neuronix Posted May 8, 2010 Report Share Posted May 8, 2010 where would you go? Toronto or McGill? One one hand I think Toronto is a bit better for english speakers, since no french is needed for patient interaction during clerkship. On the other hand, Montreal is way better (living is cheaper, places to party, hotter people) and the medical school is theoretically higher ranked. thoughts? does anyone here have this choice this year? assuming they get in to both? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
listen2me Posted May 8, 2010 Report Share Posted May 8, 2010 This is an opinion, not a fact. I am not an expert. I did not attend Toronto. I am attending McGill. McGill is over rated. They have an excellent branding and PR departments. Maybe they should invest money in other things. Maybe Toronto also is. But in my humbe opinion, Toronto is the way to go. According, not to McLeans, but to an international ranking based on the number of Field Medal winners, Nobel Prize, etc. Toronto beats McGill so bad. These are just numbers. Honestly. And there is the tuition fees, etc. Plus, McGill is raising the tuition fees in some departments and is also thinking of doing so in the medical program. I feel there is a tradition of success at UofT. McGill is also very well known. But I mean, the main focus and the main reason of that recent unjustified hype around McGill is the research quality. To answer the question : For me, The University of Toronto without a single doubt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lise Posted May 8, 2010 Report Share Posted May 8, 2010 Ok, so I never post on these boards but this message has caught my attention. I may be sitting on a decision between these two schools (and McMaster) depending on how things roll out next week, so this has been on my mind lately. Obviously I cannot speak for what the experience of being in these actual 2 medical schools is like, as I will only be beginning next fall, but I have attended both McGill and U of T (Bachelors and Masters degrees, respectively), and I just wanted to point out that the critiques made in the last post (re. overhyped PR for McGill) can DEFINITELY be made equally for U of T as an institution. My U of T Masters program is the most competitive in its field for the country, is in a highly funded, prestigious faculty - and yet, as a student, was fraught with poor quality teaching, disorganization, little student support,etc. I had left McGill after my B.A., with similar complaints about McGill, and would probably have agreed with listentome's post about McGill's overstated reputation before my experience at U of T, but now I think that, really, they are both overhyped!! Both institutions are full of flaws, in different ways (McGill has aging infrastructure, at the whims of quebec politics,etc.; U of T is overwhelmingly huge, both the city and school are seriously lacking in cohesion and often feel sterile and anonymous). Money is a big issue for both, and I believe that in both you will find some classes and profs who are less than optimal, and, conversely, many that are exceptional and very high quality. Ultimately, in my experience, the actual classes/coursework of a degree comprise only one component of one's educational experience - one which, I would posit, may be fairly comparable between U of T and McGill med. The more important factors that will determine the quality of the education are those outside of the class: quality, inspirational profs (and access to these profs), classmates, the spirit of the institution (not something easily captured quantitatively), extracurricular activities, proximity to people that make one happy (family/friends), the amount of joy/misery one experiences living in the said city,etc. For me, accessibility to research opportunities is a huge factor, and this is actually the only factor from this list that I think TO actually has a one-up on McGill (for my field, at least). Make that two, actually - Toronto is warmer! The fact is, U of T and Toronto just have more people, which means more access to a variety of research opportunities. But I know, from having lived in both cities for long periods of time, that there is a joy that comes from living in Montreal that cannot be reproduced in TO. People in Mtl are just happier (including me!)- there is a vibrancy to the city that makes living there a pleasure. This, to me, is equally as valuable as any residency match rating or international list ranking. Anyways, this post a novel, sorry! But those are my thoughts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
listen2me Posted May 8, 2010 Report Share Posted May 8, 2010 Props to Lise's post. Honestly, when you'll be 75 talking about your medical school experience, I do not think you'll remeber that McGill was first on McLeans, while Toronto was second. I honestly think that you will remember the teachers that changed your life, people that you met and still admire, patients that affected you and simple moments. It sounds so cheesy. But I think we often get caught into that because we're used to all that stress coming from medical school applications, the four subsequent years, the residency, fellowship, post-fellowship, etc. But hey, enjoy that dilemma. What is said above is so true and I forgot to mention it. Never ever ever make a choice only based on abstract factors such as reputation. I could create a ranking tomorrow and place the schools I want first, if I work out the factors to my advantage. Choose the school and city where you will be happy. There is life outside the medical school reptuation. You will live there, probably do residency there. 7-10 years. A good doctor is a happy doctor. A good medical student is a happy medical student. Good luck in the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lise Posted May 8, 2010 Report Share Posted May 8, 2010 Same to you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ontariostudent Posted May 9, 2010 Report Share Posted May 9, 2010 I chose U of T over McGill. I have never attended McGill so I can't comment on how they compare, but I can guarantee that the master's programs at U of T don't compare to the medical school experience (which is far better). If anyone needs to choose between the two and wants to know more about why I chose U of T, feel free to PM me. I'm very happy with my decision, but I'm sure I would have also been happy at McGill (though for different reasons). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UTPEOPLE Posted May 9, 2010 Report Share Posted May 9, 2010 Toronto! Toronto! Toronto! Not much reason... just that i love toronto and i love my UT undergrad. 4 more year! 4 more years! (maybe...eventually) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neuronix Posted May 9, 2010 Author Report Share Posted May 9, 2010 well this is all surprising...I guess it would just be a personal reason for me... Montreal is so much better than Toronto. lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DMDcanada Posted May 9, 2010 Report Share Posted May 9, 2010 You go where you will have the best chance of getting the residency of your choice. Med school is a stepping stone to get to residency. You need to see if ppl from toronto end up with more of their top choices and locations more so than mcgill. Go to carms.ca to find out. everyone will get the same education no matter what school you go to in canada or US for that matter. Ive done rotations in a bunch of schools, everyone is on par. Every student has a copy of the objectives u need and everyone has the same textbooks. I would go where you will be the happiest in terms of a city/social support system. Beleive me it is nice to have a family to see when youve just been stuck in a hospital for 30 hours! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ontariostudent Posted May 9, 2010 Report Share Posted May 9, 2010 You go where you will have the best chance of getting the residency of your choice. Med school is a stepping stone to get to residency. You need to see if ppl from toronto end up with more of their top choices and locations more so than mcgill. Go to carms.ca to find out. everyone will get the same education no matter what school you go to in canada or US for that matter. Ive done rotations in a bunch of schools, everyone is on par. Every student has a copy of the objectives u need and everyone has the same textbooks. I would go where you will be the happiest in terms of a city/social support system. Beleive me it is nice to have a family to see when youve just been stuck in a hospital for 30 hours! Fundamentally I agree that medical school is a stepping stone to residency, but not in the way that you mentioned. Medical school is an excellent place to network, so if you know for sure you want to do residency in Toronto, it's not a bad idea to do medical school there. With respect to looking at CaRMS data, it's useless. All Canadian schools have excellent match statistics, and where you match is much more a reflection of who you are than what school you went to (except maybe if you went to a more rural school where there is a much greater emphasis on primary care, and you are dead set on something like ENT). I agree with the rest of your post 100%. Go where you think you'll be happiest, for whatever personal reason. Personal reasons are the best ones for choosing a medical school. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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