Any other Canadians out there applying to American schools??

Discover Your Odds of Getting into Medical School
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Hey, I'm in the same boat as you! I'm Canadian, thinking of applying for class of 2016 or class of 2017. I graduate from my B.Sc program in 2012 but might stay an extra year to build up my application. My biggest concern is how US MD schools have extremely high standards for "foreign" students, even though Canadian culture and education are almost identical to the United States.

Anyways, feel free to private message me, since I might forget to check this thread! Cheers! 🙂
 
I'm a Canadian (BC and Quebec applicant) and applying to 10 schools in Canada. If I don't get in for 2011 I'll be broadening to the States for 2012.

I hope it doesn't come down to that though.
 
Canadian schools are crazy hard to get into though. My advisor told me I have a better chance of getting into Harvard than I do of getting into a Canadian school. How is that even possible!?!? 😕



Mithril: Keep us updated on your application process, and good luck!
 
MCATism said:
Canadian schools are crazy hard to get into though. My advisor told me I have a better chance of getting into Harvard than I do of getting into a Canadian school. How is that even possible!?!? 😕



Mithril: Keep us updated on your application process, and good luck!
Click to expand...


That is actually a misconception. The top tiers are still slightly harder to get into for several reasons. One, the applicant pools are significantly higher in the US. The largest pool in Canada is less than 5000 for one school. This is the norm for the majority of US schools. Overall, it is harder to get in to a Canadian school than a typical American school due to higher GPA, strict cutoffs and no flexibility. Some Canadian schools have relatively low MCAT cutoffs but you have to meet them in each and every section. A general trait to almost all of the 13 or so Cdn schools is their heavy weight towards GPA. You have to have at least a 3.8 GPA to stand a solid chance. For example U of Toronto med weighs 60% of the application on GPA, their average accepted GPA is 3.9. This average is common across many of the Canadian schools. This alone makes it a lot harder than most US schools. But when comparing it to the top tiers, well, you have more people applying to the big name schools than in Canada. The Canadian admissions process is more clear cut because of the cutoffs and formulaic compared to the "holistic" process of their American counterparts. You can't really be sure what's going to happen with the top schools because high MCAT/high GPA (most of the interviewed people are similar stats-wise) can only get you so far. They're really looking for fit (more so than Canadian schools), you're also competing with a lot more people.
 
I have to agree with smartalleck2 that you most definitely have an easier time getting into a Canadian school than getting into Harvard.

With that said, the problem here in Canada is that only 20% of applicants get into a Canadian med school. Compare that with the 45% in the States. The concept of "safety schools" does not exist here. Almost every school gives priority to in-province applicants, so if you apply to other schools your chances of matriculating there are severely lowered. I'm lucky because I'm considered a resident of two provinces. If I were a US citizen, I'd have close to a 90% chance at acceptance, but being a Canadian, and even with my GPA and MCAT score, my future is highly uncertain. I have absolutely no problem going to a "low-" or "mid-tier" school; as long as I get my MD in the end and can start working with patients in Canada or the US (preferably Canada since I like my igloo).
 
'
 
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At one of my interviews there was a Canadian applicant and when we started talking about paying tuition they told her she had to pay for all four years up front 😱

How do people even find the funds to matriculate as a Canadian to US schools?
 
yep, another Canadian! UBC requirements for Biochem killed me (useless BC residency), and another -40C winter in Montreal is going to drive me insane... plus, I'm getting hitched to a yankee (go figure) so I'm applying only stateside this year.


And if that connection thing is true... how depressing. All the more because all my relatives are in business or in physics. 🙄
 
ktruon2 said:
At one of my interviews there was a Canadian applicant and when we started talking about paying tuition they told her she had to pay for all four years up front 😱

How do people even find the funds to matriculate as a Canadian to US schools?
Click to expand...

Government student loans are quite good in Canada.
 
Not only loans, but generally Canadian applicants who are applying to the States have the money or the means necessary for getting an MD in the States. If I were to matriculate in the States, my tuition would be paid for by loans, parents, and my older brother who is already working and would provide the lion's share of the money needed for tuition. If I were to get into McGill for 2011, my tuition would be $5k/year, which is even less than my undergrad tuition. Compare that to a school in the States where I'd be paying 10x that figure or more.

I remember my parents having to sell off their two cars just so my brother could graduate from dentistry. A few years later he bought my dad a brand new BMW 335i and my mom a brand new Civic. There has been a lot of investment in my family.

I know many friends at my university who are not even thinking about applying to the States or internationally because they simply cannot pay for it even through loans, which is a depressing thing to hear.
 
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Mithril said:
I know many friends at my university who are not even thinking about applying to the States or internationally because they simply cannot pay for it even through loans, which is a depressing thing to hear.
Click to expand...

I agree -- this sucks. But, it should be manageable if your parents own a house or other collateral. A student could then take out a ~$220,000 loan with the parents as cosigners.

On the other hand, it would probably be impossible if someone's family doesn't own any property.

This is why I am so bitter about going to the States as a Canadian -- several med students around me have complained about paying $18,000 tuition 🙂mad🙂. And what if I will want to go into family medicine? It seems impossible with loans like this.

Mithril: congrats on having a family that can help you with tuition.
 
Thanks, and good luck with the States. I'm sure you'll make a fine physician regardless.

We'll see if I even get in for 2011. 😛
 
Heh, I checked out your GPA -- you should get in somewhere in Canada!! 😛
 
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