Choosing electives carefully

[JP2118]

Hi guys/girls, if I'm interested in applying to internal medicine, particularly in Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, or somewhere else in southern Ontario, how should I plan out my electives in 3rd/4th year, and when should I start applying? Would I try to stack all my elective time in one school in particular, the one I'm most interested in, even if it's insanely hard to get in there, or would I apply for electives in some of the others to be safe? And should I do them all in IM, or some in a backup? Is there any help with living accomodations? Thanks guys/girls!

[igeorgex]

Hi guys/girls, if I'm interested in applying to internal medicine, particularly in Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, or somewhere else in southern Ontario, how should I plan out my electives in 3rd/4th year, and when should I start applying? Would I try to stack all my elective time in one school in particular, the one I'm most interested in, even if it's insanely hard to get in there, or would I apply for electives in some of the others to be safe? And should I do them all in IM, or some in a backup? Is there any help with living accomodations? Thanks guys/girls!

 

1. Apply to electives 6-9 months in advance. Some schools will not consider applications BEFORE a specific date, like UBC and Calgary (see each school's site for details). I applied for all my IM electives 6-7 months in advance and got my first choice for everything.

2. No, don't stack your time at one school. 1 elective at a school for IM is usually enough to get you an interview there. If you really like your home school, make sure to do another elective there as well just to get to know the program better. If you're at a med school in Ontario, it's a good idea to go somewhere out west like Alberta/Vancouver to do an elective to show your interest and your flexibility in potentially relocating for residency.

3. You don't need to do all your electives in IM. Make sure to do electives at the schools you are most interested in though. Also, you don't need to do all your electives in CTU - subspecialty is good too, though you might luck out and work with a program director or admissions committee member if you do a CTU elective.

4. You arrange your own living accommodations. If you have friends in that city reach out. Otherwise you can check this group out on facebook: Canada medical school electives housing requests / ads

[JP2118]

Thank you very much for all of your help/advice! Any thoughts on competitiveness/my chances for IM around the country? Particularly, Toronto, Mac, UBC and Calgary?