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[PayItForward]

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[samc5]

I think U of A being close to family and support networks would be my priority for choosing a school with a choice.

[medsci101]

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[Edict]

7 hours ago, InquisitiveMan said:

Huge congratulations to everyone who has received acceptances this year! I am extremely fortunate and grateful to have been accepted into the following schools this application cycle and was wondering if others could provide insights into these schools and my situation!

My situation: I am 21 years old and just finished my undergrad. I live in St. Albert (near Edmonton) and completed my undergrad at the U of A. I am leaning towards a 4 year program because I have 0 idea what I want to pursue and I believe the extra time/breaks will be advantageous and necessary for me haha. I have never moved out yet, but also am not in a huge rush to do so.

I am currently leaning towards U of A (home school, cheap in terms of tuition and I can live at home), UBC (beautiful city, strong and large program, great weather, 1h flight from home), and Queens (sense of community, strong program, always hear about their amazing match rates, expensive and extremely far from home).

I would love for others opinions on these schools! Do any of you feel like attending a specific school on this list from others would give me a significant advantage in pursuing a specialty such as Ophthalmology compared to others from different schools?

 

UBC because you should explore away from home, also UBC is a desirable location for residency which is a great situation to be in. This of course depends on your finances and what you are sacrificing to do it. 

[X Æ A-12]

7 hours ago, InquisitiveMan said:

I am leaning towards a 4 year program because I have 0 idea what I want to pursue

 

7 hours ago, InquisitiveMan said:

Do any of you feel like attending a specific school on this list from others would give me a significant advantage in pursuing a specialty such as Ophthalmology compared to others from different schools?

Does not compute

[NeuroD]

U of A or C just makes so much sense.

Yes UBC is pretty...it's also going to put you into a completely different debt bracket.

Yes Mac saves you a year of opportunity cost + all the other Mac benefits.

Still...just do U of A. If you want any of the benefits of the other schools (location, resources, or 3 year program) then compromise with U of C.

[PayItForward]

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[PayItForward]

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[prettypleaseacceptme]

I have heard incredible things about UofC and UofA it seems to make sense for your situation. But if you want to move away FORSURE  pick UBC

[frenchpress]

8 hours ago, InquisitiveMan said:

Huge congratulations to everyone who has received acceptances this year! I am extremely fortunate and grateful to have been accepted into the following schools this application cycle and was wondering if others could provide insights into these schools and my situation!

My situation: I am 21 years old and just finished my undergrad. I live in St. Albert (near Edmonton) and completed my undergrad at the U of A. I am leaning towards a 4 year program because I have 0 idea what I want to pursue and I believe the extra time/breaks will be advantageous and necessary for me haha. I have never moved out yet, but also am not in a huge rush to do so.

I am currently leaning towards U of A (home school, cheap in terms of tuition and I can live at home), UBC (beautiful city, strong and large program, great weather, 1h flight from home), and Queens (sense of community, strong program, always hear about their amazing match rates, expensive and extremely far from home).

I would love for others opinions on these schools! Do any of you feel like attending a specific school on this list from others would give me a significant advantage in pursuing a specialty such as Ophthalmology compared to others from different schools?

 

How much do you like vs. hate living in Alberta?

I am a former Albertan who moved to BC. I never particularly liked living in Alberta, was happy to leave, and never plan to return. If you can’t see yourself staying there long term, and would like to live somewhere like BC or Ontario for residency, then it’s likely going to better to move now. 

If you actually see yourself staying in Alberta, then UofA or Calgary may make more sense. On the one hand you may get a lot out of living away from Alberta for a few years. On the other hand, if you think you’ll want to match or Calgary or Alberta eventually, staying in province may help with that. It’s great to save money by living at home, but I would encourage you to seriously considering if you’d be happy to do that all through medical school, or if there will be an point at which you realize you’re really going to want more independence and will need to move out - if you’re going to be in a hurry to move out by 2nd year, the cost savings won’t be nearly as large and may factor less against going away. 

[PayItForward]

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[frenchpress]

19 minutes ago, InquisitiveMan said:

I don't really hate it, but I do want to explore moving out. My end goal is to match to Calgary in residency, but I don't want to go through a 3y med program!

If that’s the case, then it sounds like you’ve already pretty much ruled out McMaster and Calgary.

Of the remaining schools, I think you’ll have a pretty good chance of matching to Calgary from any of them. So what sort of day-to-day lifestyle do you think you would enjoy and would make you the ‘happiest’ while having to work hard for 4 years straight? And will one of these schools better support you in achieving that?  For example, for me, being close to nature and being able to get outside regularly year round is really important to me, as is being able to get around on foot and walk a lot of places - so Vancouver was a good fit for me. For some people I know, being close enough to see friends and family is most important, so staying in their home city was really key. For others I know, getting space from their friends and family so they could actually focus on school was more important, so leaving was a good choice. Etc.

Potential debt is important to consider, but  I think minimizing debt in the short-term sometimes needs to come second to doing what will best help you succeed or meet your goals long-term. How much of an issue is debt for you? If it really is a top consideration, you may want to draft up a 4-year budget of tuition, living and travel expenses for each place so you can put a number on the trade-off of moving out and staying at the UofA versus moving out of province.

[NeuroD]

3 years really isn't that bad...plus it saves you the opportunity cost of 200-500k.