FacetheMusic Posted May 16, 2009 Report Share Posted May 16, 2009 Hi all, I'll start by saying I have never made my own thread before, so if I'm breaking norms or etiquette, I apologize. I got acceptances today from Queens, Mac, and Western, which was wonderful and unexpected. Trouble is, I don't think I have enough information to make an informed decision. Yes, I went to the talks and yes I looked at the curriculum, but is there anything else I can do to help figure out what each school is really like? Any students want to talk up their school? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeraJaclyn Posted May 16, 2009 Report Share Posted May 16, 2009 Congrats! You should choose Mac. I have no reason other than I'm on the Western and Queen's Waitlist If I was in your position I would try to visit the campuses, see which ones feel most like home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
estairella Posted May 16, 2009 Report Share Posted May 16, 2009 Hi all, I'll start by saying I have never made my own thread before, so if I'm breaking norms or etiquette, I apologize. I got acceptances today from Queens, Mac, and Western, which was wonderful and unexpected. Trouble is, I don't think I have enough information to make an informed decision. Yes, I went to the talks and yes I looked at the curriculum, but is there anything else I can do to help figure out what each school is really like? Any students want to talk up their school? Thanks. Of all those schools, Mac most heavily relies on self-directed learning. If you're not so good with that, I would steer clear. Personally, I would go with Western because I like their relaxed vibe more, but obviously it's a personal preference. Disclaimer: I don't go to any of those schools (go to UT) but I got into Queens & Western, and rejected pre-interview from Mac. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvermen85 Posted May 16, 2009 Report Share Posted May 16, 2009 Mac hands down! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jasx Posted May 16, 2009 Report Share Posted May 16, 2009 Maybe looking at the CaRMS match results from the past few years can help if you like stats: http://www.carms.ca/eng/operations_R1reports_08_e.shtml#table5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supafield Posted May 16, 2009 Report Share Posted May 16, 2009 http://premed101.com/forums/showthread.php?t=29323&highlight=typical+week this might also be a good thread to read.... as a typical week from school to school seems to differ.... I also recommend visiting the cities..... Kingston ~120K, London ~350K, Hamilton 500+K So they range in sizes, and distance from Other things.... when I chose western for undergrad which I have certainly not regretted, it fit me because it is just above 2 hours away from home in Niagara..... It allowed me to be independent but close enough to home at the same time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
future_doc Posted May 16, 2009 Report Share Posted May 16, 2009 You really cannot go wrong with any choice, consider your own learning style, the time compression at Mac and then follow your gut. After all, you are able to face the music! Good luck and let us know your ultimate decision. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPJ Posted May 16, 2009 Report Share Posted May 16, 2009 Mac hands down! Why? I am in exactly the same situation as facethemusic. I am leaning towards Western because of its clerkship structure, mix of learning styles during pre-clerkship, and the general balance of strengths that Western is known for. But going to Mac means staying in Toronto and being with family. I know I can cope with Mac's learning style, but the real issue that concerns me is whether there will be enough time to make connections at different programs and impress preceptors well enough to get strong references. In particular, I think I want to go into some specialty of internal medicine or surgery (probably related to cardiac health), so both breadth and depth of clinical experience is very important. If anyone has an informed opinion, please post it as it will be of great help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tjey Posted May 16, 2009 Report Share Posted May 16, 2009 Mac hands down! I'd be interested in hearing why you think so. I'm having a tough time deciding between mac & queen's.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jochi1543 Posted May 16, 2009 Report Share Posted May 16, 2009 Look at the electives and residency programs each school has, too. This was one of the reasons I favored U of A over U of C - I can do a lot of electives in-town and have pretty good odds of staying in town for residency, while some programs are not even offered at U of C. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tjey Posted May 16, 2009 Report Share Posted May 16, 2009 Look at the electives and residency programs each school has, too. How would we go about finding info on electives? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supafield Posted May 16, 2009 Report Share Posted May 16, 2009 I'd be interested in hearing why you think so. I'm having a tough time deciding between mac & queen's.. lol choose mac for my Queen's waitlist sake..... 3 years vs. 4 years and Mac's self directed curriculum must have to be the most notable differences... I don't think that makes one better than the other.... but it may make one more suited to your personality and goals... Then there are other little things like location, residency programs so on and so forth..... For me a lot would depend on the city.... and distance from home... I like smaller cities so Kingston wins there... but it's about a 5 hour drive from my home in Niagara where Mac is smack in the middle between my home in Niagara and my girlfriends in Newmarket.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ploughboy Posted May 16, 2009 Report Share Posted May 16, 2009 I got acceptances today from Queens, Mac, and Western, which was wonderful and unexpected. Trouble is, I don't think I have enough information to make an informed decision. Yes, I went to the talks and yes I looked at the curriculum, but is there anything else I can do to help figure out what each school is really like? Any students want to talk up their school? I don't see what the problem is -- the obvious choice is Western! Ok, serious answer. As others have said, it would be worth your while to revisit each of the schools to get a sense of the school, the city and the student culture. When I was in first and second year meds, I gave several people a "post-acceptance" tour and sales pitch for my school (or, when I was out of the country, hooked them up with people who would be willing to show them around). I'd suggest that you contact the admissions offices of each of the schools and ask if they could give you name(s) of current students who would be willing to show you around. Now for the UWO sales pitch. As somebody who did his MD at UWO, I think that the strengths of the program are: a) level of responsibility given to clinical clerks (even though clerks can't write their own orders anymore) core clerkship rotations done before electives (though there is an argument to be made for early electives) c) all clinical rotations are completed before CaRMS d) school spirit. Not having attended another medical school, it's hard to compare this, but the during my preclinical years I was constantly amazed at the energy and enthusiasm of my fellow students, and by the sheer number of activities and initiatives that were going on. We work hard, and we play hard. Don't get too hung up on the teaching given in the preclinical years, whether it's PBL, PCL, PCCMIA or any other acronym. The preclinical years are important, but I really think that years 3 and 4 at UWO are what sets the school apart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jochi1543 Posted May 16, 2009 Report Share Posted May 16, 2009 How would we go about finding info on electives? This info should be on every school's website. Just go to "current students" or some other section along these lines, and you will find an "electives" section eventually. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvermen85 Posted May 17, 2009 Report Share Posted May 17, 2009 I'd be interested in hearing why you think so. I'm having a tough time deciding between mac & queen's.. I think the 3 year curriculum mac offers give you a lot more flexibility than you think. Yeah, true you don't get summers off, but it's not like they are preventing you from doing research or electives altogether. I know people who went to Mac and took a year off to do research and got a Nature paper of it. That's pretty much their ticket to any competitive programs in Canada or even North America. I think in the end, with Mac's program it puts more flexibility in your hand to choose what it is that you want to get out of your medical education. And you can't beat PBL. I love it and think it is the way doctors should be taught. This itself would justify my decision to goto Mac over any other Ontario schools, except UT I know schools are now trying to adopt PBL, But why go to some places that trying to become Mac when you can go to Mac? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bittersweet08 Posted May 17, 2009 Report Share Posted May 17, 2009 Why? In particular, I think I want to go into some specialty of internal medicine or surgery (probably related to cardiac health), so both breadth and depth of clinical experience is very important. If anyone has an informed opinion, please post it as it will be of great help. Hey, I've talked to a number of Mac students, and they have all said that if you know what you want to do, Mac is excellent at giving you lots and lots of experience. Many of the students said that they were able to do "horizontal electives" where they were able to choose an area they were interested in, in first year itself. It is similar to "observerships" but you wouldn't be observing, you'd be doing. If experience is what you want, and you know what area(s) you are interested in, then mac is a great choice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPJ Posted May 17, 2009 Report Share Posted May 17, 2009 Hey, I've talked to a number of Mac students, and they have all said that if you know what you want to do, Mac is excellent at giving you lots and lots of experience. Many of the students said that they were able to do "horizontal electives" where they were able to choose an area they were interested in, in first year itself. It is similar to "observerships" but you wouldn't be observing, you'd be doing. If experience is what you want, and you know what area(s) you are interested in, then mac is a great choice thanks for the reply bittersweet08 ...I also had the same impression during the interview because a first year med student was telling me how he was able to scrub into the OR for ortho once every week. another question I have is about anatomy. From what I gathered during the interview day, it appears that Mac students have one anatomy day every few weeks and that there is potential for doing lots of self directed learning because prosections are available with manuals. do Mac students have the opportunities to do dissections themselves? Do you think that doing dissections yourself are important for learning anatomy or that a mastery of anatomy can be gained otherwise? I am asking because surgery is an option that I am considering very seriously and a strong foundation in anatomy would be important to pursue this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A-Stark Posted May 17, 2009 Report Share Posted May 17, 2009 The lab is very valuable for learning anatomy, but I'm not convinced that doing your own dissections is all that useful (depends where you're dissecting, I suppose). Most of the time you'll simply ruin the structure you were interested in because you'll have only the vaguest idea of what you're doing. That being said, it was pretty cool to remove a lung way back on the first or second lab day. I don't know what it's like at Mac, but at Dal each group (5-6 people) is assigned a cadaver which is ours to use for the whole year. We can go into the lab anytime, and a couple people have been going in now and then even months after the end of the anatomy unit. (I haven't because I don't like formalin or smelling like it for hours ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FacetheMusic Posted May 17, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 17, 2009 Wow, thank you all so much for the very helpful replies! A little extra info (or a lot): I just finished my undergrad at Western. I was actually there for 5 years in total due to an exchange. My heart is really still at Western, and I know it's a great program and know a lot of people there. But - my fiance got into teacher's college in Toronto recently. I got pre-interview rejected by U of T, so that's not an option. I really feel like I should be going to Mac so we work out some sort of commute (probably on his part), which just doesn't seem possible at UWO. I have heard plenty of good things about Mac, but I'm a little nervous about the compressed time, because I'm not sure what kind of medicine I want to practice for sure and I want to have as much experience as possible. From what I'm hearing from a few people is that maybe I can do that with horizontal electives? Thanks for all the help and congrats to all of you who got acceptances and wait lists. Once I figure this out I'll withdraw from the others as soon as possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenixlipo Posted May 18, 2009 Report Share Posted May 18, 2009 I think you should choose Queens.Its really best ! ! If I was in your position I would try to visit the campuses, see which ones feel most like home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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