McGill Medical--Questions

[docextreme]

Hello everybody,
I'm a US student in first year undergraduate already investigating potential medschools. I am very interested in McGill, but I have some questions:

1. What would I be considered as when i apply? I hold US citizenship as well as Canadian, as I was born in Montreal
2. How difficult would it be to get in if I hold say, a 3.8 GPA and a 33 MCAT
3. How difficult is McGill Medical's classes itself?
4. How difficult would it be to specialize in Radiation Oncology at McGill?
5. Would I be able to go back to the US for residency or work in the future?

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[HerbalPlz]

http://www.premed101.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=16

Check around there, lots more information.

 

[crackajack]

You should have no problem as a Canadian citizen, and I presume you should have the advantage of being a Quebec applicant. McGill has removed their MCAT requirement, as they want to encourage non-traditional students and francophones. Admissions are very competitive and will hinge on your interview if you satisfy the academic requirements.

As for the value of a McGill medical degree? Definitely good enough for residency and work anywhere in the world.

 

[docextreme]

You should have no problem as a Canadian citizen, and I presume you should have the advantage of being a Quebec applicant. McGill has removed their MCAT requirement, as they want to encourage non-traditional students and francophones. Admissions are very competitive and will hinge on your interview if you satisfy the academic requirements.

As for the value of a McGill medical degree? Definitely good enough for residency and work anywhere in the world.

I'm not quite sure I understand. I am currently studying Biomedical Engineering at Virginia Commonwealth University in the United States. Are you saying that because I was born in Quebec, I will NOT have to write the MCAT for McGill? I read/write speak french fairly well, I took it for 4 years in high school.

EDIT:
I guess I should repost this in the McGill section, I didn't know about it before.

 

[clifftacopter]

How necessary is French to train there (particularly for residency)? I know it's technically an anglophone school but I imagine a lot of the staff at the hospital and patients speak primarily French.

 

[HerbalPlz]

Very necessary to learn French, even for residency. I'm fairly certain it's a requirement, which is why medical schools are fairly restricted to Quebec.

 

[futuredoc1004]

Born in Quebec, you are considered IP (In Province) and your chances of acceptance zoom up considerably. As you are not attending a Canadian university, MCAT is required, however, if you graduate from a Canadian university, then MCAT will not be a requirement for McGill. You do not need research, however, McGill is big on volunteering/ECs that demonstrate the traits of a physician, e.g., leadership, critical thinking, good communication skills, compassion, collaboration, etc. When you apply, you need to give autobio info and you need to write a Narrative explaining your path to med and attribrutes of physician, and an Abstract from your Narrative. They will competitively grade your Abstract, GPA and your selected 3 Highlights from your CV to determine those selected for interview. Your chances are good compared to those not from Quebec where they only select about 9 applicants for acceptance. Good luck!

 

[futuredoc1004]

How necessary is French to train there (particularly for residency)? I know it's technically an anglophone school but I imagine a lot of the staff at the hospital and patients speak primarily French.

Some not most of the patients will speak French only and therefore, in residency you will need some basic French. In med school, you can get by with no French.

 

[NameForMe]

Very necessary to learn French, even for residency. I'm fairly certain it's a requirement, which is why medical schools are fairly restricted to Quebec.

This is 100% incorrect.

It is not a requirement for medical school, nor for residency. It is a requirement to practice as a staff physician. I'm not sure about fellowships.

Montreal is a very bilingual city. Most people here speak English and French, though of course not all.

That said, anyone coming here (myself included) really should try to learn some French. I'm in my second year of med school and have been taking weekend "Medical French" courses every term. The school puts them on and they're cheap. But it is slow going, learning another language while trying to learn medicine...

As to the difficulty of the classes themselves: I doubt anyone can actually answer, as most people only go to one medical school. Hard? Sure. Of course. It's medical school. Do people fail? No one I know has...

 

[jay240624]

I would like to hear from students(Mcgill University) who are in their 2nd or 3rd year medical studies, if it is possible to have a partime job while attending their studies
Thanks

 

[futuredoc1004]

Not recommended nor necessary for any med student going to McGill or elsewhere.

 

[mlw03]

Are these in person courses, or online? I'm moving to western Canada, and while everyone tells me I don't have to learn French, if I stay in Canada long term I'd like to at least learn the basics. Sorry for the thread hijack - feel free to respond in a PM.

This is 100% incorrect.

It is not a requirement for medical school, nor for residency. It is a requirement to practice as a staff physician. I'm not sure about fellowships.

Montreal is a very bilingual city. Most people here speak English and French, though of course not all.

That said, anyone coming here (myself included) really should try to learn some French. I'm in my second year of med school and have been taking weekend "Medical French" courses every term. The school puts them on and they're cheap. But it is slow going, learning another language while trying to learn medicine...

As to the difficulty of the classes themselves: I doubt anyone can actually answer, as most people only go to one medical school. Hard? Sure. Of course. It's medical school. Do people fail? No one I know has...

 

[futuredoc1004]

Nobody speaks French in western Canada. You won't be able to practice and will be wasting your time, liking learning French in Wisconson.

 

[Acherona]

Mcgill has a ~50% acceptance rate for people from quebec so i think you have a good shot of getting in
The environment is very competitive despite being officially pass/fail
You won't have an issue matching back in the states for residency
Rad/onc is a different story and will be HIGHLY competitive at McGill (one spot for a superstar type)
Mcgill sounds like a good option for you to minimize debt. However going to a canadian school does put you at a slight disadvantage when applying for american residency (most americans actually have never heard of mcgill, and even many program directors do not realize that canadian med schools are not "foreign", and even if you are an american citizen, will still put your application in the FMG (foreign medical graduate) pile. FMGs must have much better applications to be accepted to the same residency program as an american graduate. In addition, Americans over-inflate grades and recommendation letters, so you have to be a better student to match as well as your american counterparts. American evaluation forms actually have a separate section where you put "off the record" comments that will not go on a students deans letter. Everything anyone ever said about you is put on your dean's letter at McGill, even if you rotated with them for one day.

 

[Acherona]

French is not a requirement but it should be. Not so much for the patients, but for the nurses/pharamacists/attendings who refuse to speak in English despite the fact that they decided to work in an English Hospital.