Undergrad Medical School Choice

[Femto]

Hello All,

 

If you were fortunate enough to have a choice between a few medical schools, how did you decide?

 

I plan on applying to a few schools in third year, but I am unsure if I should apply to my third or fourth choice school, knowing I may have a better chance of getting into my top choice a year later. And, moreover, I don't even know how to determine what your first, second or third choice medical school would be! Does the school you attend have much influence on residency matching? Would you rather be a big fish in a small pond, so to speak, or a mediocre med student with lots of contacts?

 

Students are always talking about getting into their first or second choice school etc., but, how did you come to the realization that you had a favorite? I am not talking about such details as good location, suitable curriculum. Instead, I am talking about long-term influences such as matching with a good residency.

 

I truly apologize if this is the wrong place to post this, but I assume that you must know how to pick the right medical school for you.

 

Thanks!

[Ollie]

Hello All,

 

If you were fortunate enough to have a choice between a few medical schools, how did you decide?

 

I plan on applying to a few schools in third year, but I am unsure if I should apply to my third or fourth choice school, knowing I may have a better chance of getting into my top choice a year later. And, moreover, I don't even know how to determine what your first, second or third choice medical school would be! Does the school you attend have much influence on residency matching? Would you rather be a big fish in a small pond, so to speak, or a mediocre med student with lots of contacts?

 

Students are always talking about getting into their first or second choice school etc., but, how did you come to the realization that you had a favorite? I am not talking about such details as good location, suitable curriculum. Instead, I am talking about long-term influences such as matching with a good residency.

 

I truly apologize if this is the wrong place to post this, but I assume that you must know how to pick the right medical school for you.

 

Thanks!

 

Best Medical School = The One That Accepts You

 

It would be silly to not apply as widely as possible. Get accepted first then decide where you want to go.

[DrManhattan]

I would cross that bridge once you get there. The factors you think might be important now (ie. quality of school, reputation, etc.) will not be as important compared to how close they are to home, living costs, travel costs, etc.

 

Just focus on applying EVERYWHERE right now, make sure each of those applications are as amazing as you can make them. Once you get some acceptances, list the pros vs. cons for each school, and see what you get.

[ontariostudent]

I was fortunate enough to be accepted at my three top schools. I then had a very short time to make a decision that will influence the rest of my life. I could not have predicted the way it turned out. Apply everywhere, and once you find out where you get in you can decide which to attend. Ultimately, the decision will always be a personal one.

[Microbiodude]

the school for you = the school that accepts you.

 

If you do get multiple offers then:

 

1) look at each school's teaching style: do you like lots of lectures or do you like more group based learning. Most schools have both components as part of their curriculum so if you like both that's fine as well. Also each school offers a few unique opportunities somewhat exclusive to that school. Ex: opportunity to experience rural med or large scale tertiary care centres, etc.

 

2) look at the city each school is in: do some research about the city, talk to friends who may have lived there and get their opinions about it. the city you live in for your medical education can play a role in how much you enjoy your time at that school.

 

3) look at the class sizes. I'm not sure how huge a role this will play as by no means will your education be compromised by larger classes. However, if you like a really small class you may opt to choose Schulich Windsor over U of T.

 

4) look at the potential for financial aid. Medical education is fairly expensive and so if you have a greater potential to earn more scholarships at one school over another that may play a huge role depending on your financial status.

 

These are some things to consider when deciding between schools. I hope that helps.

 

Additionally, I remember reading a thread about this topic or something similar and it was very informative as well. I've most likely reiterated a lot of common points but it would serve you well to look for that as well. Best of luck with your application.

[Femto]

Thanks so much for the responses, and I understand what you are all saying, but I still feel somewhat uncertain.

 

My concern is that the following hypothetical situation may occur: I apply to four schools during third year, and I get accepted to my fourth choice school, knowing full well that if I applied during fourth year I would have had a stronger application, and thus, be more likely to secure a spot at my first or second choice school. It seemes to me that it would be absolutely absurd to turn down a spot with no alternative choice, which begs the question - why did I even apply to that school in the first place?

 

I am fully comfortable in doing a fourth year if need be (which I am sure will be the case anyway, however, I need to think this through regardless), but it would be all the better if I get into my top choice schools sooner rather than later, obviously.

 

It seems that you are all saying the school you go to has little to do with matching to a residency of your choice. Is this correct?

[Jochi1543]

Thanks so much for the responses, and I understand what you are all saying, but I still feel somewhat uncertain.

 

My concern is that the following hypothetical situation may occur: I apply to four schools during third year, and I get accepted to my fourth choice school, knowing full well that if I applied during fourth year I would have had a stronger application, and thus, be more likely to secure a spot at my first or second choice school. It seemes to me that it would be absolutely absurd to turn down a spot with no alternative choice, which begs the question - why did I even apply to that school in the first place?

 

As everybody said,

 

1) worry about getting in SOMEWHERE first. This year I applied to a school I REALLY didn't wanna go to, but you know what? If they were the only ones who admitted me, I'd go, of course. Just because you think you have a stronger application doesn't mean you'll be more successful in admissions.

 

2) If you absolutely don't see yourself going somewhere, don't apply there, it's just gonna be a waste of $ and your time. In my case, when I got the interview invite to that school, it was quite costly and a huge hassle for me to go there, so I spent quite a bit of time pondering whether I wanted to bother with it (I had a very bad experience at that school in the previous cycle and knew it'd be a terrible fit for me). Then I remembered how stiff the competition is for med school seats and went anyway. Thankfully, I ended up getting into my first choice and nowhere else, so it all worked out very well.

[blinknoodle]

There are a few things to think about. I see where you are coming from... but every medical school in Canada is great and will take you where you want to go. If you are planning on applying to the Caribbean, then I would definitely say try Canada first and not to be too eager to jump ship.. but that is because the opportunities from those schools are not equal to Canadian schools, whereas all Canadian medical schools are on par.

 

I would encourage you to still apply in third year and give it a go. Just doing the application, doing some interviews (even if unsuccessful) will be helpful if you need to go to round 2 in fourth year. Once you get accepted, then you can decide whether an admission from school X is worth declining for the potential of getting admitted to school Y the next year. You could always try deferring for another round, but I am not sure if you can still apply if it is still in the same region. I know someone who deferred Queen's for a year so she could apply to the States, but I am not sure if she could reapply to Ontario.

[Rayven]

I think Microbiodude covered most of the important bases. But yeah, if you got accepted in 3rd year then I'd definitely suggest you take up that offer. Just because you meet the cutoffs this year doesn't mean you'll necessarily make the cutoffs again next year since your GPA for that year isn't certain yet. And even if you do make the cutoffs next year, you still have the luck element involved with the interviews.

 

Honestly, most Canadian med schools are just about equal because the government subsidizes the majority of the cost. What's important is where you get into for your residency. By going to med school now (and saving a year), you'd have that extra year as a buffer should you not get matched into your first choice for residency/specialty.

[Femto]

Thanks for this great feedback!!

 

I think the fundamental question that I have is (this may seem like an unsuccessful attemt to avoid redundancy in my questions, so I do apologize); What is the most effective way in ensuring getting into the residency of your choice, and does the medical school you go to make that much of a difference?

[Rayven]

I'm not nearly at that stage yet but there's a whole forum section about this. Anyways, from what I gathered it's all about your USMLE scores and your electives and building references with the doctors in that hospital.

[ontariostudent]

I'm not nearly at that stage yet but there's a whole forum section about this. Anyways, from what I gathered it's all about your USMLE scores and your electives and building references with the doctors in that hospital.

 

USMLE? Um....

This is the CaRMS forum, which means the OP is talking about CANADA. The USMLE matters ONLY in the US. In Canada we write the boards AFTER we get residency positions, so what you get is determined by your electives, ECs, refs, and interview. Networking is also key. Board scores are absolutely not a factor.

[Rayven]

USMLE? Um....

This is the CaRMS forum, which means the OP is talking about CANADA. The USMLE matters ONLY in the US. In Canada we write the boards AFTER we get residency positions, so what you get is determined by your electives, ECs, refs, and interview. Networking is also key. Board scores are absolutely not a factor.

Whoops. My bad. lol

 

I was up reading some thread last night about a group of people who wanted to form a study group in York for their USMLEs and yeah... my bad. There wasn't really a need to capitalize everything after though. >.>

 

Anyways, I'd say it's mostly based on your electives and references (from those electives). I don't think ECs will play as important of a role as they did for getting into med school.

[Lactic Folly]

If you wish to match at a specific location (or match in a specialty that is not offered at all schools), then it may be easier to establish contacts if you attend that same school. However, it is certainly possible to match at schools other than your own, by doing electives there.

[ontariostudent]

Whoops. My bad. lol

 

I was up reading some thread last night about a group of people who wanted to form a study group in York for their USMLEs and yeah... my bad. There wasn't really a need to capitalize everything after though. >.>

 

Anyways, I'd say it's mostly based on your electives and references (from those electives). I don't think ECs will play as important of a role as they did for getting into med school.

 

Sorrry, I overdid it. Please don't hate me.

[Femto]

If you wish to match at a specific location (or match in a specialty that is not offered at all schools), then it may be easier to establish contacts if you attend that same school. However, it is certainly possible to match at schools other than your own, by doing electives there.

 

Thank you!