How do Americans view Canadian Universities?

[Homoochan]

I was just wondering how the adcom will look at applicant from Canadian Universities.. UBC, UT, McGill, etc, etc.

Do they think Canadian school are prestigeous and hard to get good grades in? Or do they view it as slack off school?

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[adeline]

it is very hard for even STELLAR canadians to get into us allo

 

[Homoochan]

it is very hard for even STELLAR canadians to get into us allo

Is this true? why is that? only because there are only few international student spots?

 

[AndrewB]

it is very hard for even STELLAR canadians to get into us allo

I disagree with this. Many Canadians apply and matriculate to US allo programs when they fail to gain admission into Canadian medical schools.

 

[Homoochan]

I think Canadian people think that it's easier to get into US med school..

 

[BlueElmo]

I think Canadian people think that it's easier to get into US med school..

They need to rethink then.

 

[Sciamachy]

I once attended a conference where among a group of arguing professors, one finally blurts out, "well that's because YOU went to school in Canada!!!"

Lol.....

 

[Charles English]

"How do Americans view Canadian Universities?"


--well, as an american, i think they're a whole lot cooler, eh?

 

[Mattabet]

Yeah, I was going to say colder too...

Honestly, as an American (from Wisconsin, so semi-adjacent), I've heard of McGill and UT, and would expect them to be solid, middle of the road institutions (McGill maybe middle of the road plus, like a Notre Dame or so). Not in the Ivy League neighborhood, but definitely not slack schools either. In my experience, there's not a pervasive impression one way or the other - I'd expect them to be like American schools.

 

[mcattitude]

I can't speak for adcoms, but I do know from reading the Medical School Admission Requirements (MSAR) book posted by the AAMC that it is very rare for American med schools to accept international (i.e. Canadian) students. I don't remember, but I believe it is safe to say that there are very few universities with very few spots that accept Canadian students. I apologize if I'm incorrect in any of this.

 

[WildKitty]

Bro, just marry someone with a green card. Then you'll get in.

 

[Onward]

It's harder to get into Canadian medical schools (there are only 15 or so med schools in the whole country).... but it's hard for a Canadian to get into med school in US (many state schools don't admit foreigners).

So it's harder for a Canadian to get into med school in Canada than it is for an American to get into med school in the US, but it's even harder for a Canadian to get into med school in US because they're limited to private schools only.

However, some canadians still make it so you should always try.

Some of my Canadian friends honestly just do nothing until they get married, get green cards, and enroll in whatever school they want.

 

[Chemdude]

It doesn't matter where you went to school; most American universities recognize course work completed at Canadian universities.

It's all about your citizenship. If you are an American student studying at a Canadian university, you should be fine. If you are a Canadian student studying at a Canadian university, you're going to have a lot of competition.

Only ~250 applicants get accepted from the international student pool each year.

 

[Marvinder]

Canada has med schools? I thot they only trained osteopathics and nurses, etc. Thats why their healthcare system sucks!!

 

[PermanentWaves]

Different strokes.

As a Canadian, I can tell you it's extremely difficult to gain acceptance to a Canadian medical school. Last year in Ontario, roughly only 8-9% of applicants got accepted. Furthermore, unlike the US, there are few (I believe none, actually) private schools which take large amounts of OOP students, so really your only shot is within your own province. Californians will understand our pain. That, coupled with the few medical schools (17 total, 3 of which speak only french) led to an overall acceptance rate of about 26-27% for Canadian students. This is compared to a reported 44% rate for Americans. Personally, I was far more successful as an international student in US admissions than I was as a Canadian in Canadian admissions. That being said, not all Canadians can say the same, and I know of many Canadians accepted to Canadian schools who would likely have had zero chance at American schools (due to grade weighting in Canada). In addition, admissions are FAR more expensive for Americans than they are for Canadians. In Canada there are no secondaries, so your primary is basically it.

Regarding the prestige of Canadian universities, I had no such problems at my interviews. I graduated from the University of Toronto, and all of my interviewers had heard of it, and most were aware of some of the medical breakthroughs discovered there (insulin, stem cells, electron microscopy etc). I know publication rankings don't mean much, but U of T medicine is consistently ranked in the top 10 in the world, and I'm sure you'll find faculty in the US who are well aware of it, just as our faculty is well aware of the breakthroughs found at HMS, JHU, Mayo, CCLCM, etc.

 

[Jfz]

As a Canadian doing undergrad work in Canada and hoping to go to the states for med school, this thread has me extremely worried,

 

[TopSecret]

I was just wondering how the adcom will look at applicant from Canadian Universities.. UBC, UT, McGill, etc, etc.

Do they think Canadian school are prestigeous and hard to get good grades in? Or do they view it as slack off school?

I know a Canadian who went to McGill and is on faculty at Columbia.

 

[PermanentWaves]

I know a Canadian who went to McGill and is on faculty at Columbia.

Also, Joseph Martin, the previous Dean of Harvard Medical School completed his MD at the University of Alberta and was faculty at McGill.

 

[Homoochan]

Canadian schools have Adam's apple ripping academic environment.. A person who looks as naive as a sea otter will come up to you all smiling and $h** and the next thing you know your throat is gone.

I think it's extermely difficult to get into Canadian med since they emphasize EC so much (actually 25% of my file is academic 25% is EC 50% is interview)

 

[chocolaterie]

I have to agree with many of the posts on here. If you look at stats alone, the acceptance rate for med schools in Canada are much lower than they are in the US. As we know, the more applicants there are, the more critical an institution can be. I also think this has to do with the med school system in Canada. Is there such a thing as a private med school in Canada? i'm fairly certain there isn't. But it's been six years since I moved.

I think UofToronto could rival a lot of the Ivy League schools in the US.

Back to acceptances, you will be treated as an international student. So my concern would be the cost of tuition and the number of spots available to students who will need visas.

I had several friends who graduated with their Bachelor's from UofToronto and ended up going to Australia/Ireland/Caribbean because they didn't want to reapply for a second cycle.

 

[MossPoh]

If they haven't heard of McGill or the likes then they don't pay much attention. As far as lesser known schools? They probably view them the same as the other 8 million small universities in the US that they never heard of. There are too many universities to keep track of and for the most part, name does not correspond to difficulty.

 

[Vihsadas]

I disagree with this. Many Canadians apply and matriculate to US allo programs when they fail to gain admission into Canadian medical schools.

It's true. If you look just at the numbers, Canadians have a much harder time getting into Canadian schools than American do to get into US schools. It's because Canadians generally only have one shot. At most places in Canada, you are SOL if you don't get into your in-province school. OOP students in Canada have something like 10 spots or less reserved for them at OOP schools. Then, there's the issue of simply having a smaller number of schools to appy to, although per capita, Canada has a similar number seats as the US. And finally, I can't find the report anywhere, but there was a report done a while ago that found, per capita there are a higher number of people from Univ. in Canada that try to apply to medical school. I have no idea as to why that is, but that's just what I've read.

Take it from someone who has applied to about 60 schools in North America over 2 admissions cycle, both countries have very tough admissions policies, but Canada (regardless of their healthcare personnel shortage), is less able to accept Canadian students into medical school.

Different strokes.

As a Canadian, I can tell you it's extremely difficult to gain acceptance to a Canadian medical school. Last year in Ontario, roughly only 8-9% of applicants got accepted. Furthermore, unlike the US, there are few (I believe none, actually) private schools which take large amounts of OOP students, so really your only shot is within your own province. Californians will understand our pain. That, coupled with the few medical schools (17 total, 3 of which speak only french) led to an overall acceptance rate of about 26-27% for Canadian students. This is compared to a reported 44% rate for Americans. Personally, I was far more successful as an international student in US admissions than I was as a Canadian in Canadian admissions. That being said, not all Canadians can say the same, and I know of many Canadians accepted to Canadian schools who would likely have had zero chance at American schools (due to grade weighting in Canada). In addition, admissions are FAR more expensive for Americans than they are for Canadians. In Canada there are no secondaries, so your primary is basically it.

Regarding the prestige of Canadian universities, I had no such problems at my interviews. I graduated from the University of Toronto, and all of my interviewers had heard of it, and most were aware of some of the medical breakthroughs discovered there (insulin, stem cells, electron microscopy etc). I know publication rankings don't mean much, but U of T medicine is consistently ranked in the top 10 in the world, and I'm sure you'll find faculty in the US who are well aware of it, just as our faculty is well aware of the breakthroughs found at HMS, JHU, Mayo, CCLCM, etc.

Your story of the admissions process is one that I hear often from Canadians. The grade weighting does seem to make a large difference in application between the US and Canada, for better or for worse depending on the person. Not to mention that a lot of schools use the writing sample as a cutoff!

As for the "prestige" (I hate that word ) of Canadian schools, I think the reason that Americans often don't know about Canadian schools is because there's no reason for them to research them and most never consider Can schools as an option as a high school student. McGill was recently rated the best public school in North America, and along with UoT (and the up and coming UBC) our publication and research records really do rank with the top schools in the US.

I know a Canadian who went to McGill and is on faculty at Columbia.

Also, Joseph Martin, the previous Dean of Harvard Medical School completed his MD at the University of Alberta and was faculty at McGill.

There are a few Deans and other faculty that have come from McGill as well. The current Dean of MCG is from McGill You can always tell because McGill still awards the "MDCM" degree. (The "CM" doesn't give the student anything beyond an "MD", it just happened that way because the faculty of medicine was founded by a number of doctors from Edinburgh, which used to award the MDCM)
Not to mention, Sir William Osler is a McGill graduate! (One of the founders of the Hopkins school). I stand by my University with all of its faults, as a top institution!

 

[buffaluv]

On this topic, I completed two years of school in the states (associates degree in a health field) and am completing my bachelors in Canada. I am a dual citizen and practically live in the States (work, family, all my ECs are in the US).. Im switching my perminent residency so that I can be considered in state in NY schools.. will adcoms think this is shady.. I plan on working/living in the US anyways but will they think the timing is suspect?
And I think citizenship has more to do with Canadians not having much luck in the States because the level of education is pretty much the same.

 

[ProtonatedAlchy]

it is difficult for canadians to enter US medical schools, but its certainly doable. someone once told me its comparable to someone from US out-of-state applying to a majority in-state school.

just nail the MCAT and youre fine!

 

[adeline]

On this topic, I completed two years of school in the states (associates degree in a health field) and am completing my bachelors in Canada. I am a dual citizen and practically live in the States (work, family, all my ECs are in the US).. Im switching my perminent residency so that I can be considered in state in NY schools.. will adcoms think this is shady.. I plan on working/living in the US anyways but will they think the timing is suspect?
And I think citizenship has more to do with Canadians not having much luck in the States because the level of education is pretty much the same.

where were you pre-uni?

 

[buffaluv]

My immediate family lives in Canada so I went to HS in Canada (not much choice on that one).. I didnt stay in the states for my BSc because I wasnt sure what I wanted to do after my Associates so I moved back home and just went to my local school to try and figure it out..ended up loving my program and the school so I stayed.

 

[adeline]

My immediate family lives in Canada so I went to HS in Canada (not much choice on that one).. I didnt stay in the states for my BSc because I wasnt sure what I wanted to do after my Associates so I moved back home and just went to my local school to try and figure it out..ended up loving my program and the school so I stayed.

if you've always had ties/papers to both, don't worry about it.

 

[redlight]

I was just wondering how the adcom will look at applicant from Canadian Universities.. UBC, UT, McGill, etc, etc.

Do they think Canadian school are prestigeous and hard to get good grades in? Or do they view it as slack off school?

i think the big name canadian schools are seen as pretty good.

since everyone quotes usnews and world report for rankings...here are the world rankings: mcgill is 20th, UBC is 34th, UToronto is 41st, UAlberta is 74th, UMontreal is 91st.. not exactly on par with the americans schools (in terms of number of schools considered in top 100 and also in terms of rankings) but they are probably seen as solid schools.

it's funny how the world rankings for american colleges dont correlate exactly with the national undergrad rankings... but then again i guess it would be tough to compare all schools with the national undergrad ranking's criteria.