UBC vs. Queen's

[travel.bug]

So I had no idea this could possibly happen but it looks like I got into both UBC and Queen's, but I am completely torn as I can't decide which offer to take. I was wondering if anyone would have any suggestions to help me make an educated choice?

 

I am mainly focused on the quality of the school and the likelihood of good residency matches at the end of the 4 years. It looks like MacLean's ranks UBC higher than Queen's but I have heard endless good things about the small class size and tight-knit community at Queen's. I understand that potentially I can get to know the professors better at Queen's and get a better reference. But does anyone have any more rigid "proof"? Does anyone have friends in either programs that have made comments on educational quality or residency pairings?

 

I understand Vancouver and Kingston are quite different as cities but I'm not too worried about that.

 

If anyone has any comments or suggestions for me at all I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you in advance!

[dagobear]

Which city/province do you see yourself practicing?

[tooty]

Pay no attention to MacLean's rankings. They're there for entertainment value at best. In terms of quality of education, the differences between them are negligible. Good students do well in either school.

 

Kingston's cost of living is much cheaper than Vancouver's. Kingston is much closer to other schools in Ontario, making electives much more convenient. If you want to stay in UBC for residency, UBC is a better choice. Otherwise, I'd go with Queen's.

[tberry3]

You're going to get an excellent education at any Canadian school, so it really comes down to program (i.e. teaching style, how the content is delivered, class size, etc.) and location. It'd probably make sense to go to the school in whichever province you hope to do your residency, but you can't really go wrong either way. It mostly comes down to personal preference, which is a nice luxury to have!

[fugacity]

I had both offers from UT and UBC and my suggestion is to look farther than simply the education. Like others have said, the difference in education is marginal at most. What will be convenient for you is also important. Remember that it is your life, doctor or not, you have every right to make the most out of it.

 

Kingston and Vancouver are obviously different cities, and you have to decide which lifestyle suits you more. If you want an example, UT became my second choice during the interview: UT students are SUPER NICE but it was so cold compared to Vancouver when I was interviewed late March:p

[shady]

Kingston and Vancouver are obviously different cities, and you have to decide which lifestyle suits you more. If you want an example, UT became my second choice during the interview: UT students are SUPER NICE but it was so cold compared to Vancouver when I was interviewed late March:p

 

Are you serious? Toronto? Oh man

[travel.bug]

Thanks for all of your input, guys! I'm very grateful.

 

I've lived the last 13 years in Vancouver and have wanted to experience something new for years! Which makes me think Queen's would be an excellent choice. But I do think Vancouver will always be home and I love it so much and I want to practice here in the future. Is that a good enough reason to stay?

[dagobear]

2 years in your (I'm guessing) 20s outside of Vancouver isn't that long.

 

Those 2 years can be reduced to 2x 8 month spurts.

 

You can do most electives in Vancouver to forge your BC links.

 

Having said that if you are thinking about a competitive specialty in Vancouver I would pick UBC, just to get a bit more of home-court advantage.

[mddreamer]

I was in the exact same boat as you back in May. I grew up in Vancouver and I really want to do my residency back in Vancouver and hopefully end up practicing there. Despite this, I still chose Queen's.

 

I loved Queen's when I interviewed, the students and faculty both seem super friendly and the campus is beautiful. I also really liked Kingston and Queen's was the school where I felt like I fit the best.

 

Another factor influencing my decision was the advice of my former research supervisor who is a physician and teaches at UBC a bit. They suggested that Queen's would probably give me more opportunities to shadow and participate in more procedures, etc. since they have fewer students. They know that I want to do residency in BC if possible, so they recommended trying to do electives in BC (which is what I'm currently planning to do).

 

Good luck making your decision! I'm still very confident that I made the right choice and couldn't be more excited to start at Queen's.

[tooty]

I want to practice here in the future. Is that a good enough reason to stay?

 

Yes. You have an advantage matching to your home school for residency. You have an advantage landing a job around where you do residency. Ergo go to UBC.