Applying as an Independent Applicant (US Match)

[okazaki123]

Hi,

I was recently accepted to McGill Medical School in Canada and am trying to decide between McGill and US MD schools. I am a US Citizen, so if I did attend McGill, I would be considered an Independent Applicant, and not a US Senior in the Match. Since Canadian schools are LCME accredited, I would not be considered an IMG. I was hoping others who are familiar with the Match process could advise me as to whether attending McGill, and therefore applying as an Independent Applicant, would place me at a disadvantage in getting a US Residency position. I would like to keep my options open in terms of specialties and program caliber. Any thoughts?

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[drotoman]

If you apply for a U.S. residency position as anything other than "US Senior", you will be at a disadvantage even though McGill is LCME accredited. Might be in a better position than an IMG but not by a huge margin. This is especially true if you plan to go into a competitive specialty. Save yourself a headache now and go to a U.S. medical school. You will be glad later.

 

[okazaki123]

If you apply for a U.S. residency position as anything other than "US Senior", you will be at a disadvantage even though McGill is LCME accredited. Might be in a better position than an IMG but not by a huge margin. This is especially true if you plan to go into a competitive specialty. Save yourself a headache now and go to a U.S. medical school. You will be glad later.

Thanks for your input. However, would McGill's international reputation, and the fact that it is well-regarded in the US (especially the Northeast), and LCME accredited, not be factored into my candidacy, even though I would be applying as an Independent, and not a US Senior? So essentially, I would be placed in the same pool of applicants who attended foreign schools, which are not LCME accredited?

I appreciate any advice that others may have on this topic.

 

[drotoman]

Thanks for your input. However, would McGill's international reputation, and the fact that it is well-regarded in the US (especially the Northeast), and LCME accredited, not be factored into my candidacy, even though I would be applying as an Independent, and not a US Senior? So essentially, I would be placed in the same pool of applicants who attended foreign schools, which are not LCME accredited?

I appreciate any advice that others may have on this topic.

True. McGill is definitely a renowned medical school, and you'll get an outstanding training there without a doubt. The only McGill graduate I know personally who's training in the U.S. happens to be at Stanford right now. If McGill tends to be well regarded in the Northeast only, I would guess you will be somewhat geographically restricted when looking into residency programs.

Sounds like you have gotten into a couple of U.S. schools, and how do they compare to McGill in terms of reputation, residency placement...etc? Have you been accepted into any of the top-tier U.S. schools?

 

[okazaki123]

True. McGill is definitely a renowned medical school, and you'll get an outstanding training there without a doubt. The only McGill graduate I know personally who's training in the U.S. happens to be at Stanford right now. If McGill tends to be well regarded in the Northeast only, I would guess you will be somewhat geographically restricted when looking into residency programs.

Sounds like you have gotten into a couple of U.S. schools, and how do they compare to McGill in terms of reputation, residency placement...etc? Have you been accepted into any of the top-tier U.S. schools?

I mentioned the Northeast because I had read on some previous threads, and from talking to others, that there may be regional biases, with programs in the NE being more familiar with the reputation of McGill. However, that is just speculation and based off the opinions of others, and I don't know if that is actually valid or not. I'm not sure what region I want to eventually do residency in, so I wouldn't want to limit my options.

I don't have any top-tier acceptances. I have one MD acceptance in FL at a new school- they have matched only one class so far, so it's not much to go off of. I am on two waitlists, both of which are top-40 MD schools, and am waiting to hear from one other school I interviewed at. I think McGill rates higher in terms of reputation than the FL school and may be on par or higher than the mid-tiers I am still waiting to hear final decisions from. I guess I am trying to weigh the pros and cons of choosing a lesser known/mid-tier US school and applying as a US Senior, or choosing a more renowned Canadian school (which is also my top choice school) and having to apply as an Independent.

 

[drotoman]

I mentioned the Northeast because I had read on some previous threads, and from talking to others, that there may be regional biases, with programs in the NE being more familiar with the reputation of McGill. However, that is just speculation and based off the opinions of others, and I don't know if that is actually valid or not. I'm not sure what region I want to eventually do residency in, so I wouldn't want to limit my options.

I don't have any top-tier acceptances. I have one MD acceptance in FL at a new school- they have matched only one class so far, so it's not much to go off of. I am on two waitlists, both of which are top-40 MD schools, and am waiting to hear from one other school I interviewed at. I think McGill rates higher in terms of reputation than the FL school and may be on par or higher than the mid-tiers I am still waiting to hear final decisions from. I guess I am trying to weigh the pros and cons of choosing a lesser known/mid-tier US school and applying as a US Senior, or choosing a more renowned Canadian school (which is also my top choice school) and having to apply as an Independent.

Since FL is a brand-new program and without knowing much about the school's residency placement, I would be hesitant about going there. So McGill would be a better pick in this case. But if you can get into any of the top 40 U.S. schools, I would totally choose that place over McGill. As long as you have great stats, research and LORs, your door is open to almost all the specialties out there, whether you're at Hopkins or a state medical school. Plus you won't have to worry about any stigma associated with going to a Canadian school, despite McGill's great reputation. Wait to see if you can get off the waitlists and make a decision from there.

 

[K31]

If you apply for a U.S. residency position as anything other than "US Senior", you will be at a disadvantage even though McGill is LCME accredited. Might be in a better position than an IMG but not by a huge margin. This is especially true if you plan to go into a competitive specialty. Save yourself a headache now and go to a U.S. medical school. You will be glad later.

Eh, I'm not sure this is true. Independent applicants are statistically at a disadvantage if you look at Charting Outcomes in the Match, but I think that's in large part because they're lumping together US IMGs, non-US IMGs, DOs, etc. I'm not sure that a US citizen (I'm presuming dual citizen, because I've never heard of a US citizen being accepted to a Canadian medical school) coming from a world-renowned Canadian school would be disadvantaged as compared to an applicant from a lower-tier US MD school.

 

[VenusinFurs]

Would you be willing to practice/ do residency in Canada?

 

[okazaki123]

Eh, I'm not sure this is true. Independent applicants are statistically at a disadvantage if you look at Charting Outcomes in the Match, but I think that's in large part because they're lumping together US IMGs, non-US IMGs, DOs, etc. I'm not sure that a US citizen (I'm presuming dual citizen, because I've never heard of a US citizen being accepted to a Canadian medical school) coming from a world-renowned Canadian school would be disadvantaged as compared to an applicant from a lower-tier US MD school.

I also considered the same thing when I reviewed the data. Also, based on the Results and Data 2012 Main Residency Match, there were only 17 Canadian grads who applied for the US Match, and 12 matched. Therefore, I don't think it is reasonable to apply the match rate for Independent Applicants in general to Canadian grads, since the sample is so small. There really doesn't seem to be a a well-established precedent for my case- US Citizen going to a Canadian school and returning to the US for residency. (Also, I'm just a US Citizen- not dual. McGill accepts 4-5 International Applicants, and I believe UofT accepts a few as well.)

Would you be willing to practice/ do residency in Canada?

I am not opposed to that, except I would be limited to practicing in Quebec only since I'm not a Canadian resident/citizen. This would really limit my options, since McGill is the only non-French med school in Quebec. (I don't speak French)

 

[Didierdrogba]

I am not opposed to that, except I would be limited to practicing in Quebec only since I'm not a Canadian resident/citizen. This would really limit my options, since McGill is the only non-French med school in Quebec. (I don't speak French)

That's a little scary. Think about the unlikely but still possible scenario of you not doing well in medical school, and not being able to match at US residencies, and not being able to communicate in French.

In this case, if I were you, i'd keep my options as open as possible and just go to an US school, especially if the schools are just as reputable as McGill. Id only go to McGill only if I know I can get Canadian residency positions easily, either by becoming a Canadian resident or what not. Always take the most fail-safe option!!

 

[PrideNeverDie]

you are thinking about it the wrong way

first they will see if you are a US-grad ... you aren't
then they will look at your individual application next
finally, they will look at your school

so if there are enough US grads, you will be screwed like all the IMGs

 

[Sheldor]

Given the info about your practice options in Canada, this seems like it should be a much easier decision. I'd vote any US school.

If you do well in any us school you can do any specify you want!