UBC vs UofT

[vancitymedguy]

Hi Everyone! I recently got offers to both UBC and U of T and I am quite unsure where to accept.

Does anyone have insight into which school would be better to attend? I am having trouble deciding and would appreciate any advice from others who have more experience with Toronto. 

I've heard Toronto is "more prestigious", but I understand any school in Canada will provide more or less the same quality of medical education. I also have heard that since there are more people in Toronto, there are greater clinical opportunities and also more opportunities to shadow specialists who are leaders in their field. Would anyone know if this is true and whether it would be better to attend Toronto for such reasons?

Any insight is appreciated

[Eudaimonia]

Among the factors that you're considering for this decision, I would disregard reputation unless you're particular about doing residency in the states. (Plus UofT and UBC are both top-tier schools in terms of reputation) The quality of medical education is comparable across Canada, and there should be similar opportunities in these two large cities. 

I recommend you look through the forum for these types of topics and see what factors are brought up that are important to you, such as curriculum, cost of living, social network, location/where you want to do residency, etc. Then you can refine your question and have us help you weigh the pros/cons tailored to your priorities

[Edict]

Prestige seriously doesn't matter one bit. It will be cold comfort if you go to a medical school you don't enjoy in other ways. Even  the idea of shadowing "top tier specialists" doesn't make a difference to a medical student. Medical school is actually an undergraduate degree, you are learning the basics and the basics can be taught the same no matter where you are. 

Important factors to focus on: 

1. Do medical school where you want to match for residency

2. Do medical school in a place you want to live, this is 3-4 years of your life, make sure you are happy with them!

3. Do medical school in places in a place you feel can support any specialty decisions you might make

If after these things you still can't decide, you are probably safe to assume that no matter which you end up choosing, you will do just fine. 

 

 

 

[apple_med]

In my opinion, having lived and worked in both cities, there are indeed greater clinical and shadowing opportunities in Toronto. This is simply from the vast amount of teaching hospitals affiliated with the many medical schools in Ontario. 

Good luck with your choice and congrats on both acceptances!