Masters Vs Caribbean

[Wannabedoctorzab]

Stuck with a 3.5 and likely cannot apply to majority of Ontario schools.

 

I personally want to do a Masters and not go to the Caribbeans. I don't want to pay $400k on an 8% interest rate and repay for 30 years when I can get OSAP and pay off medical school at extremely reduced costs.

 

Any suggestions? Masters will be in business. 

Bio undergrad.

 

I should mention that business has always been more of a passion for me. Hence why the business degree. I cannot and will not and refuse to do a science masters.

[JohnGrisham]

Will the business degree be your backup, and will you be happy with that direction should medicine not work out in the short term/long term? If yes, then definitely a good option.

With the 3.5, viability will depend on the MCAT score(higher the better) and if you are willing to move to another province potentially at some point(maybe when working with your business degree?).

Alternatively, a 3.5 will be able to get you into a US medical school, pending a strong MCAT and non-academics. Thus bypassing the innumerable risks of abroad. Still expensive, but at least its a safer bet. This can be a calculated decision after building up your application over a few years and go for it when you feel ready to(i.e. have exhausted options in Canada and perhaps decide you still want to pursue medicine after working in business).

 

[JohnGrisham]

Also, the 400k on 8% interest is currently incorrect. Interest rates are at 2.7% for bank LOCs(though this can go up at any time in teh future!). The sentiment of extreme costs stands though. Also, i would say 30 years to repay is extreme and unlikely. If you are willing to work hard and even relocate to areas of need, you can easily repay in significantly shorter time periods (5 years is probably a more manageable time frame), though of course this would assume you get through foreign training and get the residency and jump through hoops etc. Which is very possible, but also a chance of not. So again, calculated risks.

[Wannabedoctorzab]

I want to avoid the debt. And yes, I've been very much in touch with my entrepreneurial side. 

[JohnGrisham]

I think you have your answer then, pursue your masters (masters in management i suppose?) and then see what its like in the field, go for what you're interested in. Then re-evaluate your desire and standings for medicine yearly, and take steps necessary to improve your application as you go along. Make a 5 year plan of sorts.

[canucks_14]

I've heard it is quite hard to practice in Canada if you go to the carib. Everyone says to exhaust all other options first.

 

Here is a thread with some info.

http://forums.premed101.com/index.php?/topic/85715-some-informative-posts-for-those-who-may-be-considering-the-caribbean-as-their-second-chance/

[StriveP]

Stuck with a 3.5 and likely cannot apply to majority of Ontario schools.

 

I personally want to do a Masters and not go to the Caribbeans. I don't want to pay $400k on an 8% interest rate and repay for 30 years when I can get OSAP and pay off medical school at extremely reduced costs.

 

Any suggestions? Masters will be in business. 

Bio undergrad.

 

I should mention that business has always been more of a passion for me. Hence why the business degree. I cannot and will not and refuse to do a science masters.

 

Move to another province where there's less competition (ex. BC or Alberta).

I moved last year to Edmonton and met a lot of people who did the same, guess what...we all ended up getting in at least somewhere in Canada. 

[Emojis4Life]

Is the 3.5 your wGPA or cGPA? You may have a shot in Ontario if your WGPA is higher?

[Wannabedoctorzab]

What about applying to Ivey/Rotman/Schulich?

[Wannabedoctorzab]

I have an 80 on the dot major, and 81 non-major.

 

and 3.5 cgpa

[App555]

Move to another province where there's less competition (ex. BC or Alberta).

I moved last year to Edmonton and met a lot of people who did the same, guess what...we all ended up getting in at least somewhere in Canada.

The competition is not any less in BC or Alberta.

[StriveP]

The competition is not any less in BC or Alberta.

 

Yes it is. Much more seats to applicants ratio. Don't believe me? Look it up online.

And UofA, UBC, and UofC don't have hard MCAT cutoffs like Ontario schools. It's not easy to get into but definitely less competitive than Ontario schools because they reserve seats for their own province which Ontario schools don't do. Applying to Alberta schools as an Alberta resident is like competing with only Albertans, applying to Ontario schools as an Ontario resident you are competing with everyone in the country. I know because I applied to all 3 provinces, enough said. 

[medhope15]

I would say this: no matter where you go to medical school there really are no guarantees. For example, Ontario just cut 50 residency spots basically overnight without even consulting OMA. With our economy and refusal to go to two-tier we really don't know what the job prospects will be like in 10 years when you are about ready to practice independently. They might cut 100 more spots or defund programs. So honestly, I don't think you are any worse off.

[3change]

.

[amichel]

Yes it is. Much more seats to applicants ratio. Don't believe me? Look it up online.

And UofA, UBC, and UofC don't have hard MCAT cutoffs like Ontario schools. It's not easy to get into but definitely less competitive than Ontario schools because they reserve seats for their own province which Ontario schools don't do. Applying to Alberta schools as an Alberta resident is like competing with only Albertans, applying to Ontario schools as an Ontario resident you are competing with everyone in the country. I know because I applied to all 3 provinces, enough said.

Once again you are completely ignoring the actual stats required to get in to med schools in said provinces. 3.5 isn't likely to get you into UBC or U of A, even as IP.

 

I also applied to all three provinces, does that mean I know everything about it too? That's a bit of a silly absolute.

[ralk]

I would say this: no matter where you go to medical school there really are no guarantees. For example, Ontario just cut 50 residency spots basically overnight without even consulting OMA. With our economy and refusal to go to two-tier we really don't know what the job prospects will be like in 10 years when you are about ready to practice independently. They might cut 100 more spots or defund programs. So honestly, I don't think you are any worse off.

 

Ontario cut 50 spots, but 25 will fall on IMGs by the sounds of it and many of the 25 CMG residency spot cuts will eventually fall on IMGs thanks to second-round holdover spots. The chances of getting a residency as a CMG are still in the mid-to-high 90's in the first round of the first year applying, and are basically 99% by the time a graduated CMG has completed their second full CaRMS cycle. If this changes at all with the enacted cuts, the effect should be fairly minimal on CMGs. Compare that to a ~35% match rate for CSAs down from ~50% only a few years ago. The situation for CMGs declined, slightly, but the situation for CSAs declined by a much greater degree. It's still worth aiming for a Canadian (or at least a US) medical school spot, and considering going overseas only as a last resort (if a resort at all).

[NotASerialKiller]

Masters vs US MD

Masters vs US DO

Masters vs different profession

Masters vs MMA fighter

Masters vs Caribbean

 

The order of the threads you should be making

[App555]

Yes it is. Much more seats to applicants ratio. Don't believe me? Look it up online.

And UofA, UBC, and UofC don't have hard MCAT cutoffs like Ontario schools. It's not easy to get into but definitely less competitive than Ontario schools because they reserve seats for their own province which Ontario schools don't do. Applying to Alberta schools as an Alberta resident is like competing with only Albertans, applying to Ontario schools as an Ontario resident you are competing with everyone in the country. I know because I applied to all 3 provinces, enough said.

a 3.94 and 33 MCAT was the average score for Albertans to get in to U of A last year. That is higher than an Ontario school

[Edict]

a 3.94 and 33 MCAT was the average score for Albertans to get in to U of A last year. That is higher than an Ontario school

 

Is that weighted gpa however? It is also a bit hard to compare GPA since GPAs can vary between university and program and Albertan schools are mainly receiving applications from Albertan university students.

 

From a pure numbers perspective it is still potentially worth it to move province. There are just simply many more Ontarians and not as many reserved spots. It plays out in the number of people getting into a medical school. In Ontario only about 20% of applicants receive a med offer while in Alberta that number is closer to 33%. 

[Emojis4Life]

I have an 80 on the dot major, and 81 non-major.

 

and 3.5 cgpa

 

Can you give your GPA breakdown on a 4.0 scale and if you took a full course load? I'm sure you've considered it but you may have a shot at places like Western and Queen's

[Bambi]

I think a 2nd undergrad degree is a better way toward medicine.

[GH0ST]

Once again you are completely ignoring the actual stats required to get in to med schools in said provinces. 3.5 isn't likely to get you into UBC or U of A, even as IP.

 

I also applied to all three provinces, does that mean I know everything about it too? That's a bit of a silly absolute.

 

You just gotta let it go. We won't change StriveP's thoughts on relative difficulties of getting into a medical program. Don't let this get into another war about the morality of moving provinces for admissions. People are going to do whatever that's necessary and we just gotta do our best. 

 

OP moving is an option, just like how your masters is another option. Both options I would pursue before trying the Caribbean though and that's something no one will argue significantly against. 

 

- G

[_ _]

I think a 2nd undergrad degree is a better way toward medicine.

I agree, I'm surprised no one else said this

Undergrad tuition is often cheaper anyway, unless it was a researched-based masters

[GH0ST]

I agree, I'm surprised no one else said this

Undergrad tuition is often cheaper anyway, unless it was a researched-based masters

 

Some schools definitely take research-based masters and give it a slight boost. 

 

A good medium that I've seen is people doing a research-based masters and adding additional courses (on top of the occassional graduate classes) to help boost GPA a little. 

 

- G 

[amichel]

You just gotta let it go. We won't change StriveP's thoughts on relative difficulties of getting into a medical program. Don't let this get into another war about the morality of moving provinces for admissions. People are going to do whatever that's necessary and we just gotta do our best.

 

OP moving is an option, just like how your masters is another option. Both options I would pursue before trying the Caribbean though and that's something no one will argue significantly against.

 

- G

I didn't even say anything about the ethics of it. It's just not a suggestion that would help OP AT ALL. As someone pointed out, the average gpa for IP at Alberta is 3.9+. UBC was somewhere around 87%. Calgary is an option but it's hardly a guarantee and requires 2 years. All three of said schools only drop 1 year so not really that helpful. OP is better off with the 3+ Ontario schools that have second degree type policies.

 

It doesn't matter what I think of striveP, it just wasn't a good suggestion for the topic at hand. At all.