For next year's applicant, have you thought about applying to McGill?

[Thewonderer]

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Alright, since I mention these on another thread, I might as well do some free advertisement for the school. Apparently the discussion in the other Canadian thread does not incite too much interest.

Please see the following links....

<a href="http://www.medicine.mcgill.ca/history/" target="_blank">http://www.medicine.mcgill.ca/history/</a>

<a href="http://www.finance.mcgill.ca/acct/sa/feehea99.htm#Faculty" target="_blank">http://www.finance.mcgill.ca/acct/sa/feehea99.htm#Faculty</a> of Medicine

<a href="http://www.medicine.mcgill.ca/admissions/english/external.htm" target="_blank">http://www.medicine.mcgill.ca/admissions/english/external.htm</a>

<a href="http://www.medicine.mcgill.ca/ugme/studentservice2.htm" target="_blank">http://www.medicine.mcgill.ca/ugme/studentservice2.htm</a>

I applied a couple years ago as an out-of-province Canadian and almost went there. When I interviewed there, several American students actually planned out a weekend full of activities (from thurs get-together to Friday post-interview dinner to bar hopping to Sunday brunch. But unfortunately our trapeze experience was cancelled. not because the med students were not up to it but because the applicants had to fly out of town by then) for the out-of-province applicants since, hey, we were all new to Montreal! These American students were very happy at McGill. The city of Montreal is vibrant with culture and energy (I personally visit there many times).

Then when I got in, I actually exchanged e-mails with a few American students who did turn down Columbia and Yale to go to McGill. And they did not regret it at all! The tuition + international reputation of the school + the city of Montreal were unparalleled by ANY other med schools (hey, this is an advertisement after all, but you get the point). However, of course, not every American at McGill has stats high enough to get into top 10 schools in the US (hence it is a good school for many Americans to consider about applying! top 10 caliber school forgotten by the Americans). And if I were to choose between McGill and NYU/CaseWestern/MountSinai/etc., I would personally go to McGill even at its international tuition of around $12k US per year (living expense is dirt cheap at Montreal compared to Boston, which is another popular college city people often compare Montreal to. but according to my friend at Boston for law school who was at Mcgill for undergrad, Boston is nothing compared to Montreal).

 

[McEntrye]

Do you mind telling me why you decided against McGill? And where you are in school now?

 

[brandonite]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by McEntrye:
•Do you mind telling me why you decided against McGill? And where you are in school now?•••••If you can get him to tell you where he goes to school, you're a far better man than I. 🙂

 

[Thewonderer]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by brandonite:
• •••quote:•••Originally posted by McEntrye:
•Do you mind telling me why you decided against McGill? And where you are in school now?•••••If you can get him to tell you where he goes to school, you're a far better man than I. 🙂 •••••Brandonite has a sense of humor 🙂

As i said before, there aren't too many canadians at each school so I don't like to reveal which school I go to. But I do have many friends who have gone to different med schools from UBC and my undergrad, and they are my source of info a lot of times.

Let's just say I am not at NYU/MountSinai/CaseWestern or UC's (UCSF shows no love to any Canadian that I know of, including the ones who got accepted to Duke, Yale, Vandy, Columbia, Cornell and Penn).

I chose against McGill for a couple reasons. Neither is applicable in your case probably. I want to practice in the states later. Therefore if I were to graduate from a Canadian med school grad, I will have some hard time getting the right working visa to work as a resident in the US and continue my post-grad training. But if I graduate from an American school, I can use the working permit part of my student visa to temporally work in the US before another better working visa gets approved. However, if you are an American, that does not matter to you. Once you graduate from McGill, you can take any position in the US (you don't need a working visa after all).

A second reason is my parents. They are from Asia and still live there. They consider American medicine to be the pinnacle of health care + research, no matter how hard I argued for McGill. And since they are willing to pay for it, I took their money and ran 🙂

Lastly, McGill does have some poor computing facility and some financial problem (hence, its like for international + American students). But its reputation is still excellent in the USA!

 

[VC15]

Hey thewonderer, just wondering but did you complete your undergrad in Canada, or in the States?

 

[Thewonderer]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by VC15:
•Hey thewonderer, just wondering but did you complete your undergrad in Canada, or in the States?•••••in the states...

and my highschool friends have gone to UBC and Queen's for college.

 

[DarksideAllstar]

I worked for a pediatric rheumatologist for a while and she did her undergrad at Duke and then went to McGill for medical school. She said it was fantastic. I wish that I would have applied there this year. I don't know why I didn't. I would definitely include it on my list for next year, if I hadn't already been accepted somewhere. I always wanted to see Montreal.

 

[Thewonderer]

Bump

 

[Thewonderer]

Any American going to Canadian med school this year? Or anyone applying to one at all? Just curious.....

I cannot believe that I am bumping my own thread! But what the heck, I put in some time and thought in the post 😎

 

[Raist]

How many US students does McGill usually take in? I heard the majority of students at Canadian schools are canadians, and it's very hard for US students to get in.

 

[McEntrye]

I almost went to McGill, and I am American. Its a really great school. Certainly top 5 in North America for clinical training.
They take about 25 americans, and while it is competitive, its not too bad. Probably 25 % acceptance rate for americans, or higher. But the students who go to the trouble of researching it and applying tend to be quite strong.

the reason i chose against McGill is that i did undergrad there and wanted to see a different place for a while. montreal is great, but i had had enough of it.

I encourage any american adventurous enough to apply.

You don't need to do AMCAS, McGill has its own process. The deadline is November 15. Mainly is a 4 page autobiograhical sketch/personal statement. None this 'rolling admissions' crap. There are clear deadlines, clear times for interview and clear times for descisions.

Check out their website if any of you are interested.
<a href="http://www.med.mcgill.ca/admissions/" target="_blank">McGill Medicine</a>

 

[Premed2003]

So then there's no need to apply before Nov 15th?

 

[WesternGirl]

Hi Premed2003,

There is no reason to apply early. I don't think any Canadian school gives preference to applicants who apply early. Just make sure everything arrives there by the deadline.

 

[candybits]

I'm actually surprised to run into this thread... I'll be attending McGill this fall, and I'm happy to say that it was indeed the school of my choice. FYI, I'm Canadian and I actually did my undergrad at McGill, so I guess I'll be stuck for a long time.

Not that I'm a big fan of McGill/Montreal or anything (believe me, the facilities are rather old, needs big time renovation, and the harsh weather isn't all that pleasant to deal with.) but it's an excellent school as Thewonderer has already mentioned in terms of its reputation, affordable tuition, the city etc. The class enrollment, as I understand, is approximately 145 students and of those, about 25 or so are American students. But then they only select about 80 American students to interview, so the odds of getting in (if you've been invited to interview) is pretty high.

What's interesting is that they have 2 other separate categories of students, 1 for pre-meds (who are Quebec residents and are coming out of what's known as CEGEP, a 2-year collegial system that only exists in Quebec) and another category for just plain "Quebec residents" who have completed their 4-year undergrad education. From what I understand, they're only able to admit very few number of out-of-province students, due to a quota set by the Quebec government.

One of my interviews at McGill this year was done by a second year med student who's American, from Boston. And he absolutely loves the school, the city and had only praises about the school.

One thing though, if you're American and mostly likely have never spoken French, is that once you start your internship, you're half-expected to speak somewhat decent French as the majority of the patients will be French-speaking in many of McGill's teaching hospitals. Of course, McGill is an english-institution and everything will be taught in English, but there are classes set aside for students to improve their French to help with their clinical rotations.

I was accepted at both UBC and McGill, and wait-listed at BU, but I decided to attend McGill for many of the reasons I mentioned above.

It's an excellent school, and definitely worth looking-over!

 

[Thewonderer]

I was very impressed by how happy American students were when I visited a couple years ago. They were great hosts! It is also accepted that it is easier to get into McGill as an American rather than as a out-of-province Canadian.

I also agree with candybits in that the facilities are rather old and there is the harsh weather. But didn't McGill get some big time donation in 2000 and is still in the midst of expanding and renovating? Was it 50million Canadian dollars? Between UBC and McGill, I would choose McGill too 🙂

 

[Crazy Carl]

So is it harder to get a competitive US residency coming out of McGill?

 

[candybits]

Crazycarl: I wouldn't say it's hard to get competitive US residency coming out of McGill. You have just as a fair chance as any US grads (this is coming from some of my friends who are now doing their residencies in well-known teaching hospitals in Boston and Chicago.)

Wonderer: Yes, McGill did receive that $50 mil funding, and a majority of it went to "face-lift" some of the ugliest parts on the campus. However, the medicine part of the campus still remains quite, "antique." We're getting a few more buidlings though, the big still under construction for Medical Genetics and Information Technology. There's also the talk of the "super-hospital," a giant teaching hospital to be built sometime in the near future. But there are lots of debates about that. As for UBC, I have lots of sentimental reasons for going back there since I grew up in Vancouver. Miss the food, the Asian scene, lots of close friends, mild weather, skiing year-around... ahhh... *nostalgia*

 

[Dr.Zora Love...]

ok, so i know montreal is a really cheap city to live. I also know it can be dead cold over the winter.Ex-beau goes to mcgill. Anyway, where did you get the 12K tuition figure... I looked and its about 22,000CD, that should be at least 18,000US....

 

[numinous]

You can't beat Monty, "the Paris of North America!" As I write I am dreaming of popcorn at Bifteck....I had an amazing undergrad there and will apply for the med school, although if I am able to choose between NYC and Monty, I am not sure what I would pick...of course, lets not get too many people excited about McGill - we want to get in!!!
P.S. Pain in the butt: LOR not accepted, but refs must fill out a special form.

 

[candybits]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by numinous:
•
P.S. Pain in the butt: LOR not accepted, but refs must fill out a special form.•••••That form is the easiest thing to fill out, it's literally a no-brainer "tick-off" form rating the student on the scale ranging from "poor" to "excellent" on different aspects. Then they have this tiny space for additional comments. It's a one-page format. My refs actually loved the fact that they didn't have to scramble for another LOR. Not get people too excited about McGill? I think it helps to disseminate info under whatever the circumstances...

 

[banannie]

I got all excited about McGill when I started to read this thread. I *love* Montreal.

Then, I went to read about McGill in the MSAR, and it turns out they have cut offs! Yup, 3.5 GPA and 30 MCAT. Even the most competitive American schools don't explicitly impose cut-offs like that. They're more willing to look at the whole applicant, and maybe overlook a low number if the applicant is exceptional in every other way. McGill seems to have an extremely numbers-based admissions process. Too bad for them. I'm sure they're missing out on a lot of extraordinary people with 3.4 GPAs.

 

[candybits]

banannie,

most of the canadian medical schools are like that, very "number-driven." whereas the MCAT scores seems to be what brings the attention of the admissions committee, it's usually the high GPA that interests the canadian folks. those cut-offs though, well, this is all *hush hush* (no longer anymore! haha) but i do know of plenty of ppl who made it without those exact numbers!

 

[McEntrye]

I have just a couple of things to say;

1. There is no problem whatsoever in matching to the US. 90% of students who go to the US get their first choice. Most US schools report the percentage of student who get into one of their top three choices.

I have seen the match lists to the US for the past three years and they are incredible. I don't have them with me, but it was about half harvards, a bunch in NYC(ie columbia) a bunch in california (UCSF, a few UCLAs, UCI) a few scattered less well known schools, and some "transition years"(aka take a year off).

2. They actually interview about 45 americans. I know this because i was one of those interviewed this year and because the lab i did research in is one floor above the admissions office, so i had an idea of when things were happening.
Out of those 45, 20-25 matriculate. So a large percentage probably gain admission eventually.(although McGill has one of the highest retention rates).

3. Seriously anyone doing AMCAS 2003 should consider McGill if you can meet the prereqs (the cut-offs aren't carved in stone, but they will be less flexible for americans than for in province)

4. Tuition is dirt cheap. It is 22,000 CDN for the first year, but that is 14,000 ameican.
Also the tuition decreases as you progress through the years because it is based upon the number of hours you spend in lecture. By fourth year you are paying 15,000 cdn(10000US).
Furthermore, the cost of living is ridiculously cheap. You can get a really big apartment in a high rise near the med school for about $US 380 per month. Total cost of living for a year is less than 3500 us dollars. Try and beat that in any american city.

5. November 15 is the one and only deadline. Meet that and you are set. Also, there are only two interview days for americans, normally in the last week of january. Then you find out if you are in by early march.

Good luck to all applying students! Its one of the hardest things you can do. But at least when you get around to your McGill applications you will have done enough soul searching to write a really good essay.

 

[Thewonderer]

I am sure, yup, those cut-offs are definitely not strict for American applicants. They are probably more for out-of-province applicants. Many Quebec residents matriculate from highschool (i.e. European model), so I am sure that those cut-offs don't count either.

McGill does have an excellent rep, from what I see among the medical community. Montreal Neurological Institute is the one that started it all in terms of neuroscience as a field.

To candybits:
Yup, I am from Vancouver too. It is a nice place but I am not ready to come back yet. I am not even sure if I will ever go back. I will have to earn my tuition back in terms of American $$$ before I consider settling back in Canada. The exchange rate can kill!

I am not fond of UBC med. Let's just say I hold a very different view from Ian Wong and his supporters on his discussion board. Most of it is because I cannot stand the way UBC med does its admissions. I have been and seen many places, and I just don't share the same view as people who grow up in Vancouver, stay in BC for undergrad, get accepted to UBC med (probably the only school they apply to ) and then have no problem with the status quo whatsoever.

 

[candybits]

Hey Wonderer,

Well, I must admit I didn't do too much research into the UBC med program and don't know much about it other than the usual PBL, shadowing a family physcian etc etc... but I hear you on the part about the UBC admission process (one of the most tedious I've ever seen) and the Vancouverites ending up forever in Vancouver... I guess just being away from the only place I considered "home" for the past 6 years and being deprived of warm weathers and the laid-back atmosphere of the West just brought back fond memories or something... Like yourself, my parents have moved back to Asia for good and I'm sort of one my own and nothing keeps me bound to stay in Korea. *free as a bird*

But like you said, I know so many of my UBC grad friends back in Vancouver that are sort of permanently stuck there and don't seem to move out of their little nest. Well...

As for the MNI, that's where I worked for the past 2 years as a physical therapist! 🙂 The place retains some of the most skilled surgeons in the neuro dept, and we sure are attracting very promising doctors/researchers there.

 

[Thewonderer]

Hi Candybits,
I just sent you a private message. I am eager to hear what your own story and what your experience is applying to the states from an Canadian undergrad. I have a couple friends from Canada set to apply this and next years.

Cheers!