stefangg Posted March 26, 2012 Report Share Posted March 26, 2012 Hey guys, I'm not an avid poster here, but I wanted to start a discussion about the different Medical Schools in Canada. What would you say are the advantages or disadvantages of each school. I've been trying to research them, and I have a good idea, but I was curious what kind of feedback I would get from you guys. To make this easier: Just talk about your school in particular, and then we can have a discussion on the differences. Thanks SG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lolelol Posted March 26, 2012 Report Share Posted March 26, 2012 Why? Chances are you won't get a choice. You apply to all the schools, get into one if you're lucky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anastasia Posted March 26, 2012 Report Share Posted March 26, 2012 An advantage of one school for me will be someone else's disadvantage. ie. University of Manitoba is my top choice, 1. because Manitoba is my home (a great advantage), and 2. I love the curriculum. Others might also love the curriculum but find the location to be a disadvantage. Why don't you make your own list? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JB. Posted March 26, 2012 Report Share Posted March 26, 2012 Whoot! Nine posts and we already have a pissing contest going. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaeFleur Posted March 26, 2012 Report Share Posted March 26, 2012 Ouch. The poor OP! It's only a "stupid" question because advantages and disadvantages for each school are different for each person. I like your answer brooksbane, but also like that megusta pointed out that you likely won't have a choice! Perhaps checking out the Maclean's university guide may help? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lolelol Posted March 26, 2012 Report Share Posted March 26, 2012 You started the pissing contest, as you often do, so enjoy it. So I like to call out delusional thinking when I see it (yes, that was a joke) 1. you were the first person to reply and you predicted a pissing contest in the midst... hmmm I wonder if you were setting the stage for anything 2. you called him an idiot first. You started the pissing contest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prof.A.DumbleDore Posted March 26, 2012 Report Share Posted March 26, 2012 Like my other post.... The Great Premed 101 Hyper War of 2012. Which side will you choose? Can't wait for Diablo 3? Activate your account for only $59.99 plus $29.99 monthly fee, join the online RPG gaming sensation better than World of Warcraft and Diablo 3! Level up your character by facing gigantic trolls or completing quests such as answering a premed's cry for guidance! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stefangg Posted March 27, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 27, 2012 Huh... Never thought that asking for help would be met with such animosity. Thanks brookesbane for the honest response. And everyone else: Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarvish Posted March 28, 2012 Report Share Posted March 28, 2012 What the hell happened here? I thought it was a reasonable question, as a pre-med, we only know stuff about med schools that THEY tell us. Of course, that becomes highly biased and it's sometimes nice to know a bit more from other people. I admit, the OP could have possibly done some external research even by just reading the various forums for the different med schools. But, I think the responses were a bit over the top :/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MyGPAsucks Posted March 28, 2012 Report Share Posted March 28, 2012 What the hell happened here? I thought it was a reasonable question, as a pre-med, we only know stuff about med schools that THEY tell us. Of course, that becomes highly biased and it's sometimes nice to know a bit more from other people. I guess people thought it was like asking, "What are the advantages/disadvantages of being Bill Gates, the Queen of England, and JK Rowling?" For one thing, it's probably a matter of 'which school is willing to take me?' for most of us. I have certain preferences of course, but I'd be willing to go wherever an acceptance came from, since most schools are pretty equal here, unlike in the States. But hypothetically speaking, if I got an offer from every Canadian school (and it wasn't computer failure/ me paying someone to hack into the system/ divine intervention from the Premed Gods), and I had to consider the relative strengths and weaknesses of each school, I'd probably choose Western or Mac because of their curriculum, approaches, philosophies, and proximity to home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dy727 Posted March 28, 2012 Report Share Posted March 28, 2012 Adv: close to home cheaper(?) know friends going there more opportunities you got in Disadv: you didn't get in far from home expensive Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stefangg Posted March 28, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 28, 2012 I only started this topic as a means to discuss the differences between the schools. I HAVE done my research, the real reason anyone would ask any question is because they aren't sure. So far, I'm loving the sound of Schulich and COMPASS, but I'm not completely sure how each of the different curriculums suit different people. In the end, we are all learning how to be doctors, so does it make any difference at all? ^ that was the original intent. My bad if individuals thought this would be a safe way to flex their ego. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stefangg Posted March 28, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 28, 2012 I'm sorry for making a post with a completely ridiculous question. My aim was to only start a discussion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmorelan Posted March 28, 2012 Report Share Posted March 28, 2012 I'm sorry for making a post with a completely ridiculous question. My aim was to only start a discussion. No worries - I actually don't think it is an unreasonable question at all. Each year in May a huge number of people have to know the answer to that question when they get acceptances to more than one school. As others have pointed out it is somewhat hard to give a complete picture because we cannot directly compare schools completely - we only go to one of them. Plus all the schools ultimately provide excellent education so it often comes down to personality and "fit". I have seen several, sometimes even contradictory answers to why people like their particular school as well Messy. We sometimes joke that one schools is significantly better than an other but unlike the US all the schools pretty much have the same funding per student (unlike the US were it can 10x as much from school to school). There is some consistency in quality as a result from that and other regulatory things. Yes we all jump up and down and announce the results of the end license exams but really the scores are pretty darn close. We jump up and down about the match rates but really that varies from year to year and depends much more on the applicants than the school (what is going on at Mac this year is interesting and sometime we are still processing - it is a confusing year). When Western got first in the license scoring in 2010 I just say it as normal variation of a bunch of schools that always score close together - someone has to come out on top I wasn't like we completely changed something to make it happen. So things like your research, your preference of a city to live in, your preference in the way you learn come into play. And of course as others pointed out which school actually accept you - because in the end they are all awesome Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davjw Posted March 28, 2012 Report Share Posted March 28, 2012 No worries - I actually don't think it is an unreasonable question at all. Each year in May a huge number of people have to know the answer to that question when they get acceptances to more than one school. As others have pointed out it is somewhat hard to give a complete picture because we cannot directly compare schools completely - we only go to one of them. Plus all the schools ultimately provide excellent education so it often comes down to personality and "fit". I have seen several, sometimes even contradictory answers to why people like their particular school as well Messy. We sometimes joke that one schools is significantly better than an other but unlike the US all the schools pretty much have the same funding per student (unlike the US were it can 10x as much from school to school). There is some consistency in quality as a result from that and other regulatory things. Yes we all jump up and down and announce the results of the end license exams but really the scores are pretty darn close. We jump up and down about the match rates but really that varies from year to year and depends much more on the applicants than the school (what is going on at Mac this year is interesting and sometime we are still processing - it is a confusing year). When Western got first in the license scoring in 2010 I just say it as normal variation of a bunch of schools that always score close together - someone has to come out on top I wasn't like we completely changed something to make it happen. So things like your research, your preference of a city to live in, your preference in the way you learn come into play. And of course as others pointed out which school actually accept you - because in the end they are all awesome What happened at Mac this year? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curi0user Posted March 28, 2012 Report Share Posted March 28, 2012 Why? Chances are you won't get a choice. You apply to all the schools, get into one if you're lucky. Probably the smartest post in there.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin Hood Posted March 28, 2012 Report Share Posted March 28, 2012 Why? Chances are you won't get a choice. You apply to all the schools, get into one if you're lucky. Unless you're a cegepien in Quebec who got a good R Score... I don't know how it is for Quebec university students. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thehumanmacbook Posted March 28, 2012 Report Share Posted March 28, 2012 What happened at Mac this year? A large number of students went unmatched, though they had about 5 students match into ophthal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lolelol Posted March 28, 2012 Report Share Posted March 28, 2012 Unless you're a cegepien in Quebec who got a good R Score...I don't know how it is for Quebec university students. What's CEGEP exactly? is it just a special kind of high school? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MyGPAsucks Posted March 28, 2012 Report Share Posted March 28, 2012 What's CEGEP exactly? is it just a special kind of high school? CEGEP comes after high school. In Quebec, students finish in grade 11 and then can go on to CEGEP, which (I think) is usually two years. Once they're finished CEGEP they can go on to university. I'm not actually from Quebec but most of my family is, but if I'm not mistaken, some CEGEP programs are designed to be like college... you can graduate and then get a job afterwards. Others are more like pre-university type programs. For CEGEP graduates, McGill has a Med-P that basically combines undergrad and med school. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
future_doc Posted March 28, 2012 Report Share Posted March 28, 2012 What's CEGEP exactly? is it just a special kind of high school? Cegep, college, was started about 40 years ago in Quebec when the government wanted to delay tadrehe crop of students an entering the job market. It did, however, serve a greater purpose and is a good thing that is unique to Quebec. Geaduation from Cegep by academically gifted students can lead directly to professional school, e.g., dentistry, pharmacy, medicine, law without the necessity of doing undergraduate studies leading to a bachelors dwgree prior to entering professional school. This fast tracking system of education has worked out well, saving time and money, and these younger professionals pass all licencing requirements and make for fine and competent professionals. Generally speaking, the 2 years of Cegep are recognized equivalent to one year of university education and thus, in Quebec, one tsakes three years to obtain a B.A. or B.Sc. instead of the usual four years outside of Quebec. Another good aspect of Cegep is that it allows students a chance to mature and develop a strong work ethic without penalizing students for bad grades. As an example, when I attended Cegep, I had not yet developed a serious work ethic and my grades certainly were not competitive for med school. These grades did not follow me nor become part of my GPA. I was able to have a fresh start upon entry to undergraduate studies where I became a straight A student and this new history allowed me to apply to med school without academic blemish, whereas if my Cegep grades would have followed me, I would not have been a competitive applicant. Cegep definitely makes the transition to university easier than directly from high school. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JB. Posted March 29, 2012 Report Share Posted March 29, 2012 The biggest decision you have to make is what schools can you get into. This is based on where you live and what your strengths are. In either east or west you have the two schools with the 3 year programs, Mac and U of C. There are millions of threads about the ups and downs of the 4 year vs 3 year program and it would take all day to really get into them but the summary is that 1) How old are you and how fast do you want to get it done 2) are you prone to burn out 3) what kind of extra curricular life do you have after school and how much will a condensed program cut into it. The most academic schools (up for debate) tend to be U of T and U of A and some people don't like this approach and would rather be more "clinically focused". This of course makes these schools sound like they are not clinically focused and hence the pissing war between schools. If I could go back and start over I would have accepted Queens. I like the smaller class size despite the smaller hospital (and arguably less volume and variety of cases), I also like that they don't have an MD/PhD program that they aren't pushing down your throat. If I had the VR I would have also applied to Western because they have a solid rep of taking care of their own where I personally feel the U of leaves you out in the cold. Of course UBC would be awesome for me just for the locations, I know nothing about the program. McGill was also something I was personally consideing up until i realized that I would probably have to learn french to get through clerkship and residency and thats just not something I was prepared to do after hours. GL U of who? 10 char Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JB. Posted March 29, 2012 Report Share Posted March 29, 2012 You're at U of A, right? How do you feel they leave you out in the cold? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stefangg Posted March 29, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 29, 2012 I don't get it... Why would there be backlash? We are all here to help each other out in any way you can. You just gave insight into U of A for anyone considering it. I'm 100% sure there are benefits of going to any school. And yes: the question is EXTREMELY subjective, but that was the point. There is only SO MUCH you can research, and read, and ultimately, take with a grain of salt. In this topic: I wanted the grads, the pre-meds and current medical school students to discuss THEIR schools, their perks, their shortcomings, and ultimately paint as clear of a picture as possible. In the end, you get in where you get in, and trust me, I get that. /endrant As a side note: I appreciate your posts Para D. You obviously have a very literal and practical approach to life and your studies. Again I reiterate, I appreciate your comments and the comments of everyone here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stefangg Posted March 29, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 29, 2012 Ahhh that makes sense. Thanks for the clarification! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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