himym123 Posted May 15, 2016 Report Share Posted May 15, 2016 Hi everyone, I'm currently deciding between a few Ontario med schools and could really use some advice. I've read all there is to read about Ottawa's program, but I would also love to hear the experiences of current students/applicants about what sets Ottawa apart for them? Why did you choose to attend the school, and what are the best/worst components of the program? Any input would be very much appreciated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elle_MD Posted May 15, 2016 Report Share Posted May 15, 2016 Hey there, Congratz on your acceptances! I'll try to be brief with my spiel since I have to get back to studying for finals (go renal, go!). For me, what sets uOttawa apart from other med schools is the early experiences we get with patients. We're able to sign up for non-mandatory electives as early as October of our first year, and community preceptorships (where every med student is paired with a community doctor) are organized as early as first semester for the French stream and second semester for the English stream. Not 100% sure how other schools do it, however, maybe you're better placed to compare. We also aren't in class from 9-5 every single day. We have a nice mix of lectures, anatomy/histology/pathology/radiology labs, case-based learning sessions twice/week, and clinical skills development sessions every Thursday. We also have time allotted in the afternoons (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday), for self-study, electives, or for what I like to call adulting (groceries, bank stuff, you name it). You can also join intramural sports teams and play in the evenings, makes for a nice work-life balance. Last pro: the second year students offer mentoring sessions every week and give us general tips and tricks for exams. They even prepare a formative exam for us to practice with, and offer office-hours in case we need tips for school or other things. A challenge for me this year was adapting my study style to the multitude of professors we have teaching each topic. It's not like undergrad where 1 prof teaches the entire course, and it's only the content-expert that makes the exam questions (so there's no point in asking other profs what will be on the exam). I also noticed I do a lot of studying with outside materials: textbooks, online quizzes, youtube videos, etc. to make sure I understand what was taught in class. Just things to keep in mind! Hope this helps, feel free to message me if you want more info. Good luck with your decision! -Elle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
polos12 Posted May 16, 2016 Report Share Posted May 16, 2016 Good question and a very informative response! Quite a few ones probably have this lucky/fortunate issue/question but not sure why a quantifiable reason of Mac's savings (less a year) of ~$65k ( ie a FREE CAR ) distorts all the good/logical non$ reasons of Ottawa U Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elle_MD Posted May 16, 2016 Report Share Posted May 16, 2016 Hehe, not going to argue about tuition! But it also depends on whether you're comfortable doing the program in 3 years or in 4, at the end of the day tuition is expensive everywhere and most of us will owe a lot of cash by the time we hit residency. I think it's nice to have the summers after first and second year off to pursue other interests and to relax! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
polos12 Posted May 19, 2016 Report Share Posted May 19, 2016 true; too hard to ignore $80K savings with Mac (pay off debt, down payment for house, vacations, car, endless possibilities... ; of course individual priorities/preferences. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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