McGill vs U of T for med?

[Total Gunner]

without regard to finances. Which is better? I don't speak French. But am willing to learn during my time there. Is Quebec easier for competitive specialties? I've heard many go unfilled? But I assume those are mostly French  and I don't know if my French would be good enough to be selected for those. 

 

St. George btw

[guest123]

Based on this question, I assume you are not from QC and live in another province? If you don't speak french, then in my opinion UofT is a better choice since it is just as prestigious of a med school. Even if you would speak french, UofT has so many affiliated hospitals and is in Toronto (for many people Toronto>>> Montreal). If you go to McGill, in a short period of time you must be functional in french since it is a safety issue in hospitals and to patients if you cannot.
In regards to residency in Quebec, the interviews are in french at the QC schools besides McGill and for McGill residency there are stations and an exam in French.

If you choose UofT you won't have to spend time worrying about a language barrier and can focus on research, your CV, and networking.

 

 

[mcgillmdbd]

Yes, Toronto has more hospitals, but it is also more competitive to get opportunities. When it comes to doing electives and residency, all of Ontario students (and the country) will have their eyes on Toronto, which may not work in your favour and may make it harder for you to stand out. For competitive specialties, this will suck because you may not benefit from the home-school advantage as much as  you would benefit from the home-school advantage at McGill.  So in a sense, one could also argue that it would be easier to network at McGill when compared to Toronto.

Also, I'm not sure about the following (so someone please correct me if I'm wrong), but if you go to McGill, it may be easier to stand out among your school when applying to residency since almost half of your class class would be coming from CEGEP. i.e. you'll have more experience, stronger research background and more maturity. 

[guest123]

14 hours ago, mcgillmdbd said:

Yes, Toronto has more hospitals, but it is also more competitive to get opportunities. When it comes to doing electives and residency, all of Ontario students (and the country) will have their eyes on Toronto, which may not work in your favour and may make it harder for you to stand out. For competitive specialties, this will suck because you may not benefit from the home-school advantage as much as  you would benefit from the home-school advantage at McGill.  So in a sense, one could also argue that it would be easier to network at McGill when compared to Toronto.

Also, I'm not sure about the following (so someone please correct me if I'm wrong), but if you go to McGill, it may be easier to stand out among your school when applying to residency since almost half of your class class would be coming from CEGEP. i.e. you'll have more experience, stronger research background and more maturity. 

It doesn't matter if a lot of people are coming from CEGEP. They still have a lot of the same experience in med school such as research and connections. A lot of them specialize as well.

Also, unlike some mature students the Med-P are in no rush to finish residency since they are slightly younger, so they are willing to go for a longer residency in order to specialize.

[Bambi]

If you are not from Quebec, and have offers from MCGill & U/T, I would choose the latter, have networking opportunities, home school advantage and not have to deal with the French issue. CaRMS is a long time away, you won’t be disadvantaged, you shall have had your elective experiences, your LORs, have developed relationships with some attendings, demonstrated your suitability during electives, have residents with whom you shall have worked on your side, and you will enter the lottery that determines your future like we have. 

[mcgillmdbd]

On 5/17/2020 at 11:58 AM, Bambi said:

[JustGuysBeingDudes]

Hello,

Listen, I and a couple of my buddies had this issue when it came to American vs Canadian schools (of course US schools cost A LOT more). At the end of the day, yes we could go to the States if Canada didn't work out or if we prefer that, but we would have the lines of credit and loans hanging over our heads for multiple years, not being able to "live life to the fullest" (with money or whatever lol), and so on. Up to this point, nearly everybody I talk to would prefer to spend less and still be able to practice where they desire (Canada - even with other factors considered - like the culture, location, etc). This is not a decision you're making for yourself just right now, but also a decision you're making for the future you in 4 years time, 8 years, or whatever. You should consider the pressure of it as well, depending on the type of person you are whether you worry about these things a lot or are more easy going, but either way, you've got a great username, you will be fine, and I know you will make a correct decision regardless. Take everything said by myself and people here with a large grain of salt as well! You know best  

[Haribo7173]

On 5/16/2020 at 4:42 PM, premedubc101 said:

without regard to finances. Which is better? I don't speak French. But am willing to learn during my time there. Is Quebec easier for competitive specialties? I've heard many go unfilled? But I assume those are mostly French  and I don't know if my French would be good enough to be selected for those. 

 

St. George btw

Quebec is not easier for competitive specialties.

The Quebec spots that go unfilled are rural FM.

[MintBerryCrunch]

On 5/17/2020 at 1:25 PM, mcgillmdbd said:

I would be financing Med school from a personal line of credit. I keep being told that for Med school, debt shouldn’t be an issue as I’ll be able to comfortably pay it off after residency. However, I really can’t help but think that ~ $130k is a very considerable amount, which always makes me question my choice. Is U of T really worth that much higher when compared to McGill? Would love some input if you have any! 

Don't have too much advice regarding which school to choose, but it's likely there is not a huge difference between McGill and UofT. I should warn you though, as a recent grad, don't underestimate how much money $130k is. Although you won't struggle to pay it off, it's not going to happen like *that*. It will take years and years of monthly payments, and you will be very thankful not to have that debt load as you start thinking about a house downpayment, marriage, kids, investments, etc. after finishing school. 

Although it's okay to incur some debt for during med, I've seen a lot of friends fall into the trap of "debt is not an issue as I'll be able to pay it off." In reality you should be living frugally and minimizing costs to offset a lack of income. $130k sure is a good chunk of change. Good luck! 

[Total Gunner]

On 5/17/2020 at 8:56 PM, Haribo7173 said:

Quebec is not easier for competitive specialties.

The Quebec spots that go unfilled are rural FM.

And you are sure of this?

[Haribo7173]

1 minute ago, Total Gunner said:

And you are sure of this?

As an example, here are this year's unfilled spots after first iteration. Nothing but FM and a couple pathology spots.

https://www.carms.ca/pdfs/5ruh39TJkpN_R1_1_OverviewByDiscipline_EN.pdf