Undergrad School Reputation

[Artier]

To what degree does undergrad school reputation matter in US admissions? I'm stuck between the McMaster Life Science, U of T Life Science, and York Biomedical Science programs, but I'm worried about my GPA if I choose U of T. Would the reputation of U of T really put me at an advantage, compared to York or McMaster?

 

Thanks

[nychila]

The reputation of your undergrad does not make a single difference, unless you're enrolling in Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, or MIT AND you're applying to Harvard, Johns Hopkins, or Stanford medical school. The "reputation" of U of T or McGill will not help you in any way. I can say that I've done some research into the area as well as talked to some people. However, you might have a tougher time finding research opportunities at universities without medical research.

[blizzah]

The reputation of your undergrad does not make a single difference, unless you're enrolling in Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, or MIT AND you're applying to Harvard, Johns Hopkins, or Stanford medical school. The "reputation" of U of T or McGill will not help you in any way. I can say that I've done some research into the area as well as talked to some people. However, you might have a tougher time finding research opportunities at universities without medical research.

 

I disagree, at least for American schools. Every interviewer I had last year remarked on the fact I went to U of T. I think it definitely was to my advantage that I went to a school they heard of (and most of them have visited). Every admissions commitee is made up of different people within the school. Rest assured some of them will be school-name whores and will value the school you went to.

 

Your undergrad follows you everywhere. Don't underestimate it.

[nychila]

I disagree, at least for American schools. Every interviewer I had last year remarked on the fact I went to U of T. I think it definitely was to my advantage that I went to a school they heard of (and most of them have visited). Every admissions commitee is made up of different people within the school. Rest assured some of them will be school-name whores and will value the school you went to.

 

Your undergrad follows you everywhere. Don't underestimate it.

 

I'm thinking that there might be an advantage, but it will be very slight, given equivalent GPAs. I don't think that someone would see U of T as a world above McMaster. OP don't over-think it, your GPA, activities at that school, and your undergrad experience are priority. I don't think that York/McMaster undergrad will be any easier or harder than U of T.

[Slashsev]

I have mixed feelings

i can say 100% canada has 0 biase

 

with US

if you seea history of canadian students..i certain MOST are from top programs

UofT and McGill (VERY famous here in the US)

 

ive talked with admission in non-medical programs

 

and several have said there is a big advantage from applying from UofT

 

I would NEVER, EVER, NOT IN A MILLION YEARS APPLY TO UOFT!!

 

I would never ever donate money..and would gladly laugh as i went under

 

UOFT does not teach ANYTHING!!

 

and i have sent emails to the dean asking for my money back

 

it is THE WORST school on earth

...theres my rant

[Slashsev]

at the end of the day..avoid uoft..

and go to ryerson get your 90s...and learn your basic sciences 1-1 vs 1- 1000

[futureGP]

I have mixed feelings

i can say 100% canada has 0 biase

 

with US

if you seea history of canadian students..i certain MOST are from top programs

UofT and McGill (VERY famous here in the US)

 

ive talked with admission in non-medical programs

 

and several have said there is a big advantage from applying from UofT

 

I would NEVER, EVER, NOT IN A MILLION YEARS APPLY TO UOFT!!

 

I would never ever donate money..and would gladly laugh as i went under

 

UOFT does not teach ANYTHING!!

 

and i have sent emails to the dean asking for my money back

 

it is THE WORST school on earth

...theres my rant

 

go to mcgill, it's pretty easy and you get the same reput status

[nychila]

The mentality of the student population is different. Consider the fact that students from UT & McGill tend to be more competitive and want to be doctors even if it means travelling very far to study in the US/abroad, but students from York & Simon Fraser tend to be more relaxed (does not equal underachieving) & enjoys the home environment more. Most of the posters on this forum topic are from UT or UBC, etc. because much more of those students are applying to the US/abroad compared to schools with less reputation, so of course most matriculants at US schools are from reputable schools.

[Slashsev]

jus go to ANY undergrad aside from UOFT

 

i have taught several classes there..and YES they are out to get you...and they DO not teach you ****!

 

the most uneducated people that have slipped through the cracks come out of UOFT..

 

...it is... as many peope say..only the drive of the students that takesthem far..no the school or UofTs education

 

it is by far the biggest horse **** education i have experienced (and this is after experiencing 3 different can education instit and 1 american)

[Slashsev]

i can only imagine the BS that the UofT medical program is...

 

or the ***** that come out of that program!!

 

UofT=horse****!

[blizzah]

jus go to ANY undergrad aside from UOFT

 

i have taught several classes there..and YES they are out to get you...and they DO not teach you ****!

 

the most uneducated people that have slipped through the cracks come out of UOFT..

 

...it is... as many peope say..only the drive of the students that takesthem far..no the school or UofTs education

 

it is by far the biggest horse **** education i have experienced (and this is after experiencing 3 different can education instit and 1 american)

 

If you want people to take you seriously, you really have to start typing in a way that is readable.

[Slashsev]

no matter...i dont take anyone seriously here anyways..ahahaha

[Artier]

Does anyone know someone from a school like York or McMaster that was accepted to an American school?

[Artier]

Am still interested to know if anyone knows someone from a school other than U of T, McGuill or UBC that got into a US school!

[Robin Hood]

Am still interested to know if anyone knows someone from a school other than U of T, McGuill or UBC that got into a US school!

 

Trying asking this question on SDN if you hadn't done so.

[maketheturn]

Am still interested to know if anyone knows someone from a school other than U of T, McGuill or UBC that got into a US school!

 

I have gotten admitted US MD schools coming from a school that are isn't one of the three you mentioned. I have also seen others from Waterloo, Western, Queens get into US schools.

 

Undergrad is your stepping-stone. Not your final destination. Make wise decisions.

[Tinka_Tiger]

You need to try to get a high GPA for med schools in Canada and top schools in the US. If you are confident in your studying, then I would recomment McGill and UofT for school name but if you aren't confident, then I would suggest staying at your home school or going to an "easier" school to secure the high GPA. McGill and UofT life sciences are definitely very hard programs to maintain a high GPA. I did my undergrad at McGill and I know lots of my friends regret choosing McGill and UofT undergrad life sci because now they don't have a competitive GPA for med school.

[Edict]

To what degree does undergrad school reputation matter in US admissions? I'm stuck between the McMaster Life Science, U of T Life Science, and York Biomedical Science programs, but I'm worried about my GPA if I choose U of T. Would the reputation of U of T really put me at an advantage, compared to York or McMaster?

 

Thanks

 

US med schools care about the rep of your school. They will add GPA to your score if you went to a prestigious university like UofT or McGill. That being said, your GPA will suffer if you choose UofT.

[apache]

you know, paradoxically, i've always noticed i do a lot better when people are competitive... i guess in my easy 200 level psych classes, there wasn't much competition, so i'd aim for top 1 or 2 of 350-400 people, then eventually it's like, if you don't agree with prof, go back and forth with them...... it's not even the competing with others aspect thing... it's like even in hockey i'd rather get 45 shots than 11... it keeps a sustained focus and challenge... plus honestly, the way people describe these st george douchebags (i've spent lots of time in to, so i've seen them studying in the library... they're really competitive, to the point of getting a high gpa, but like, **** a plusses, does it take you over 2 hands slighly to count the number of courses where you finnished in the top 1-3 of 300-500 people, or being top 5 in god knows how many thousand psychology students, receiving 1.25 scholarships a month for 2 years in a row... i'm not trying to be showy, but these are the only kind of people i love to complete with, monolithic individuals, who, in defense of any arrogance, should be not just getting a's, but just dominating class discussions, finnishing first, not getting an a plus. yeah, you can tell i think people who think they're hot **** cause they got into med school are annoying, getting a 3.75 and 11,11,11r is seriously not hard... and your not that amazing, lol

 

US med schools care about the rep of your school. They will add GPA to your score if you went to a prestigious university like UofT or McGill. That being said, your GPA will suffer if you choose UofT.

[apache]

yeah, ubc and u of a are decent too if your self motivated beyond belief... but i follow you, i intellectually intimidate most professors i meet, i'm just too cross disciplinary and able to integrate all different topics, with each at a deep layer of understanding... in my whole department of 40 odd folks, only around 3 i found were intellectually on par, if i don't go into the history of religion, science, philosophy, lol, then it's down to 1-2... and only one i feel i can really learn a lot from and could hold convo about designing a convergent multi-modal approach to an experiment without having to consult someone else... le sigh... like, if you need an undergrad to do half your papers im sorry, you suck... with regard to those 2-3 people though, much different view, like the protocol i'm bringing in could put an ed psych, neuro-developmental, memory researcher on the map... so i call the shots, because i've been ripped before, and just didn't happen tp care since i though the ends were stupid anyways... so of course there's only one person accomplished enough and knowledgeable across disciplines i trust to do this here, since i'm so impatient i can't wait 7 months... i've already solved one of the most intricately complex and ubiquitous etiologies of a visual disorder where there up to 6 biological causes... a harvard guys been trying with that for 30 years, and most of my citations for fragments of it are nature... yeah, that'll be nice, i'm writing the whole thing on my own... this second one though, has insane application, i need someone with experience patenting this too, perhaps adding a medication group to have the automated orbitofrontal working mem firing regularly, and the metacognitively controlled verbal, phonological (which can now, in personal experience, verbatim repeat convos an hour long from 15 hours ago, and use the words to transpose the experience... yeah) looks like special ed to 4 grade levels ahead... but seriously... started as a thought experiment, until i found just so much info in comp neuro, comp ling, everything, but no one ever sees the forest from the trees because they can't describe the phenomenology, biochemistry, and sociolization techniques (ever noticed the failed mom and hyperactive boy, the boy being a reflection of the mothers poor parenting being the ubiquitous paradigm for ritalin ads for twenty years) which leads to the social frame of the behavior of say studying as i walk unconventional... hmmm yeah, ill take that criticism into mind when i dont get offered res positions at top canadian schools after first year under the table... when you deal with the heroin addicts in your washroom managing weekend mornings in fast food at 16 you pick up those 2500 hours pretty quick... honestly, i've become extremely meritocratic over the last 7 years... p/f is bull****, egalitarian canadian physician pay is as well... no, having a license doesn't mean we're equal, not even close... ****, this isn't even the impressive stuff, that's not appropriate for mentioning... but seriously, if i were to evaluate, academically, undergrads in my top 5 undergrad uni... i would say only less than 1 in 200 is really up there, and fewer yet truly exceptional. but if you're afraid of taking the 23 arts classes or whatever with 25 science ones all in 4 years... you won't KNOW 13-15 is your verbal range, like, the dumbest question i ever hear is how do i learn verbal in 2 months, iuno... 5000 posts times 500 words a post, often many more, that's 100 250 page books, conservative estimate, just on here, and i do a lot more writing than on here... and im around 85-90 wpm... these posts don't take long, lol... there, now imagine when i'm paid to edit something, yeah, you get a lot better than the phonological transposition onto written word of course

 

people have no idea how much crazy stuff they can experience, especially if u do things you care about... i'm taking business work break right now to play bass and type alternatingly... adhd, what can i say, lol

 

I came from an Ontario university (non UfoT). Got into UToronto med and Cornell med.

 

I will tell you straight up from personal experience. Go to UofT, McGill, or an equivalent American counterpart. I regret going to my undergrad school in Canada as opposed to going to the States and to this point (in medical school now), I still do.

 

I received invites from multiple top schools last year (Yale, Stanford, Harvard, Mayo, WashU, Columbia...etc). 4.00, 38R+ MCAT. Trust me, at schools like these, where you do your undergrad DOES matter in a pool of applicants equally bright and well accomplished. When you sit next to 15 other people, all of which come from Ivies or any of the Top 10 world ranking schools, you feel like a complete tool coming from a university no one outside of that little city where it's based at cares about. At one of my interviews (school shall not be named), the person flat out asked in a contemptuous tone, "umm so you go to University of XXX... where is that again?"

 

It was at that point that I realized that I shouldn't have wasted four years of my life at a university with zero international image.

 

It's a matter of benefit of doubt. They couldn't care less about your 4.00 at a no-name school. Especially if you come in with a mediocre MCAT (aka below a 35), they instantly assume (and to their credit) that the undergrad programs aren't rigorous.

 

Save yourself the trouble and go to either UofT or McGill in Canada or go the the States. In Canada, I would recommend McGill. McGill is no where near the level of UofT when it comes down to graduate programs and research in general. However, McGill's undergraduate programs are good.

[apache]

oh. i will, although, im around the number 4, occasionally 5th one right behind them, but yeah, my cv's already nauseating, when i get time to submit this and once we get the memory stuff done, get a couple of my books perfectionistic enough to publish... then seriously it'll be pick your free ride... i only care about american residencies anyways, if im at a 28th ranked school, doing a betty ford internship, yeah, on top if my ugrad with like a ba and bsc in 4 years a 3.95 psych gpa on over 20 psych courses, like, im pondering what to do about a patent i read that's quite worrisome... yeah, the whole extreme law background, advanced chemistry, advanced ochem, leningers right through, research methods and a liberal arts background that people complained about in med because i would debate the ethics prof... who was more a propogandist... and hired gun to make us into ideologues... my roomie went to parliament to speak on behalf of foreign born img's, harpers lucky i didn't, but honestly, i totally want foreign born img's with canadian citizenships... in the first round, maybe we could cut med school spots and save money... like, they're canadian citizens, and the most elite of them are passed up for a fm spot for some idiot who finnished bottom of the class, took the qe1 twice, and barely passed... yeah, but different education system of course... you mean like mac versus the almost antithetical u of t... tutoring many for mmi's for res, it's almost nauseating, md/phd's, phd in advance biophysics here, waits 14 years to get fm spot... and some retarded person we push through at a cost of 100 k a year get's their spot, is a needy r1, and leads to longer term cost on the health system because of unnecessary hedging of diagnoses by ordering far to many tests, because they didn't study enough...

 

 

 

Am still interested to know if anyone knows someone from a school other than U of T, McGuill or UBC that got into a US school!

[bored]

There is Afew hundred universities and colleges in the us. I highly doubt a med school is going to spend the time and resources to rank all us schools by difficulty and reputation, so I doubt even more that they are gonna do that for international school.

Perhaps it might help you if your interviewer knows your school and you can talk about that.

 

Just an opinion.

[apache]

oh, i think he meant in terms of getting into an ivey or something

 

There is Afew hundred universities and colleges in the us. I highly doubt a med school is going to spend the time and resources to rank all us schools by difficulty and reputation, so I doubt even more that they are gonna do that for international school.

Perhaps it might help you if your interviewer knows your school and you can talk about that.

 

Just an opinion.

[advair250]

Reputation wouldn't directly help, but im sure its in the back of peoples minds here and there.