American vs. Canadian Schools Pros and Cons

[Lunasly]

Hey guys,

Is there any particular advantage of applying to American Schools as opposed to Canadian Schools? I have heard a few rumours, but I would like to confirm. Please tell me if my pros and cons are correct/incorrect.

PROS:
- The curriculum of American school is based off of Step I. That is you will be taught to do well on the test. This is not the case in Canada.
- There are more residency spots in the U.S. so it is easier to obtain something more competitive. (i.e. Dermatology residency).

CONS:
- Way more expensive.

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[sector9]

Hey guys,

Is there any particular advantage of applying to American Schools as opposed to Canadian Schools? I have heard a few rumours, but I would like to confirm. Please tell me if my pros and cons are correct/incorrect.

PROS:
- The curriculum of American school is based off of Step I. That is you will be taught to do well on the test. This is not the case in Canada.
- There are more residency spots in the U.S. so it is easier to obtain something more competitive. (i.e. Dermatology residency).

CONS:
- Way more expensive.

The pro vs. con list you want to build is only from the perspective of Canadian applicants, correct?

 

[Lunasly]

From either side would be fine, actually. I just want to know if my chances of scoring higher (because I get more time to study) on the step I is greater at a Canadian school vs. an American school.

 

[JasonicBoom]

So I take it you want to do residency in the States?

 

[MartletMD]

From either side would be fine, actually. I just want to know if my chances of scoring higher (because I get more time to study) on the step I is greater at a Canadian school vs. an American school.

If you want to take Step 1 and do residency in the States, going to the States makes so much more sense. From what I understand, taking classes geared towards the MCCEEs will do you no good for the USMLEs.

Also, keep in mind that while there may be more spots, there are more people, and it is still difficult to get into a competitive program or specialty.

 

[rhysticlight]

So I take it you want to do residency in the States?

If you want to do residency in the states, then you are better off going to a US school. If you graduate from a Canadian school, you are considered a Tier-2 applicant in the US match. However if you graduate from a US school, you are a Tier-1 applicant for both the canadian and US matches.

 

[Mithril]

The curriculum of American school is based off of Step I. That is you will be taught to do well on the test. This is not the case in Canada.

I hope you realise Canadian med school graduates have their own tests for being licenced in Canada.

The questions you should ask yourself are whether you think $300k is worth the US medical school education compared to $60k in Canada and whether you want to hassle yourself studying for the MCCQEs in a school not tailored towards the MCCQEs and whether or not you want to go through the annoying process of obtaining a green card to work in the States if you don't want to work in Canada.

 

[NNNComplex]

What about in regards to research? Is it safe to say that there are more opportunities to get involved with academic research in the States than in Canada?

 

[tiedyeddog]

What about in regards to research? Is it safe to say that there are more opportunities to get involved with academic research in the States than in Canada?

No, that depends on the school.

 

[NNNComplex]

No, that depends on the school.

What if we were to compare the top 3 Canadian schools,

McGill
UBC
UofT

to top-tier american universities,

Harvard
Standford
Yale
Johns Hopkins
UPenn
WashU of St. Louis
Duke
UCSF
UWash
Columbia