a dumb american's question :)

[anxietypeaker]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Was just curious (im american)....whats considered the college that all the smarties want to go to for undergrad (mcgill vs. u of t vs. UBC, which one)?

This varies i realize according to opinion. But just like in the US lotsa pepz want harvard (for whatever reason), what canadian univ is the equiv for you guys up there?

This question is NOT what univ ranks #1 in a magazine, necessarily (ie princeton ranks 1 in an american magazine, but still seems like harvard is most desirable to people).

NOTE: please dont respond with a flame or a "all universities have their place". I COMPLETELY agree with you, its just that i'm curious what college is seen in the same light that harvard is in canada.

 

[Substance]

In Canada, medical schools must be government approved. Thus, there are only a handful of schools.

All Canadian schools are more or less the same, with the exception of NOMS, which trains primarily FMs.

However, if you're considering going back to the US for a residency, I would suggest you go to McGill or UofT. Those two schools are seen as more "prestigious" to USAers and will thus make your application look better.

-------------------

If you're talking about undergrad universities, then that makes no difference. In Canada, it actually serves premeds better to go to an EASY university (ie Dal, Bishops, Western) than a difficult one (UT, McGill) because schools don't usually consider where you got your GPA. They just look at the numbers.

 

[jefguth]

College is seen in the same light that harvard is in canada.

Well, Queens likes to brag about how its in the same league as Harvard b/c they're rowing teams have competed against one another for 100+ years. But, most of them are considered pretty equal...McGill, Dalhousie, Toronto, UBC, Queens, Western would be your main prestige universities. However, if you're a canuck that really wants to show off, well then you'd just go to Harvard or Princeton😛

 

[akinf]

Who wouldn't want to go to UBC? Well...lots of people. I think in Canada, personal preferences factor in quite a bit (if you have the option of mulitple acceptances). Otherwise, people just go where they get accepted. However, if you want to match back into the US...I'd say McGill is your best shot. Quite a few grads (I'm assuming mostly Yanks that came up for med) match into US programs - good ones at that too.