English Undergrad To French Med School, Good Idea?

[lightng79]

I'm having a huge internal debate with myself right now and need some insight on making a decision so here's a brief background for some context:

 

-I am fluent in both English and French

-Educated in a french institution up until University, where I pursued my degree in English (I just completed it this past May)

-Have not yet written my MCAT and would "prefer" not to 

-I have a 3.9 wGPA for Ottawa and plan to apply to the French Stream

-Scared that my French won't be up to par to compete in a professional environment

 

 

What are your thoughts on my situation? Admittedly, I am taking the "easy way out" here by putting all my eggs in one basket and applying to Ottawa for the French Stream with the thought that I'll have a very good chance of being accepted given my GPA and EC's but I don't know if i'm jeopardizing my education by not having been conditioned in a French learning environment during my undergrad.

 

 

Is anyone else in this situation that can chime in? It would really help relieve some stress

[rupchatt]

you can do residency in english shouldnt be too much of a problem assuming ur french is good! maybe u could sneak in to the english lectures aswell and write exams in french.

[tameimpala]

I wouldn't worry about that. If you really are fluent in French but just feeling rusty, you'll pick it up incredibly fast. I grew up in a bilingual environment but did all my formal education in English and was very rusty when I moved to Quebec and started working in an exclusively French environment. I'm sure I said some very silly things at first but the point is that I learned quickly and got comfortable in no time and so will you.

 

Also a friend of mine studies at McGill but did her clerkship in Gatineau and before going her spoken French was not very good. She said that it was overwhelming at first but a great learning experience. People were very patient with her and she had no real issues with her clinical vocabulary and if she did, others were very happy to help.

[Dannny]

Depending on your situation, you may have to take a french exam (TFI most likely) before entry to medical school in French in Quebec. If you don't get a certain mark, they won't admit you. You should ask every single university you apply to independtly on their policies about language.

[amoserlie]

I would be more concerned about the interview you might have to do in French. If you're not using your French on a day-to-day basis, I would suggest that you start. I did the MEM this year (Laval) and I found it extremely difficult to express myself the way I wanted to. My schooling was also in French up until university, but it has gotten a bit rusty since then. Comprehension is 100%, finding the right words in a pressure-cooker situation, not so hot. I imagine your French is probably in a better state than mine, but given that you said that you're concerned that it wouldn't be up to par in a professional environment, you might want to start practicing.

[sleeping_sickness]

Depending on your situation, you may have to take a french exam (TFI most likely) before entry to medical school in French in Quebec. If you don't get a certain mark, they won't admit you. You should ask every single university you apply to independtly on their policies about language.

If you completed your high school in French and have a French diploma then you don't have to write the TFI. I honestly don't believe that this test actually tests much of anything. I think the French schools in QC should take after McGill and let students apply/interview in English. 50% of McGill's class is Francophone and they do just fine. To me, if an Anglophone is willing to study in French, that shows a commitment to staying in QC and they shouldn't be discriminated against with this TFI. You pick up the language really fast when thrown into a unilingual environment.