advice for international student........

[Guest jane27]

Hi,

 

I really want to do medicine at U of T. I am British and have a first class honours degree from the UK in philosophy, unfortunatey i dont have the science pre-requisites for U of T medicine so I realise I'll need to do these. How long would it take to do just the science courses needed? Since I already have a degree, I'm presuming I'd just need to spend say 1 - 2 years doing the required life science courses, rather than sitting another full 3 yr bachelors degree.

 

Also, I don't have permanent residency of Canada - although I want to get it. Does anyone know if you start off on a student visa you can apply for a permanent visa?

 

Any advice appreciated! I'd love to hear from any international students who have succeeded in applying to medical school in Canada.

 

Thanks.

[Guest aneliz]

Your options as an international student are very, very limited in Canada with respect to medical school.

 

Most schools, with a few exceptions, require you to have permanent status in Canada before you can even apply to medical school. UofT is one of them.

 

I have no idea how the visa logistics work, you would need to contact a Canadian consult to find out the rules and regulations. They will be best able to tell you what the various visa types are and what restrictions there are on applying.

 

Good luck!

[Guest scrubbed]

I don't believe that a residency requirement is necessary for U of T.

 

From the U of T FAQ.

 

7) How many students are accepted who are neither Canadian citizens nor Permanent Residents?

 

A maximum of seven international students may be accepted each year. International students must be competitive with all other applicants.

 

For further information:

 

http://www.facmed.utoronto.ca/English/page-13-15528-1.html

 

International Applicants

The University of Toronto welcomes applications from international students and from Canadian students educated abroad. We are able to offer up to 7 positions in our medical program each year to non-Canadian/non-permanent residents who will require study permits if admitted. Permanent residents must submit proof of their status in Canada with their application.

 

Regardless of citizenship, applicants attending non-Canadian universities must complete a Bachelor's degree, equivalent to a four-year honours Bachelor's degree obtained in Canada. Transcripts of study undertaken at universities outside Canada or the U.S.A. must be submitted to World Education Services (WES) for assessment. We require a course-by-course evaluation that includes an overall GPA. Provision of the WES assessment does not replace the requirement for submission of official transcripts. If this information is not contained in the official transcript, applicants are required to supply the Faculty with a certified academic record containing individual course grades for all academic work in each year of study.

 

In other respects, admissions requirements and application procedures are the same for international as for domestic applicants (i.e., requirements for minimum GPA, prerequisite courses, MCAT scores, non-academics, etc., are the same).

 

World Education Services (WES)

45 Charles St. E., Suite 700

Toronto, ON M4Y 1S2

 

http://www.wes.org/ca/

 

 

 

I believe that McGill accepts international students as well.

 

As for your question regarding the prereqs:

 

http://www.facmed.utoronto.ca/English/page-13-9136-1.html

 

1) What are the pre-requisite courses?

 

Applicants are required to complete at least two full-year courses or four half-courses in Life Sciences, and at least one full-year course or two half-courses in Humanities or Social Sciences or Languages. It is recommended, although not required, that applicants complete a university-level course in Statistics, and two courses that require expository writing.

 

I believe that you would have the Humanities or Social Sciences or Languages prereq.

 

3) What are Life Sciences?

 

Life Sciences are defined as any courses that deal with any kind of life system as their main content. That there be a lab component is not necessary. Some examples would include Biology, Botany, Zoology, Anatomy, and Biochemistry.

 

As for Life Sciences, they would not take more than a year to complete. I believe U of T requires completion of the prereqs before applying, though I would check just in case. If this is the situation, you would be able to apply next year.

 

Best wishes.