out-of-province application to McGill

[Guest lf]

Hi, does anyone know what kind of stats are competitive for out-of -province applicants to McGill? (Realistically, I mean competitive enough for interview and acceptance). I'm a grad student with GPA about 3.85 and MCAT total 34, is this good enough?

[Guest MEDCOMPSCI]

Is your 3.85 GPA your undergrad GPA? Assuming that is the case, then you may well have a shot at McGill. Your MCAT score is pretty decent and ditto for your GPA. I believe however that McGill admits 5 OOP (could be wrong though) and even admits mroe US students than OOP ones. So, it is very hard to know with such a small number of invites if your stats are good enough. You have pretty decent stats so I would give it a go, I am sure that some OOP with your numbers have been admitted in the past.

[Guest Ian Wong]

Just eyeballing your post, those look like pretty good numbers to me. Perhaps try calling up McGill, and asking them if they can share with you any statistical data on successful OOP applications in the past few years. I think MEDCOMPSCI is right in that they allocate some spots for international (read: American) students, but perhaps getting in as an OOP is still possible.

 

Ian

UBC, Med 3

[Guest ricorod]

I remember reading a table somewhere deep in the McGill medicine site about admission statistics. True, only 5 or some ridiculously low number of out-of-provinces were accepted, but there weren't that many applicants, either. I think overall, the acceptance rate for OOP's was around 1 in 7 or 1 in 8 or so. This is roughly the same as the acceptance rate in Ontario, no? That being said, the acceptance rate for Americans/internationals was 1 in 4 or 1 in 3, and there were around 35 spots for them. This is a whole shelf of cans of worms, but it really pisses me off how few OOP spots there are at McGill compared to American spots. I mean, everyone complains about the brain drain, yet no one mentions how many foreign doctors are trained here, probably with no intention of staying here to practice. It all boils down to money....maybe there are other issues, maybe I'm just bitter.

[Guest MEDCOMPSCI]

I have spoken to people at McGill, and even have a friend who is very good friends with heir cheif of surjury, and it seems that they prefer the American school system better than those outside Quebec. Plus, a lot of those people admitted are not forgien; they are just Canadian students who opted to do their undergrad in the US. Also, since McGill students match well in the US, they can save the money by applying as an in-province applicant, and then high-tail it back to the US.

 

Only makes one think that if Canada paid docs like in the US, would all of this even be an issue?

[Guest Heywood]

You're probably bitter as most people are, but you're also right (which explains the bitterness I guess).

 

Speaking to guys who got in from the states (read actual americans) they said that the only reason they came to McGill is because tuition is WAY cheaper and they still get a competitive match in the states. They have no intention of staying in Canada. I think (and this is my opinion only) that McGill is way more interested in keeping its international rep than actually providing a quality education for Canadians. That's why they accept so many foreign students while skimping on student resources.

 

Never said I wasn't bitter...

 

Have a good one.

[Guest jase]

same as subject

[Guest j]

aren't international students charged more at mcgill? i.e. does the province/country subsidize their education?

 

imho, if the canada is subsidizing their medical education, then they should be REQUIRED to either pay back the subsidy when they leave, or work here long enough to pay us back!

[Guest AniyaSG]

McGill charges in-province students the least. OOP students get charged a little higher (they adjust the tuition to be equal to the canadian average I was told). International applicants get charged the international rate, just like at any Canandian school, which may still be cheaper that some US schools, I haven't looked into it. They are limited in the number of OOP students they can accept by the Quebec government which dictates the number of OOP students that can study medicine in Quebec. This year, there were apparently ~400 OOP applicants for the 5-7 spots at McGill (depends if the other medical schools use theirs), of which they interviewed 46.

[Guest RZ]

Hi AniyaSG, how did you find out that "there were ~400 OOP applicants for the 5-7 spots at McGill (depends if the other medical schools use theirs), of which they interviewed 46"? What do you mean by it "depends if the other medical schools use theirs"?

 

Thanks!

[Guest bad hombre]

what do you guys think about applying to Mcgill with a foreign citizenship? I would still apply to other schools as a canadian though. but i think i'd have a better chance of getting into mcgill as an international. I wouldn't mind paying international fees as long as i got in. =P

[Guest guest]

m

[Guest Guest]

You cannot do that. If you have dual citizenship, you will still be considered as out of province, not international. If you fail to declare your dual citizenship, you will eventually have to face being kicked-out.

[Guest AniyaSG]

RZ: I heard those numbers from the head of admissions while interviewing there. I don't remember exact numbers but if I recall properly the number of apps from OOP students was approximately 400. For your other question, the Quebec government only allows a certain number of OOP students (I think it's a certain number in medicine) to study in Quebec. If the other medical schools in Quebec do not fill their quotas of OOP students, McGill gets up to 2 extra spots. Thus the 5-7 OOP spots. Also explained to me by the head of admissions while at McGill. Was a very informative visit!

[Guest aa]

it is impossible to apply with a foreign citizenship if you also have Canadian citizenship because they will need to know what your immigration status IS in Canada. That being asked, you would have to answer = citizen. NOT POSSIBLE!!!!!!

[Guest bad hombre]

My original plan was to let them know I had a dual citizenahip and that I was willing to pay international fees. I mean, obviously I wasn't going to hide it from them! Like what would I tell them after four years when they tried to kick me out of the country?

 

Maybe they won't mind... it's not as if they imposed the limit themselves... it's all the govt's fault

[Guest guest]

Your logic makes sense. I was in the exact same position and did the exact same thing (ask them if I can enter the international applicant pool because of my U.S. citizenship - I do not even have a Canadian citizenship, I am just a permanent resident). It just does not work. You would have to denounce your Canadian status. But then you could not go to school here, qualify for health care and would be screwed for all the other Canadian schools.

[Guest Thewonderer]

The 5-7 OOP spots include Canadians who study in the US or Canada. The 25 spots reserved for Americans and internationals are for them only, not for Canadians who go to USA for undergrad.

 

I do believe that financial incentive is behind all of these. And no other reason.

[Guest s]

so, i am a junior at a college in the U.S.with a GPA of a 3.5 and MCAT of 30...do you think it's worth applying to Montreal for medical school? I have a lot of hospital experience and volunteering and go to a very decent college. I was a little worried when I saw that 3.9/31 was wait-listed, but my pre-med advisor seems to think that it's not impossible that i might get in. What do you think (honestly)? There's so much about McGill that seems ideal for me....

[Guest Thewonderer]

To s,

I would say go for it! Only McGill in Montreal accepts that many Americans though.

[Guest i]

It's an even better idea to live in Quebec for a year and obtain residency - well, I guess it actually winds up being two years because you have to be a resident at the time of application. It's easy, you just live in Quebec without being a student for a year and provide some proof such as pay stubs from a job or a lease. Then it's much easier to get in and you don't have to pay so much. Time = Money. In this case, I think an extra two years may be worth it (you'll only have to pay 10% of the international fee). In the meantime, you could apply to other schools. Besides, Montreal is an absolutely fabulous city! The time will fly by!

[Guest Petra]

Does anyone know what the profile for accepted oop applicants are like? It seems to me with such few spots that they would look at more than just marks, and ultimatly it would be a crapshoot. I consider myself a decent candidate, with a bit of a screw up my first year (3.3), however my last two years have been 3.75 (and writing the MCAT this summer). I also have decent amount of extra-curricular and research work. I don't know too much about this school, but does anyone have any advice, i.e. is this one of those school that you shouldn't waste your time if you have under 3.9 as an oop?

[Guest Lola Lee Lolo]

as a recent mcgill undergrad who is OOP, my sense from the start was that you must have a stellar application to be considered if you are an OOP. with respect to international students, just think about it--the more they have, the more tuition they can charge, and in the long run that is sadly how matters are run. if you have completed a masters and are OOP, you might have an edge over the undergrad....i know someone who was successful in getting into mcgill med through this route. but, in the long run, i feel mcgill is traditional in their choosing of students: they look first and foremost at those damn GPAs and MCATs. if you aren't way up there, then i suggest applying to other schools, which may have more 'lenient' standards, or may be focussing more on the all-round applicant.

best of luck all. montreal is cool!

[Guest Biochem10]

Hi. I just recently went to a Med night at McGill and for all you out of province students...Yes, your GPA does need to be high (3.7-4.0), but I'm convinced that it's really the essay that counts in terms of receiving an interview. Don't be intimidated by the low acceptance rate for Out of province students, just differentiate yourself from the rest of the applicants and apply!

[Guest Petra]

I figure its best to apply and just know, than to always wonder . . . My MCAT turned out OK (33, 11s across), so hopefully I'll be able to write a wicked essay, and maybe my EC's will make up for my lack of a stellar GPA (it came up as 3.6 on my OMSAS app). I wish schools here were more like the US where a 3.5 with EC is actually something (unlike here where a 3.9 is a 3.9, no matter if you havent seen daylight in four years!!)