Need Help Deciding: Toronto, NOSM, Manitoba, Queens

[Guest LindaMed]

Hi Everyone!

 

I've been reading these posts for the last couple years- and they've especially helped me in the last year when I was going through the application cycle. This forum is so awesome!!

 

I've been lucky enough to get into a few med schools this year (totally unexpected- I'm still pretty shocked), and I'm having trouble deciding which to attend. I was hoping that some of you could share your experiences, because it's really hard to get an objective view from any admissions office . I know that every med school will give you a great education, but I want to make sure that I weigh all the options. I'm considering Toronto, NOSM, Manitoba and Queens.

 

My family is in Thunder Bay and I attended Lakehead for undergrad, so staying here for NOSM would be cheaper and I do eventually want to work in Thunder Bay. I am concerned however about the newness of this med school, and whether I would be closing any doors in terms of residency. I think I'd like to be a pediatrician, or an ob/gyn. Family interests me but I'd like the opportunity to match to competitive residency programs (possibly in larger centres for the experience) if I discover that I love another aspect of medicine. Also, about the independent learning, do any current students find this difficult, how do you know when your on the right track, or have learned the necessary material?

 

I like the idea of the structure of the other programs, although Toronto as a city seems quite overwhelming and expensive. Queen's and Manitoba seem like great schools- and I could see myself at either, although the idea of staying at home for NOSM seems far less stressful than moving to a new city. But maybe it would be worth it to go to a more established school. I don't know.

 

I'd appreciate any thoughts/ideas/experiences to help me decide!

Thanks so much and good luck to everyone with this whole med school thing!!! (Thanks for reading- I know this was really long :-))

LindaMed :-)

[Guest kylerh]

I am in a similar predicament. I have been accepted at Western, Queens, U of T. My top two choices are U of T and Queens. U of T has a large class size. Queens is more quaint and the class size is smaller(100 people). Both environments are the same yet different. Currently, I am swaying toward Queens because of the smaller class size. I will have to do a lot of thinking!!!

 

Good luck in the future!!

 

kylerh

[Guest Talon01]

I wouldn't worry too much about the 'name' of your school when applying for residency. Canada is not like that United States in the sense that the school where you received your medical education places you above many other (arguably just as qualified applicants). As long as you do well in school, in your rotations and with your EC you'll do well in the match no matter what school you went to.

 

Good luck on your decision, there's quite a few people who'd love to be in your shoes

[Guest northerndoc]

Hi,

 

I see that NOSM was on your mentioned list. From speaking with specialist and PAIRO there is some concern as to the ease with which NOSM students may match to other programs that are speciality. There is no doubt that there is a good match to family but for competive specialities there is a bit of question just based on the fact that the school is new, teaching methods unfamiliar and curriculum yet to be completely proven. That being said the school has assured us that we will be competitive to all specialities when we graduate in 2009. This is not meant to be a discouraging note, just something to keep in mind if you have desire for a further speciality. Perhaps those more familiar with CARMs can comment further, as what I have shared is only hear say from others.

[Guest Jag]

U of Manitoba would be the easiest transition for you if you do decide to move. Its close by to Thunder Bay and a relatively similar city (Winnipeg). Our universities get tons of Thunder Bay students every year. Somebody in my med1 class at U of M if from Thunder Bay actually, and they picked U of M over other schools. I am also told that our graduates score very high on the national licensing exams and we do well on residency matching, although I don't know where to locate the exact figures to prove it (I just hear it from the faculty everyday )

[Guest dho]

Tough indeed!

 

I would give you the opposite advice and tell you to go somewhere that is as diff from TBAY as possible. I mean if you want to practice in TBAY and have already done your undergrad there, isn't there a time in your life where you want to experience something different? I'd go to the big city.

[Guest MarkhamDoc]

I think you should keep Queens as your last priority. I have been there and it is a dull place!!

If you get UofT do not miss it. it is a great Univ and Toronto is a great place even if that is little expensive. YOu may not get another chance to live in downtown Toronto in your life time.

 

Next choice must be Thunder bay..

[Guest flying kumquat]

It's not everyone's dream to live in downtown Toronto. Granted, it's also not everyone's dream to live in Kingston, however...

 

I've lived in Kingston for the past year doing meds at Queen's, and I've really enjoyed the city. Kingston has a population of about 115,000 people. A lot of this is spread out to the west in suburbs, whereas downtown Kingston has a university town feel. It's not huge, but I like being able to walk a maximum of 10-15 minutes to go wherever I have to go, including the school, the two hospitals, downtown, the bars, the grocery store, lots of restaurants and neat stores, the movie theatre and the waterfront. You occasionally run into someone who looks a little sketchy, but having lived near a home where a number of these people live, I've never had a problem. I haven't taken part in a lot of the cultural opportunities that Kingston provides, and of course, there are far fewer than a large city would provide, but you can easily take a train or catch a ride to Ottawa, Montreal, or Toronto for the weekend.

 

As to concerns about living close to family, I think only you can decide how important it is to you to have them close during medical school. A lot of that decision probably depends on personal family dynamics. Keep in mind that, no matter where you go, you're going to be pretty busy. When I moved to Kingston, I moved about 1500km away from my family. I do miss them, but I see them on major breaks and talk to them a few times a week. It works for me.

 

Good luck no matter where you go, but hope to see you at Queen's!

[Guest NeuroObsessed]

Toronto... nothing else comes close... :lol :lol

[Guest 0T6]

:rolleyes

 

I thought so too until I left

[Guest NeuroObsessed]

I was joking OT6... my 3rd year at U of T has made me realize how bitter I am... and how anal U of T really is.. hence, the :lol :lol ....

[Guest LindaMed]

Thanks for your comments everyone!

After much consideration, I've decided to stay at home and attend NOSM. It was a really tough call because all of these schools seem so great- the students were awesome at each school and I have no doubt that I would love going to any of them. It came down to location for me- I love living in Thunder Bay- and the chance to stay close my family and friends and community is priceless. It'll be great to experience a number of other communities in Northern Ontario as well. Also, I'm excited about the small class size and community-based education at NOSM. I think it'll be the perfect fit for me- and I'm really excited to meet my fellow classmates.

Thanks again- and good luck to all of you in pursuing medicine!!!

LindaMed :-)

[Guest northerndoc]

Yeah for NOSM!!

Look forward to seeing you in the fall!!

[Guest drews97]

Kingston is only dull if all you want to do is go to trendy stores/restaurants/clubs all the time. If that floats your boat then stay in T.O by all means. Kingston has much more of a college town feel with most of my classmates living within 10 minutes of the university. There are a lot of outdoor activites that are easy to get to (ie://you don't need to drive for an hour just to leave the city) and we're quite close to 3 big cities (Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal). Plus you can get to pseudo real downhill skiing with a reasonable drive (although I'm from Alberta so nothing out here is quite as good) I will not live in Kingston forever but it's a great place to spend 4 years!

[Guest studentz]

with most of my classmates living within 10 minutes of the university.

 

You'll find this at any medical school, even Toronto.

[Guest drews97]

Not really. Go out west...U of C is called a commuter school for a reason! One of the main reasons so many people live so close to school in Kingston is 1. there's a dedicated student neighborhood and 2. most people are from out of town so it's easy to make it a priority to find housing really close. If you go to schools like Calgary of UBC a lot of students are from that city and a sizeable portion choose to live at home. If I'd stayed at home in Calgary for med my house would have been pretty close to foothills, but much more than a 10 minute walk. Many of my friends who are still out west attending med school lived far enough away to have to take public transit or drive. Not to say that at most med schools the majority live close, but here at Queen's virtually everyone is within a 10 minute walk.

[Guest ScoobyBill]

So kylerh!

What school did you decide on??!

[Guest kylerh]

I have decided to go to U of T. Reason being, it's 30 minutes from home and UofT had a great atmosphere when I visted. The large class size scared me but now I know I can be sure that I will meet a lot of people!

 

see ya in the fall!

 

kylerh