Mcgill or udem

[sarahcegep16398]

I got into UDEM in biomedical science and in mcgill in physiology, which one would be beneficial to then get into med? some people told me that since udem med program is bigger i should go to udem

[Bambi]

Hi Sarah,

To answer your question, I don't think it really matters - but there is a caveat! If you go to UdeM, you will be entitled to a boost which won't be available otherwise. I don't understand the meaning or context or your last sentence, "some people told me since udem med program is bigger i should go to udem" - as this makes absolutely no sense to me!

You do not have today the slightest idea where (or when) lightning with strike, that is to say, presumably you will apply to all Quebec medical schools in due course and likely, to Ottawa as well. You will have a slight advantage in your application at UdeM b/c you took your undergrad studies there, but that is it. The number of medical students at any of these med schools is not a meaningful factor for you in the slightest as I see it.

When you do finally apply to med school, contact me and I will give you some advice then. I did my undergrad and then went to a Franco med school.

[sarahcegep16398]

36 minutes ago, Bambi said:

Hi Sarah,

To answer your question, I don't think it really matters - but there is a caveat! If you go to UdeM, you will be entitled to a boost which won't be available otherwise. I don't understand the meaning or context or your last sentence, "some people told me since udem med program is bigger i should go to udem" - as this makes absolutely no sense to me!

You do not have today the slightest idea where (or when) lightning with strike, that is to say, presumably you will apply to all Quebec medical schools in due course and likely, to Ottawa as well. You will have a slight advantage in your application at UdeM b/c you took your undergrad studies there, but that is it. The number of medical students at any of these med schools is not a meaningful factor for you in the slightest as I see it.

When you do finally apply to med school, contact me and I will give you some advice then. I did my undergrad and then went to a Franco med school.

Will I be entitled to that same boost if I do a bachelors in physiology at mcgill and then apply to med after my bachelors? My sentence meant that like: in every school if you do your undergrad  in that same school, you get a boost. Since udem has more med places, wouldn’t i have more chances of getting into med if i go do my undergrad at udem?

[radd]

18 hours ago, sarahcegep16398 said:

I got into UDEM in biomedical science and in mcgill in physiology, which one would be beneficial to then get into med? some people told me that since udem med program is bigger i should go to udem

I agree with everything Bambi has said! I also do not understand why people told you that it would be better to go to UdeM since med UdeM is a bigger program. Med UdeM will still be a bigger program than med McGill whether you go to McGill or UdeM, so this makes no sense to me either.

The university from which you apply does not matter in the application process, except for the slight boost that Bambi mentioned (which exists for UdeS as well, but does not exist for UL and McGill so it's not true for every uni that doing your undergrad someplace will get you a boost there). You will not get a boost if you go to McGill, but honestly the boost is only 0,5. Yes it can make a difference, but you getting in will absolutely not be mostly based on that boost. Let's take a student that has excellent grades at McGill and a student that has ok grades at UdeM and gets the boost. The student from McGill is more likely to be accepted even though he doesn't have the boost. Also, don't forget the casper which can make a big difference. And don't forget that the boost can only (maybe) get you an interview. The final decision is based solely on your interview, so your boost won't matter then.

[Bambi]

7 hours ago, sarahcegep16398 said:

Will I be entitled to that same boost if I do a bachelors in physiology at mcgill and then apply to med after my bachelors? My sentence meant that like: in every school if you do your undergrad  in that same school, you get a boost. Since udem has more med places, wouldn’t i have more chances of getting into med if i go do my undergrad at udem?

NO. Your chances to get into med school for UdeM are based upon your competitive advantage, if any, including the boost. You go through the process, MEMFI, Casper, CRU, Z score, whatever. If somebody did their undergrad at Concordia, McGill, Laval, UdeM wherever scorses betrter than you in this lottery of musical chairs, then tough luck.

[Bambi]

3 hours ago, radd said:

I agree with everything Bambi has said! I also do not understand why people told you that it would be better to go to UdeM since med UdeM is a bigger program. Med UdeM will still be a bigger program than med McGill whether you go to McGill or UdeM, so this makes no sense to me either.

The university from which you apply does not matter in the application process, except from the slight boost that Bambi mentionned (which exists for UdeS as well, but does not exist for UL and McGill so it's not true for every uni that doing your undergrad someplace will get you a boost there). You will not get a boost if you go to McGill, but honestly the boost is only 0,5. Yes it can make a difference, but you getting in will absolutely not be mostly based on that boost. Let's take a student that has excellent grades at McGill and a student that has ok grades at UdeM and gets the boost. The student from McGill is more likely to be accepted even though he doesn't have the boost. Also, don't forget the casper which can make a big difference. And don't forget that the boost can only (maybe) get you an interview.

The final decision is based solely on your interview, so your boost won't matter then.

I agree with all that radd said - except for the last sentence that I made a separate last paragraph and put in italics. I do not know the breakdown of how each component of consideration factors in for each med school in making their final decisions. 

I do know based upon my experience - in addition to being a competitive applicant who is able to make good strategic decisions along their path at each crossroads - that "luck" plays a critical was accepted.  role, be it for med school application/acceptance, residency and career path. Certainly, creating and/or seeing opportunities, networking, being likeable and a team player, timing helps to create an atmosphere in which your chances are maximized. As a small example, I was on the Wait List for med school and only was accepted in August. However, that year the Wait List moved more than it had in the previous several years and as a result, I was accepted. Had I applied the previous year, I would not have been accepted. I could present many other examples where pure luck played a role in molding my future.  

[radd]

3 minutes ago, Bambi said:

I agree with all that radd said - except for the last sentence that I made a separate last paragraph and put in italics. I do not know the breakdown of how each component of consideration factors in for each med school in making their final decisions. 

I do know based upon my experience - in addition to being a competitive applicant who is able to make good strategic decisions along their path at each crossroads - that "luck" plays a critical was accepted.  role, be it for med school application/acceptance, residency and career path. Certainly, creating and/or seeing opportunities, networking, being likeable and a team player, timing helps to create an atmosphere in which your chances are maximized. As a small example, I was on the Wait List for med school and only was accepted in August. However, that year the Wait List moved more than it had in the previous several years and as a result, I was accepted. Had I applied the previous year, I would not have been accepted. I could present many other examples where pure luck played a role in molding my future.  

I fully agree with everything you just said! I meant more like the decision committee will base its decision solely on the interview, it will not look at the CRU then, so the boost won't matter anymore (except for UdeS if I'm not mistaken).  

But of course, luck plays a big role in the process as a whole!

[sarahcegep16398]

3 hours ago, radd said:

I fully agree with everything you just said! I meant more like the decision committee will base its decision solely on the interview, it will not look at the CRU then, so the boost won't matter anymore (except for UdeS if I'm not mistaken).  

But of course, luck plays a big role in the process as a whole!

I’m really indecisive. My choices for a bachelors to then get into médecine are either: Biomedical at Udem or Physiology at McGill. I’m not sure which one is better cote. And my parents want me to go to udem for the boost. Which is an easier program and which would be beneficial?

[sarahcegep16398]

4 hours ago, Bambi said:

I agree with all that radd said - except for the last sentence that I made a separate last paragraph and put in italics. I do not know the breakdown of how each component of consideration factors in for each med school in making their final decisions. 

I do know based upon my experience - in addition to being a competitive applicant who is able to make good strategic decisions along their path at each crossroads - that "luck" plays a critical was accepted.  role, be it for med school application/acceptance, residency and career path. Certainly, creating and/or seeing opportunities, networking, being likeable and a team player, timing helps to create an atmosphere in which your chances are maximized. As a small example, I was on the Wait List for med school and only was accepted in August. However, that year the Wait List moved more than it had in the previous several years and as a result, I was accepted. Had I applied the previous year, I would not have been accepted. I could present many other examples where pure luck played a role in molding my future.  

I’m really indecisive. My choices for a bachelors to then get into médecine are either: Biomedical at Udem or Physiology at McGill. I’m not sure which one is better cote. And my parents want me to go to udem for the boost. Which is an easier program and which would be beneficial?

[radd]

27 minutes ago, sarahcegep16398 said:

I’m really indecisive. My choices for a bachelors to then get into médecine are either: Biomedical at Udem or Physiology at McGill. I’m not sure which one is better cote. And my parents want me to go to udem for the boost. Which is an easier program and which would be beneficial?

You should go to the program and the uni where YOU want to go the most. It's not for your parents to choose, they are not going to be attending the classes and do the studying. I know people who studied at McGill and got into med at UdeM, UL, etc. The best choice is the choice YOU want, not what your parents want. When looking at the progression charts for each program, which one seems to appeal the most to you? Did you go tour McGill and UdeM? If so, which uni did you like the most? These are the questions you should be asking yourself because plenty of people get into med UdeM without having done their undergrad their first.

[Bambi]

radd speaks with wisdom and truth!  You likely will do best in the program of greater interest to you. If that is UdeM, fine. Otherwise, you alone must make the final decision and do not let your parents persuade you otherwise. After all, you alone will live with the results. I took a program what interested me tremendously, I was highly motivated and as I studied hard throughout my studies, I received top grades and was accepted into medical school. However, this came with self-sacrifice. My life stopped for 3 years during undergrad as all I did was study to the point of exhaustion. My program was not difficult but the material was voluminous and whereas I could have floated by on a B average, I had to wrok hard to attain A+ status. During this time, I lost every friend that I had as I had no time for my friends and my s.o., who was supportive of my ambitions, only saw me once a week for a few hours as otherwise, I was studying always.   

Remember, there are more competitive applicants than there are seats in med school. Its like a game of musical chairs where there are more applicants than seats available. It becomes somewhat of a lottery amongst competitive applicants.