Q&a With Mcgill Med Ambassadors

[quibble]

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[McGillMedAmbassadors]

17 hours ago, lmck said:

Is it recommended that we do observerships during first year of medical school? How is that different from the LFME? Did first years have time to do observerships outside of class?

 

Many people do but you definitely don't have to feel obliged. Time is definitely there for shadowing!

It's different from LFME because the latter is family medicine-focused. There are student organized groups that provide shadowing experiences outside of family medicine, they are a great way to dip your toes into a specialty and get an early feel for it!

 

[t0ny]

On 12/21/2017 at 6:46 AM, McGillMedAmbassadors said:

Many people do but you definitely don't have to feel obliged. Time is definitely there for shadowing!

It's different from LFME because the latter is family medicine-focused. There are student organized groups that provide shadowing experiences outside of family medicine, they are a great way to dip your toes into a specialty and get an early feel for it!

 

Also to add onto that, scheduling your own shadowing experience once in medical school is extremely easy. People are much more receptive once you tell them you are a medical student versus an undergraduate student

[MedP111]

Hey guys! I'll be interviewing with the IP University-level crowd in ~2 weeks, and am a little nervous about the dress code (I'm a guy). While McGill says that blazers/jackets and ties are optional, I'm unsure whether this is one of those "we say it's optional but really it's kinda mandatory and everyone does it, and if you don't we'll think you're an idiot" things or it's actually optional, i.e. it won't negatively impact the way I'm evaluated/judged in the stations.

I'm pretty short on money and don't have a suit that fits me very well, plus I'm not really comfortable being so fully dressed for the actor stations where I want to be as myself and natural as possible. Of course, if there is a real disadvantage in coming in with just a dress shirt, then I'll find the money and practice with a full suit to be comfortable, but I'd like to avoid all this trouble if it truly doesn't make a difference. What would you advise? Thank you!

[SpeedyPotato]

On 05/02/2018 at 0:38 AM, MedP111 said:

Hey guys! I'll be interviewing with the IP University-level crowd in ~2 weeks, and am a little nervous about the dress code (I'm a guy). While McGill says that blazers/jackets and ties are optional, I'm unsure whether this is one of those "we say it's optional but really it's kinda mandatory and everyone does it, and if you don't we'll think you're an idiot" things or it's actually optional, i.e. it won't negatively impact the way I'm evaluated/judged in the stations.

I'm pretty short on money and don't have a suit that fits me very well, plus I'm not really comfortable being so fully dressed for the actor stations where I want to be as myself and natural as possible. Of course, if there is a real disadvantage in coming in with just a dress shirt, then I'll find the money and practice with a full suit to be comfortable, but I'd like to avoid all this trouble if it truly doesn't make a difference. What would you advise? Thank you!

I will be coming in a dress shirt, pretty much as if I were to dress for work, I really don't think wearing a suit is necessary. 

[SunAndMoon]

22 hours ago, MedP111 said:

Hey guys! I'll be interviewing with the IP University-level crowd in ~2 weeks, and am a little nervous about the dress code (I'm a guy). While McGill says that blazers/jackets and ties are optional, I'm unsure whether this is one of those "we say it's optional but really it's kinda mandatory and everyone does it, and if you don't we'll think you're an idiot" things or it's actually optional, i.e. it won't negatively impact the way I'm evaluated/judged in the stations.

I'm pretty short on money and don't have a suit that fits me very well, plus I'm not really comfortable being so fully dressed for the actor stations where I want to be as myself and natural as possible. Of course, if there is a real disadvantage in coming in with just a dress shirt, then I'll find the money and practice with a full suit to be comfortable, but I'd like to avoid all this trouble if it truly doesn't make a difference. What would you advise? Thank you!

So most people come in a full suit but a non-negligible amount of ppl come in simply with a dress shirt and pants. I highly doubt it would impact you negatively if you didnt wear a suit. If you can't afford it and don't have a reasonably well fitting suit lying around, don't sweat it. What you have to say is a lot more important than a jacket Good luck!!

[dreamteam22]

50 minutes ago, SunAndMoon said:

So most people come in a full suit but a non-negligible amount of ppl come in simply with a dress shirt and pants. I highly doubt it would impact you negatively if you didnt wear a suit. If you can't afford it and don't have a reasonably well fitting suit lying around, don't sweat it. What you have to say is a lot more important than a jacket Good luck!!

Awesome advice! Thanks so much. 

[McGillMedAmbassadors]

On 2/5/2018 at 0:38 AM, MedP111 said:

Hey guys! I'll be interviewing with the IP University-level crowd in ~2 weeks, and am a little nervous about the dress code (I'm a guy). While McGill says that blazers/jackets and ties are optional, I'm unsure whether this is one of those "we say it's optional but really it's kinda mandatory and everyone does it, and if you don't we'll think you're an idiot" things or it's actually optional, i.e. it won't negatively impact the way I'm evaluated/judged in the stations.

I'm pretty short on money and don't have a suit that fits me very well, plus I'm not really comfortable being so fully dressed for the actor stations where I want to be as myself and natural as possible. Of course, if there is a real disadvantage in coming in with just a dress shirt, then I'll find the money and practice with a full suit to be comfortable, but I'd like to avoid all this trouble if it truly doesn't make a difference. What would you advise? Thank you!

Absolutely. Suits not necessary although many wear one. What you say is more important!  Congrats, and see you then!

[Eudaimonia]

During clerkship rotations, if we're assigned a place outside the city, does McGill arrange and take care of your accommodations?

[McGillMedAmbassadors]

14 hours ago, Eudaimonia said:

During clerkship rotations, if we're assigned a place outside the city, does McGill arrange and take care of your accommodations?

The only clerkship core rotation where you may be outside of Mtl is rural. In those cases, for those who choose to stay in Quebec at one of the sites assigned to you by the school, accommodations will be provided. 

More info about the sites here: https://www.mcgill.ca/familymed/teachingsites/rural

 

[Eudaimonia]

Can the third year elective be done anywhere in Canada? And how many weeks of pre CaRMS electives are there?

[McGillMedAmbassadors]

2 hours ago, Eudaimonia said:

Can the third year elective be done anywhere in Canada? And how many weeks of pre CaRMS electives are there?

No like all med schools in Canada, third year core rotations are at the university hospitals where you study. There is one elective period in 3rd year where you can go anywhere you want (across the world), same thing applied for all the fourth year electives.

Pre-CaRMS electives depend on each student's schedule. That said, we all complete all of our rotations by beginning of January of 4th year, and we all have time off for the interviews for CaRMS. This essentially means that all rotations are completed prior to CaRMS interviews, but not necessarily by CaRMS application deadline, although it is definitely possible to design your schedule in that way. 

 

[t0ny]

Just want to add that I am pretty sure that McGill offers the most amount of weeks dedicated to elective rotations relative to other Canadian Medical schools. 

[Arztin]

On 3/24/2018 at 2:34 PM, t0ny said:

Just want to add that I am pretty sure that McGill offers the most amount of weeks dedicated to elective rotations relative to other Canadian Medical schools. 

You have up to 20 weeks of elective time at McGill if you do clerkship in Montreal, and up to 24 at Gatineau.

The only requirements are that they need to be in 3 separate categories. E.g. someone wants to go in General surgery. They can do a 2 week elective in radiology, 2 weeks in anesthesia, and 16 weeks of general surgery. Electives can be done anywhere. There is no restriction of in province, out of the province like you see with the French schools.

Elective time is definitely a big advantage at McGill compared to other schools.

[quibble]

2 hours ago, Arztin said:

You have up to 20 weeks of elective time at McGill if you do clerkship in Montreal, and up to 24 at Gatineau.

The only requirements are that they need to be in 3 separate categories. E.g. someone wants to go in General surgery. They can do a 2 week elective in radiology, 2 weeks in anesthesia, and 16 weeks of general surgery. Electives can be done anywhere. There is no restriction of in province, out of the province like you see with the French schools.

Elective time is definitely a big advantage at McGill compared to other schools.

@Arztin How did you personally find the TCP? I heard this is one of the distinguishing feature at McGill. Did you feel like you had a smooth transition into clerkship because of the TCP?

[Arztin]

1 hour ago, lmck said:

@Arztin How did you personally find the TCP? I heard this is one of the distinguishing feature at McGill. Did you feel like you had a smooth transition into clerkship because of the TCP?

I liked it. I do think it provides you with a smoother transition.

It's a bit of a your mileage might vary type of scenario during TCP rotations, but in any case you spend more time in the hospitals. Some people, depending on their services, and location worked basically as a clerk. (assessed patients alone, reviewed, etc... some people during their anesthesia got to intubate quite a bit)

But then again, every school has something similar. I don't think anyone should chose McGill over another school or not chose it based on TCP, because regardless how ready you are, clerks on day 1 will feel and look a bit like tourists everywhere

[Med12]

Asking this here since I haven't found a good answer so far:

How hard is it to match to a US residency if coming from McGill? What would actually be involved, in terms of USMLEs, selectives, etc.?

Further along those lines, if one wishes to eventually practice in the US, would it be better to just go to school there to begin with (given the opportunity at a top-25 school), or is it just as fine to go to McGill and then do a US residency, or even move after a Canadian residency? The US would involve about 250k in loan principal, plus increased cost of living (health insurance, housing, etc.).

Thanks in advance!

[MedP111]

Hey guys! I was going over the conditions of admission and am wondering what they mean by "maintaining a comparable academic performance"? Is there a threshold I should be aware of (like the 3.5 GPA threshold for Med-P's)? Am I screwed if I get a B or two in my last semester? How often do admitted candidates get their offers rescinded by that condition?

I probably shouldn't worry but I'm still uncomfortable with there being an obscure condition looming over me. Thanks for your input!

[OldManWinter]

This might be a shot in the dark, but is there anyone on here that is in currently in Med School or beyond that had the sign the CEQ? Even better - anyone that actually stayed in Quebec to practice and was assigned by the minister to a region of need? I'm interested in discussing the logistics of how this all plays out.  

[McGillMedAmbassadors]

9 hours ago, MedP111 said:

Hey guys! I was going over the conditions of admission and am wondering what they mean by "maintaining a comparable academic performance"? Is there a threshold I should be aware of (like the 3.5 GPA threshold for Med-P's)? Am I screwed if I get a B or two in my last semester? How often do admitted candidates get their offers rescinded by that condition?

I probably shouldn't worry but I'm still uncomfortable with there being an obscure condition looming over me. Thanks for your input!

 

Honestly there's no hard cut rule. A B or two in your last semester shouldn't penalize you. Not that there isn't any in-between, on the other hand, if admitted candidates start failing, the Faculty might start asking some questions...

Congrats on your admission!

 

[McGillMedAmbassadors]

17 hours ago, Med12 said:

Asking this here since I haven't found a good answer so far:

How hard is it to match to a US residency if coming from McGill? What would actually be involved, in terms of USMLEs, selectives, etc.?

Further along those lines, if one wishes to eventually practice in the US, would it be better to just go to school there to begin with (given the opportunity at a top-25 school), or is it just as fine to go to McGill and then do a US residency, or even move after a Canadian residency? The US would involve about 250k in loan principal, plus increased cost of living (health insurance, housing, etc.).

Thanks in advance!

Found you a classmate from the States who can answer your questions. Feel free to pm us your email address and we'll put you in touch. 

[Med12]

5 hours ago, McGillMedAmbassadors said:

Found you a classmate from the States who can answer your questions. Feel free to pm us your email address and we'll put you in touch. 

Thanks so much, this is so helpful of you!! I pm'd you

[McGillMedAmbassadors]

12 hours ago, OldManWinter said:

This might be a shot in the dark, but is there anyone on here that is in currently in Med School or beyond that had the sign the CEQ? Even better - anyone that actually stayed in Quebec to practice and was assigned by the minister to a region of need? I'm interested in discussing the logistics of how this all plays out.  

Yeah we could definitely put you in touch with m4s who are in the situation. Mind you, they are also figuring it out...

PM us your email and we can move you along

[sharkeisha]

Hi McGillMedAmbassadors,

I wasn't able to find this easily so I wanted to know if and when McGill usually releases the scores pre-and post-interview in terms of one's ranking for the MDCM admission?

Also, what do you guys suggest in terms of living accommodation in Montreal? I'm looking to share an apartment with future Med-1s and wanted to know when the MDCM 2022 FB group would be created? Do you believe it would be feasible for me to schedule an apartment with my future classmates (I'm worried about the timing more than anything)?

Thanks for your reply!

[Eudaimonia]

5 hours ago, sharkeisha said:

Hi McGillMedAmbassadors,

I wasn't able to find this easily so I wanted to know if and when McGill usually releases the scores pre-and post-interview in terms of one's ranking for the MDCM admission?

Also, what do you guys suggest in terms of living accommodation in Montreal? I'm looking to share an apartment with future Med-1s and wanted to know when the MDCM 2022 FB group would be created? Do you believe it would be feasible for me to schedule an apartment with my future classmates (I'm worried about the timing more than anything)?

Thanks for your reply!

Hi sharkeisha, for your first question you can look at the recent posts in the Post-refusal thread. 

I couldn't find any FB group for previous classes, maybe because they're private, so I'm not sure if Mcgill uses them. But I'm also moving to Montreal and am open to having a roommate if I can't find any suitable 1.5 units. Maybe we can make a thread here if the ambassadors confirm there is no FB group