Where should I apply?

[ijustwantanmd]

Hi!

So I'm trying to draw up a list of schools to apply to- I am Canadian and my cGPA will be 3.88, sGPA- 4.0, MCAT 518 (130/128/129/131). i have some research experience as well as clinical experience. I am president of a club right now, and I volunteer at a center for adults with special needs. I'm wondering which of these schools is worth applying to b/c i dont want to waste too much money if I basically dont have a chance. 

In Canada: U of Toronto, UAlberta, McGill, UBC, Western, Queens, Dalhousie??

In States: Yale, Harvard, Stanford, Johns Hopkins, UCLA, UCSF, Columbia, Duke (I wanna apply to 2 T20s just incase I'm lucky) accepting suggestions for Canadian friendly (cheaper) schools. 

Thanks!

[Butterfly_]

You’ll save tons of money if you studied in Canada instead of the States.

[ijustwantanmd]

9 hours ago, Butterfly_ said:

You’ll save tons of money if you studied in Canada instead of the States.

 

1 hour ago, IsabellaSmith_ said:

States easier to get into, but Canada you save so much more money. 

LOL I know!! I just might not get in + really wanna go to an IVY

[Instagrammar]

My friend could not land an interview in Canada this year, but will be starting school at Johns Hopkins. I would certainly apply to the states for better chances, but if you get offers from Yale or Canadian schools, just stay with Canada, seriously the cost is crushing (unless you come from a wealthy background and this is not a concern) while the degree is identical.

 

Canada is a black box, no matter how amazing someone’s extracurricular are, it just is not enough. Just skim through the threads and see the people with 100%ile Mcat’s get refusals. 

Apply where you can, avoid Manitoba and Saskatchewan as I think your MCAT is too low (Canadian schools are dumb). I would add Calgary and Memorial to your list. UBC goes by your % overall, not GPA so if you’re done fourth year, they drop the lowest year. As an OOP you’ll need 85% min, but the average for interview is 91.8%

Add NYU to your American list, although I’m not sure if their free tuition applies to international students. 

[Butterfly_]

I personally think the Ivy schools are overrated. Is it really worth the crushing debt you graduate with? When I was in the ER, I never heard of a patient asking a doctor what school they graduated from. With that said, I guess Ivy schools have more resources and can probably support your research if you’re aiming to become a famous clinician scientist (if you’re into that stuff). 

In any case, best of luck.