Guest Alastriss Posted May 22, 2004 Report Share Posted May 22, 2004 Hey I was just wondering..which school is better for Medicine? Queens or Mcmaster? If there is no "better" school, what are some advantages and disadvantages of each university? And does anyone know what the Gourman report says concerning medical schools and these two universities? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest aneliz Posted May 22, 2004 Report Share Posted May 22, 2004 First there is really no 'better' for any of the med schools in Canada. Canada is not like the states with multiple 'tiers' of schools. All Canadian schools are considered to be equal in terms of quality. That said, there are HUGE differences in terms of teaching philosophy and program structure between the schools. Queen's has a four year program, Mac has a three year program. Queen's is a more traditional style school (ie lectures occur) vs. Mac which is entirely problem based. Hamilton is a bigger centre than Kingston...this has some implications for the size of the hospitals and the types of things that go on in them. Queen's has a smaller class size...etc,etc. These are all things that you will have to decide if they are important to you. Both schools will give you a quality education and you will be successful with an MD from either school. However, you may not be happy at both schools depending on your own learning style and the type of place that you are looking to live. The Gourman reports DO NOT take any of those 'softer' things into consideration...and the rankings are pretty close together...how can you really say that a school that scored 4.75 is better than a school that scores 4.73... and the Gourman rankings have not changed appreciably in years...even though entire curriculums have been overhauled, new clinical skills centres have been built, etc....no changes in the rankings.. I would not base a decision on what school is 'better' on an external ranking. Because it is going to be a personal decision of what school is better for you (ie which one suits where you will be most happy.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest McMastergirl Posted May 22, 2004 Report Share Posted May 22, 2004 I'd like to add a few points to the previous poster's. I agree that a quality medical education will come from both schools - or any of Canada's medical schools, for that matter. I just graduated from McMaster's MD programme, and my advice to you is to talk to students from each school to get a more accurate idea of what each school is like. Probably the best way to get access to these people is right here through this forum! There is no one who can compare the schools directly for you - no one has attended both. I can only give you McMaster's perspective... I'd like to correct the previous poster on one point about McMaster... and this is a point which is commonly misunderstood by those who have not attended Mac. There are, in fact, lectures given at Mac. They are not mandatory, in the sense that no one keeps attendance. Learning at Mac is predominantly problem-based, but not entirely. In fact, I think there is a very nice mix between PBL, lectures, small group sessions run by a physician-teacher (eg clinical skills, anatomy), clinical experiences, and independent study. My own opinion is that my medical education at McMaster was a refreshing change from the drudgery of undergraduate lectures and labs. It was fun and interesting! You will find a lot of great information about McMaster in the McMaster forum on this site - many have asked the same questions as you!! Good luck! McM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mdhopeful23 Posted May 22, 2004 Report Share Posted May 22, 2004 alastriss, i am curious. when you ask 'which is a better school' what exactly are you using as your criteria for being 'better'? the reputation? the learning style? the length of program? what are you looking to hear that would make you think one school is better than the other? all med schools in canada are slightly different. but in the end, it doesnt really matter what school you go to. you will be an MD, get a place in our public health system and have a prosperous career when you go to your doctor's office, or to a clinic, are you looking to see what univ they graduated from? if its not one of the 'better' ones by your criteria, do you think less of this dr's skills? my choice between med schools. well, gee, i probably wont have a chioce (someone just please take me so i can stop hounding this forum!). but if (BIG IF) i had a choice, it would probably be made on 'soft' criteria. the location, the atmosphere, the small differences in learning style. it would be an individual decision. stuff that i consider to be important would likely be overlooked by a generic ranking system like Gourman's.... and im seeing alot of posts about undergrad programs. its great that you're carefully considering your options before you make big decisions. but keep in mind, you have another 3-4 years to figure out this 'get into med school' game. as long as you get the marks, and the pre-req's, it doesnt matter too much what undegrad program you take. and taking something different may really work to your atvantage. it could set you apart from the rest of the application pool.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest seedstrike Posted May 31, 2004 Report Share Posted May 31, 2004 Hey Alastriss, The fact that you are asking this question suggests that you are interested in both queen's and mac. I would agree with what the previous posters have said...the teaching philosophies of the two schools are quite different. That said (disclaimer: I'm Queen's biased) I would say that Queen's offers a very nice balance of Lectures, small group discussions (as in our weekly clinical skills sessions), and even PBL...and Lectures are not mandatory at Queen's either! I'm sure both schools will equip you to become an awesome physician and i think in making your final decision, you should weigh-in factors other than just pure rankings such as location, class size, type of instructions etc. Don't know whether or not you have already interviewed but many of these questions are answered during the interview weekends at the various schools. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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