Guest kit115 Posted June 4, 2003 Report Share Posted June 4, 2003 Dear all, First time user here although I've been reading silently for the longest time! 8o I was hoping someone can offer me insight as to whether to pick UBC or UT to attend this fall. I'm going nuts just trying to decide where to spend the next 4 years of study! Personally, I live in Vancouver so it is cheaper stay close to home (although I do plan on moving out). UBC has a solid program and I liked the school there. I am interested in Toronto's big city life and feel that maybe the exposure can aid my future career? Of course UT has a good program, but it is so expensive.... is it worth the move? Any comments will help. My head is rolling around already... :rollin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest canstowski Posted June 4, 2003 Report Share Posted June 4, 2003 I assume you got into both universites. Congrads. Since i'm on the waitlist for UBC, my suggestion for you is definitely U of T of course. However, realistically, U of T has better facilities and better reputation. Furthermore got in U of T and he is a pretty cool guy. U might want to know him! :lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest canstowski Posted June 4, 2003 Report Share Posted June 4, 2003 a little typo, should read: Furthermore my friend got in U of T and he is a pretty cool guy. U might want to know him! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest kit115 Posted June 4, 2003 Report Share Posted June 4, 2003 Haha, canstowski, pretty funny. Anyone else with a less subjective point of view? :lol Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest nsxboyz Posted June 5, 2003 Report Share Posted June 5, 2003 Congratulations on your acceptance into both schools! Vancouver is a great city, but if you've lived here most of your life, you might want a change of pace after a while. I chose to go to California to pursue my undergraduate study and I haven't second guessed my decision once. Of course, it was a lot more expensive than UBC in terms of living and tuition, but the experience was priceless. To give some insight into my decision, I grew up in Vancouver and intend to practice there, so I decided that at least once in my life, I should get away to see what life is like in another city. In your case, having visited Toronto several times, I have to say that it's a very fun city, with a very active night life. On the other hand, I don't know if you'll have that much time to party during med school. But of course, the decision is up to you. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bruno11 Posted June 5, 2003 Report Share Posted June 5, 2003 Hey Kit115, I had the same situation last year and went through the same thoughts you are going through now. In the end it just came down to where i thought i would be happiest for the next four years. Having said that, I certainly thought about money. UofT's tuition at 16,500/year and high living expenses certainly were depressing. It would also be an expensive hassle to move out there. Also, in terms of which school is "better", i don't think there is a big difference. My opinion is that all canadian med schools are highly regarded and any school will give you everything you need to be a good physician. If you ask a physician what med school is the "best", chances are you'll get his alma mater as the answer. so in the end it is totally up to you. I have nothing to say that will sway your mind either way. Just go with what you gut tells you. either way you choose you will still be going to a great med school in a really cool city.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest kit115 Posted June 5, 2003 Report Share Posted June 5, 2003 Thanks, guys. I, too, think living in Toronto will be a valuable experience, if only to allow me learn from living in the East Coast. Vancouver is a beautiful city and I, too, wish eventually to practice here. Thanks guys for your great advice. It's cool to have you guys to be colleagues in several years' time. Cheers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest vincecarterxv Posted June 5, 2003 Report Share Posted June 5, 2003 U of T!! I'm a big Toronto Raptors fan; so if I were you, that's where I would go. Just look at my user name. I might apply there next time around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest canstowski Posted June 5, 2003 Report Share Posted June 5, 2003 Out of curiosity, how much is the the tuition for UBC and UT in the up coming year? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Cramguy Posted June 5, 2003 Report Share Posted June 5, 2003 ubc - definitely a lot more clinical experience early on at ubc u of t - may help you get into the residency program you want later on (it has a lot more programs than ubc) tuition - ubc is rising... i believe to 10k plus now back to cramming for tomorrow's exam cramguy ubc med 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bearman14 Posted June 5, 2003 Report Share Posted June 5, 2003 Check out this link: students.ubc.ca/finance/download/tuitionpolicy_schedule.pdf You can see the proposed tuition for the next two years. Next year, tuition will be $10,272, the following year $12,142, and then years 3 & 4 will be at $14,000. With costs of living between Toronto and Vancouver being relatively comparable, money may not be a big deciding factor. Personally, I'd prefer Vancouver... Go Canucks, 2004 Bearman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest banana Posted June 6, 2003 Report Share Posted June 6, 2003 interesting.... i'm in the opposite situation... i'm a born and bred toronto girl and i got accepted to both ubc and u of t? where to go? i'm very excited to have gotten into ubc, but really it threw me for a loop! while i've had my heart set on going to u of t for the last four years, getting into another wonderful school (especially in beautiful vancouver!) now makes me question where to go! do any of you know people who have moved to vancouver from out of town (particularly toronto)? how did they adjust? another question... do you think it would be more difficult to do my residency in toronto if i did my undergraduate medicine at ubc? i've heard that toronto "prefers" u of t graduates to a certain extent. i'd really appreciate any feedback or advice... as the week has gone on, i've just gotten more and more confused!! thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest also in limbo Posted June 6, 2003 Report Share Posted June 6, 2003 hey banana, you must be out-of-province for ubc then? if so... WOW and congrats, ubc takes maybe 1 or 2 oop a year!! :eek i was born and raised in bc (not in vancouver, but a few hrs away) and just completed my undergrad here at queen's. although i may be biased, i don't think it gets any better than bc! i guess i became so accustomed to the beautiful mountains, lakes, weather, etc while i was growing up and didn't realize how important they were to me until i came out east. now, i am waitlisted at a few schools, including ubc and toronto, and would give almost anything to attend ubc in the fall! i have close friends in their 1st years at both ubc and toronto meds who seem equally happy. each also have their complaints, however: ubc: the program is currently undergoing substantial restructuring, especially with the introduction of the island/northern expansion to take place in 2004. apparently a little more notice for a certain exam would have been appreciated, for example. toronto: a few guys have clumped together just because they knew each other by association at queen's. they all admit that they do not know a large chunk of their class, and really haven't met as many people as they had hoped. about adjusting to vancouver, i can't even count the number of people i know who have moved to bc just because they visited! they settle for lower incomes and fewer career opportunities in exchange for the lifestyle (where i'm from it's called "sunshine tax"). in fact, dr courneya (my interviewer at ubc) is from ontario (she said she grew up a block from where i live here in kingston) and fell in love with vancouver. well i could go on and on, but this is getting long! best of luck and congrats again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest rowthorn5 Posted June 6, 2003 Report Share Posted June 6, 2003 Banana, First of all, congratulations on getting accepted to two great schools....what an accomplishment! Although it is a tough decision to make....its a pretty good position to be in! The good news is they're both great schools and you can't really mess this one up! Go with what your gut is telling you....and where you picture yourself being the happiest. Good luck with your decision Lee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest canstowski Posted June 6, 2003 Report Share Posted June 6, 2003 Whichever decision you make, please make it fast!! People on the waitlist, including me, can't wait any longer :x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest canstowski Posted June 6, 2003 Report Share Posted June 6, 2003 Not trying to be rude though, but i'm so anxious!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest xanth Posted June 6, 2003 Report Share Posted June 6, 2003 I'm a Calgary girl who did her undergrad at UBC. I have to say I love my departments (microbiology and botany). I love the view from my apartment (12th floor, tenth avenue, can see all the way to Whistler practically!). I love the city. I have very good friends here and have a good network of mentors. I also thought for the longest time that UBC was my first choice. I got accepted at UBC, U of C and U of T and it was a tough decision among all three but I think I am going to accept at Calgary. Mainly because I have heard of the inconveniences due to the restructuring at UBC and because Calgary seems to be a closer fit for my career goals. Also my dad had a kidney transplant 9 years ago and is not doing so well lately so I want to spend as much time with him as possible. I was tempted by Toronto but in the end still felt drawn to Calgary's program. What can I say, I am basing my decision on a gut feeling. I guess what I'm trying to say is... each person will have their own reasons for choosing a school. But I think no matter where you go, it's up to you what you make of the opportunities you seek out... Good luck to everyone, especially those with their hearts set on U of T and UBC. I'll be mailing my rejection letters on Monday. And thanks to everyone for helping to maintain my sanity during the whole application process. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest kellyl20 Posted June 8, 2003 Report Share Posted June 8, 2003 go with UBC, the winters in Toronto are really really bad, cheaper tuition here, larger class at UT, SARS (but we probably will have West Nile virus). I have a brother that goes to UT and he does not like Toronto's winter (or summer) at all! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Pucca81 Posted June 8, 2003 Report Share Posted June 8, 2003 Vancouver = too awesome to be true. It's the kind of place (during winter) where you can go snowboarding in the morning, rollerblading by the beach in the afternoon, and sailing in the evening. Beauty of the city + rich multicultural atmosphere + our absolutely gorgeous campus + very friendly people... I could keep going and going and going....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest physiology Posted June 9, 2003 Report Share Posted June 9, 2003 Calgary is also a three year program, compared to UBC and UT, which have four year programs. That means an extra year of money earning power! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest vincecarterxv Posted June 9, 2003 Report Share Posted June 9, 2003 U of T is a more prestigious university, best in Canada. I heard that if you go to U of T you will have a better shot at your res preference after you have completed your first four years. Toronto is about three times the size of Vancouver, fourth biggest city in North America behind NY, LA, and Chicago. Always gives you an advantage to Network in TO. I hear that the night life in TO is much better than Vancouver. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Dagersch Posted June 9, 2003 Report Share Posted June 9, 2003 Just finished first year at UBC. It was a great experience. Here are some highlights I'd like to make about UBC: -first day of classes we were in the gross lab -by second or third week we were visiting patients at our family practice -by October I was giving flu-shots others were doing full physicals some were watching babies being delivered -I liked how our mornings were 'academic' (PBL and lectures) while afternoons were either free for studying/shadowing or doing clinical things like Family Practice or Clinical Skills or DPAS (ethics, epidemiology, etc...) so things never got boring -Weekly 'quizzes' posted on our website that you can take to test yourself if you understood what material was learned that week -in first year there are only 3 exams periods. One midterm (easy), one set of finals in dec. and another in june. That's it, so you have a lot of freedom to plan your studying. -great class size (128 plus 40 dentists, not too big and not too small) -very, very cooperative class!! Everyone was SO helpful throughout the year. Their were postings of resources, sharing of information, and even a class wide cooperation to put together a summary review for one of our courses in the last 5 days before the exam! Very cool! -Vancouver is pretty mild weatherwise throughout the entire year and lets you get involved with a lot of different things depending on what you like (ie. has a little bit for everyone I think). As for night-life, your med class will probably keep you busy too, usually there's always something going on every week somewhere. -the faculty was fairly helpful when needed Feel free to ask any more questions about first year medicine @ UBC! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest kslee Posted June 9, 2003 Report Share Posted June 9, 2003 Hey there Banana, Congratulations on your acceptances - I guess it can be a mixed blessing being accepted to more than one medical school! I moved out to Vancouver almost three years ago from Toronto to do my master's at UBC. As with any big move, it was really tough the first 6 months. I'm very close to my family in TO and I flew back often in the first year to help me cope! Luckily for me, my master's programme was small and the friendships I made definitely helped me cope. Vancouver is very beautiful, the weather quite mild, but the rain can be depressing (I realized that I am solar-powered!) I was rejected by UofT before the interview stage, and was hoping to go there just to be close to my family, but at least now I don't have to move...if you've never left TO, you should definitely do it sometime! for some specialities, like ENT, if you go to UofT, you'll get an automatic interview from UofT (according to some residents I know). Feel free to contact me if you want to talk about vancouver anymore - this post is getting long(kitshan_lee@hotmail.com) - I will be going to UBC in september for meds. good luck with your decision! Kit Shan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest banana Posted June 13, 2003 Report Share Posted June 13, 2003 to everyone who replied to my post, thank you all for sharing your experiences and your love for vancouver with me! this message board never ceases to amaze me with the genuinely sincere and helpful people who post here. everything that you guys have said about ubc's amazing program, the extraordinary beauty of the city (and the obviously friendly people) has me wanting to come to bc. i just think that now is not the right time. so, i have decided, based on a gut feeling, to u of t. i was really surprised to have gotten into ubc.. i mean, really - i feel very lucky. because i thought i had no chance of getting in, going to ubc was not a reality for me until a little over 2 weeks ago when i got my acceptance. the biggest reason for me, was that i did not have enough time to get really excited about moving my whole life to a city where i know no one at all. i was just stressed about the whole situation! when it came down to it, i just couldn't let go of the 4 years of wishing and hoping to get into u of t over two weeks of realistically considering ubc. bc seems like a wonderful place to live, to meet people and to practice medicine, and when (not if) i come, i want to do it at the right time in my life, without hesitation. right now, going to u of t just feels right. there are of course, many other reasons... family, friends etc.. but i won't bore you with them! but be warned that i will come to bc... eventually. for a clerkship rotation (or two!) or maybe even my residency, and i will be very happy to meet all of you as my colleagues! thank you for all of your help. banana :b Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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