lady but can offer little more than pacifying discussions when it comes to serious issues.

 

I can offer several examples but none are more striking than the case of a student in class of 1T1: Anna Jarvis gave a spectacular discussion to governing council on why this man should have had to fail the year because of two weak sauce "major lapses" in professionalism during the 1st year "Structure and Function" course -- he skipped a handful of anatomy labs so they started taking his attendance ad hoc in lectures (by trying to spot him in the crowd). When they estimated he missed 50% of lectures, they failed him "for not maintaining professional behaviour" despite his H in the course (and they revealed his numerical grade, which was in the top 5 in the class). Extremely weak form for someone who supposedly cares for students. Thankfully this was quashed. The woman is as two-faced as they get.

 

Having seen the U of T system in action for 3 years, I would have to say that it is very much true that the administration could care less about its undergraduate MD students.

 

1T2 here, and I'll have to disagree with you. I can't say much about Anna Jarvis -- I only dealt with her brielfly although she was very helpful with the one issue I had. In any case, she's no longer in that position, so it's a moot point.

 

I've had a couple of relatively major issues arise in the past few months that caused me to miss significant periods of school. Leslie Nickell (the current associate dean, Anna Jarvis's replacement), Martin Schreiber (pre-clerkship director) and the course directors were all involved. I found them all to be concerned, helpful, and accomodating. I obviously can't speak to your experiences, but FWIW I feel like the admin cares very much about undergrad students.

[rogerroger]

The comment regarding faculty not caring about students is not just wrong. It is massively wrong.

 

I have had the honor and privilege of working with faculty on multiple occasions, including all those faculty members mentioned by name here. They have a deep passion for students and medical education. The fact that many tirelessly dedicate extra unpaid time to furthering our education stands testament to this fact. No one in their right mind would take on such a job on top of normal clinical work without having a deep passion for medical education. To do otherwise would quite frankly make no sense.

 

Faculty has reached out to students continuously. The grade referendum, pre-clerkship renewal and clerkship renewal initiatives are evidence of faculty's desire to include students in the decision making process.

 

To place all this in context I can say with conviction that my experience with Toronto med faculty has been 100x more positive than my past experience with faculty at other institutions. UT has its unique issues, as does any medical school. Yet, faculty concern for students is an area in which we excel.

 

Students may not always agree with the decisions made by faculty. Yet, us students are trainees, and view faculty affairs from a limited perspective. Students must not forget this fact.

 

Yet, from my several hours a month spent one-on-one with faculty since 2008 I have never received the impression that they do not have our interests at heart. Disagreeing with faculty should not be confused with implied lack of care towards students.

[JPJ]

The comment regarding faculty not caring about students is not just wrong. It is massively wrong.

 

I have had the honor and privilege of working with faculty on multiple occasions, including all those faculty members mentioned by name here. They have a deep passion for students and medical education. The fact that many tirelessly dedicate extra unpaid time to furthering our education stands testament to this fact. No one in their right mind would take on such a job on top of normal clinical work without having a deep passion for medical education. To do otherwise would quite frankly make no sense.

 

Faculty has reached out to students continuously. The grade referendum, pre-clerkship renewal and clerkship renewal initiatives are evidence of faculty's desire to include students in the decision making process.

 

To place all this in context I can say with conviction that my experience with Toronto med faculty has been 100x more positive than my past experience with Western medical science faculty. UT has its unique problems, as does any medical school. Yet, faculty concern for students is an area in which we excel.

 

Students may not always agree with the decisions made by faculty. Yet, us students are trainees, and view faculty affairs from a limited perspective. Students must not forget this fact.

 

Yet, from my several hours a month spent one-on-one with faculty since 2008 I have never received the impression that they do not have our interests at heart. Disagreeing with faculty should not be confused with implied lack of care towards students.

 

It is not very accurate to draw links between your experiences as an undergraduate student at one University with your experiences as a medical student at another University. As a current UWO med student, I can say that the faculty here have been very supportive and dedicated and that the experience has been exceptional so far.

[rogerroger]

It is not very accurate to draw links between your experiences as an undergraduate student at one University with your experiences as a medical student at another University. As a current UWO med student, I can say that the faculty here have been very supportive and dedicated and that the experience has been exceptional so far.

 

Wha? Hold on.

 

In no way do my comments apply to the Western MD program. Where did I say such a thing? Why can't I compare a difference in faculty concern between undergrad and med? If it is different then it is different and worth mentioning. The generalization probably applies to every institution. I just happen to have Western as my alma mater.

 

Yet even more importantly I am not saying the undergrad program at UWO has problems. No where did I say profs were poor, quite the contrary actually... I simply said my experience in this one regards was even MORE positive at UT. It is relative. This is an important point.

 

However, if other people may misread or misquote me then consider the following a disclaimer:

 

There is no reason to doubt that Western is wonderful and terrific too.

 

Now could I suggest we try to keep this Toronto Meds focused. I think this is a useful thread for those applying to Toronto.

[JPJ]

Wha?

 

In no way do my comments apply to the Western MD program. Where did i say such a thing? I am simply addressing comments relating to myths within the University of Toronto program based on my experience at a student within this faculty.

 

Nor am I saying the undergrad program at UWO has problems. No where did I say profs were poor, quite the contrary actually... I simply said my experience in this one regards was even MORE positive at UT. It is relative.

 

I loved my time at Western and I am greatly enjoying my time in Toronto. If it needs to be said for the record consider this a disclaimer:

 

Yes, you guys at Western are wonderful and terrific too.

 

Thanks for fleshing that out. A casual reader may have interpreted that statement in the wrong sense, which is why I brought attention to it. My general impression is that most med students really identify with and are proud of their med school, which is certainly the case with me, and I would infer, with you. Its great to hear that Faculty across different med schools are committed and dedicated to their students.

[nemesis]

 

To place all this in context I can say with conviction that my experience with Toronto med faculty has been 100x more positive than my past experience with faculty at other institutions. UT has its unique issues, as does any medical school. Yet, faculty concern for students is an area in which we excel.

 

 

It did sounded like you were comparing the faculties, and since you are a medical student at Toronto and were an undergraduate student at Western, that comment from JPJ was probably warranted.

 

Wha? Hold on.

 

In no way do my comments apply to the Western MD program. Where did I say such a thing? Why can't I compare a difference in faculty concern between undergrad and med? If it is different then it is different and worth mentioning. The generalization probably applies to every institution. I just happen to have Western as my alma mater.

 

Yet even more importantly I am not saying the undergrad program at UWO has problems. No where did I say profs were poor, quite the contrary actually... I simply said my experience in this one regards was even MORE positive at UT. It is relative. This is an important point.

 

However, if other people may misread or misquote me then consider the following a disclaimer:

 

There is no reason to doubt that Western is wonderful and terrific too.

 

Now could I suggest we try to keep this Toronto Meds focused. I think this is a useful thread for those applying to Toronto.

 

Maybe I'm missing something, but isn't it obvious. How can you compare institutions when your position within them differs significantly (i.e. an undervalued undergraduate at Western to a highly valued medical student at Toronto).

 

In general, wouldn't faculty concern/support almost always be greater for medical students versus undergraduate students at any given institution?

 

As an aside, I find almost all of your posts (rogerroger) to be very informative and insightful and I am grateful for your contributions to this forum. Furthermore, I am an applicant to both Toronto and Western and would love to study at either institution so these discussions are very important/interesting to me!

[rocket27]

After interviewing here I got a great vibe from the school. I know all the Ontario schools pick on eachother (especially in admissions videos) but at least its all in the name of fun!

[MrMo]

Diana Alli is a very nice lady but can offer little more than pacifying discussions when it comes to serious issues.

 

Hi Panaphonics

 

I am sorry to hear the story about our felow 1T1 colleague. I am a 1T2 at UofT and I have to disagree with most what you said about Student Affairs office, especially how you described Diana Alli. Diana Alli is more than a "very nice lady". I can list many examples here of her being closer than family to myself and some other medical students I know in my class. This lady is the heart of student affairs at UofT and she has been sacrificing herself in every way for the last 36 years to play her crucial role there. I was fortunate to know Diana during my undergrad at UofT. With Diana you always get more than what you could possibly think it is possible. I give you an example. I booked an appointment to talk to her for few minutes for tips on interview prep at UofT med. She ended up helping me with my interview preparation for more than 10 hours. And these hours were not during her work hours (8am-6pm), but it was out her personal time after 6, 7 PM until as late as 10 at night. Having experience Diana's selfless care and support for medical students, I could not read your post and not share with you my positive experience with student affairs and Diana Alli.

 

Best of luck in residency.

[medicant]

Hi Panaphonics

 

I am sorry to hear the story about our felow 1T1 colleague. I am a 1T2 at UofT and I have to disagree with most what you said about Student Affairs office, especially how you described Diana Alli. Diana Alli is more than a "very nice lady". I can list many examples here of her being closer than family to myself and some other medical students I know in my class. This lady is the heart of student affairs at UofT and she has been sacrificing herself in every way for the last 36 years to play her crucial role there. I was fortunate to know Diana during my undergrad at UofT. With Diana you always get more than what you could possibly think it is possible. I give you an example. I booked an appointment to talk to her for few minutes for tips on interview prep at UofT med. She ended up helping me with my interview preparation for more than 10 hours. And these hours were not during her work hours (8am-6pm), but it was out her personal time after 6, 7 PM until as late as 10 at night. Having experience Diana's selfless care and support for medical students, I could not read your post and not share with you my positive experience with student affairs and Diana Alli.

 

Best of luck in residency.

 

I'm not sure this story reflects as well on your friend/mentor as you think it does.

[McLarty55]

I've been looking around this forum and it seems like a great place to get some interesting dialogue happening.