If You Had To Choose...

[ArdentMed]

...Between a small university (higher Gpa, class sizes of 50-100 students, good prof student connection, etc.) Or a "prestigious"larger university (more research opportunities, grade deflation, etc.)

 

Which one would you choose?

[cookiemonster99]

...Between a small university (higher Gpa, class sizes of 50-100 students, good prof student connection, etc.) Or a "prestigious"larger university (more research opportunities, grade deflation, etc.)

 

Which one would you choose?

 

There's a couple of assumptions that you are making with that statement. 

A small university doesn't necessary mean a higher GPA or a better prof student connection. 

In some cases it could backfire because there isn't as many prof or courses that you have the freedom to chose from. 

[DarkGhost]

In my opinion, you're not asking the right question.  You should be asking yourself, "where can I go that will challenge me both academically and personally, and set me up to accomplish my long term goals?"

 

How to go about that question will vary between individuals, but I highly recommend writing down a list of 'priorities' and then seeing what universities satisfy them.  If you know yourself well enough, you'll be surprised by how quickly a list of ten universities can become one or two. 

[Korra]

As someone who goes to a smaller university, it isn't really a guarantee you'll get higher grades.

 

It does have other advantages like small class sizes, better able to interact with profs, and being able to befriend more people (from my experience).

 

The most annoying thing is class scheduling. It isn't very flexible at all. That's the main disadvantage.

[NeuroPreMed]

I picked a smaller university because I felt like it allowed me to get to know my profs a little better. It doesn't mean you have a higher GPA or better profs, I just know I can get closer to them in a sense. Most importantly, remember that prestige does not matter in Canada. Go where you truly want to go. You need to enjoy being there, because if you aren't, it'll show in your grades.

[MD2B2019]

Let's ask a question to answer your question. How many MD schools' students are from McGill, Toronto and UBC (top 3 prestige universities)? At what Percentage?

[Harvey Specter]

I went to a small college where my classes probably averaged around 20 people.  

 

The best part of small classes is the prof-student relationships.

I personally got to know every one of my profs and talked to them regularly outside of class.

There were some "advantages" marks wise where they were flexible and bumped me up a grade.

 

Also, making friends is a lot easier with a smaller class. Everyone knew everyone in our science program and everyone got along. 

[Savac]

...Between a small university (higher Gpa, class sizes of 50-100 students, good prof student connection, etc.) Or a "prestigious"larger university (more research opportunities, grade deflation, etc.)

 

Which one would you choose?

I went to a smaller school. So... option 1

[Sigmund Freud]

I chose a larger university (Carleton - more mid size in my opinion) because I felt the small one (Trent) had less opportunities for me, and the science programs were kinda boring there (to me - only basic courses available). It was a difficult choice to make because I felt at home/comfortable at the small school and didn't like the way I felt at the larger one. It was a battle between my emotions and logic; logic one because of the interesting program and the opportunities the big city held.

 

Looking back at it now, I probably would have been better off at Trent because my interests have kinda flopped a little and they have good science programs in the areas that I'm interested in, and I would have been more comfy there (I personally don't care for Carleton's social atmosphere, it feels like highschool drama IMO).

 

If money wasn't an issue I would have chosen Queen's though, I adored everything about it (was my first choice, tried so hard in grade 12 to get in, yet ended up turning down my offer, what a let down).

 

Let this be a warning to anyone deciding which university to go to: make sure you have a good balance of loving a program and feeling on campus (especially if you're moving away from home to attend). You want to make sure the program interests you so you are motivated to study and do well, but you also want to make sure you're comfortable on campus because this also affects your life in many ways, including GPA. When I visited trent I felt energized to the point which I wanted to dance, when I visited carleton I felt stressed; I still feel this way to a certain degree, and now I'm a scrooge who doesn't fit in and kinda hates the social experience of university so far.

[Birdy]

I love my small school but damn if the scheduling doesn't make me want to rip my hair out every July (when we register.)

 

I know my professors really well and they know me really well. It has it's advantages since I tend to be careful about my behaviour, but it is pretty much impossible to salvage your reputation if you screw up at this school. It's very 'small town' in good ways and some bad ways. You can't be anonymous even if you really want to be.

 

Pick where you think you will do well. I know plenty of people at my school with crappy GPAs. Small class sizes are no guarantee of good grades.

[MD2015]

So-called prestige should not be a consideration in the selection process.

[Mithrandir]

I go to a small school and definitely agree with all the above posters. Small class sizes are great, they make for interesting class discussions instead of just a lecture-style class.

I do also agree with the class scheduling though. There has been more than a few times that I have ended up taking a class I have little or no interest in because it is literally the only one that fulfills the requirements I need it to and fits in my schedule.

 Another nice thing about a small school is there is a lot of opportunity to do research, or TAing or other great opportunities like that. There just isn't much competition for the spots. 

[canucks_14]

So-called prestige should not be a consideration in the selection process.

What if that is important to someone? It may be important because it fuels their idealism and thus motivates them to do well? We can't really judge people's motivations.

 

Also, is there not something to be said about a school with more classes, more majors, more research, more funding, bigger endowment, more opportunities? These usually go hand in hand with prestige.

 

I chose UBC because of the prestige and because of the city and I am loving it. One of the best decisions I ever made and wish I did it sooner!

 

I say choose schools like UBC for prestige if thats what you have your heart set on! Follow your heart!

[lexiiiluther]

I chose Queen's because of the small community and all the opportunities to get involved. Definitely loving how tight knit everything is, and there is definitely no shortage of opportunity here.

I feel like it's that nice split between a big school, and a smaller one... 

[lozah]

i picked a large-ish school (SFU, around 30k students) and am really happy with it. i feel like it's big enough that they actually have awesome courses and interesting research going on, but it's also not too big. i think there are lots of opportunities.

 

the only problem is that even though SFU is a fine school, a lot of people see it as super inferior to UBC. i don't really get that... i didn't apply at UBC, though, so i don't really have harsh feelings. i'm like whatever with the whole SFU < UBC thing

 

i think that the size of your university should reflect your learning style. for example, i enjoy independent, self-directed learning, so i'm comfortable in a larger classroom. if you prefer one-on-one attention, a smaller school would be better for you. it totally depends, and not one is better than the other

[damha]

I really do think that at smaller universities you have more opportunities. When you say at larger universities you have more research opportunities I would say that isn't necessarily true. At a larger university you are competing with a large group of students for those research positions whereas at smaller schools you can have more chances for student-prof interactions and once they get to know you you'll have a better shot at a position compared to another student. The GPA thing also does help, I thought going to a smaller university helped my GPA because generally not as many people are gunning for those 90s so there isn't a set limit on the number of students allowed to get certain marks. Im entering my 3rd year now and all the bio profs know me by now and say hi to me in the halls which certainly doesn't hurt! It also helps my dad is a prof in the department so it's probably more that than my own actions haha

[NutritionRunner]

I chose a small program (75 students per year/cohort) in a medium-sized university (~18,000 undergradutes, ~3000 graduate students).  The small program meant I had a chance to get to really know my classmates and professors (some classes were as small as 25 students).  The medium-sized university meant I had plenty of research, volunteer, and other extra-curricular opportunities.  I also attended a university in a city that is known as the city with the largest number of volunteers across Canada - so many of the citizens of the city who are not university students are actively involved in giving back to their community (as I was before I was even thinking about med).  I was able to conduct research with professors who are known internationally for their work in certain areas.

 

Reference letters were easy to get because professors knew me quite well from their classes and the research I conducted with them, and volunteer coordinators knew me very well from my volunteer experiences.  I actually won the volunteer of the year award for one of my volunteer placements.

 

So I feel I got the best of both worlds.  The small class sizes meant I really had a chance to get to know my professors, and there were able to get to know me, offer me research positions, and write my strong reference letters.  The medium-size of the university meant there was lots of resources and opportunities available, and I was able to work with some professors who are known as leaders in their field.