acciaccatura Posted May 13, 2015 Report Share Posted May 13, 2015 Is anyone else in a fortunate position to have multiple offers and need to make a final decision on which school to attend? If so, I'd love to hear your perspectives, what you've decided on/are leaning towards and why, etc. I'm having a lot of trouble deciding, but I want to finalize things ASAP to get those waitlists moving Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheLawofA Posted May 13, 2015 Report Share Posted May 13, 2015 To add on, if any current med students had to choose between multiple schools could you elaborate on what factored into your decision when you made the choice? Many thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snacks Posted May 13, 2015 Report Share Posted May 13, 2015 I'll get the ball rolling.I've been considering it for awhile. I tried to come up with tentative rankings based on where I interviewed and my impressions on interview day. I thought about whether I'd want to do a 3 year vs. 4 year program, whether I liked the location (I'm interested in having nearby rural opportunities), the facilities (I like good design–the surroundings can affect how I feel about a place!), the class size (I like small!), the curriculum (the balance between PBL and didactic, I like a good balance! ), even the schools' selection method, as that would affect what kind of classmates I'd have. I talked to my dad and my friends who are in medicine. But ultimately it kind of came down to a feeling. And my (99.9% sure) final decision was pretty easy because it was my first choice; also based on my family living here and being really familiar with the city and the university. Hope you eventually get a gut feeling too. Congrats on the multiple acceptances! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E101 Posted May 16, 2015 Report Share Posted May 16, 2015 I've thought about this a lot after getting an acceptance to Ottawa and McMaster, and one of the important things I did was talk to students from each school, as well as a doctor who was involved in the admissions process in the past. I think it's important to get these perspectives. After speaking to them, this is the list of what I ended up considering: 1. Three vs. Four years. A three year program is great if you already know what you want to do or think you have a pretty good idea already, and if you want to fast track (since there are no summers). However, I am leaning more towards four years because I don't yet know exactly what type of doctor I want to be, so I'll need some time to decide and then tailor my activities to this specialty. The extra time in the summers will allow me to do extracurriculars that will build up my CV and make me more competitive for residency. Also, personally, I would like a bit of a break to go on vacation or see my family. I don't see any reason to rush - one year is not going to make a huge difference in the grand scheme of things. Once you are done school and residency, and finally have your job, that's it - the rest of your life is laid out for you. 2. Style of teaching. I personally believe that PBL is great for developing skills that are necessary to succeed not only as a doctor but in life (e.g. working in a group, communication skills, patience, conflict resolution). However, I do think that lectures are better for content and knowledge, which is also really important. Thus, I prefer a good mix of PBL and lecture. McMaster leans very heavily on the PBL side, so once again, Ottawa wins here. 3. Location. McMaster is much closer to my friends and family, and it is going to be so hard leaving them behind. However, I like Ottawa as a city much better. The idea of exploring a new place is kind of exciting as well. The only thing is that Ottawa is a bit colder in the winters, but I'm from the GTA and I survived this record cold February with a subpar coat, so I think I can do it (with a better coat though). 4. Transportation. Ottawa offers a free (or discounted, not quite sure) bus pass with tuition, whereas McMaster doesn't. I don't have a car, so this is really important to me. McMaster and Ottawa probably have similar transit systems in terms of convenience, but if you're looking at schools that are located in drastically different areas (e.g. rural and urban), then this could be something to think about because you might need a car. I thought about a bunch of other miscellaneous things but they weren't deal breakers (e.g. rent costs, free gym memberships). The points I mentioned above were what I mainly thought about, with the first three items being most important, and transportation being a distant last. The doctor I spoke to also vouched for Ottawa students, she said the ones she has worked with were pretty good, so that also helped sway me towards Ottawa. I hope this helped! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dreamcometrue Posted May 16, 2015 Report Share Posted May 16, 2015 . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bearded frog Posted May 16, 2015 Report Share Posted May 16, 2015 I've thought about this a lot after getting an acceptance to Ottawa and McMaster, and one of the important things I did was talk to students from each school, as well as a doctor who was involved in the admissions process in the past. I think it's important to get these perspectives. After speaking to them, this is the list of what I ended up considering: 1. Three vs. Four years. A three year program is great if you already know what you want to do or think you have a pretty good idea already, and if you want to fast track (since there are no summers). However, I am leaning more towards four years because I don't yet know exactly what type of doctor I want to be, so I'll need some time to decide and then tailor my activities to this specialty. The extra time in the summers will allow me to do extracurriculars that will build up my CV and make me more competitive for residency. Also, personally, I would like a bit of a break to go on vacation or see my family. I don't see any reason to rush - one year is not going to make a huge difference in the grand scheme of things. Once you are done school and residency, and finally have your job, that's it - the rest of your life is laid out for you. 2. Style of teaching. I personally believe that PBL is great for developing skills that are necessary to succeed not only as a doctor but in life (e.g. working in a group, communication skills, patience, conflict resolution). However, I do think that lectures are better for content and knowledge, which is also really important. Thus, I prefer a good mix of PBL and lecture. McMaster leans very heavily on the PBL side, so once again, Ottawa wins here. 3. Location. McMaster is much closer to my friends and family, and it is going to be so hard leaving them behind. However, I like Ottawa as a city much better. The idea of exploring a new place is kind of exciting as well. The only thing is that Ottawa is a bit colder in the winters, but I'm from the GTA and I survived this record cold February with a subpar coat, so I think I can do it (with a better coat though). 4. Transportation. Ottawa offers a free (or discounted, not quite sure) bus pass with tuition, whereas McMaster doesn't. I don't have a car, so this is really important to me. McMaster and Ottawa probably have similar transit systems in terms of convenience, but if you're looking at schools that are located in drastically different areas (e.g. rural and urban), then this could be something to think about because you might need a car. I thought about a bunch of other miscellaneous things but they weren't deal breakers (e.g. rent costs, free gym memberships). The points I mentioned above were what I mainly thought about, with the first three items being most important, and transportation being a distant last. The doctor I spoke to also vouched for Ottawa students, she said the ones she has worked with were pretty good, so that also helped sway me towards Ottawa. I hope this helped! Your point #1 is the most important thing to consider for sure. Mac has a solid lecture series as well as ppl with the advantage of them all being posted online so you can watch them at times in your pbl prep schedule that works for you. But I can't fault you for your choice on #1. I feel like #3 and #4 shouldn't be weighted heavily vs #1 or #2. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewLife Posted May 16, 2015 Report Share Posted May 16, 2015 I'll add my own train of thought here, which echos that of previous posters. There were 3 things I considered when choosing my top school: teaching style, location, and program length. In other words, I asked myself (1) how do I prefer to learn, with steady PBL or with plenty of lectures, (2) where do I want to spend my time for the next few years, and (3) is a faster graduation worthwhile? In the end, I chose UofT for the mostly superficial reasons of being able to play in downtown and having another summer break. Not a very deep analysis admittedly Also I should add that I did my UG in Mac, and was looking for a change! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmorelan Posted May 16, 2015 Report Share Posted May 16, 2015 Your point #1 is the most important thing to consider for sure. Mac has a solid lecture series as well as ppl with the advantage of them all being posted online so you can watch them at times in your pbl prep schedule that works for you. But I can't fault you for your choice on #1. I feel like #3 and #4 shouldn't be weighted heavily vs #1 or #2. since very likely your rent in Hamilton would be cheaper to the point that it would more than make up for any bus pass costs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schmitty Posted May 17, 2015 Report Share Posted May 17, 2015 I also have the good fortune to have a choice between U of T (my final choice), Queens, Western or U of Manitoba. I chose mostly because I have been at u of T for many years (UG, MSc, work) and love it. I also love the city and living downtown. My wife also has a career in downtown TO which also factored in. Not to mention U of T has world-class hospitals and facilities in pretty well every specialty. I also liked that we do full head to toe cadaveric dissections in first year (not prosections). TBH, you will get a great education everywhere you go, so just choose where you want to live for 3-4 years and a program that you like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E101 Posted May 17, 2015 Report Share Posted May 17, 2015 since very likely your rent in Hamilton would be cheaper to the point that it would more than make up for any bus pass costs Very true! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E101 Posted May 17, 2015 Report Share Posted May 17, 2015 Your point #1 is the most important thing to consider for sure. Mac has a solid lecture series as well as ppl with the advantage of them all being posted online so you can watch them at times in your pbl prep schedule that works for you. But I can't fault you for your choice on #1. I feel like #3 and #4 shouldn't be weighted heavily vs #1 or #2. Yes, for sure, #1 and #2 are the most important. Ottawa also has lectures posted online, I feel like it's becoming the norm - schools who don't have this need to catch up Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmorelan Posted May 17, 2015 Report Share Posted May 17, 2015 I thought it was silly people weren't doing that 6 years ago when I created Western's videocast system - what schools now don't have that yet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katakari Posted May 17, 2015 Report Share Posted May 17, 2015 McMaster Medicine Location - Hamilton has the best of both worlds. The city has a lot of amazing food/drink establishments, a lot of which have opened in recent years. Waterfalls, hiking, etc. are numerous and accessible via public transport. It's populated enough that you can do what you need to do, when you want to do it, but not so populated that you feel claustrophobic. If you need something busier or more rural, Toronto and Niagara are just short trips away respectively. Length of program - School is long enough as it is, why spend one more year in your 20s in school if you don't have to. The free time available in the program affords many opportunities to explore your career path options in the admittedly more limited time frame. Both the time offered out side of lessons as well as 7 weeks in first year summer allow opportunities for research, ECs etc if you're looking for more competitive specialties, or just to explore options safely before clerkship arrives. Environment - again that blend between urban and rural. Mac is a really chill environment and there is lots of leeway to explore and make mistakes. However, it's still large enough that you're not missing out on any opportunities. Classmates are friendly, relaxed, and most of all -- have balance in their life. The integration of nontrads and students from the satellite campuses allow for a lot of unique viewpoints to be shared. Disadvantages PBL isn't my favourite way to learn. Often I find attending tutorial is an exercise in futility -- to show off what you already know. That being said, I show up and do it happily as it allows me opportunities to ask questions, identify gaps in learning, and then I go home and do most of my learning outside of class and lectures. The groups themselves are a definite plus as you get to know your classmates on a lot more personal level, and interact with people you might not otherwise get a chance to meet. Why I chose Mac Decisions are often made arbitrarily, reasons are justified after the fact. Knowing this subconscious bias, be careful when you take advice from people. Truthfully, I chose Mac because my home is here -- I remembered how difficult it was to move across the country to go to undergrad originally, and I didn't want to uproot again just yet. Also, I want family medicine and I have a lot of hobbies outside of med, so the ability to practice 1 year earlier, as well as the free time outside of class, was quite enticing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Organomegaly Posted May 17, 2015 Report Share Posted May 17, 2015 Decisions are often made arbitrarily, reasons are justified after the fact. Lol this part is extremely true Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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