Guest AB newbie Posted May 24, 2002 Report Share Posted May 24, 2002 Just wanted to hear from all those who applied to U of A as to what your reasons were for choosing Alberta. Do any of you know people currently attending U of A med? What is the class dynamic like? I had the chance to talk with med students and see presentations at UBC and Dalhousie and was quite impressed with what I saw but did not have this opportunity at U of A. I really want to give U of A a fair shake when I make my decisions so I would appreciate any information or insight you guys may have. Thanks alot M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest monkey Posted June 23, 2002 Report Share Posted June 23, 2002 hey AB newbie, i sure would appreciate it we had moderators to this site coz they would definitely help out with concerns such as yours. my reasons for considering UA were that its cheaper, closer to home and a very reputable university. I agree with you when u say that other univ's (such as the ones u've mentioend) promote their school a lot more than UA did, but i guess they're more enthusiastic. or maybe UA ppl just didnt have the time to come down. i would have really appreciated an effort from the med2005 class to show why they love UA. sort of makes me wonder if the class dynamic is enjoyable and comfortable...or if its still competitive. i guess we'll never know will we? did you have the chance to talk to some med students from the list (with the interview package) they provided? i'm sure those people would be more than happy to boost their school and tlak to you. i guess it just might be that we have to take the first step in finding out more...i know that when i attend medschool in fall, i'm gonna make sure my class does something for the 'premeds' and show them why i love the school i'm attending. BTW: what were your reasons for choosing/applying to UA? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest AB newbie Posted June 24, 2002 Report Share Posted June 24, 2002 Thanks Monkey. I had given up hope of ever having a resonse to my post. You have captured my sentiments exactly in that it makes me wonder why I haven't heard some more enthusiasm towards U of A. By the way, you mentioned you were considering U of A... have you made any final decisions or are you still playing the waiting game? My reasons for choosing U of A are primary financial (cheaper tuition and cheaper housing than Vancouver). My family lives in Calgary and I really like the idea of being able to come home impulsively and cheaply on weekends. I've also heard really good things about U of A's program from some of my profs in the past. I think I will try to contact some current U of A students so I can be reassured that the environment is friendly/ supportive and not cut throat competitive. In the meanwhile, any of you applicants or current med students who know great things about U of A I would love to hear what you have to say. M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest monkey Posted June 24, 2002 Report Share Posted June 24, 2002 hey ABnewbie, i take it you are from BC. i always wondered why ppl from BC were keen on moving to alberta and not staying in BC itself....afterall, UBC is a really good school . but in your case, i can see your whole family issue. i actually am from calgary, so it makes more sense to stay in alberta. but i guess we will have the luxury of that decision only when we get acceptances! PS: what sort of rent prices have you heard/read up on for edmonton-university area? PPS: i got accepted to UWO and UofS, but am interested in seeing what UA has to say about me! how about you? heard back from other uni's you interviewed at? PPPS (geez!): could you let me know some of the positive things about UA you heard of from the profs you mentioned? also, if you find out about the environment (cut-throat vs. friendly) of the UA class, post it here! i'll do the same if i get an answer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest monkey Posted June 24, 2002 Report Share Posted June 24, 2002 if you wanted to email me the stuff instead of posting it here...which could take ages, u're more than welcome to email me at monkeyUWO@yahoo.com cheers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jennifer Y Posted June 25, 2002 Report Share Posted June 25, 2002 UBC seems to have excellent undergraduate programs, but the science students are ultra competitive. And as you can see from the UBC med school forum, faculty of med has more than its share of admission policy problems. PBL is 65%, which might not be a fit for some. Beautiful city though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest shkelo Posted June 25, 2002 Report Share Posted June 25, 2002 There are a few issues that I people are concerned with. Many of you know that I am entering next year's med class at the U of A. I have also been privileged to work with some of the profs and I know plenty of med students at various levels of their education. I will try to tackle some issues (listed below) in no particular order: Reasons for choosing U of A: In a nutshell, it's a good school. U of A leads the country in 3M teaching awards, many of which have come from the Faculty of Medicine. The program is traditional-based with 2 preclinical years and 2 clinical years. There is a PBL component throughout the program but it is not heavily weighted. The program is not static either and there are many electives scattered throughout all four years to suit your personal tastes. Visit the U of A medicine website www.med.ualberta.ca/ugme/ for a list of electives for each year. Also under "Student Resources", you can download the student manual given to all 1st year UGME students (this is last year manual). Three years ago, U of A switched over to a honors/pass/fail system with tremendous success. The learning atmosphere is not competitive and students are willing to help each other out (e.g. extensive notetaking initiatives, distributing old exams, study groups, etc.). I wouldn't hesitate to choose U of A. Camaraderie and Class Dynamics: This varies from year to year. For the most part, it is laid-back and comfortable but with 125 people in your class, there are bound to be a few "cliks" that form (high school posses and ethic groupings) and a few social outcasts and overly zealous people. Not to mention one or two soap operas now and again! Remember that med school is what YOU make it!! Med school attracts eclectic people with interesting and diverse backgrounds. Don't expect to see eye-to-eye with everyone in the class. (I think this is true at any school you choose.) A friendly personality and a cool head are your best defenses. Rent in the University Area: ...getting expensive for what you get. The university area is fairly old with mostly old homes (1920s - 1950s). There are newer renovated apartment complexes, but a single bedroom will set you back about $700+/mo ($850-900+ for a two-bedroom). Three story walk-ups are also popular with students but the quality seems to vary (usually with no correlation to rent). A good find for a single bedroom is about $575/mo. ($650-700 for a two-bedroom). Three and four bedroom houses or duplexes are common and may provide some additional savings. If you (and most likely your parents) can afford it, buying a condo (or small home/half duplex) is the way to go. Unfortunately, the housing market in Edmonton is hot right now so the question of affordability is up to you. However, it may be more money (and hassle) up front, but it will save you money in the long run and for about the same money you would sink into rent, you will be living in relatively upscaled accommodations. Expect the hassle of being a landlord if you want more than 1 bedroom though. In the end, the medical school you choose will be wonderful anyway you look at it. Find what's right for you personally for the next four years. In the end, it doesn't really matter - everyone has a equal chance at residency positions and anyone will tell you that marks in med school don't really matter. Med school is only the test-bed to prepare you to be a physician. Although still important, the real training doesn't begin until after med school. Good luck with your decision!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest AB newbie Posted June 26, 2002 Report Share Posted June 26, 2002 monkey: I interviewed at UBC (my alma mater), Dalhousie (my dad's alma mater- dentistry) and U of A. I was accepted at UBC and U of A and waitlisted at Dalhousie. Most of the good stuff I heard from profs was related to U of A's great reputation as a research school. Some mentioned that it would probably be quite easy at U of A to find a cutting edge medical research group to work with (which I understand is a definite plus when applying to residencies). Another prof stated enthusiastically (but without much concrete evidence) that U of A was definitely the place to pusue training in the health sciences. Yet another prof hypothesized that exciting research would draw great profs to the school, some of whom would be teaching med school classes ( although great researchers don't necessarily make great instructors). In addition to shkelo's great and detailed response, I have seen some basement suites around the University area from $400-$600 (posted online). A friend of mine entering Dental school in the fall is planning to buy a condo (brand new and amazingly nice) very close to the University but it's also going to cost her $100,000 plus $200/month for parking and maintenance fees. It seems like cost of accomodation can really run the gambit depending on how hard you look and how much you feel like "roughing it". I'm going up to Edmonton in a couple of weeks to look for a place so I'll post the prices and quality of the places I check out. Shkelo: When you say that PBL is not weighted heavily at U of A do you have any idea what percentage of time is spent in small group case work vs. traditional lectures? Thanks, M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ian Wong Posted June 26, 2002 Report Share Posted June 26, 2002 Just as an aside, (please go back to discussing U of A!) at UBC PBL does not make up 65% of the curriculum in terms of class-room hours, curriculum content, or evaluations. PBL is probably more like 30-50%, and is only done in the first two years of medical school. There's certainly small group work while dissecting cadavers in anatomy, or doing a pathology or physiology lab, or learning clinical skills, but working in a small group is not the same as PBL. Ian UBC, Med 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jennifer Y Posted July 4, 2002 Report Share Posted July 4, 2002 3 half days a week at UA? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jennifer Y Posted July 11, 2002 Report Share Posted July 11, 2002 Sorry if I am wrong in the 65% PBL at UBC, I was given this figure by an anatomy prof who teaches med class at UBC and by a specialist Doc who teaches PBL at UBC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest monkey Posted July 11, 2002 Report Share Posted July 11, 2002 Hey Jennifer Y, just curious but will you be attending UWO this fall? i seem to recall seeing your login name on the UWO forum, and was interesetd in knowing if its the same person. cheers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jennifer Y Posted July 11, 2002 Report Share Posted July 11, 2002 I am going to Queen's, an old established name etc etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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