Guest RachUBC Posted May 26, 2005 Report Share Posted May 26, 2005 Hey all, Well , this is my first time posting. Figured now that I've been accepted I may be using this web site a bit more. Was just wondering about the need for having a car while in med school. I imagine there is a fair bit of commuting between UBC and VGH (if not in first year then a fair bit in the following years?). Is a car a necessity or does it make life a lot easier? It's not really financially feasible for me to buy a car (but hey, nothing about med school is financially feasible:b ). Does anyone have any suggestions as to whether I should consider getting one. Am starting to think that it may not be the best idea with the ridiculous parking prices... Thanx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ubcpharmer Posted May 26, 2005 Report Share Posted May 26, 2005 Hi Congrats on getting in! In first year most of the classes are at the UBC campus with clinical skills and some pathology labs happening at VGH. Also once a week you will be going to a family practice office. This can be practically anywhere but the locations are usually accesible by bus or your partner may have a vehicle. In my opinion, you can do without a car for the first two years. There is usually enough time to commute between locations and there are always people in the class who have cars and with whom you can carpool. In addition, there is the interhospital shuttle that goes from vgh to ubc hospital and back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest RachUBC Posted May 27, 2005 Report Share Posted May 27, 2005 Cool....thanx a lot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest canmic Posted May 27, 2005 Report Share Posted May 27, 2005 Not sure if you are new to BC or not, but a big factor to consider if you are thinking of getting a car is the insurance... If you are a relatively new driver, expect to pay about $200 per month for insurance in BC (2-way) on a basic small car. The time you might be more likely to want/need one would be doing your rural clerkship (there may not be busses where you end up) or a rural or out of town elective/selective of some type. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest kaymcee Posted May 30, 2005 Report Share Posted May 30, 2005 ...and the gas costs. Good God the gas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jochi1543 Posted May 30, 2005 Report Share Posted May 30, 2005 How much is liability only, Canmic? Right now in the States I pay about $130 USD a month, 1 year of experience (late bloomer, hehe), clean driving record. Anyone wants to share their prices? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest canmic Posted May 30, 2005 Report Share Posted May 30, 2005 I'm not sure what the current base rates are for someone just starting out, last time I saw anything like that it was about $150/month or so; but there are some things to consider before going that route.. 1) The minimum liability you have to carry is $250k. If you are involved in a major injury/death claim, the courts typically award anywhere from 1-3 million. You're on the hook for the difference, now THAT is a heck of a loan to have to deal with, after you lose everything you've got first. 2) Many people who have nothing to lose and would just declare bankrupcy in situation #1 only have the minimum $250k insurance. If you would be unhappy about only having that much if you're crippled for life, I'd strongly suggest getting "underinsured driver" insurance. 3) Vancouver has the highest rate of car break-ins and car theft of any canadian city (overall rate, NOT per capita). 4) Vancouver has the highest rate of car accidents of any canadian city (again, total # of accidents per year, not per capita). 5) If you are leasing a car you MUST get comprehensive and fire/theft/vandalism insurance. 6) Many Many drivers in Vancouver are driving without insurance or claiming the wrong primary driver. ICBC has been saying for a while that it's no longer going to cover people who do that, so without the 'underinsured driver' insurance, you can find yourself in an accident that's someone else's fault and you don't get a nickel. In terms of the legal/lawsuit environment here, think California on a bad day.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jochi1543 Posted May 30, 2005 Report Share Posted May 30, 2005 Wow, 250K, my state minimum is like 25K personal injury, 35 K vehicle injury, and 15K for some other @#%$, I forgot.:eek I`ll consider the underinsured driver insurance when I arrive then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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