Mac Health Sci or Western Med sci - for US med school?

[All123]

Since US medical school admission takes grade inflation into account, is it right to say Western Med Sci (for which 80% = 4.0 on the American GPA scale) would be a better option than Mac Health Sci if you plan to go to a US medical school?

[Monkey D. Luffy]

3 hours ago, All123 said:

Since US medical school admission takes grade inflation into account, is it right to say Western Med Sci (for which 80% = 4.0 on the American GPA scale) would be a better option than Mac Health Sci if you plan to go to a US medical school?

Strictly speaking, if going to a US medical school is your only goal going into undergrad then, yes you're correct that Western Med Sci would be easier an getting in AMCAS 4.0 GPA

Are you not planning on applying to Canadian medical schools?

[All123]

8 hours ago, Monkey D. Luffy said:

Strictly speaking, if going to a US medical school is your only goal going into undergrad then, yes you're correct that Western Med Sci would be easier an getting in AMCAS 4.0 GPA

Are you not planning on applying to Canadian medical schools?

 

Thank you for responding!

I am looking very very far down the road here hehe ...Now I know the reality. Like countless others, I would fight to the death to go to any Canadian med school. And I know it all eventually comes down to abilities and hard work.

But say in one's wildest dreams... for the sake of discussion

I know that McMaster Health Sci is the indisputable #1 undergrad programme for med-bound students in Canada and that Canadian doctors are trained to the same if not higher standards than American doctors. But I do hope to eventually go to a higher-tier med school in the US (Ivy whatnot; expenses, worth, and the actual relevancy of prestige aside for the sake of discussion) for a better chance of residency and employment in the US (Capitalism = $$, almost twice as much as Canadian counterparts after tax I believe?)

From what you said, strictly speaking, it easier to get an AMCAS 4.0 at Western. If I may, I think perhaps the main question here is probably that, would I rather sacrifice a very good shot for Canadian Med school for a slightly better chance at US Ivy?

I am just curious though; since McMaster is known for its inflation (which is a very good thing for Canadian med school), would its inflation be so "well-known" as to hurt your chances at top-tier US med school application?

Also, how often do Canadian med school graduates find good residency in the US (such as JHU)?

[Edict]

7 hours ago, All123 said:

Thank you for responding!

I am looking very very far down the road here hehe ...Now I know the reality. Like countless others, I would fight to the death to go to any Canadian med school. And I know it all eventually comes down to abilities and hard work.

But say in one's wildest dreams... for the sake of discussion

I know that McMaster Health Sci is the indisputable #1 undergrad programme for med-bound students in Canada and that Canadian doctors are trained to the same if not higher standards than American doctors. But I do hope to eventually go to a higher-tier med school in the US (Ivy whatnot; expenses, worth, and the actual relevancy of prestige aside for the sake of discussion) for a better chance of residency and employment in the US (Capitalism = $$, almost twice as much as Canadian counterparts after tax I believe?)

From what you said, strictly speaking, it easier to get an AMCAS 4.0 at Western. If I may, I think perhaps the main question here is probably that, would I rather sacrifice a very good shot for Canadian Med school for a slightly better chance at US Ivy?

I am just curious though; since McMaster is known for its inflation (which is a very good thing for Canadian med school), would its inflation be so "well-known" as to hurt your chances at top-tier US med school application?

Also, how often do Canadian med school graduates find good residency in the US (such as JHU)?

If you want to go to an Ivy for medical school, getting a solid GPA is a must, i'd recommend Mac Health Sci, the reason is getting a high GPA is easy. No one can ever dispute a 4.0, ever, grade inflation be damned. However, a lot of people have 4.0s and you need strong ECs and a strong MCAT. The MCAT has very little to do with where you did undergrad, and Hsci gives you the free time to actually be successful at ECs. I do think Mac Health Sci is still the indisputed best "premed" program for both Canada and the US. 

Now the people who tend to go to Ivies are usually a special breed, in the sense that they are just all around superstars, you find they often come from UofT life sci, not because UofT Life Sci is easy, but because they were actually at the top of UofT Life Sci and somehow manage to fit in ECs etc. So all in all, there isn't too much strategy when it comes to going for those top tier med schools. You are either are hot stuff or you aren't, so I wouldn't worry too much about where you do your undergrad. 

One advantage of both Mac and UofT is they both have opportunities to do research as an undergrad and both can set you up for success, UofT especially, if you are a superstar and incredibly ambitious, you have the city at your feet. At the same time you can easily get overwhelmed by it all in the city and sometimes a smaller town is better for you to really have a handle on things. 

Canadian med school graduates almost NEVER go to the US for residency. This is the most common question we get, the explanation is all over this forum, but all you need to know is that people do not go to the US for residency. If you want to be an American doctor, go to the US for med school. If you are equivocal, then you can go to the US for fellowship.

 

[All123]

13 hours ago, Edict said:

If you want to go to an Ivy for medical school, getting a solid GPA is a must, i'd recommend Mac Health Sci, the reason is getting a high GPA is easy. No one can ever dispute a 4.0, ever, grade inflation be damned. However, a lot of people have 4.0s and you need strong ECs and a strong MCAT. The MCAT has very little to do with where you did undergrad, and Hsci gives you the free time to actually be successful at ECs. I do think Mac Health Sci is still the indisputed best "premed" program for both Canada and the US. 

Now the people who tend to go to Ivies are usually a special breed, in the sense that they are just all around superstars, you find they often come from UofT life sci, not because UofT Life Sci is easy, but because they were actually at the top of UofT Life Sci and somehow manage to fit in ECs etc. So all in all, there isn't too much strategy when it comes to going for those top tier med schools. You are either are hot stuff or you aren't, so I wouldn't worry too much about where you do your undergrad. 

One advantage of both Mac and UofT is they both have opportunities to do research as an undergrad and both can set you up for success, UofT especially, if you are a superstar and incredibly ambitious, you have the city at your feet. At the same time you can easily get overwhelmed by it all in the city and sometimes a smaller town is better for you to really have a handle on things. 

Canadian med school graduates almost NEVER go to the US for residency. This is the most common question we get, the explanation is all over this forum, but all you need to know is that people do not go to the US for residency. If you want to be an American doctor, go to the US for med school. If you are equivocal, then you can go to the US for fellowship.

 

Thank you for responding!

What you wrote is very informative! I almost overlooked U of T and the EC opportunities big cities are able to offer. That is surely something new to think about!

If I may ask, what do you think of Western's Med Sci programme in similar contexts?

[Edict]

9 hours ago, All123 said:

Thank you for responding!

What you wrote is very informative! I almost overlooked U of T and the EC opportunities big cities are able to offer. That is surely something new to think about!

If I may ask, what do you think of Western's Med Sci programme in similar contexts?

I think Western Med Sci's program is in a similar league, I would always choose Mac Health Sci first because it is great for both Canadian and US medical schools. For US medical schools, UofT and McGill are also strong choices due to their research opportunities and the fact that they are known south of the border. With that being said UofT is not as good a choice for Canadian medical schools, if you aren't at the top of the class at UofT, you may find yourself struggling to get into medical school. I wouldn't go to UofT unless I had good knowledge that I was going to do well (i.e. you've had superstar ECs in high school and/or go to a top public/private school taking AP/IB courses with good grades). Western imo fits in behind Mac Health Sci, it does well, i remember reading a stat that around 35-40% of the BMSc class gets into into medical school, whereas Mac's Health Sci is in the 60-70% range, but its likely not much better than the other life sci programs (at every school except UofT, which is harder). In terms of going to the states, its probably a bit behind Mac/UofT/McGill. 

If you ask me i'd go Mac Health Sci first, Western Med Sci second (if you lean Canada), McGill or Queens third, UofT fourth, unless you are truly just aiming for the US in which case Mac Health Sci, then UofT/McGill, then Western/Queens. 

Like you mentioned, personally, I would choose 1. mac health sci 2. western med sci 3. mcgill 4. queens 5. uoft. No one is guaranteed anything and putting your eggs into the US basket is too risky for me. 

[All123]

14 hours ago, Edict said:

I think Western Med Sci's program is in a similar league, I would always choose Mac Health Sci first because it is great for both Canadian and US medical schools. For US medical schools, UofT and McGill are also strong choices due to their research opportunities and the fact that they are known south of the border. With that being said UofT is not as good a choice for Canadian medical schools, if you aren't at the top of the class at UofT, you may find yourself struggling to get into medical school. I wouldn't go to UofT unless I had good knowledge that I was going to do well (i.e. you've had superstar ECs in high school and/or go to a top public/private school taking AP/IB courses with good grades). Western imo fits in behind Mac Health Sci, it does well, i remember reading a stat that around 35-40% of the BMSc class gets into into medical school, whereas Mac's Health Sci is in the 60-70% range, but its likely not much better than the other life sci programs (at every school except UofT, which is harder). In terms of going to the states, its probably a bit behind Mac/UofT/McGill. 

If you ask me i'd go Mac Health Sci first, Western Med Sci second (if you lean Canada), McGill or Queens third, UofT fourth, unless you are truly just aiming for the US in which case Mac Health Sci, then UofT/McGill, then Western/Queens. 

Like you mentioned, personally, I would choose 1. mac health sci 2. western med sci 3. mcgill 4. queens 5. uoft. No one is guaranteed anything and putting your eggs into the US basket is too risky for me. 

Thank you again for the very helpful reply! Your points are clear and convincing, and I really appreciate it!

[Korra101]

Hello

I graduated Western, it is really hard to get a high GPA in the Medical Sciences program.  If you're thinking Western, doing the Health Sciences program would be easier and you would get a much higher GPA. I am not sure what McMaster health sciences program is like but if you are serious about medical school (USA or Canada) I suggest you divert from Western Medical Sciences and go into Western Health Sciences or even Western Science, the modules offered by the department of biology are really good.

Also, were did you find the information for US-Canada GPA conversion? I always assumed that the Canadian GPA is the same as USA. Does that mean my GPA in Canada would be higher in the USA?