UAlberta vs. U of T

[optogenetic_pupper]

I've been fortunate enough to be accepted into two programs - U of A and U of T. I'm from Alberta, so going to U of A would mean moving back home (I moved out and away from Alberta 5 years ago). I've read a lot of advice on the benefits of staying near family and friends, but most of my support comes from my friends and none of them are in Alberta. I definitely am attracted to Toronto because of the city and because a lot of my friends are on the east coast, but the factor that worries me the most is cost. U of T would cost me more than double what U of A costs, even if I rent my own apartment and don't move back into my parent's house. Basically, I'm wondering whether it's silly of me to pick U of T based on my impressions of it as a "big, shiny, and new" city/school where I can start fresh as opposed to going to U of A, which is a perfectly good school and city, and taking on way less debt. Any insight would be wonderful! Thank you!!

[Lactic Folly]

What are your ultimate long-term goals? If you want a fresh start out east, I think it makes sense to go to U of T. It will be easier for you, and more cost-effective, to set up electives in that part of the country if that's eventually where you want to settle down. This may have a larger influence on your future trajectory than the difference in debt.

[optogenetic_pupper]

I don't really know what I want to match into long-term yet, but I do know that I don't want to settle down in Alberta. I do have a special place in my heart for the east coast because that's where I moved when I left home, so it probably is where I do want to settle down. I didn't really think so far down the line, and that's a really good point! Thank you! 

[user123456]

I just made the same decision. I ultimately decided that my happiness and satisfaction during one of the most difficult periods of my entire is worth more than 1-2 extra years under debt. You will pay off the debt, don't let it guide your decision!

[NeuroD]

I'm from the GTA and did a degree at U of T...I wouldn't be overly enamoured with the big shiny city. Opportunities abound just by virtue of being med school, not much is better in Toronto. Unless your friends are in Toronto, don't take the financial and social hit...stay around family and save your time/money.

[insomnias]

1 hour ago, optogenetic_pupper said:

I've been fortunate enough to be accepted into two programs - U of A and U of T. I'm from Alberta, so going to U of A would mean moving back home (I moved out and away from Alberta 5 years ago). I've read a lot of advice on the benefits of staying near family and friends, but most of my support comes from my friends and none of them are in Alberta. I definitely am attracted to Toronto because of the city and because a lot of my friends are on the east coast, but the factor that worries me the most is cost. U of T would cost me more than double what U of A costs, even if I rent my own apartment and don't move back into my parent's house. Basically, I'm wondering whether it's silly of me to pick U of T based on my impressions of it as a "big, shiny, and new" city/school where I can start fresh as opposed to going to U of A, which is a perfectly good school and city, and taking on way less debt. Any insight would be wonderful! Thank you!!

A couple of our classmates were in the same boat (lived away from AB for a few years and got into the U of A). From talking to them, I've garnered some things that could influence you either way:

Ability to live back with family - if you move in with the 'rents again, you could get free food/etc and a bunch of stuff taken care of...but that can put a crimp in your social life. It can also be a bit harder to socialize this way if you're not that close to campus, since people will often hang out with their neighbours (not because they don't like those who live further away, just because it's more convenient). Furthermore, living closer to home, you might feel obligated to visit your extended family or hang out with your parents/siblings more often vs attending a med event = FOMO even if the event wasn't that great. If you move out, it could cause some resentment with your family depending on the dynamic.

Tuition/cost of living - U of A is much, much cheaper than U of T

Dating - Edmonton skews more male (so if you're male, you could find it harder to date); Toronto's probably more balanced and may be more minority-friendly?

Layout - U of A has the hospital right next door to Katz which is great for shadowing. I can't recall: does U of T have a similar setup?

Class social life - Since we only have ~160 people, and it's a single campus, it's easy to get to know everyone if you want. Conversely, a lot of people drop off the grid when they realize they can vodcast

Weather - Edmonton is frigid. Toronto is... Toronto.

Travel - Toronto has YYZ, YTZ, BUF, YOW all pretty close so that it's easy to get somewhere quickly and maybe cheaply during spring break. Edmonton has YEG and YYC which may/may not be quick or cheap. YYZ is connected to union station via a train that runs >1x/hr, YEG to century park via a bus that runs 1x/hr.

Non-academic events - Edmonton isn't bad, but... it's not Toronto.

Public transit - If you or your destination is on a public transit line, you're golden. This is true for both Edmonton and Toronto, I suppose, with the caveat that Toronto's public transit seems to be better. But in Edmonton it's "free" (U-Pass). Is it free in Toronto?

Matching - I dunno, is the U of A better here or are we about the same? Supposedly if you want derm, the U of A is a great place to study since you can actually shadow derm from day 1, which may not be possible at other schools. I'm not sure how it is in Toronto

[PTturnsMD]

Hey, I am in the same situation this year (was accepted to U of A, Toronto, McMaster, and Ottawa). I am from Calgary and I ended up choosing U of A. The biggest influence for me, was that everyone I talked to in the medical profession told me to choose the city that I would most likely want to do residency and end up living in. They said you build a lot of connections and references that will help you in the future during your clerkship rotations and electives.

For me, that meant staying in Alberta as I want to end up in Alberta since all my family is here. For you, it sounds like that might be Toronto? Either way, I would go with where you see yourself living after med school!

Hope that is helpful.

[Edict]

13 hours ago, insomnias said:

A couple of our classmates were in the same boat (lived away from AB for a few years and got into the U of A). From talking to them, I've garnered some things that could influence you either way:

 

Layout - U of A has the hospital right next door to Katz which is great for shadowing. I can't recall: does U of T have a similar setup?

 

UofT has 4 campuses. Only one of these has hospitals right next to campus, the other 3 are between a 10 minute walk to a 40 min drive away. 

[optogenetic_pupper]

On 5/18/2019 at 6:39 PM, PhD2MD said:

I'm from the GTA and did a degree at U of T...I wouldn't be overly enamoured with the big shiny city. Opportunities abound just by virtue of being med school, not much is better in Toronto. Unless your friends are in Toronto, don't take the financial and social hit...stay around family and save your time/money.

For sure! The experience and opportunities are definitely what you make of it, I think the big and shiny thing more refers to wanting to be in a big city after having spent the majority of my life growing up in Alberta  

On 5/18/2019 at 7:21 PM, insomnias said:

A couple of our classmates were in the same boat (lived away from AB for a few years and got into the U of A). From talking to them, I've garnered some things that could influence you either way:

Ability to live back with family - if you move in with the 'rents again, you could get free food/etc and a bunch of stuff taken care of...but that can put a crimp in your social life. It can also be a bit harder to socialize this way if you're not that close to campus, since people will often hang out with their neighbours (not because they don't like those who live further away, just because it's more convenient). Furthermore, living closer to home, you might feel obligated to visit your extended family or hang out with your parents/siblings more often vs attending a med event = FOMO even if the event wasn't that great. If you move out, it could cause some resentment with your family depending on the dynamic.

Tuition/cost of living - U of A is much, much cheaper than U of T

Dating - Edmonton skews more male (so if you're male, you could find it harder to date); Toronto's probably more balanced and may be more minority-friendly?

Layout - U of A has the hospital right next door to Katz which is great for shadowing. I can't recall: does U of T have a similar setup?

Class social life - Since we only have ~160 people, and it's a single campus, it's easy to get to know everyone if you want. Conversely, a lot of people drop off the grid when they realize they can vodcast

Weather - Edmonton is frigid. Toronto is... Toronto.

Travel - Toronto has YYZ, YTZ, BUF, YOW all pretty close so that it's easy to get somewhere quickly and maybe cheaply during spring break. Edmonton has YEG and YYC which may/may not be quick or cheap. YYZ is connected to union station via a train that runs >1x/hr, YEG to century park via a bus that runs 1x/hr.

Non-academic events - Edmonton isn't bad, but... it's not Toronto.

Public transit - If you or your destination is on a public transit line, you're golden. This is true for both Edmonton and Toronto, I suppose, with the caveat that Toronto's public transit seems to be better. But in Edmonton it's "free" (U-Pass). Is it free in Toronto?

Matching - I dunno, is the U of A better here or are we about the same? Supposedly if you want derm, the U of A is a great place to study since you can actually shadow derm from day 1, which may not be possible at other schools. I'm not sure how it is in Toronto

Thank you for this in-depth post! Most of the people I've asked have only been able to speak to U of T so this really helps. 

Saving money is a HUGE factor that's making me conflicted about this decision, but I feel like I do need to base it on more than just money. 

Most of the other Edmonton-related things I think I subconsciously already considered due to growing up there, which is perhaps why Toronto is so appealing in terms of things to do/social life

For school-related things, I do like the small class size and easy access to the hospitals. On the other hand, having talked to a student at U of T, I guess having the multiple academies helps create a family atmosphere with a small group of people. And for matching, I did look at the match numbers and U of A's percentage of unmatched grads seemed lower. However, I do know that it's really hard to tell anything consistent from match numbers.

Would you have any insight on how the med school culture is at U of A, any thoughts about the teaching style, or how supportive the administration is? 

On 5/18/2019 at 9:19 PM, PTturnsMD said:

Hey, I am in the same situation this year (was accepted to U of A, Toronto, McMaster, and Ottawa). I am from Calgary and I ended up choosing U of A. The biggest influence for me, was that everyone I talked to in the medical profession told me to choose the city that I would most likely want to do residency and end up living in. They said you build a lot of connections and references that will help you in the future during your clerkship rotations and electives.

For me, that meant staying in Alberta as I want to end up in Alberta since all my family is here. For you, it sounds like that might be Toronto? Either way, I would go with where you see yourself living after med school!

Hope that is helpful.

Thank you! Yeah, I'm not really sure where I want to end up long-term but I definitely don't see myself living in Alberta long-term. Congrats on your acceptances! Good luck in the fall