medschool_hopeful Posted June 13, 2010 Report Share Posted June 13, 2010 Those of us who are wanted to go to medical school, would I'm sure love to hear the opinions of people who have already been there and done that. Which one did you go to, why did you like/dislike it? Is there another one you wanted to go to but didnt for some reason? Also which one is hardest to get into? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medschool_hopeful Posted June 13, 2010 Author Report Share Posted June 13, 2010 THe best one is based on each person's interests and learning stylehardest one to get into is the one that factors your application's weakness the most (If your gpa isn't that good then Mac is going to be hard to crack. If your MCAT isn't good then UWO/Queen's will be hard to crack.) Don't be shocked if you don't get a universal answer because there isn't one. Thanks for your opinion, but i was expecting different opinions. I agree with you 100% however because not everyone has the same strengths and weaknesses. But what about you, which one do YOU think was the best and WHY? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lactic Folly Posted June 13, 2010 Report Share Posted June 13, 2010 Most of us have only attended one medical school, so it's difficult to compare. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigM Posted June 13, 2010 Report Share Posted June 13, 2010 For me UWO is the best school, its why I choose it. I also interviewed at and was accepted at Queen's and NOSM. I was fairly lucky in that the 3 schools I was the most interested in are the ones that I was offered interviews and acceptances at. As for why I feel that UWO is the best for me: 1. UWO is not the most prestegious Ontario school but it has a great rep. I know that this school will prepare me well for residency. 2. I am very interested in rural practise and UWO is a great school for this. Although it is probably not as good as NOSM for this, I would argue that UWO would be the 2nd best school for interest in and dedication to rural preparation. 3. The social life at UWO and in London are amazing. I have been in this city for 6 years now and I love it. 4. Great access to specialized fields. Although London has a fair bit less specialization than Toronto and may be slightly less specialized than Hamilton, the medical services that we have here are fantastic and there's a lot of great things that I can see if I show interest in them. 5. Four year program. Although this would only seperate the school from Mac, I don't feel rushed to get through med school and I would rather be a in four year than a three year program. 6. Program structure - UWO is a nice mix of structured content and letting you go on your own. The large group based lectures will make sure you cover most of the content you are required to learn but there's also plenty of time to pursue your own interests. I would say that Mac and UofT are on opposite ends of this spectrum and UWO falls perfectly in my middle range. Aside from the social life aspect I won't claim that UWO is the absolute best in any of these categories. However, in all these areas it matches what I am looking for very closely, so overall I am confident that I made the right choice. Granted... I will say that Queens is very close to UWO in many of these aspects as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emcd Posted June 13, 2010 Report Share Posted June 13, 2010 hmmm, U of T is the best because they are the only one's who accepted me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
janny_jan Posted June 13, 2010 Report Share Posted June 13, 2010 Due to my fairly decent VR score and bah humbug BS score, I only applied to Mac. I only interviewed at Mac. And I was only accepted to Mac. After extensive scientific research, I have come to this conclusion: Mac is the best! :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shannn Posted June 13, 2010 Report Share Posted June 13, 2010 hmmm, U of T is the best because they are the only one's who accepted me Well, Ottawa is the best because they are the only ones that accepted me But compared to U of T (many of my friends/colleagues from work went to U of T meds), I like Ottawa's curriculum better, but U of T gives you more opportunities at research and allows you to experience some amazing stuff at EVERY hospital in Toronto (if you choose, since U of T is affiliated with every hospital/rehab centre in Toronto). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medschool_hopeful Posted June 13, 2010 Author Report Share Posted June 13, 2010 Most of us have only attended one medical school, so it's difficult to compare. True, but im sure one would have done a lot of research on the subject. --- BigM : You bring up a lot of very good points. I'm really thinking about looking into UWO right now! --- Lol @ emcd, janny_jan and shannn! What better reason to love a school?? --- Janny_jan: Why did you only apply to Mac? Was there a specific reason? --- Shannn: Riight, UofT i've heard is amazing for their research and there are many oppurtunities there. Definitely going to look into that one. But I've also heard that it is EXTREMLY competitive! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supafield Posted June 13, 2010 Report Share Posted June 13, 2010 The question should be switched to if you could chose a best school, beside the one you were accepted to... what would it be. In Ontario, besides Ottawa, I'd likely pick UWO... Did my undergrad there and know the program pretty well. It's a very balanced curriculum. UWO and Ottawa have similar approaches as they both have very balanced and well rounded curricula. Neither rely to heavy on one teaching method and both incorporate a lot of free time for the students. A lot of it also comes down to the city for me. After seeing Kingston, I really liked it. I grew up in a small town and Kingston felt small for a bigger city. However, since going up to Ottawa and looking at houses and going to Byward Market, I'm really excited to be living there for the next 4 years. It has a lot of unique features to it because it is the capital of Canada. I think I would have been very happy at any Ontario medical school... (maybe not T-bay NOSM just because it's so far away from home (Niagara) lol) but I like the curricula at Western and Ottawa the best. Someone else pointed out that they fall right in the middle of the spectrum with UofT and Mac at either end. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rollester Posted June 13, 2010 Report Share Posted June 13, 2010 Personally, I choose UWO for these reasons (other than the ones already mentioned above): (1) Great balance of lectures and small group-based learning in the curriculum. (2) Awesome set-up of pre-clerkship years: core rotations are done in third year as opposed to all rotations being mixed and jumbled up in 3rd and 4th years. It would help us in creating a stronger base for our 4th year electives. (3) I've been living in London for quite some time now and I like it a lot down here! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medschool_hopeful Posted June 13, 2010 Author Report Share Posted June 13, 2010 Wow you guys are really selling UWO to me! I still have to do my research but it seems to have a lot of positives that i'm really liking! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
janny_jan Posted June 13, 2010 Report Share Posted June 13, 2010 --- Janny_jan: Why did you only apply to Mac? Was there a specific reason? --- I didn't make the MCAT cutoffs for UWO or Queens. I don't really have a reason for not applying elsewhere. I have a great VR score but was planning on re-writing the MCAT this August to bump my Bio and doing the whole "apply everywhere" thing next year. Thought I'd give Mac a try to run through the application process. Surprise, surprise...I got in! After doing a very independent Masters, I feel like Mac's program will be perfect for me. Its a great school...just like all of the other schools in Ontario. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medschool_hopeful Posted June 14, 2010 Author Report Share Posted June 14, 2010 Its a great school...just like all of the other schools in Ontario. So I'm guessing what most people are trying to say is that getting into just about any of the medschools in Canada is a big deal right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ollie Posted June 14, 2010 Report Share Posted June 14, 2010 6. Program structure - UWO is a nice mix of structured content and letting you go on your own. The large group based lectures will make sure you cover most of the content you are required to learn but there's also plenty of time to pursue your own interests. I would say that Mac and UofT are on opposite ends of this spectrum and UWO falls perfectly in my middle range. I'm sure sure why everyone thinks UofT is lecture-focused. It's not. There's plenty of small group stuff (anatomy, PBL, seminars, community health, clinical skills) as well as plenty of free half-days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supafield Posted June 14, 2010 Report Share Posted June 14, 2010 So I'm guessing what most people are trying to say is that getting into just about any of the medschools in Canada is a big deal right? Yes, and will afford you almost the same opportunities no matter where you go (a few exceptions). There are differences between the programs that may match up better towards your personal preferences.... but even if you only got into what you consider to be your last choice in the province.... you'll still be given the opportunity to match to any residency you want at the end. You just have to be tactful with your electives during clerkship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmorelan Posted June 14, 2010 Report Share Posted June 14, 2010 So I'm guessing what most people are trying to say is that getting into just about any of the medschools in Canada is a big deal right? Yes. Really the schools are so similar in the quality of their education and they all allow students to get what is needed to be competitive for CARMS that a lot of the debate is just splitting hairs. Except of Western of course - that one is the best Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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