Does Your Medical School Matter

[MarsRover]

Hey,

 

 I am applying this coming summer. I have a pretty good chance at two schools, but looking at others to apply to incase I don't get into and increase my chances. I am just wondering, does what med school you go to matter? I have got looking into med schools and it seems like some people claim this one is better or that one, but I'm just wondering does it really matter?

 

 They are all accredited to give MD's so I would assume not. That said at the end of the day I don't care I am happy to just get in, but just for reference. 

[jmatt1122]

Yes, it absolutely matters. Of course you'll end up getting an MD (except maybe Sask?) and every school has decent match rates, but how you learn and what your experience will be absolutely depends on what school you go to.

[ralk]

Hey,

 

 I am applying this coming summer. I have a pretty good chance at two schools, but looking at others to apply to incase I don't get into and increase my chances. I am just wondering, does what med school you go to matter? I have got looking into med schools and it seems like some people claim this one is better or that one, but I'm just wondering does it really matter?

 

 They are all accredited to give MD's so I would assume not. That said at the end of the day I don't care I am happy to just get in, but just for reference. 

 

It might matter to you, but doesn't really matter for anyone else. Canada's somewhat unique in that the actual school you attend doesn't have much of an impact on your future career prospects (unlike say, the US, where the school you attend absolutely does make a difference). The only real impact the school you get your MD from might matter is in matching to that school, as applicants are far more likely to match at their home school than at others for a variety of reasons. That's not to say there's a huge disadvantage to applying to schools besides your home school - far from it - but it's something to keep in mind.

[Fleming]

In Canada, go where you feel you'll learn the most and be the happiest. If that's not the school other people consider to be the best, it makes absolutely no difference. How other people rank the schools matters in the US, but not in Canada due to our extremely strict accreditation board. As soon as one medical school starts to fall slightly behind in some regard, as was the case with UofS recently, they get put on probation. This ensures that all our schools are top notch and explains why we have so few of them relative to the US.

 

Bottom line, my opinion is it doesn't matter because they're all great.

[RGK]

So how does McGill stand among canadian medical schools ??

[RiceWine]

So how does McGill stand among canadian medical schools ??

excellent. "Harvard of the North"

[ralk]

excellent. "Harvard of the North"

 

As a school in general, maybe - as a Medical School? Not necessarily.

 

That's not a knock on McGill, it's a great medical school, but the hierarchy seen in American Med Schools doesn't exist to nearly the same extent here. Getting an MD from Harvard affects your career trajectory compared to getting an MD from other American schools. Getting an MD from McGill doesn't alter your career trajectory much - if at all - compared to other Canadian schools. McGill stands tall among Canadian Med Schools, but so do pretty much all Canadian Med Schools.

[ArchEnemy]

Hey,

 

 I am applying this coming summer. I have a pretty good chance at two schools, but looking at others to apply to incase I don't get into and increase my chances. I am just wondering, does what med school you go to matter? I have got looking into med schools and it seems like some people claim this one is better or that one, but I'm just wondering does it really matter?

 

 They are all accredited to give MD's so I would assume not. That said at the end of the day I don't care I am happy to just get in, but just for reference. 

 

Absolutely, in Canada at least. Different schools have different ways of delivering their curriculum, and you should do your research to figure out the types of learning style that suits you best. To give a brief example, Toronto has always been known for being lecture-intensive, while McMaster has been known to be less focused on lectures and more on self-directed learning.

[RiceWine]

 Getting an MD from McGill doesn't alter your career trajectory much - if at all - compared to other Canadian schools. McGill stands tall among Canadian Med Schools, but so do pretty much all Canadian Med Schools.

 

depends if you want to stay in Canada or not. McGill opens doors for you in the US, that's a fact. if you want a residency at Harvard, yes, going to McGill/UofT will help you if you are from Canada. so in a way, it will alter your career trajectory. 

 

 

otherwise, you'll be getting a solid education anywhere in Canada. 

[rogerroger]

It absolutely does not matter when it comes to CaRMS or how good a doctor you will be.

 

12 months into residency everyone is basically at the same place regardless of where they did med school.

[ralk]

depends if you want to stay in Canada or not. McGill opens doors for you in the US, that's a fact. if you want a residency at Harvard, yes, going to McGill/UofT will help you if you are from Canada. so in a way, it will alter your career trajectory. 

 

 

otherwise, you'll be getting a solid education anywhere in Canada. 

 

Perhaps, but the number of CMGs even applying to the US for their main residency is around 20 most years, and often they're applying for non-competitive specialties. Canadians heading to the US typically do so for fellowships or as a fully-qualified physician, when which school you did your MD at is a fairly minor factor - the reputation of your residency program (which can vary based on specialty at individual schools) and your activities in or after your residency program are far more important, and those aren't influenced at all by the MD program you attend in Canada.

 

So for the handful of people trying for extremely competitive US residencies, sure, maybe, going to a more recognized school like McGill, U of T, or UBC might make a difference - and I'd argue that's more because of American programs' ignorance of Canadian schools than anything - but that's a very small group of people that would be affected by that.

[rmorelan]

depends if you want to stay in Canada or not. McGill opens doors for you in the US, that's a fact. if you want a residency at Harvard, yes, going to McGill/UofT will help you if you are from Canada. so in a way, it will alter your career trajectory. 

 

 

otherwise, you'll be getting a solid education anywhere in Canada. 

 

You know I am still not so sure about how much that even matters. As an example roughly 1/3 of the rads at Ottawa for the past 2 years are going to Harvard for fellowships (and another 2 to good US schools as well). There just seems to be programs that set up these connections and people think all these external factors matter but I am surprised how little it does actually.

 

our educational system is pretty good - and it opens a lot of doors if you keep your eyes open and work for it.

[Aetherus]

I was wondering how your medical school affected your application to US Residency. There is a 4th year here at Queen's who matched to Stanford Ophthalmology, he told me that your Medical school doesn't matter much, it is mostly your USMLE score. If you have a good USMLE score, they don't care what Canadian Medical School you are from.

 

With respect to Canada, is the home school bias purely based on connections, or is it due to being a graduate of that school, regardless of connections?

[MarshMellow]

Yes, it absolutely matters. Of course you'll end up getting an MD (except maybe Sask?) and every school has decent match rates, but how you learn and what your experience will be absolutely depends on what school you go to.

 

Easy with the Sask jibe 

 

Class of 2015 - 84 students

 

2 Students matched to plastic surgery (no plastics program in Sask)

 

5 Students matched to ophthalmology (1 available spot in Sask)

 

5 Students matched to orthopedic surgery (2 available spots in Sask)

 

#Rekt

[Jaybird]

Easy with the Sask jibe 

 

Class of 2015 - 84 students

 

2 Students matched to plastic surgery (no plastics program in Sask)

 

5 Students matched to ophthalmology (1 available spot in Sask)

 

5 Students matched to orthopedic surgery (2 available spots in Sask)

 

#Rekt

 

Even as they're sending out disclaimers in their interview invites telling applicants to not worry about losing accreditation? 

[rogerroger]

Even as they're sending out disclaimers in their interview invites telling applicants to not worry about losing accreditation? 

 

This is not always a bad thing. This type of scare is usually the type of stimulus which generates innovative and positive change. The med school at Sask isn't going anywhere. 4 years down the road this will be old news.

[Arztin]

McGill was threatened too. As a result, they modernized their curriculum a bit.

Not a bad thing, nor will it be for Sask. I really think there's nothing to worry about.

[futureGP]

Yeah, plus kinda hard to imagine no medical school in Saskatchewan, one of the provinces of Canada, also happens to be the province where our health care system started.

 

I mean, sure people don't really want to go to saskatchewan, but I'm sure there are many people in the province who want to keep the medschool open and this could just be one of the stimuli forcing them to try harder and make good improvements.

The student pool will probably be still great compared to a lot of schools in US and around the world just by the nature of the competitive selection process

[Eudaimonia]

On 2/13/2015 at 10:34 AM, ralk said:

The only real impact the school you get your MD from might matter is in matching to that school, as applicants are far more likely to match at their home school than at others for a variety of reasons. That's not to say there's a huge disadvantage to applying to schools besides your home school - far from it - but it's something to keep in mind.

On 3/2/2015 at 6:59 PM, Aetherus said:

With respect to Canada, is the home school bias purely based on connections, or is it due to being a graduate of that school, regardless of connections?

Also curious about this. From reading the threads I think I understand that it would be based more on connections rather than school reputation alone. Connections outside your home school province would have to be made during the few third year clerkship electives or summers right? I feel like you'd have to have very impactful experiences during these occasions to match the level of connections made by others who are in their home province

[ralk]

2 minutes ago, Eudaimonia said:

Also curious about this. From reading the threads I think I understand that it would be based more on connections rather than school reputation alone. Connections outside your home school province would have to be made during the few third year clerkship electives or summers right? I feel like you'd have to have very impactful experiences during these occasions to match the level of connections made by others who are in their home province

Yeah, it's pretty much all familiarity. This isn't to say you can't switch schools for residency because that is a very common occurrence, but there are some natural ties to a home school that can certainly help in the matching process. Reputation means nothing as Canadian schools are on pretty much equal footing among themselves.

[Lactic Folly]

32 minutes ago, Eudaimonia said:

Connections outside your home school province would have to be made during the few third year clerkship electives or summers right? I feel like you'd have to have very impactful experiences during these occasions to match the level of connections made by others who are in their home province

Sure, but 2 weeks is enough for someone who truly excels to make a strong impression as a visiting elective student. Too much familiarity at one's home school can also be a double-edged sword in some instances...

[Aetherus]

Haven't posted in a while but just got a notification that I had been quoted!

After 4 years of medical school and going through the match, I can say that connections and familiarity are massive components of the match. In the speciality I matched to, over 50% of people ended up matching to their home school. Things that you can do to increase your chance of matching to another school include research at that school during summers as well as doing electives with  faculty members on the admission committee at that school. 

I have attached to this post and the following diagrams of the Queen's 2018 match by discipline and location. As you can see, most of my class ended up in Toronto and at Queen's. 

[Aetherus]

[Eudaimonia]

@Aetherus haha I have summoned you back and I'm glad you're still here! Do you mind sharing the link for that data? I'd be interested in seeing the stats from other schools but I'm not familiar with the CARMS site to find this

At your schools, can you do the 3rd year electives anywhere in Canada or is that only for the 4th year electives?

 

[Aetherus]

Queen's is a very small class so I know where all my classmates matched therefore I made the graphs myself. This data will not be available for another few months through CaRMS.

At Queen's we have a total of 16 weeks of elective pre CaRMS. 6 weeks in 3rd year and 10 weeks in 4th year. You can do your electives anywhere in Canada (you can also do some in the USA although harder to organize). The only stipulation is that you have to do 3 different specialities with those 16 weeks of electives.