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AVSS HDS CSM

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I know this may be slightly outside many people's area of expertise, but this is a decision I must make. I welcome all those who do have an opinion to help me out if they like. Thanks!
NOTE: I am a citizen of both the US and Canada.

CWRU
Pros:
  1. Top 25 US MD school
  2. Excellent match list (understood that it includes CCLCM)
  3. Cleveland clinic! (ranked #2 hospital in US)
  4. Feel like I really fit with students, faculty, the whole place in general!
  5. Can do a masters within the four years for free (seriously considering Applied Anatomy)
  6. Received decent financial aid package (scholarship + small subsidized school loan + stafford)
  7. Love the curriculum and teaching style; IQ, HoloLens, Tuesday seminars, blocks, research time (but then again, I've not yet gone to med school... will this matter?)
  8. Cheap housing, and low cost of living
  9. Part of US MD system, I want to do residency and career in the US
Cons:
  1. Still quite expensive! (AAMC calculator predicts approx. 400-500k repayment)
  2. Cost of living would increase from my current situation
  3. Spouse would need to get licensed in OH and find a job
McGill
Pros:
  1. Excellent reputation in Canada and international (pretty much the top school in Canada)
  2. Good teaching hospitals (but still not the Cleveland Clinic...)
  3. I probably fit in pretty well
  4. Extremely cheap!!!! (6k CAD per year, unheard of!)
  5. Good curriculum, though maybe not as cool as Case
  6. Cheap housing and cost of living
  7. Low rate loans and lines of credit available
  8. Canadian benefits, health insurance, tax-shelters
  9. Spouse already has work in Montreal
Cons:
  1. McGill does not train to pass the step exams, question styles, etc.
  2. Will have to study for and write the step exams pretty much on my own (people do this though, and it works out)
  3. May not be so easy to match to US, risk of going unmatched (?)
  4. Won't learn much about US healthcare system in school (?)
  5. Can't do a masters concurrently
  6. Not particularly sure, curriculum and style might be more old-school, they don't advertise it much
As you can see, this question boils down mainly to money, and if I should take on huge loans to be in a top-25 US school vs a top Canadian one. I am also sure there will be some complications switching between the two systems, but I'm not sure how much that is worth financially.
EDIT: US school would entail loans with a principle of about 250k. McGill would be about 20k maximum.

Currently leaning towards McGill due to financial considerations.
Thanks for you opinions and insights! I am truly interested to see what you think!

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Congrats on McGill!
Something I was surprised to learn about matching to the US as a Canadian grad is that you are automatically withdrawn from the US match if you match into a Canadian program. If you sign up for both CaRMS and ERAS, hypothetically, you could end up in a situation where an American derm program ranks you, but you match into a Canadian FM program, and thus have to go with the prior. If you would only like to practice in the US and find that you are in a strong position to match into a US program, I would recommend only applying through ERAS. Also, make sure that you inform the PDs that you are only applying through ERAS so they can be assured that your application won't mysteriously be withdrawn a week before the match.
That is an excellent point! I am aware of that, and CaRMS always does run before ERAS (but SF/Urology runs before...). As you say, I will have to decide when the time comes whether to go US or Canadian. People also have been known to do both, with some strategizing, for example ranking only a few CaRMS programs of great interest and ranking many ERAS programs, keeping CaRMS second iteration as a backup so as not to go unmatched (obviously must be very flexible and willing to settle, doesn't sound so good to me somehow).
Thanks for the advice!
 
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Congrats on McGill!
Something I was surprised to learn about matching to the US as a Canadian grad is that you are automatically withdrawn from the US match if you match into a Canadian program. If you sign up for both CaRMS and ERAS, hypothetically, you could end up in a situation where an American derm program ranks you, but you match into a Canadian FM program, and thus have to go with the latter. If you would only like to practice in the US and find that you are in a strong position to match into a US program, I would recommend only applying through ERAS. Also, make sure that you inform the PDs that you are only applying through ERAS so they can be assured that your application won't mysteriously be withdrawn a week before the match.
Gee, I must remember to come back to this post in three years... someone remind me? :D
 
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