MedSchoolHope101 Posted May 27, 2020 Report Share Posted May 27, 2020 Hi everyone Has anyone from uOttawa applied to these bursaries in the past? I would really appreciate if you could give me some insight regarding the whole process, the amount that one can expect to receive, etc. I am a bit nervous about the amount of debt that I might be in at the end of med school haha benelli104 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocBrown9 Posted May 27, 2020 Report Share Posted May 27, 2020 It's literally a click on a website sometime in September. You have to fill a financial questionnaire on the Ottawa student page. If you get OSAP, you can expect probably around 1000 or maybe a little more (it's very random). Ottawa is not known for large scholarships or bursaries (there's a couple that require you be going for a specific specialty or be from a certain demographic but they aren't huge amounts). Med schools expensive, and unless you have rich parents that pay for you, you are very unlikely to find a scholarship or bursary that makes a significant dent. The majority of med students are are in the same situation (Average debt is somewere around 180K to 200K). Luckily staff earnings make debt manageable. Get a LOC at prime -0.25, don't overspend in med school but live comfortably for your own sanity and know that as long as you don't up your lifestyle dramatically from residency to staff life, you'll be good. Tldr: med school debt is high and it sucks. We will all make enough to pay off this debt easily as staff as long as we aren't stupid with money MedSchoolHope101 and DrOtter 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MedSchoolHope101 Posted May 28, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 28, 2020 Thank you @DocBrown95! I calculated a similar amount of debt (~180K), but I really want to try to keep it as low as possible haha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrOtter Posted May 28, 2020 Report Share Posted May 28, 2020 5 minutes ago, MedSchoolHope101 said: Thank you @DocBrown95! I calculated a similar amount of debt (~180K), but I really want to try to keep it as low as possible haha That seems manageable! Did you include parental contribution to that estimate too? Or just OSAP + LOC (+- bursary) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MedSchoolHope101 Posted May 28, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 28, 2020 Just now, DrOtter said: That seems manageable! Did you include parental contribution to that estimate too? Or just OSAP + LOC (+- bursary) Just government financial aid and LOC! (hopefully some bursaries too hahah) I am pretty scared of getting into this much debt, but I guess most med students are able to manage it, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrOtter Posted May 28, 2020 Report Share Posted May 28, 2020 4 minutes ago, MedSchoolHope101 said: Just government financial aid and LOC! (hopefully some bursaries too hahah) I am pretty scared of getting into this much debt, but I guess most med students are able to manage it, right? Yeah I'm so debt-averse too but hopefully we'll make it through and be able to manage it. benelli104 and MedSchoolHope101 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocBrown9 Posted May 28, 2020 Report Share Posted May 28, 2020 6 hours ago, MedSchoolHope101 said: Just government financial aid and LOC! (hopefully some bursaries too hahah) I am pretty scared of getting into this much debt, but I guess most med students are able to manage it, right? Most can manage it eventually. Only way to keep your debt low is to spend less. Ie don't go on trips, rent a small room, eat out less. Not exactly a fun way to live 4 years so most people end up accepting that the slight increase in debt for living comfortably will be better than screwing up their mental health. By the end of med school you also become immune to spending money because carms is so expensive with all the traveling for electives and interviews. (some of my friends dropped 10K on interview travel and accommodation alone) MedSchoolHope101 and dopamineislife 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curiousaboutapps1 Posted May 29, 2020 Report Share Posted May 29, 2020 14 hours ago, DocBrown95 said: Most can manage it eventually. Only way to keep your debt low is to spend less. Ie don't go on trips, rent a small room, eat out less. Not exactly a fun way to live 4 years so most people end up accepting that the slight increase in debt for living comfortably will be better than screwing up their mental health. By the end of med school you also become immune to spending money because carms is so expensive with all the traveling for electives and interviews. (some of my friends dropped 10K on interview travel and accommodation alone) Im over here just hoping that the ‘rona has changed the CaRMS grind for good. Im not looking forward to travelling around the country like that. I did it for med interviews back in the day and I really don't want to do it again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocBrown9 Posted May 29, 2020 Report Share Posted May 29, 2020 2 hours ago, Curiousaboutapps1 said: Im over here just hoping that the ‘rona has changed the CaRMS grind for good. Im not looking forward to travelling around the country like that. I did it for med interviews back in the day and I really don't want to do it again. The whole traveling to interview thing is really dumb. Especially when it doesn't have to be done. Dal does there family med interviews regionally. Urology does everything in Toronto. MUN always gets snowed in and has to virtual interviews. There are examples of why the tour doesn't have to happen. The only downside is the lack of socials which is why virtual interviews may not stick. Socials are a very important part of the selection process (for smaller programs) despite what people may say. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrOtter Posted May 29, 2020 Report Share Posted May 29, 2020 32 minutes ago, DocBrown95 said: The whole traveling to interview thing is really dumb. Especially when it doesn't have to be done. Dal does there family med interviews regionally. Urology does everything in Toronto. MUN always gets snowed in and has to virtual interviews. There are examples of why the tour doesn't have to happen. The only downside is the lack of socials which is why virtual interviews may not stick. Socials are a very important part of the selection process (for smaller programs) despite what people may say. Another way that is commonly done in the US too is to have the interview during or at the end of the away elective. Not applicable to all but definitely some sites! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocBrown9 Posted May 30, 2020 Report Share Posted May 30, 2020 13 hours ago, DrOtter said: Another way that is commonly done in the US too is to have the interview during or at the end of the away elective. Not applicable to all but definitely some sites! Careful what you wish for on that one. One of my friends ended up getting interviewed at the end of her elective because all the committee members were free. She was given like 2 days notice lol. Makes you wonder what's the point of interviews if you've already done an elective. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dopamineislife Posted May 31, 2020 Report Share Posted May 31, 2020 Does anyone possibly chime in as to what first year costs specifically will look like? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocBrown9 Posted May 31, 2020 Report Share Posted May 31, 2020 Tuition something around 26-28K Rent anywhere from 600 to 1800 a month Textbook 0 unless you care about that stuff Stethoscope 200 dollars Living expenses variable I'd assume on average 40 to 50 K per year. dopamineislife 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
@.@ Posted June 1, 2020 Report Share Posted June 1, 2020 10 hours ago, DocBrown95 said: Tuition something around 26-28K Rent anywhere from 600 to 1800 a month Textbook 0 unless you care about that stuff Stethoscope 200 dollars Living expenses variable I'd assume on average 40 to 50 K per year. $0 for textbooks? Do most students use online resources or borrow from library ... or not use textbooks at all? Thank you for the clarification in advance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrOtter Posted June 1, 2020 Report Share Posted June 1, 2020 55 minutes ago, @.@ said: $0 for textbooks? Do most students use online resources or borrow from library ... or not use textbooks at all? Thank you for the clarification in advance There have been med students in the past who said that they checked 0 books out from the library the whole time they were there. So I suppose that might be the case haha @.@ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocBrown9 Posted June 1, 2020 Report Share Posted June 1, 2020 2 hours ago, DrOtter said: There have been med students in the past who said that they checked 0 books out from the library the whole time they were there. So I suppose that might be the case haha Up-to-date and lectures are amazing for getting info (cheo gives you free access) There's usually a good pdf of Toronto notes that makes it way through the class. Plus there's a legendary alumni who's notes everyone still uses even though there a little outdated. You may end up buying a book or 2 come carms time but it's not that much. DrOtter and @.@ 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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