soruke123 Posted May 8, 2019 Report Share Posted May 8, 2019 Can anyone provide insight on choosing between Calgary and McMaster for med school? In terms of program, matching for residency after, heaviness of schedule, etc? Any insights would be hugely appreciated! My friends and family are all closer to Mac but I think Calgary is a way more beautiful place to live. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nunu Posted May 8, 2019 Report Share Posted May 8, 2019 I have MD in the family and know for sure that MacMaster medical program is the most respected in Ontario and will say in Canada! medbruh, X Æ A-12 and DoctorArts 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Russel Posted May 8, 2019 Report Share Posted May 8, 2019 True that Calgary is not as highly rated, but it is a three-year course, so you save a year, if that matters to you. And yes, living so close to the Rockies is an awesome experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coldery Posted May 8, 2019 Report Share Posted May 8, 2019 Keep in mind Calgary's frigid weather. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimbo Posted May 8, 2019 Report Share Posted May 8, 2019 3 hours ago, nunu said: I have MD in the family and know for sure that MacMaster medical program is the most respected in Ontario and will say in Canada! Not original poster, but am interested. How much do you think this actually matters for your career? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MitralLunar Posted May 8, 2019 Report Share Posted May 8, 2019 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GH0ST Posted May 8, 2019 Report Share Posted May 8, 2019 14 minutes ago, tehol123 said: Not original poster, but am interested. How much do you think this actually matters for your career? It doesn't. What you are capable of matters more than where you got your MD. - G Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimbo Posted May 8, 2019 Report Share Posted May 8, 2019 5 minutes ago, GH0ST said: It doesn't. What you are capable of matters more than where you got your MD. - G That's what I've heard many times so I was a little confused. Interested to see if nunu posts or if anyone agrees with him. Something I'm actually struggling with a little right now as I might end up with a couple offers haha. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GH0ST Posted May 8, 2019 Report Share Posted May 8, 2019 13 minutes ago, tehol123 said: That's what I've heard many times so I was a little confused. Interested to see if nunu posts or if anyone agrees with him. Something I'm actually struggling with a little right now as I might end up with a couple offers haha. Go where you want and have the best personal support for yourself... it's going to be a long 3-4 years and residency more so. - G Jimbo 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VladTheLad Posted May 8, 2019 Report Share Posted May 8, 2019 4 hours ago, nunu said: I have MD in the family and know for sure that MacMaster medical program is the most respected in Ontario and will say in Canada! LOOOOOOOOOL WTF??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yyc Posted May 8, 2019 Report Share Posted May 8, 2019 14 minutes ago, VladTheLad said: LOOOOOOOOOL WTF??? Nothing against McMaster which I’m sure is an excellent school. To call it the best in Canada without any information to substantiate that claim is a bit much. I’d suggest to the original poster that if they’re fortunate enough to get offers at multiple schools in different parts of the country they choose based on what they think of the city or region, 3 vs 4 year program, or other factors specific to each program. There is no best and worst school. Ultimately, it will be what you do, not which school you attend, which will determine your experience, residency match, etc. Bambi 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeuroD Posted May 8, 2019 Report Share Posted May 8, 2019 1. Calgary probably is prettier 2. McMaster does have a pretty solid international rep, especially for research. It's a clinical-research powerhouse and pound for pound I believe it IS the highest productivity/impact school in Canada. 3. International rep has no impact on your career...Canadian MDs are recognized as among the best trained in the world, regardless of school 4. Personal supports are important. Don't take that bit too lightly. soruke123 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brockboeser6 Posted May 8, 2019 Report Share Posted May 8, 2019 Here is the match rate data - you can go through and see how each school fares for the past 40 years lol. There's fluctuation year over year (Calgary had noticeably higher unmatched numbers this past year). Hard to say one school is particularly poor at matching over another. https://www.carms.ca/data-reports/r1-data-reports/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teeezyyy Posted May 8, 2019 Report Share Posted May 8, 2019 6 hours ago, soruke123 said: Can anyone provide insight on choosing between Calgary and McMaster for med school? In terms of program, matching for residency after, heaviness of schedule, etc? Any insights would be hugely appreciated! My friends and family are all closer to Mac but I think Calgary is a way more beautiful place to live. To address your last point - I'm from Edmonton (3 hours away from Calgary) and I personally don't like Calgary. Its an okay place to live (except for the winters) but when I interviewed at the Foothills campus where most of the med classes and stuff are I believe, it was like one big building and the location was kind of isolated from downtown, which I didn't like. Maybe because I was comparing to my own campus here but based on that factor I'd pick McMaster. Plus your family and friends are there which is a bonus in my opinion! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MountainAmoeba Posted May 9, 2019 Report Share Posted May 9, 2019 Stay where you have family and friends, unless you have a real good plan in place for survival. Med school isn’t so hard. Clerkship on the other hand.....it turns a sane person a little crazy. The rest of it? Who cares. It’s preference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plzacceptme Posted May 9, 2019 Report Share Posted May 9, 2019 If you're from Calgary, Calgary is a lot cheaper. Our tuition is only ~15k/year, and if you have a place to stay with family, that saves a substantial amount of money. Calgary's winters, while cold, are incredibly sunny. Having the school not be downtown is nice, because you don't have to deal with parking/traffic downtown. I have heard Calgary's anatomy is a bit better, so that might make a difference for pursuing surgical specialties? Unlikely though. Regardless, Calgary has a strong push towards family medicine. It doesn't really matter though... If you're a good medical student, you'll be a good medical student regardless of where you go, and you'll match to what you want to match (probably). Edit: Anyone who thinks Edmonton is better for winters than Calgary has clearly not lived in Calgary for very long... On average it's like 5 degrees warmer, and there's by far more to do here regardless of the season. LostLamb 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freewheeler Posted May 9, 2019 Report Share Posted May 9, 2019 Go to Mac if you have social supports there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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