Tortillamed04

[Tortillamed04]

Can people give me pros and cons for doing a residency in Toronto? Seems as though everyone is trying to convince me NOT to go to toronto.

[MasterDoc]

I think the only question you have to ask yourself is whether you are willing to put up with long commute times and really high rent. If your desire to live in Toronto outweigh those cons, then you are golden!

[bearded frog]

I mean, it depends on the program. Obviously I can't speak to any specific program, but generally if the program is super compeditive every year just based on location alone, there is less incentives to work to have good programs in other ways, compared to less desirable locales...

[ellorie]

Highly program specific though I think there likely are some common threads. 

I chose U of T psych because of access to some very niche/specialized expertise that isn’t available in smaller centres. I think this is true in other specialties as well. That said, my program is very large and more residents means it’s easy to get lost and you have to make more effort to make connections and seek out the opportunities you want. It doesn’t have the same personal quality especially since you can spend your residency spread between so many different hospitals (though I was able to arrange to primarily stay in one place, that was lucky). 
 

Toronto as a city is purely a matter of taste. I love big cities and so it’s perfect for me. If you’re not a city person you may feel the opposite. For me, the public transit infrastructure is a huge plus since I don’t drive, but if you do drive, driving in the city is apparently a pain. The cost of living is very high which I think everyone considers a downside but for me it’s worth it.