Jump to content
Premed 101 Forums

Us Or Canada For Undergrad?


Recommended Posts

I'm currently in Grade 11 and I'm trying to decide if I should go to the US or stay in Canada for my undergrad.  Here's some background:

 

I'm a competitive softball player who competes at the national level.  I am being recruited by a handful of D3 schools in the US.  Playing for a D3 school allows me to continue playing a sport I love but still allows me to focus on my academics.  I hope to major in chemistry, biology or neuroscience.  I am a good student - All As except a couple of Bs (took Chem 11 and Pre-Calc 12 in my grade 10th year).  I'm taking the most challenging courses available to me.  The US schools I'm interested in include Liberal Arts Colleges as well as Universities.  

 

The LACs will give me the opportunity to work closely with my professors (most classes are small, averaging around 10 students per class), do research and even possibly publish.  The Universities I'm interested in are substantially larger where competition will be fiercer for research opportunities.  Getting published while attending a large university will also be lower.  I'm leaning towards attending an LAC versus a large university because of the small classes, the tight-knit community, the opportunity to work closely with professors and the ability to continue playing a sport I love.

 

My long term goal is to go to medical school in Canada.  Keeping that goal in mind, do you recommend that I attend an LAC in the US, or a large university in the US?  Or do you recommend that I stay in Canada and attend a large University here?  Assuming that all things being equal (including cost to attend), what would you do? ... and why?  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you plan to come back to Canada then be aware that GPA is very important when getting an interview. I've heard that it's harder to get a higher GPA in the US. If that's true then it would be easier to attend a university in Canada so that you have a better chance at obtaining those high grades to get an interview. The research you do for medical school applications doesn't have to be anything extraordinary. I published a literature review on the use of plant based diets in type 2 diabetes management and I received an interview. 

I recommend choosing a school where you will be happy, but also capable of getting the grades to get into medical school. Be aware that your goal of becoming a doctor may change throughout your studies. It would suck if you did not choose to play a sport you love at a D3 school in favour of attending a university in Canada for a better chance at getting higher grades, only to realize you don't want to be a doctor and don't require those stupid high grades.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"Getting published while attending a large university will also be lower. " < I disagree with this. Getting published has nothing to do with what university you go to. It has everything to do with hard work, luck (a lot of it actually), and how much funding your supervisor has. Bigger institutes also get more studentships and have more opportunities to apply for different research awards. Keep in mind you can also do research at other places during your summers instead of your home institute. I think the concept of smaller classes = more one on one time = more research opportunities is completely misleading.

 

I agree with the above poster in terms of picking a school that will make you happy, foster your interests, and provide you with opportunities.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm currently in Grade 11 and I'm trying to decide if I should go to the US or stay in Canada for my undergrad.  Here's some background:

 

I'm a competitive softball player who competes at the national level.  I am being recruited by a handful of D3 schools in the US.  Playing for a D3 school allows me to continue playing a sport I love but still allows me to focus on my academics.  I hope to major in chemistry, biology or neuroscience.  I am a good student - All As except a couple of Bs (took Chem 11 and Pre-Calc 12 in my grade 10th year).  I'm taking the most challenging courses available to me.  The US schools I'm interested in include Liberal Arts Colleges as well as Universities.  

 

The LACs will give me the opportunity to work closely with my professors (most classes are small, averaging around 10 students per class), do research and even possibly publish.  The Universities I'm interested in are substantially larger where competition will be fiercer for research opportunities.  Getting published while attending a large university will also be lower.  I'm leaning towards attending an LAC versus a large university because of the small classes, the tight-knit community, the opportunity to work closely with professors and the ability to continue playing a sport I love.

 

My long term goal is to go to medical school in Canada.  Keeping that goal in mind, do you recommend that I attend an LAC in the US, or a large university in the US?  Or do you recommend that I stay in Canada and attend a large University here?  Assuming that all things being equal (including cost to attend), what would you do? ... and why?  

 

Go to the US. It will be such a great opportunity and a fun experience regardless of what or where you end up. I know several students who did US undergrads who are here now. Some ended up doing masters before medicine but they all ended up here. 

 

One thing you do have to note is that US GPA is harder to get than Canadian GPA in general. At many schools a 3.7+ will be considered amazing whereas a 3.9 in Canada is what you are looking for. With that being said the US is an entirely different experience. American colleges are well funded and provide so many great opportunities. Canadian universities are by comparison incredibly underfunded. I had a friend tell me the medical campus at Wash U alone was the same size as the entire campus at McMaster. Facilities and opportunities will abound at the kind of LACs and top US unis that you are probably considering. I knew a number of friends who went to the states for university and the only ones who've come back came back for medical school. Exit opportunities are way better in the states than in Canada and you might discover a totally new interest or passion while there. 

 

Good luck! 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I attended an US university and played varsity sports. It is an amazing experience for sure. However, looking back, I think the road to medical school may have been easier if I had stayed in Canada. This is partially just depends on what university you attend. The grading scheme at my university didn't convert well when I was applying to med school, and I was getting dinged on my Gpa. If you are looking at LAC make sure they have the classes, majors etc that you want to take. I actually think it will be easy to find research opportunities at larger schools because there is just may more funding and projects going on. I didn't know anyone during university at a large american university who wanted to do research and couldn't. 

 

Since you are hoping to play a sport and attend university at the same time, I will tell you right now that it will be difficult. You will miss out on many fun activities your friends are doing etc, sleep, and you will have less study time then everyone else. That being said, you learn an amazing amount about time management, teamwork, leadership from sport. (which is a great EC unto its self)

 

I personally wouldn't suggest the LAC, because I think the science courses and variety will probably be lacking in comparison to larger universities. Also, be prepared for culture shock if you move to the US, everyone thinks we are basically the same, but the culture is definitely not the same and varies greatly across the states. 

 

Is there any possibility of playing for a Canadian university?

 

I wouldn't trade anything for my 4 varsity years in the US, so if you find the right school for you on a recruiting visit, I highly recommend it. But it will be a tough road, doable, but tough road to med school. 

 

Good luck!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree with the above, i forgot to mention that research opportunities will be easier to find at a university rather than an LAC. Any research opportunities you do find as well at a university will be probably of better quality. Most LACs have little to no postgrads and as a result there is very little chance any will publish research in any significant paper. If you are able to go to an LAC that is located near a larger university that works as well as you can easily work for a researcher in that university. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...