French Proficiency Test

[lulu95]

I was wondering if Sherbrooke requires the same TFI as UdeM? I tried looking for language requirements on their website but couldn't find it.

[Bambi]

No French test. If you are accepted and French needs improvement, you will take a French course in 1st year as I understand it.

[indefatigable]

The TFI is a bare minimum of French needed to do medical school.  It is a precautionary measure (much simpler than CARS, etc..).  It isn't worth applying to a French medical school if your French is not at that level.  

 

 

[Bambi]

The above post is not necessarily true. I know of 3 persons who were accepted into francophone medical schools after the MEMFI, they all had difficulty in first year, they all passed like other students and became fluently bilingual. If you can get selected at the MEMFI, then you will develop the French skills during first year and will become a competent physician like all others.    

[indefatigable]

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[Bambi]

Two of the three were accepted @ Sherby and have adjusted well despite having gone to English schools, Cegeps, universities. All 3 would not have achieved the grades required for the TFI to enter med school, and neither have failed a year. In the worst case scenario, if there had been a failure in first year, the repeat year would have been easier because by that time all were fluent in French. 

[indefatigable]

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[lulu95]

Thanks for all your answers. I'm currently in Montreal and haven't met many people who went to or applied to Sherbrooke, so this was quite helpful.

[indefatigable]

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[F508]

Ok it is not as dramatic as Calcan portrays it to be. Not sure what the requirements are now, but even if your level is not that high on the TFI you can still succeed at Sherbrooke (that is if tfi is not a limiting factor to admission). There is little essay writing in med. if you understand French well and can express yourself adequately you'll be more than fine. References are in English. You'll get to improve your French a lot in Sherbrooke because it is pretty much a full immersion . i'd say your French will improve more at Sherbrooke than at UdeM

[indefatigable]

Ok it is not as dramatic as Calcan portrays it to be. Not sure what the requirements are now, but even if your level is not that high on the TFI you can still succeed at Sherbrooke (that is if tfi is not a limiting factor to admission). There is little essay writing in med. if you understand French well and can express yourself adequately you'll be more than fine. References are in English. You'll get to improve your French a lot in Sherbrooke because it is pretty much a full immersion . i'd say your French will improve more at Sherbrooke than at UdeM

I'd really look at the pros/cons carefully and would think long term as well. If you're committed to a career in Quebec, Sherbrooke is great. Otherwise, it may be worth looking elsewhere (speaking from personal experience). For sure French would improve, but within North America there are other languages that are also widely used (Spanish and Asian languages for example). And even if many references are in English, that's really only useful if you can translate on the fly and can understand everything else in French. For various reasons (time being one of them and language convenience), most people study from digested notes that have already been made from references, which are in French. I can definitely say that if you have good French though, it's much easier. Nonetheless, attrition and failures are much more of a reality.

[Guest]

Only Sherbrooke has no French screening test. The director at Sherbrooke recently mentioned problems anglophones have had. French schools are not pass/fail - you can pass every block and fail the year (and also your grades will be there for residency). The TFI is not complicated - the threshold is for people who are not french speakers. Put it this way - think of how many immigrants you have seen who have struggles with language even after a number of years (accent, vocabulary etc.)? Don't put yourself in that position if you don't have to.

 

Patient care is critical - the TFI is a reasonable tool to ensure oral and written comprehension is sufficiently high.

 

Although technically the graduates are CMGs, the French schools are much more self-contained for residency (and have higher attrition rates).

The grades will be there for residency?? SERIOUSLY????!!!

How can they compare med students with grades and med students that have p/f on their transcript?

[indefatigable]

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[tigars53]

The grades will be there for residency?? SERIOUSLY????!!!

How can they compare med students with grades and med students that have p/f on their transcript?

 

For having interviewed a few Quebec applicants for my program this year, I can say that we just don't look at their transcript. We look at the references and the clerkship evaluations mostly.

Of course if you fail classes or barely passed all your courses (C- and Ds everywhere), this is a red flag...

 

Of course, when you apply to Quebec schools for residency, they look at the grades and use them to invite applicants for interview.

[JimiHendrix]

No French test. If you are accepted and French needs improvement, you will take a French course in 1st year as I understand it.

Wrong. TFI is now required for admission and that is a great news.