BodMon Posted May 19, 2008 Report Share Posted May 19, 2008 I was accepted to both Ottawa and Mac and have no clue what to choose... Any suggestions on which one to go to? I feel so honoured/lucky to have this dilemma to deal with but am still so confused... Any input would be very helpful...thanks! p.s. congrats to everyone who was accepted! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treadmill Posted May 19, 2008 Report Share Posted May 19, 2008 Hey, Its great to hear that you got into both McMaster and Ottawa! Congrats! Remember, no matter whatever you'll pick you'll still get a quality education. I think what it comes down to is the following criteria: 1)learning style: If you like the problem based approach which is based on group work then McMaster is for you. Ottawa on the other hand has a more conventional education system. (Standard lectures and labs) If you loathe group work then mcmaster is definitely not for you. Go to the mcmaster webpage and they have a very good description of how problem based learning works. 2)whether you don't mind spending 3 years (with shortened summers) or 4 years. If you like the idea of graduating a year early then McMaster is a solid option. You can then use the extra year to pay off your med debt and start your life earlier. The problem with 3 years though is that its more taxing considering that you get shorter summers. So if you want longer summers, Ottawa might be a good choice. (Note: McMaster does allow students to take an extra enrichment year if 3 years isn't enough for them) 3)locale: Ottawa is a much more pleasant city to live in. (Thats a personal opinion) Hamilton is kinda ugly and dreary (another personal opinion) If you have family/friends in Ottawa or Hamilton, you might want to choose the med school closest to them. Both McMaster and Ottawa are great options. In Canada, medical school is standardized and well regulated so I wouldn't worry about any of the medical schools being lower in standard than the other. As long as you work hard, you'll get a quality education in both schools. Hope that helps! Treadmill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1234 Posted May 19, 2008 Report Share Posted May 19, 2008 Mac is great, but I like Ottawa's structure and testing mechanisms. Mac has benchmarking exercises and narrative feedback. I prefer a test where I can gauge my level of understanding. If you want free time though, Mac is the place to be. I've spoken to tens of Mac students and they can do whatever they want. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KMG007 Posted May 19, 2008 Report Share Posted May 19, 2008 As for so called dreary Hamilton...I get to go to Waterloo! Sorry, as this really gives little to the discussion. It seems to me that Ottawa and Mac are far enough apart in teaching styles that you should really internalize what type of teaching methods you prefer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jewels1986 Posted May 19, 2008 Report Share Posted May 19, 2008 I wouldn't decide based on teaching methods - if you look at the balance between lecture and PBL for first year at McMaster and Ottawa (based on Ottawa's new curriculum that's just starting this year), they're extremely similar (i.e., almost exactly the same). The only real differences between the two are the cities and 3 years vs 4 years, unless I'm confused, which is always possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thunder12 Posted May 20, 2008 Report Share Posted May 20, 2008 I would definitely go for Ottawa. Apart from better balanced program at UoO, Ottawa is a way better place compared with Hamilton. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A-Stark Posted May 20, 2008 Report Share Posted May 20, 2008 Thunder12 is definitely correct there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jixe Posted May 20, 2008 Report Share Posted May 20, 2008 I was rejected (post-interview) by McMaster, but I just wanted to mimick everyone's sentiments about the city of Hamilton itself: it's dreary. That being said, I love McMaster's PBL-based curriculum and would have definitely accepted their offer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Macster Posted May 20, 2008 Report Share Posted May 20, 2008 Yeah. . .the downtown might not be bustling like Toronto or Montreal, but Hamilton has its nice areas. One thing to keep in mind is that the campus is not downtown-- it's west of the downtown. Westdale, where most off-campus students live, is a trendy little neighbourhood with decent restaurants, great fair trade/earth friendly stores and nifty coffeeshops. And if you get sick of Westdale, it's a very short bus ride into quaint Dundas. Another thing that rocks about Mac's location is its proximity to tons of nature-- there's lots of forest trails for bikers/hikers, and the campus itself is pretty green (once you see past the hospital). I know nothing about Ottawa, but I just wanted to point out that one can live quite well and quite affordably in Hamilton. So if you're coming to Mac, don't feel like you'll be living in horrible conditions with nothing to do. Hamilton can be a very comfortable place to live, actually. I've lived here for 10 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hopeful123 Posted May 20, 2008 Report Share Posted May 20, 2008 Hi, as long as you're not terrified of PBL and working in small groups I honestly see no reason why you won't love mac. The only person I know who is not happy with her decision to go to mac is based on the fact that she doesn't like PBL and would have prefered the more conventional style of learning. Mac has great students and hamilton definitely has it's nice parts - dundas and ancaster. good luck with your decision! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2012FTW Posted May 21, 2008 Report Share Posted May 21, 2008 I've noticed some of the posters who speak negatively of mac/Hamilton are waitlisted at Mac ....you probably should go with your gut and not let strangers influence this rather large decision. btw, I LOVE mac.... to bad I didn't get an interview. congrats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treadmill Posted June 1, 2008 Report Share Posted June 1, 2008 Well OP..lets give this thread some closure. Which school did you pick and why? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pbp34 Posted June 2, 2008 Report Share Posted June 2, 2008 one more vote for mac! I'm from Ottawa and I love the city, however Ottawa U gives such weird vibes and it's a downtown campus, whereas I personally like the Mac campus better. Most importantly, I love the fact that Mac is not stagnant, it is always thinking of new ways to improve itself and take the rest of the world with them. And that is something to be excited about. But there are many reasons to choose different schools and ultimately it is what you like and what kind of learning style/environment suits you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
med hopeful Posted June 2, 2008 Report Share Posted June 2, 2008 pb - did you reject your seat recently or make your decision last week? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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