DO for Canadians: 2011-2012

[jasin]

I was referring to "Athina"

Oh, I see. Thanks for informing me.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[jasin]

I actually prefer osteopathic medicine myself. I feel it has more to offer than the traditional allopathic medicine.

 

[jasin]

I will message CANDO. I am excited and a little nervous for the upcoming year.

Take a deep breath. You will be fine

 

[mashmetoo]

nvm lol...

 

[se20001984]

I actually prefer osteopathic medicine myself. I feel it has more to offer than the traditional allopathic medicine.

No no its not the samw

Img MD is better

More oppertunities

 

[docnotsopc]

No no its not the samw

Img MD is better

More oppertunities

I heard the most commonly matched field from the Caribbean is Pediatric dematology and sports radiation oncology, which conveniently happen to be the two most competitve fields

 

[intheclouds]

My head is exploding with all the research I have been doing. I am planning on applying to MD programs next year and am trying to have a plan B. I was considering IMG route but now that I found out about DO's I am thinking of forgetting about the MD route altogether!

I love the idea of osetopathic medicine because I was originally thinking of doing the naturopathic program but I didn't like the curriculum. Osteophatic medicine seems to be a nice middle ground.

Now I am even more confused after reading through this thread! I am considering rural family medicine or pediatrics as my end goal. Any advice?

p.s. the people in the osteopathic section of the forum are so much nicer than the allo forums!

 

[se20001984]

wow...rural pediatrics

yea the DO is for you!...lol

 

[jasin]

No no its not the samw

Img MD is better

More oppertunities

"Holders of the DO degree ... have the same rights, privileges and responsibilities as MDs."

 

[jasin]

My head is exploding with all the research I have been doing. I am planning on applying to MD programs next year and am trying to have a plan B. I was considering IMG route but now that I found out about DO's I am thinking of forgetting about the MD route altogether!

I love the idea of osetopathic medicine because I was originally thinking of doing the naturopathic program but I didn't like the curriculum. Osteophatic medicine seems to be a nice middle ground.

Now I am even more confused after reading through this thread! I am considering rural family medicine or pediatrics as my end goal. Any advice?

p.s. the people in the osteopathic section of the forum are so much nicer than the allo forums!

Do not go with an MD program solely because its the MD. That would be going to an allopathic medical school for all the wrong reasons.

 

[jasin]

p.s. the people in the osteopathic section of the forum are so much nicer than the allo forums!

I totally agree!

 

[docnotsopc]

Jasin werent you hating earlier. Now you are all DO friendly? Je suis confused

 

[medcandidate]

p.s. The people in the osteopathic section of the forum are so much nicer than the allo forums!

+1 =)

 

[jasin]

Jasin werent you hating earlier. Now you are all DO friendly? Je suis confused

I hate no one.

 

[SkyRider]

No no its not the samw

Img MD is better

More oppertunities

I personally know quite some IMGs are still unemployed several years after graduation partly due to the "quota" placed on the available positions for IMGs in Canada. I also know some of my schoolmates got into some Carribean medical schools with GPA of B and C+, and without MCAT at all. Yes, they still do hold the "MD" title !

Whatever path you choose, please just keep in mind that international medical schools are not created with similar qualities although they offer the degrees such as "MD" or "MBBS".

 

[SRC1987]

I heard the most commonly matched field from the Caribbean is Pediatric dematology and sports radiation oncology, which conveniently happen to be the two most competitve fields

Sports radiation oncology?????????

No no its not the samw

Img MD is better

More oppertunities

What is happening to this thread???????

 

[Athina]

Not really? Would you like me get the data off the CaRMs website for you?

Its something like 19% chance of matching back into Canada for IMGs (caribbean, Australia, etc) Vs US medical graduates of 60% (only 35 tried last year)

Now keep this in mind, if one has to fall back on staying in the US as Canadian:
1) IMG --> 40% (2010), 42 % (2009. 2008 too)
2) US DO --> We can apply to some DO residencies AND the ACGME (MD) residencies. The DO match rates can be found on these forums but off top of my head the numbers are like 80% or higher
Reference: nrmp.org

Also, US DO/MD students get placed into the Canadian Medical Graduate stream (CMG). IMGs have their own ****ty stream competing for a very small # of spots and fight for 2nd round spots (the left overs)

So thanks for coming out, have a nice day

You're only eligible for the first iteration in Ontario and British Columbia. In Alberta, you're eligible for the second iteration and in the rest of the country, you can't match at all. At least IMGs are eligible in all provinces.

Did you get in bc you speak french??or the fact that you live in quebec?

Who cares why I got in. I did and that's all that matters.

Ohh wait i got 1 more

Did you have to even take any science class or did you get in with a basket weaving major??
Ohh snap boy!

Again, who cares? I'm in, aren't I?

I got an acceptance from MSUCOM last month. Being a Canadian applicant, I am a little concerned about the 300k loan I will have to take. I also have questions regarding being able to work back in Canada.

Is their someone I could speak with to allay some of my concerns?
I tried calling the Canadian Osteopathic Association and got their voicemail. I have not received a reply from them yet.

Don't do it. Make yourself competitive for a Canadian medical school and go there. Who cares if it takes another year or two before you matriculate? In the end, you're going to win by making your life easier and not worrying about matching.

 

[docnotsopc]

Sports radiation oncology?????????



What is happening to this thread???????

haha its the only ridiculous sounding "competitive" specialty i could make up

Ya this thread has gone to downhill. Luckily the trolling will stop soon and all will be quite on the Canadian border again

On another topic, I found it interesting to read that the Liberal party just announcing they are using legalizing marijuana (they voted in favor of it) as part of their platform to get a stronger presence in the west???

 

[se20001984]

"You're only eligible for the first iteration in Ontario and British Columbia. In Alberta, you're eligible for the second iteration and in the rest of the country, you can't match at all. At least IMGs are eligible in all provinces."

Majority of us are comming in from Ont or BC- bc we havent had laxed privilages/req to get into medical school in canada, we had to take sciences class at some of the most highly competitve schools in n. america, took the mcats, got a **** loads of publications (i have currently 6 now!!) and research, some have graduated masters and worked for years before even getting a call back from school....

a 1st iteration is BIG..plus once you finnish your rez in BC, ont or alb you can probably move to PEI

Also I believe most do NOT want to come back to Canada, I sure do not...

nuts to that!!

take you pickings of IMGs canada...the 2.0 and 18 mcat students ...there a plenty out there....and those out of hs..great doctors Iam sure

12,000 IMGs (non american schools) currently abroad...probably hit 25,000 in 5-10 years

id be suprised if theres more than a 1k of canadians in both MD and DO schools in the US- low bc its acceptances is MUCH more difficult.

 

[se20001984]

Athina...Did you have to take the mcat?

jus curious...

 

[mashmetoo]

Well my fellow DOs and pre-meds.. we've had a good run. I do believe this is the first time on this thread and the previous thread (running almost 2 years!) where we have our first CMG racist against USDOs post his disdain for us in this little hiding spot lol..

I consider it a good run They've finally found us!!

Here's my 2 cents: I've noticed that most of the people who are "anti DO", or tell pre-meds to "not go for DO", usually are CMGs. I'm beginning to think that this is because they are genuinely afraid of the 1st match competition we have against them in BC/ON Lol... Come on now, USDOs are the only legitimate "threat" to CMGs as we are the only ones who can also match first round (which again, makes a HUGE difference).. It's petty really, but small people get worked up over petty things =)

Rest assured, COMSA and the COA are working hard for YOU to gain recognition and access to residencies all across Canada
Things can only get better for us, and we are making history with every new Canadian matriculant!!

 

[Giemsa]

USDOs are the only legitimate "threat" to CMGs as we are the only ones who can also match first round (which again, makes a HUGE difference)

 

[drgioiadds]

well my fellow dos and pre-meds.. We've had a good run. I do believe this is the first time on this thread and the previous thread (running almost 2 years!) where we have our first cmg racist against usdos post his disdain for us in this little hiding spot lol..

I consider it a good run They've finally found us!!

Here's my 2 cents: I've noticed that most of the people who are "anti do", or tell pre-meds to "not go for do", usually are cmgs. I'm beginning to think that this is because they are genuinely afraid of the 1st match competition we have against them in bc/on lol... Come on now, usdos are the only legitimate "threat" to cmgs as we are the only ones who can also match first round (which again, makes a huge difference).. It's petty really, but small people get worked up over petty things =)

rest assured, comsa and the coa are working hard for you to gain recognition and access to residencies all across canada
things can only get better for us, and we are making history with every new canadian matriculant!!

+1

 

[jasin]

I personally know quite some IMGs are still unemployed several years after graduation partly due to the "quota" placed on the available positions for IMGs in Canada. I also know some of my schoolmates got into some Carribean medical schools with GPA of B and C+, and without MCAT at all. Yes, they still do hold the "MD" title !

Whatever path you choose, please just keep in mind that international medical schools are not created with similar qualities although they offer the degrees such as "MD" or "MBBS".

Very interesting. Thanks for sharing this.

 

[jasin]

I've heard a lot of bad stuff about Caribbean Med schools. I personally would try to stay away from them.

 

[jasin]

Well my fellow DOs and pre-meds.. we've had a good run. I do believe this is the first time on this thread and the previous thread (running almost 2 years!) where we have our first CMG racist against USDOs post his disdain for us in this little hiding spot lol..

I consider it a good run They've finally found us!!

Here's my 2 cents: I've noticed that most of the people who are "anti DO", or tell pre-meds to "not go for DO", usually are CMGs. I'm beginning to think that this is because they are genuinely afraid of the 1st match competition we have against them in BC/ON Lol... Come on now, USDOs are the only legitimate "threat" to CMGs as we are the only ones who can also match first round (which again, makes a HUGE difference).. It's petty really, but small people get worked up over petty things =)

Rest assured, COMSA and the COA are working hard for YOU to gain recognition and access to residencies all across Canada
Things can only get better for us, and we are making history with every new Canadian matriculant!!

What is CMGs??

 

[jasin]

Carribean medical schools with GPA of B and C+, and without MCAT at all.

There are Med Schools in the USA that dont require Mcat.

 

[UBCvan]

everyone,

Please go back and read my very first post which explains why I (we) started this thread.

If you have anything against DO, DO NOT comment and let the rest of us who are benefiting from this thread help each other out. Even if you believe you have data and evidence to have something against DO, we simply DO NOT care because they are all myths!

After all USDOs will have the same privileges as USMDs and will have the same opportunities (we also have DO residencies) as USMDs to match into any residencies (YES that's right, even top residencies). After all, haters gonna hate.

And also keep your comments professional; it will make everything easier for all of us and we all can make the most out of this thread.

Thank You

 

[UBCvan]

What is CMGs??

Caribbean medical graduate

 

[jasin]

everyone,

Please go back and read my very first post which explains why I (we) started this thread.

If you have anything against DO, DO NOT comment and let the rest of us who are benefiting from this thread help each other out. Even if you believe you have data and evidence to have something against DO, we simply DO NOT care because they are all myths!

After all USDOs will have the same privileges as USMDs and will have the same opportunities (we also have DO residencies) as USMDs to match into any residencies (YES that's right, even top residencies). After all, haters gonna hate.

And also keep your comments professional; it will make everything easier for all of us and we all can make the most out of this thread.

Thank You

I agree.

 

[jasin]

Caribbean medical graduate

Oh, I see.

 

[jasin]

everyone,

Please go back and read my very first post which explains why I (we) started this thread.

If you have anything against DO, DO NOT comment and let the rest of us who are benefiting from this thread help each other out. Even if you believe you have data and evidence to have something against DO, we simply DO NOT care because they are all myths!

After all USDOs will have the same privileges as USMDs and will have the same opportunities (we also have DO residencies) as USMDs to match into any residencies (YES that's right, even top residencies). After all, haters gonna hate.

And also keep your comments professional; it will make everything easier for all of us and we all can make the most out of this thread.

Thank You

I would like to add: "Holders of the DO degree ... have the same rights, privileges and responsibilities as MDs."

 

[mashmetoo]

I would like to add: "Holders of the DO degree ... have the same rights, privileges and responsibilities as MDs."

Lol, CMG = Canadian medical graduate, AMG = American medical graduate.. Caribbean med graduate = IMG (international med grad)

2 questions:

1) HOW is it possible for you to have such a quick change of heart? You went from all "Canadian horror stories" to "go DO go".

2) Why are you posting on this Canadian thread, esp when you are a US premed -- you don't have to deal with any of the nonsense we have to deal with.

 

[jasin]

Lol, CMG = Canadian medical graduate, AMG = American medical graduate.. Caribbean med graduate = IMG (international med grad)

2 questions:

1) HOW is it possible for you to have such a quick change of heart? You went from all "Canadian horror stories" to "go DO go".

2) Why are you posting on this Canadian thread, esp when you are a US premed -- you don't have to deal with any of the nonsense we have to deal with.

Why do you come here to make trouble? UBCvan said we do not need that.

 

[drgioiadds]

No trouble being made. This thread was started to help Canadians who want to be DO's go through the application process and share application experiences. If you are not interested in becoming a DO or do not have correct facts about being a DO in Canada, please do not come and post here. There are DO's in Canada working very hard to promote the profession and it is simply not right to come here and start posting facts that simply aren't true.

 

[jasin]

No trouble being made. This thread was started to help Canadians who want to be DO's go through the application process and share application experiences. If you are not interested in becoming a DO or do not have correct facts about being a DO in Canada, please do not come and post here. There are DO's in Canada working very hard to promote the profession and it is simply not right to come here and start posting facts that simply aren't true.

mashmetoo is making trouble with me

 

[docnotsopc]

No trouble being made. This thread was started to help Canadians who want to be DO's go through the application process and share application experiences. If you are not interested in becoming a DO or do not have correct facts about being a DO in Canada, please do not come and post here. There are DO's in Canada working very hard to promote the profession and it is simply not right to come here and start posting facts that simply aren't true.

Since there seems to be some confusion about CMG (although Mashmetoo kind of touched on it), just wanted to clarify something for those who dont know much about the status. We, as Canadians, who choose to attend medical school in the US (MD or DO) are considered CMG when we apply for residency back in Canada. We get put into the same category (or stream) in CaRMs as medical students at Canadian schools.

IMG = Canadians who attend medical school outside of the US or Canada and apply to Canada for residency. They have their own stream/category and compete for their own separate (and few) spots

FMG = Canadian who attend medical school outside of the US or Canada and applies to American residency. (americans outside of the US are called IMGs)

Long story short.... as a Canadian.......
1) End up in the US, you are an FMG if you to the Caribbean. You are at the bottom of the pickings. USMD/DO> IMG (american @caribbean) > FMG (canadian@caribbean)
2) End up in Canada, you are an CMG if you go to school in the US and an IMG if you go caribbean. CMG >>> IMG

I apologize if thats redundant, I know a lot of you already know this

 

[Cando]

As I have alluded to in the past many times it is imperative if one is going to be professional one must act professional. Part of being professional is to work collegially and provide correct information. I have been impressed by some recent posts suggesting this. However some of the other comments have not only been incorrect but also not very professional. COMSA( Canadian Osteopathic Medical Student Association) has worked hard and is continuing to work hard to provide correct information to you. I have been very impressed by their website and the work that they have done even while working hard on their studies. They should be commended. Working in Canada as a D.O. will not be difficult. If one checks out their facts before posting incorrect information then clearly one would not post such erroneous information. The Medical Act 2011 in Newfoundland allows graduates of AOA accredited programs entrance to both the full and educational registry. Saskatchewan has committed to falling in line with the Canadian standard for full licensure which includes graduates of AOA accredited schools. It is just a matter of time until the Medical Act is opened to facilitate the necessary changes. I have no idea what horror stories there are regarding licensure of D.O.'s in Canada but from the rest of the comments made I suspect this comment has no basis. When I go to the AOA convention every year representing the Canadian Osteopathic Association I find that very few D.O.'s in the U.S. really know much about Canada never mind practice rights for them. Usually they state they heard full practise rights don't exist for D.O.'s in Canada and are shocked to find out differently. Mashemotto is quite well versed on licensure, is not really trying to get at you, but is rather trying to set the record straight. He works hard to get the correct information out there and should be commended for such. It is "very frustrating" when we work so hard to improve things for everyone considering working as osteopathic physicians in Canada, to have someone come along and disseminate misinformation. This post was started to help those in this endeavour. If one just wants to criticize you have your right, but be accurate and professional. I prefer the high road and expect no less of my fellow Canadians. You will all be ambassadors of of the profession upon your return.

 

[Kliffmeister]

Hey guys, I wanted to know how everyone is dealing with medical insurance coverage during their studies. AZCOM is offering ~$700/yr medical insurance but I wanted to know if there were any cheaper options for us Canadians.

 

[drgioiadds]

I am just going to go with the insurance MSU is providing. I think we would have had to opt out of it by now.

 

[Kliffmeister]

I am just going to go with the insurance MSU is providing. I think we would have had to opt out of it by now.

I think that would be the easiest....still, I'm constantly looking for a cheaper alternative.
Apparently I need to show I have 352K in my US bank account for AZCOM to issue I-20. I'm flabbergasted by the amount. I went to RBC but said the max they can do is 150K CDN....However, they can do more if my parents co-sign and put one of their properties for collateral. I dunno if I wanna do this. The person I talked to said it may not be easy to receive max line of credit from several banks since they will see I have already taken out loan from another bank.

Any opinions? Maybe I should play lotto 649 tonight

 

[drgioiadds]

Honestly--you can't even get the 150 k without a cosigner. I tried and its because the school is in the US. I make more money than my parents do, so its not a money thing. The easiest way to do this is the home line credit. They give you .80x the appraised value of the home. There are a few ways that your parents can then lend you the money. Also explain that the money only has to be in the US bank account for a few days and then you can transfer it back. Also, SRC1987 is going to CCOM, so you might want to PM her about this. What made you decide AZCOM over Touro? I probably would have made that choice also.

 

[se20001984]

Welcome to the medical school scam


All a money grabbing ploy

 

[se20001984]

Mannn 350k

Whats the interest on that ????

Prob 5%...or 2%

Looking at 10-15k interest a year

The banks take ur money n invest in securities..add the interest looking at 10% return per student

 

[Kliffmeister]

Honestly--you can't even get the 150 k without a cosigner. I tried and its because the school is in the US. I make more money than my parents do, so its not a money thing. The easiest way to do this is the home line credit. They give you .80x the appraised value of the home. There are a few ways that your parents can then lend you the money. Also explain that the money only has to be in the US bank account for a few days and then you can transfer it back. Also, SRC1987 is going to CCOM, so you might want to PM her about this. What made you decide AZCOM over Touro? I probably would have made that choice also.

This is such pain in the gluteus maximus. It does seem I do hafta get my parents to agree with collateral on their property, but I really did not want to ask my parents for any financial help. BMO offers max 200k student line of credit so I will try to negotiate with both BMO and RBC if I can get max loans for both and I'll cover the rest.

One good thing about Touro is their lower tuition (11K diff from AZCOM). I liked AZCOM due to their optional summer internship research program and more stabilized rotation sites. Also AZCOM offers advanced anatomy/dissection class for those interested in pursuing surgery. I really wanted to be taught by Conrad Fisher, but I also realized my success on boards is mostly up to my dedication.
I thought I can just rely on metro system in ny, but realized I may need a car for some Touro clinical sites, thus defeats the purpose of saving money by not purchasing a car.
Overall, I felt more at home in AZCOM. I didn't feel clustered by people and felt more peaceful and quiet.
The AZCOM admin were more prompt in answering my questions and concerns. I just felt they were more organized than Touro. I also like to join their softball league.
In the end, it really was about rotation sites. I know Touro has good sites too, but too many uncertainties. If Touro was affiliated with NY Presbyterian, then I will definately go to Touro. I like the fact that I know where I'm going in my 3rd n 4th yr now than near end of 2nd yr. I can see Touronyc being an awesome school in 10yrs, but right now, I think AZCOM is a wiser choice.
NYC is awesome due to their culinary scene, but I shouldn't attend a school to experience the food. I need to attend to receive the best education that's fitted for my style.

 

[thumbz]

Howdy folks, wow did this thread ever go to the dogs. Cando, thanks for coming back in and once again using a voice of experience to lend some credibility to the comments being made. I for one am terrified of matching. But I was also terrified of getting into medical school, and now I've just written my 32nd exam. Then I was terrified of getting my visa set up, but now I'm legally a student in the USA. Most recently, I was terrified of having to cross the border a couple times on a student visa to visit my family. I literally walked across just like anyone else.

Long story short: in our personality types, anxiety is common. Due to that, people tend to spout off worst case scenarios based on what they think. Honestly, I've talked to handful of Canuck DO's who are currently doing ACGME residencies and they're all happy. Also, I'm pretty sure AZCOM wouldn't take a handful of us every year if none of us could get residencies out of it at the end (and look at MSU's Canadian initiative - do you think that would exist if they knew none of us would ever be able to practice medicine in Canada?)

The absolute best advice I'll give to any of you. Enjoy the time off you have right now. Once you start classes, life is going to take a massive turn towards burn out island. And use your summer between M1 and M2 to worry about matching =P

 

[jasin]

Lol, CMG = Canadian medical graduate, AMG = American medical graduate.. Caribbean med graduate = IMG (international med grad)

2 questions:

1) HOW is it possible for you to have such a quick change of heart? You went from all "Canadian horror stories" to "go DO go".

2) Why are you posting on this Canadian thread, esp when you are a US premed -- you don't have to deal with any of the nonsense we have to deal with.

This forum is for all.

 

[SRC1987]

Alright guys.. my primary bank is BMO so that is who I have seen so far. As most know I'm going to CCOM and both CCOM and AZCOM have the policy we need to show ~350K to get our student visa.. but there is another option.. it does sound crazy but when you run the numbers you should give it some thought.

The other option is you can prepay tuition for the full four years. This has two advantages- you can lock in this years tuition rate and you do not have to show you have the money for living expenses.

This is how I'm justifying paying the tuition up front:

1. The rate right now for CCOM 2011-12 was $51,680. The tuition increase yearly is 3-7%. So as an avg the tuition could go up about $2,500 a year. So prepaying you will save approximately $7,500.
2. Exchange rates right now are really good. When the banker looked into it to change over $200,000 it would cost me $203,000. So for four years of tuition I am only paying $3,000 extra in exchange rates. The less money you exchange the more it will cost you. Ex: if you change $50,000 over in two year the exchange rate quite possibly will not be as good as it is now and it can easily cost thousands of dollars more. As someone who did my undergrad in the US I know I lost about that if not more than 3k is exchange at an undergrad tuition rate.
3. Downfall is I will have to start paying interest on all four years tuition now. At prime, which is 3% right now that's about $600 a month I believe the banker said. When she worked out the numbers I will be paying $6,000 extra in interest payments (@ 3%) over the four years then if I had paid tuition per year.

So when you add it all up prepaying tuition isn't quite as terrifying as I first thought. I frankly didn't even think it was an option.

The main factors I am looking at is i) I am fairly confident that the exchange rate is not going to stay this good. When the exchange rate changes just a few cents we are talking hundreds to thousands of dollar more just due to exchange rate. ii) Tuition increases at a private school are nearly guaranteed. When I talked to finaid people they mentioned it does go up every year. If they can get more money they always will.

At BMO you can try to push for more than $200,000. That is just their published maximum. If you should you need more you may be able to get some. Also like DrG said using your own or your parents home owners line of credit. You can usually get those at like prime+0.5% or something along those lines.

The truth of it is you can not get these loans on your own. You will need cosigners and some of the debt may even need to be under your parents name. I am still going to try and get another student LOC at another bank as well because it is a prime vs another LOC which is prime plus X%.

I am still checking into tuition refund God forbid something happened. I want to confirm that even if I prepay tuition if something happens I can not finish my full four years that I can get the remaining years refunded. But... I intend on seeing the next four years through lol.

Let me know if I'm crazy for looking at it like this.

 

[mashmetoo]

You can pay your tuition for all 4 years all at once? I never heard that one before.. Surely the school knows that they'll be paid "less" if they allowed that?

 

[Kliffmeister]

Alright guys.. my primary bank is BMO so that is who I have seen so far. As most know I'm going to CCOM and both CCOM and AZCOM have the policy we need to show ~350K to get our student visa.. but there is another option.. it does sound crazy but when you run the numbers you should give it some thought.

The other option is you can prepay tuition for the full four years. This has two advantages- you can lock in this years tuition rate and you do not have to show you have the money for living expenses.

This is how I'm justifying paying the tuition up front:

1. The rate right now for CCOM 2011-12 was $51,680. The tuition increase yearly is 3-7%. So as an avg the tuition could go up about $2,500 a year. So prepaying you will save approximately $7,500.
2. Exchange rates right now are really good. When the banker looked into it to change over $200,000 it would cost me $203,000. So for four years of tuition I am only paying $3,000 extra in exchange rates. The less money you exchange the more it will cost you. Ex: if you change $50,000 over in two year the exchange rate quite possibly will not be as good as it is now and it can easily cost thousands of dollars more. As someone who did my undergrad in the US I know I lost about that if not more than 3k is exchange at an undergrad tuition rate.
3. Downfall is I will have to start paying interest on all four years tuition now. At prime, which is 3% right now that's about $600 a month I believe the banker said. When she worked out the numbers I will be paying $6,000 extra in interest payments (@ 3%) over the four years then if I had paid tuition per year.

So when you add it all up prepaying tuition isn't quite as terrifying as I first thought. I frankly didn't even think it was an option.

The main factors I am looking at is i) I am fairly confident that the exchange rate is not going to stay this good. When the exchange rate changes just a few cents we are talking hundreds to thousands of dollar more just due to exchange rate. ii) Tuition increases at a private school are nearly guaranteed. When I talked to finaid people they mentioned it does go up every year. If they can get more money they always will.

At BMO you can try to push for more than $200,000. That is just their published maximum. If you should you need more you may be able to get some. Also like DrG said using your own or your parents home owners line of credit. You can usually get those at like prime+0.5% or something along those lines.

The truth of it is you can not get these loans on your own. You will need cosigners and some of the debt may even need to be under your parents name. I am still going to try and get another student LOC at another bank as well because it is a prime vs another LOC which is prime plus X%.

I am still checking into tuition refund God forbid something happened. I want to confirm that even if I prepay tuition if something happens I can not finish my full four years that I can get the remaining years refunded. But... I intend on seeing the next four years through lol.

Let me know if I'm crazy for looking at it like this.

Yes I did see that option of prepaying tuition + appropriate fees (what these fees consists of I believe are medical insurance, and school admin fees and such). Apparently they started this option for 2012-2013 cycle but not before.
I think prepayment plan has both pros and cons as pointed out. I'm not really a fan of it because of the fluctuating market and uncertainty with regards to medical education. If there is a way to receive the funds back if I quit school then it may be a good option. Also I do not want to build up on my interest right away with such high amount (assuming it's 3% for 200k then that's still 6k per yr). If I only borrow what I need then I only pay interest on what I take out.
I'm still looking into the best option.
I'm not the expert in finance so if someone can correct me then pls do