Candian Medical school vs American Medical schools

[davidmathur]

hey guys,

i had a question regarding medical schools. Since I'm an american citizen, I want to apply to the states. But, I'm studying currently at a canadian university. Is it harder to get in to canadian medical schools than american? My school dishes out gpa on a 4.3 scale. On the AMCAS, they only go by a 4.0. Does that hurt me or boost my average given that if I only get an A in a course my marks look higher on paper rather than an A+?

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[raltima07]

I believe AMCAS corrects GPA - not 100% sure though

 

[octupus]

hey guys,

i had a question regarding medical schools. Since I'm an american citizen, I want to apply to the states. But, I'm studying currently at a canadian university. Is it harder to get in to canadian medical schools than american? My school dishes out gpa on a 4.3 scale. On the AMCAS, they only go by a 4.0. Does that hurt me or boost my average given that if I only get an A in a course my marks look higher on paper rather than an A+?

From what little I know about Canadian med schools, I can tell you that the Canadian applicants I've encountered are top notch and have been told it is extremely competitive to get into a Canadian med school outside your province (like applying OOS).

 

[tryp]

If you are not a Canadian citizen it will be extremely hard for you to get into a Canadian medical school. Only a couple of schools will even consider you, and they will have only 1-2 slots for non-Canadians. As far as I know, only McGill, U of T and possibly Dal (?) will consider you at all.

And yes, it is much harder to get into medical school in Canada than it is in the US even if you are a citizen.

 

[North12]

Do you go to Dal?!

I was in the 4.3 system. They correct it to a 4.0 scale by A+ = A = 4.0, and then A- = 3.7 etc. Its a pretty sweet conversion.

I wouldnt even bother applying to Canada. UofT, McGill and maybe McMaster are your best shots, and even then it is really competitive. You will have a MUCH better shot in the US. (Biased - I am Canadian who had more success in the US than home). Good luck!

 

[davidmathur]

I actually go to Queen's haha. But what I want to add is that i am a canadian permanent resident and graduated from a canadian highschool (that's why i'm able to study in canada without looking like an international student). I was just wondering because I have a decent gpa with good ec's and I am looking at top tier american schools, but the thing is they look much easier to get into than the above mentioned UT, McGill and others in terms of gpa which really threw me off. Still don't whats good tho haha

 

[jf1987]

Its way harder to get in in Canada. It has to do with number of spots per applicant. In the USA 40-50% of applicants get in while in Canada its about 15-20%. This drives up the competition. In Canada the average person applies 2.5 times before they get accepted. That is why so many go abroad. The average acceptance score in Canada is 3.8+ GPA while in the US its closer to about 3.7. They don't weigh the MCAT as much either.

 

[davidmathur]

Wow apply 2.5 times before getting accepted? daamn haha didn't know that at all!
can anyone else talk about a 4.3 scale? would american schools look at that or strictly look at the AMCAS sgpa/cgpa?

 

[theseeker4]

Wow apply 2.5 times before getting accepted? daamn haha didn't know that at all!
can anyone else talk about a 4.3 scale? would american schools look at that or strictly look at the AMCAS sgpa/cgpa?

Since most schools don't have a 4.3 scale, medical schools are going to put everyone on the same footing by converting the A+ to a 4.0. They won't care whether you got A+'s. Since most schools don't have a 4.3 scale, ignoring the + is the only way to compare students equally.

 

[candav]

It is difficult to get into Canadian schools if your GPA and MCAT are subpar, but if you meet the cut-offs, the sheer probability of being admitted to any single school often exceeds 50%. I'm from Southwestern Ontario, and the post-interview acceptance rate at Western for applicants from my region hovers at 75%. I would say your chances are quite good in Canada if you have a 3.8+ and a well-balanced MCAT.

The process in the US is more holistic and subjective, and nothing is guaranteed.

ETA: A+ grades are converted to A's by AMCAS, so the highest GPA bracket is 4.0.

 

[MT Headed]

4.3? Wow. Never heard of that.

Is it true that the Canadian MCAT goes to 48, with a maximum of 16 in each category too?

 

[tryp]

No, it's all the same MCAT - there isn't a Canadian MCAT

 

[davidmathur]

4.3? Wow. Never heard of that.

Is it true that the Canadian MCAT goes to 48, with a maximum of 16 in each category too?

lol nice one haha, no its only a few schools in canada including mine. ive actually been trying to fight that piece of legislation during student senate assembly to change it back to a 4.0 but I cant get a majority vote...

 

[canadian18]

Your GPA will be converted to a 4.0 scale using AMCAS standards.

I wouldn't say Canadian schools are necessarily harder to get into. Each school has a different cut-off and slightly different admission criteria so depending on your situation, you may have an easier time in Canada or in the States.

Personally, I had an easier time with US schools b/c I have a relatively high MCAT with below-average GPA. Canadian schools to my understanding don't care what your exact MCAT score is as long as it's above a certain cut-off.

 

[tryp]

Not every Canadian school is harder than every American school, but it is easier to get into AN American school than A Canadian school. Case in point - we hear all the time about people who can't get in up here going south. How often do you hear about the reverse happening? If you can't get in down there, you likely can't get in up here.

 

[Tsiana]

Honestly, I wouldn't worry about your GPA conversion too much. As long as you are "in the range", as Candav said, it will be fine.

Don't be fooled into thinking that just because the GPA and MCATs of top 10 or 20 US schools seem lower than the schools in Canada that Canadians have a better chance of getting in in the States. Canadian schools, in general, will be kinder in looking at extracurriculars (Candav's "holistic" clause), and some say even the prestige of your institution. There are undoubtedly top 10 US schools that have lower MCATs and GPAs than say Queen's medical school, but you'll see in their stats that their rates of accepting students from certain schools (international schools in particular) are quite low. It's unfair but true.

Best to just apply on both sides of the border - even if it is more expensive, if it works out, you only apply once, right? It's not as much work as it sounds anyways - Canadian (Ontario) schools have fewer "secondary essays" in my experience.