duke med

[Guest clarox]

i just got accepted into duke med (ranked #6 by us news). since i'm planning to do academic medicine, some people have told me to go to the states where there are more resources/opportunities. what do you think? should i choose a canadian school over duke? i think the problem for me right now is funding... although i think with loans here and there, i would be able to attend a us med school. i'll be graduating with a huge debt though.

[Guest ssc427]

I facing this right now as well. I have an acceptance to Columbia and am waiting on Stanford and Harvard. Basically, for me, it's not worth 200K+ debt. I want to academic/research type medicine or some obscure specialty and I loved all three US options more than any of the 4 Canadian schools I've interviewed at so far (though I still have 4 more Canadian interviews coming up). But I don't think any of these places provide such a superior environment that can justify the debt. UofT has nearly equivalent resources and faculty in many areas. And if I work hard I could just as easily land a top residency in the US if that's what I want.

 

However if either of my 3 American options throw in grants as they claim they might do (Harvard and Columbia anyways - Stanford will just pay me to do research and TA) it's a whole new ball game.

 

Does Duke offer you anything? I remember that they wanted me to sign something saying I could put the cost of the WHOLE degree away in an escrow account. I do not have this kind of money.

[Guest joshto]

what were your stats?

[Guest docbil]

If money is not an issue.. take DUKE (Harvard-Stanford-Etc..).

 

However, like most of us "non-special" ones. For us money is a problem. I would definitely prefer staying in Canada at any Canadian Med school.

 

Congrats on the acceptance.

[Guest mesoderm]

Wow congrats on acceptance.

 

Where did you guys do your undergrad?

[Guest VwDubber]

hey guys/gals,

 

congrats on your acceptances, if you wouldn't mind sharing, could you take a few mins to post your info regarding when you were notified for interviews/when you interviewed/accepted on STATS

 

I think it would really help future CAD apps who are interested in going to the US for med.

 

thanks

[Guest konverse]

hey ssc47:

if i may say one thing -- u have an acceptance at a solid US school . take it. don't think about money and debt and all that ails you. who cares buddy. you're young and obviously talented. the US is a totally different playing field. u control your future. the right institutions there breed their people to make huge successes for themselves. medicine, academia, business, money whatever. just look at the top doctors and hospitals in NYC or chicago. it's the way they operate. canada is home to u. you'll always be able to come back and work/live etc.

all the best with your decision.

k

[Guest moo]

Congrats on the acceptances. If I were you, I'd definitely pick any of those schools over any Canadian school. Sure, you can still get a great education at a Canadian school, but those schools offer opportunities you can't get at a Canadian school. Duke has a curriculum unlike anyother school and will open doors for you. If you are sure you want to do academics, you really should go to the best school possible.

[Guest ssc427]

I do agree that Columbia/Harvard/Stanford/Duke are all better than anything in Canada for a number of reasons. Namely patient diversity, student diversity (helps having no geographic restrictions and 6000 applicants), resouces, research opps, city (Boston, New York and Palo Alto are all awsome)....

 

But I will be starting meds with my wife and 2 kids so have other factors to consider. If I was single I wouldn't even bother showing up for the rest of my Canadian interviews (I am currenlty in Winnipeg for UofM and I must admit this is the most depressing transition from Stanford a few weeks ago). With a family 200K+ debt is not a responsible option. Especially since I'd like to practice in Canada. But who knows... I'm filling in the Columbia finaid so we'll see. Harvard and Stanford both said they'd pay me 13K-24K / semester of research. And Stanford promises 14K/semester of TA-ing.

 

My stats are:

BSc in Math & Chem (Hons) @ UVic, MSc in biophysics @ Oxford, PhD (nearly done) in structural biology @ Oxford. MCAT 36Q, AMCAS GPA 3.7, a dozen or so pubs, 10 1st author. Lots of international volunteer work.

[Guest docbil]

hey ssc,

 

what year did u graduate from uvic I am guessing about the same time as I did. 1999-2000

 

It sounds like they are offering you an great deal. I would definitely consider it. Can your wife work in the US. That would be helpful.

[Guest VwDubber]

just wanted to comment that the schools you listed are not really known for their patient diversity and if you ask a lot of docs who practice in the us they will tell you that patient diversity is generally a problem here especially in fields like psychiatry.

 

they're all gr8 schools but if you want true patient diversity, you're better off at a school like suny-downstate (though it's next to impossible to get accepted at most of these state schools without us citizenship/perm res status).

 

also keep in mind that while these schools plan to fund you for research, you're going to be extremely busy! i don't work nor do i have a family or children and i'm feeling the squeeze at times with school work.

 

good luck with your choices

[Guest kellyl20]

But isn't Oxford just as expensive, ie what you are doing now?

[Guest ssc427]

But isn't Oxford just as expensive, ie what you are doing now?

 

Not for grad school. It's much easier to get money, especially in biomedical research. I have a full scholarship which is nice as it pays in £.

 

Docbil, I finished @ UVic in 2001. Likely we would have run into each other. UVic's a small place.

 

Also, I agree that Harvard and Stanford are lacking in patient diversity. At Harvard you don't touch a patient until 2nd/3rd year and Pola Alto isn't really the most diverse place in the bay area. But at Columbia it can't be beat. The meds have a free clinic once a week for the Washington Heights area which is extremely diverse.

 

 

clarox - what are you going to do re Duke?

[Guest rads]

Coming to the party late... I know.

 

Stanford Medical School is affiliated with 4 hospitals: Stanford, Veterans, Kaiser, and the County. You will see your diversity at Kaiser and the County.

 

Also, it is unrealistic to think that you will TA/Research each quarter.

 

You cannot TA your first year (first three quarters) and no one pursues research until the summer (fourth quarter). In your second year you can TA all you want, but it's hard to... studies should always come first. People often take three-years preclinical so that they can TA. Once you hit clinical years, there is no time for TA'ing, although you can take time off to do research...