The reputation of the university you are applying from.

[Guest QuiettStorm]

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[Guest QuiettStorm]

Hello guys.

 

Id first like to say what a breath of fresh air these forums have been.

 

Anyway, I have a quick question,

 

Med-Schools claim that it doesnt matter what university you are applying from. Is this really true? Or is this simply public relations.

 

I understand the term "reputable" university is a hazy one.

 

Hypothetical opinionated question for you.

 

Please rank the following universities roughly in order of how respectable they are as far as undergraduate science

 

University of Toronto

University of Ottawa

Queens University

McGill University

University of British Colombia

University of Western Ontario

McMaster University

 

Thank you very much.

[Guest TimmyMax]

Hey,

 

It doesn't matter where you go for undergrad- you can take that one to the bank! Anyone who says otherwise is uninformed and/or stupid.

That said, where you choose to study doesn't matter, but good marks definitely matter. A 4.0 GPA from Trent or Brock has the same impact as a 4.0 GPA from Queen's or Toronto, just the same as the fact that a 2.8 GPA won't get you interviews anywhere, regardless of whether it came from Toronto, Queen's or Lakehead.

 

Best of luck!

Timmy

[Guest Anna]

lol Timmy...errrr...why was Lakehead at the end of that list:x ?

 

QuietStorm- I actually have received my Hon. Bach of Kinesiology from Lakehead University. I had a 3.7 GPA and received interviews from both NOSM and UOttawa. UOttawa has admitted quite a few of us Thunder Bay med hopefuls... it really is not where you have received your degree from, but rather how well you did in your program, as well as how enthusiastic you are about medicine and how prepared you are for medicine (as demonstrated through involvement in ECs, research, volunteering, etc.).

 

 

Anna

[Guest TimmyMax]

Hey,

 

lol Timmy...errrr...why was Lakehead at the end of that list:x ?

 

Argh, I knew I'd cheese someone off with my little lists there- should have stuck with Brock and Trent!

I didn't mean anything by it, but the point was to illustrate that just because you don't come from the so-called 'Big Four' medical-student-producing universities (ie: UT, Queen's, Mac, UWO), you aren't doomed in terms of gaining admission to medical school.

Maybe I should have put Trinity Western?

 

Best of luck!

Timmy

 

P.S.: We have a Trinity Western alumnus in our graduating medical class here at UWO!

[Guest leaf345]

So are you saying that I can go to Lakehead University, and if I do well on the MCAT, interview, and on my GPA they won't look at me any worse than someone who got the same credentials at..say, UoT? Then why doesn't everyone just go to small universities?

[Guest Kirsteen]

Hi,

 

Yes, it's true that your choice of Canadian university for undergraduate work is irrelevant as long as the work that you produce is strong. As to why everyone doesn't attend smaller universities the answer is probably multifactorial; however, one of the larger factors might be proximity to the institution from home. So many students may attend UofT simply because there are many students applying to university who live in that large city.

 

Cheers,

Kirsteen

[Guest TimmyMax]

Hey,

 

So are you saying that I can go to Lakehead University, and if I do well on the MCAT, interview, and on my GPA they won't look at me any worse than someone who got the same credentials at..say, UoT?

 

Having sat on the admissions committee for the past 4 years at UWO, I can assure you that is exactly what I'm saying.

 

Then why doesn't everyone just go to small universities?

 

Beats me. Probably because some (uninformed) people think that they will be looked down on for going to a smaller university than U of T. There are a ton of other reasons why people go to the bigger schools, as Kirsteen alluded to.

 

Best of luck!

Timmy

[Guest leaf345]

Very interesting, thanks.