Turks and Caicos Posted May 18, 2012 Report Share Posted May 18, 2012 I am a Canadian and have narrowed it down between queens and Dartmouth. My hope is to eventually end up back in Canada ( probably the west coast) but am not against doing my residency in the states. I just can't decide. Advice would be welcome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sfire Posted May 19, 2012 Report Share Posted May 19, 2012 I am in the same situation as you. Northwestern or western. Haha bump. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VTeight7 Posted May 19, 2012 Report Share Posted May 19, 2012 Here are some factors for you guys to consider: -tuition debt (likely much less with Canadian tuition) -other expenses (travel between home and USA may be more. must get health insurance) -visa issues (not every hospital in the USA wants to sponsor non-American citizens for residency, while you have you have your pick of any Canadian hospital) -no administrative support when applying to CaRMS (at least not at my school) Yes you can tell I'm extremely biased for returning to Canada for residency once I'm done with my studies in the USA, lol. But honestly, if you really want to do residency in the states, it's possible to just study in Canada and take your USMLE board exams. It's not much easier to get an American residency if you go to an American school because it doesn't solve the visa issue I mentioned .. you'd better hope you can marry an American while in med school, to facilitate finding a residency. It happened to quite a few of my Canadian schoolmates. Advantages of studying in the USA: -learning about the differences between Canada and the USA, especially the healthcare system (this gave me a whole new level of appreciation for OHIP. may provide an interesting story during residency interviews.) -if you have time off, travel around the USA is much cheaper & diverse than travel around Canada -their curriculum prepares you much better for the USMLE (however, it doesn't solve the visa issue anyway!) -more lucrative residency & salary options in the specialties than Canada (if you're lucky enough to get sponsored) .. but not so much in primary care Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
007antonymous Posted May 20, 2012 Report Share Posted May 20, 2012 While Dartmouth is certainly one of those name schools that would cause you to think twice about schools in Canada, I just feel the obstacles that you have to face along the way is not worth it. In addition to those mentioned above, the issue of bank loans (if you are getting one) is actually a bit annoying. Cosigners essentially are borrowing the money for you and if you miss a payment in the future, both of your credit ratings drop so in this sense, they're taking a big risk (I understand these could be your parents but still...). You also don't have as many chances to network in Canada, which would help secure the residency you want and I believe many residency directors in the States prefer not to take international residents just because of the uncertainty in obtaining visa. That being said, I believe Dartmouth has one of the largest proportion of international students (although the class size is tiny) who can go through these possible obstacles with you. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slashsev Posted May 21, 2012 Report Share Posted May 21, 2012 I'd stay in canada Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
North12 Posted May 21, 2012 Report Share Posted May 21, 2012 Step 1 or no step 1.... I would pick Canada. It sounds like you get to enjoy your preclinical years a lot more here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Journey Man Posted May 22, 2012 Report Share Posted May 22, 2012 I am a Canadian and have narrowed it down between queens and Dartmouth. My hope is to eventually end up back in Canada ( probably the west coast) but am not against doing my residency in the states. I just can't decide. Advice would be welcome! If you plan on coming back to Canada, without a doubt, pick Queens. You won't regret it. Its a hassle to come back to Canada for anything other than Family Medicine, and you often find out about this the hard way. Not saying impossible, its just more of a hassle, and its difficult to set up electives and such. If you plan on staying in the US long term, I'd still pick Queens and write your Step I and Step II exams. You have 2 full summers off in a Canadian school. Most US schools give you 2 months after 1st year, and THATS IT! THe second "6 weeks" after 2nd year is spent studying for USMLE step 1, and then it doesnt stop. Save yourself the hassle, and save yourself a lot of money and headache, go to Queens Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bored Posted May 22, 2012 Report Share Posted May 22, 2012 if you can apply to carms as an American at the same time as Canadian graduates and be in the same tier, then why would it be much of a hassle coming back and getting a residency? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perigirl Posted May 24, 2012 Report Share Posted May 24, 2012 Am in a similar position - Johns Hopkins vs. McMaster - any advice on this? I am trying to use the similar logic from what was listed above but still finding it hard. One of my parents has been unwell for a while and is now doing much much better but leaving them and going to states seems hard. Any advice? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lactic Folly Posted May 24, 2012 Report Share Posted May 24, 2012 Where do you eventually want to practice? It is still possible to go to the US for residency, fellowship, and/or graduate studies later on if you want the experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perigirl Posted May 24, 2012 Report Share Posted May 24, 2012 At this point I am pretty open - I have never worked or studied in the states so I don't know if I will like it or not. Having been in canada for long though - I love it here and would love to practice here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sfire Posted May 24, 2012 Report Share Posted May 24, 2012 Same position as well. UWO vs. Northwestern. Wish I knew what each path has in store. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lactic Folly Posted May 24, 2012 Report Share Posted May 24, 2012 Another question to ask - are you interested in an academic career? If not, the big name matters less. That being said, medical school is but the start of your journey and there will be future turning points in your career as I mentioned previously, which become more significant the farther along you go. One factor is the opportunities available to you at each school, but more important is the role you take in how well you make use of them. Also, I wouldn't underestimate the importance of family. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slashsev Posted May 24, 2012 Report Share Posted May 24, 2012 None of u have a green card Going to a top us school means nothing bc of visa issues potentially eliminating u from top positions u want Can is the wiser pick n less $$$$ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
omz222 Posted May 25, 2012 Report Share Posted May 25, 2012 None of u have a green cardGoing to a top us school means nothing bc of visa issues potentially eliminating u from top positions u want Can is the wiser pick n less $$$$ Have you gotten into a top American MD to say misleading, false things like that? To the OP and to clarify on the visa issue - yes, if you apply to middle-tier hospitals and programs for residency you will have A LOT of trouble with H1b visa. The low-end hospitals, and the high-end hospitals and programs (I've confirmed Duke, Stanford, Harvard, Vanderbilt specifically so far, though NYP has recently instituted a no-H1b policy) are generally more receptive to sponsoring you for the H1b (my source is a non-US resident who is now interning in Internal Medicine at a top hospital). And going to a top American school WILL be a very important factor conducive to you getting the residency spots you'll want the most as a H1b holder, because there'll be more resources and prestige does play a (small) direct role. And Dartmouth isn't a shabby or unknown medical school by any means as residency app is concerned. You will definitely run into visa problems especially if you are ultra-ambitious, but it is certainly possible to do residency in the States on a H1b. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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