Synth1

You are only working on half the days in a given month?!?

Osmosis is awesome for getting a concise summary of the key points of a condition in under 10 mins. I like it as a starting point for something I'm not familiar with, or when I just need to learn the basics fast. Also, videos are easier to take in when you are tired

Rent in major centres (where most schools are located) can range from $1000-$1500 a month for a single occupancy rental. That's 12-18 K right there. Even if your rent is cheaper there are LOTS of other expenses to consider. 20 K on top of tuition doesn't seem realistic to me.

Wow, these posts are brutal. For others reading just remember that these views are not necessarily representative, especially as each site has their own staff/teachers etc. My experience: Our lab instructors were amazing and I wouldn't have learned nearly as much without attending, and student affairs has been fantastic when I needed them. I was never brushed off or simply given a book recommendation, and follow up occurred on multiple occasions.

I'm also interested in information about this, could those with experience DM or just post in this thread?

You will change the way you study multiple times in med school. I wouldn't worry about it (assuming you are an incoming student), try things out and see what works for you. For example, I used to handwrite notes but now I only use flashcards.

No, not at all.

Whoa, yeah this could really go awry. What if you picked up some bad habits, like suturing behind the back or blindfolded?

Most of this has worked out ok, but I'm pretty worried about not having the opportunity to make myself known to programs outside my home province.

I started med school at 35, and I'm not the oldest in my class. Honestly, who cares. I feel like this whole societal expectation thing people get hung up on around people being a certain age doing certain things is BS. Do what will be fulfilling for you, no matter what age you are.

At a glance tuition for international students is $80-100K a year, would not be hard to get to $600K CAD with those prices. Of course, you'd need to be independently wealthy to afford it.

If your family isn't supporting you it is almost 100% certain you will have debt at the end of medical school. $100K is actually a little on the low side even. Some people work part time, but that's a lot to expect of yourself given the demands on your time. I haven't found grants or bursaries to be all that helpful, though I was successful on a few occasions, and student loans don't even cover tuition at most universities so..

Either will be perfectly adequate for not hearing the murmurs preceptors point out to you.

Fantastic post. Discouraging those who have a substance issue from seeking help is not in the best interests of patient safety and drug testing would contribute to stigma, which is already a major barrier in helping people with substances. Great point about alcohol as well, many seem to conveniently overlook substances that are social acceptable in these conversations.

Not sure if you are trolling us with that name and this post, lol. In all seriousness though, take a minute. Get acclimated to your program. Figure out what you like. While people will tell you it is helpful to decide early (and it is) this is not a decision you have to make before you have even started med school. If you sort it out in your first year, or even two, you are doing great. Lots of people don't discover what they really enjoy most until clerkship, and it still works out fine (unless you want to do ophtho, haha). Also, you don't need to be competitive for three programs. Most