Saskatoon Vs. Regina

[photato]

I figured I would start this discussion about site preferences since everyone that interviewed needs to pick a site kind of soon.  If anyone can comment on what each site is like and what each city is like, that would be greatly appreciated .  

[abhistuff]

I've lived in both cities. Sask is more diverse, bigger, more lively and good looking. Regina is similar but less beautiful.

 

But regina has most headquarters and govt facilites since its the capital.

 

All in all they're sister cities. But i prefer s'toon. The river in s'toon's a bonus

 

Maybe someone can provide you with a more med program based differences.

[amanda48]

I've lived in both cities as well. I agree Saskatoon is the prettier city by far. Saskatoon has the river and beautiful trails along it, but Regina has Wascana park and "lake" which is also a gorgeous stroll.

 

Regina has its perks, being smaller it's easy and quick to get around. It doesn't take longer then 20 mins to drive anywhere. There are also far less horrible traffic areas in Regina. The bus system is also a bit better in regina where as saskatoon the buses can be fairly packed and a miserable experience, especially when they are full and drive past your stop.

 

Regina also has the football stadium so if you're a big CFL fan it's a perk. Saskatoon, being larger, has a few extra events/festivals throughout the year but the cities are only a 2.5 hour drive from each other anyway.

 

Cost of living is fairly comparable between the 2 cities. I did find Regina was a tad cheaper, maybe by around $100-$200 less a month for rent on average for newer rentals. Neither cities are very pet friendly, both have limited dog parks and rentals allowing pets (those that do have high non-refundable pet fees)

 

I can't comment on the med programs. However it does appear Regina has a few more exclusive amenities available to them. Saskatoon med students have to share the health sciences building with many other programs so the library and study rooms are becoming quite busy and overrun by students from the entire campus.

 

Research-wise, saskatoon hands down. The new facilities are awesome so if you're wanting to be involved in research and working in a lab over the summers, then Saskatoon is better in my opinion. VIDO and the Canadian Light Source are also huge perks if you're interested in those areas of research. This will only be a top priority though if research is important for your own medical goals, because it's not for everyone.

[mmd7]

Only lived in Saskatoon personally, so I'm definitely choosing it as my preferred site because I have a house, a life, family, friends etc.here. I didn't know a lot about the Regina site, but after hearing about it if I was from Regina and area I would probably prefer that site. It will be more intimate and cozy and the 24 hr access to a restricted library and study areas sounds really nice compared to the crowded health science building and library. It looks like it almost has more of a community feel than what I know of the Saskatoon location. But, if I'm choosing between that and my established life, obviously my established life takes some priority. It's kind of nice that if you're in Regina, Winnipeg is only 5 hours away and if you're in Saskatoon, Edmonton is only 5 hours away. So... if you want to go to a bigger city or do some IKEA shopping or that kind of stuff it's kind of equivalent in that respect. Honestly, Regina and Saskatoon are pretty similar all in all.

[Venice]

 

First two years of medical school are totally irrelevant. You get the same learning in both places. The differences start when it comes to clerkship. 

 

I think if you really want a surgical specialty, Regina is the place to go. You are first assist for many of the OR's as opposed to being the human retractor in Saskatoon. 

 

Since Regina has less residents, you essentially function as a resident yourself. You have more direct contact with staff, which means better chance of a solid reference letter.

 

However, if you want a residency program in Saskatoon, then perhaps it is better to be in Saskatoon where they see your face and work with you. That said, Regina students have no problem matching to competitive specialties come CaRMS. 

[iostream]

I'm in the Regina program right now so I just thought I'd add some thoughts.

 

I found that the staff in Regina were really accessible if I had any questions or concerns. Most of the time, I could just knock on the door at any time and they'd be happy to help me, and they are pretty quick to respond to emails. They also worked hard to make sure that we got a good orientation to clerkship, and they were really good at helping my classmates optimize their rotation schedule if they got a lower-ranked choice during the lottery.

 

I enjoyed the videoconferenced lectures as well. You aren't put on the spot as often, and if you are, it's a lot easier for students in Regina to brainstorm as a group and come up with a good answer. However, the downside might be that you won't be able to ask questions as easily after a class. Many of the lectures currently are videoconferenced from Saskatoon, but they are working on getting more teachers in Regina -- for instance, I think the majority of Obstetrics & Gynecology was taught by Regina-based staff.

 

There are fewer students and residents in Regina compared to Saskatoon, so I find that the faculty-to-student ratio is a bit better, and you get a bit more autonomy in Regina than in Saskatoon during clerkship.

 

Although some of the specialized research equipment and some research-focused faculty are up in Saskatoon, I find that there are good opportunities for research here in Regina. The research office in the health region has meetings early in the year for students interested in research, and they often provide a list of open research projects. However, if you do find that there aren't enough opportunities in Regina, you could try doing a summer project in Saskatoon if you have a place to stay there, or vice versa. A research advantage in Regina is that we work closely with the Research and Performance Support office (http://www.rqhr-rps.ca/) in the health region, and the research scientists are absolutely fantastic at helping you in every step of the process. In addition, I found that it was easier to do research during the school year in Regina compared to Saskatoon since you get year-round support from the RPS office.

 

It is true that there aren't as many residency positions based in Regina compared to Saskatoon, but Regina students still do well in matching to spots in Saskatoon or elsewhere in the country. If you are really a gunner, you could try to spend time meeting doctors in Saskatoon in first year, do summer research with them, and do electives in Saskatoon during clerkship. 

 

There are some nice study areas in the hospital. Many of my classmates tended to go home if they had a break or classes were over, though.

 

A downside of going to Regina is probably the parking - you may have to come early to get a good street parking spot as there aren't any spots reserved for preclerkship students. Clerkship students (JURSIs) can buy parking passes for the hospital. Some people lived within walking distance, some came early to get a good spot, and others parked near the Pasqua Hospital and took the hospital shuttle to the Regina General (where most things are). Depending on where you live, transit might also be an option.

 

In terms of extracurriculars, many clubs try to organize activities in Regina and Saskatoon, and videoconference lectures/presentations so that both sites can participate. Regina has a slight advantage in this aspect because the staff in the Simulation Centre are willing to work with student groups to set up skills nights in the evening or on weekends. The Simulation Centre is quite new and has a lot of neat equipment as well.

 

If you have any other questions regarding Regina, please feel free to message me or leave a reply.

[photato]

Thanks for the replies everyone.  Both sites look really good.  I ended up picking Saskatoon because after talking to some friends that have lived there, they all said that Saskatoon was a nicer city.  I did really like the features of the program in Regina and would have probably picked it if the whole 4 years were done there, but since I'm OOP, moving to Saskatoon for a year then having to pack up and move to Regina seems like a bit of a pain.