McGill v. Emory

[chester1000]

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yes I am starting another one of these threads....

I just got off the waitlist at McGill and have to make a pretty quick decision between there and Emory.

 

[jochi1543]

Well, climate's one factor.

I assume you are not a Canadian citizen/Quebec resident, so tuition-wise it's probably not too different.

 

[bananaboat]

dude, as a canadian, i can tell you mcgill will be highly prestigious.

however, another thing you may want to consider is potential language barriers

 

[omegaxx]

Tuition for international students at McGill is a bit over 20k--maybe it's still lower than Emory.

As an interviewer (and acceptee) there, I can tell you the clinical training you will be receiving is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G.

The administration is ****ty though. Montreal is an awesome city but perhaps a bit cold for those not used to it (though no worse than New England I'd imagine). The prestige factor is not bad either.

Best of luck in this decision-making process.

 

[maestro1625]

Montreal > Atlanta

...if that helps anything. Both would be amazing schools.

 

[Lolo212]

i went to mcgill undergrad and i'm from new york. it's honestly amazing. you should go there.

 

[Surf Rx]

Tuition for international students at McGill is a bit over 20k--maybe it's still lower than Emory.

As an interviewer (and acceptee) there, I can tell you the clinical training you will be receiving is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G.

The administration is ****ty though. Montreal is an awesome city but perhaps a bit cold for those not used to it (though no worse than New England I'd imagine). The prestige factor is not bad either.

Best of luck in this decision-making process.

i just have to say, your stats are amazing.

 

[chester1000]

ya, I don't speak very much french, so I am worried about the language barrier. some people at mcgill said that it won't be a factor, and others say it's a big deal. maybe it depends on the person...

the price is essentially the same for me.

i'm also worried about matching in the states. mcgill doesn't give any time off to study for step I, and I think that's pretty important for matching (emory gives almost 2 months for solid study during the second year). also, the really bad administration could make applying for residency more of a hassle.

any thoughts are appreciated!

 

[jochi1543]

Judging on the reasons you gave above, I'd be leaning more towards Emory. It sounds like it's a better match if it's very important for you to come back to the US...and I don't know if you are a Canadian citizen/permanent resident or not, but if you're not, you may want to check whether you'd be able to participate in the first round of the Canadian match - I don't know if non-citizens are allowed to enter it. I think pretty much everyone can participate in the second round, but there are generally few spots left, and they are often undesirable - though there are a few competitive spots left, usually because they didn't find anyone THEY liked in the first step.

 

[omegaxx]

ya, I don't speak very much french, so I am worried about the language barrier. some people at mcgill said that it won't be a factor, and others say it's a big deal. maybe it depends on the person...

the price is essentially the same for me.

i'm also worried about matching in the states. mcgill doesn't give any time off to study for step I, and I think that's pretty important for matching (emory gives almost 2 months for solid study during the second year). also, the really bad administration could make applying for residency more of a hassle.

any thoughts are appreciated!

The 2nd term of 2nd year at McGill is essentially shadowing though, so I'd imagine that it'll give you a headstart in and plenty of time to study for Step I.

As matching might be an issue, I'd talk to some American students at McGill to make sure.

 

[diosa428]

I know an American student at McGill.

#1 - She doesn't speak French, and it's not a problem in school. I don't know what her experience has been in the wards, etc, but most people in Montreal are bilingual (they may pretend they aren't, but they are). The biggest problem with language is that if you can't speak French, then you are obviously an outsider.

#2 - I don't really know what their US residency placement is like, but there are quite a few blocks available to you to do rotations in the US, so you can still "audition" out here, etc. McGill is still a highly regarded program in the US.

#3 - My friend studied for Step 1 in the summer after 2nd year. Not sure how long their summer is, and it sucks to waste your summer doing it, but they're not the only school that does it this way.

 

[Yehosh]

Mcgill is really up there. It's definitely a top tier school. Mcgill and UofT are the best schools in Canada.

Montreal is a great city and if you go there, you'll have a great time.

 

[glamqueen]

Don't much know about Mcgill but I've grown up around Emory for a good chunk of my life. I can't speak highly enough about it. Georgians call it the "Ivy League of the South," and it is flat-out known for its unbelievable program. Amazing students, amazing professors, great program. Tons of hospitals to get Level 1 experience at.

 

[boulux]

Mcgill is really up there. It's definitely a top tier school. Mcgill and UofT are the best schools in Canada.

Montreal is a great city and if you go there, you'll have a great time.

I cannot agree with that. U of M students have been ranked #1 at the canadian medical counsil exam for 7 years straight. They're the biggest faculty in Canada and the 4th biggest one in North America.

http://www.iforum.umontreal.ca/DesNouvellesDe/2006-2007/20061031_MedecineMeilleursFinissants.html

That being said, they're all great schools. Sherbrooke, Laval, McGill, Montreal, Toronto, MacMaster, Ottawa... They're all outstanding.

 

[jochi1543]

That being said, they're all great schools. Sherbrooke, Laval, McGill, Montreal, Toronto, MacMaster, Ottawa... They're all outstanding.

You know, there are schools outside of QC and ON, too.😛

 

[boulux]

You know, there are schools outside of QC and ON, too.😛

I knew this comment was going to be brought at some point. Except I didn't expected it to come so fast...

The reason I only listed those schools is because they're the only one I know. I know that most canadian schools are awesome, but I don't even know their locations... As you might already understood, I'm targetting the french schools (Ottawa, Sherbrooke, Montreal, Laval) because I'm a french canadian.

 

[jochi1543]

I knew this comment was going to be brought at some point. Except I didn't expected it to come so fast...

The reason I only listed those schools is because they're the only one I know. I know that most canadian schools are awesome, but I don't even know their locations... As you might already understood, I'm targetting the french schools (Ottawa, Sherbrooke, Montreal, Laval) because I'm a french canadian.

UBC, U of AB, U of Calgary, U Sask, U Manitoba. There's also your Queens and Western out East, and NOSM is the new school. Also, of course, Dalhousie and Memorial.

 

[Yehosh]

I cannot agree with that. U of M students have been ranked #1 at the canadian medical counsil exam for 7 years straight. They're the biggest faculty in Canada and the 4th biggest one in North America.

http://www.iforum.umontreal.ca/DesNouvellesDe/2006-2007/20061031_MedecineMeilleursFinissants.html

That being said, they're all great schools. Sherbrooke, Laval, McGill, Montreal, Toronto, MacMaster, Ottawa... They're all outstanding.

lol, come on man. why do you have to take it personally that I didn't mention your school.

I don't spreak french so I can't read the content of your link and I'm sure %99 of the readers here can't either. The OP asked about Mcgill and I stated that it is a top Canadian school, which it is. I'm glad your FRENCH school is ranked high, but most of us don't speak french and I don't think the OP does either. The website for the school doesn't even support english so I can't even look at their stats and matching list to compare. Sorry.

UofT and Mcgill have had the a lot success and breakthroughs in research and have the best name in the US. The have great clinical training, vast resources and the greatest amount of residency positions. That said, all the Canadian schools are great schools and if I was attending UBC, UofA, Western or any other school in Canada, I'd still be proud and happy to be there.

I don't want to hijack this thread, the debate is between Mcgill and Emory and I just wanted to point out that Mcgill is really up there.

 

[degoo_]

Can't say enough good things about McGill. The curriculum is great, clinical exposure is very good and the prestige is a great bonus. If you look in the Canadian forum here, there is a thread where someone wrote some US residency matches McGill grads got. It's an impressive list, and many of those students are Canadian. As an American, it may be easier for you. I was really torn between McGill and UofT, both are fantastic schools.

 

[mikkey]

A slight correction: most people in Montreal are NOT bilingual. Most speak only French and some speak only English, with about 25 % speaking both languages. The reason you may not have problems during rotations with French speaking only patients is that the hospitals are segregated. French people go to some hospitals, while English people go to others. As you can guess, McGill is affiliated with the English hospitals, and the local French-speaking university (Universite de Montreal) is affiliated with the francophone ones. So if you intend on staying in Montreal after Med school (which is highly unlikely), you will have to be fluent in French. Not only because you actually need it, but because the government won't allow you to practice if you can't pass their French exam, which is apparently a ball-breaker.

 

[Prag]

Hi,

I can't speak for Emory since I never applied but I just wanted to allay some of your concerns about McGill. While the language issue seemingly seems like it would be a problem, it hasn't been for me up until this point (second year student). Granted, I took the opportunity to learn basic French in my spare time since it can never hurt knowing another language. Regardless, the hospitals that you will rotate through are English-speaking and while some patients speak French there are many that speak neither language giving additional learning opportunities.

As for Step 1, during the second half of second year ("pre-clerkship") you are full-time in the hospital but are given a lot of free time during this period (i.e., study time if you so choose). This past year the match list was impressive--many Canadians even matched to top programs as well (as a previous poster noted, you could probably search for it as it was mentioned on a thread a month or two back).

Either way, you can't go wrong your decision though I am partial to Montreal/McGill's diversity and culture. Don't hesitate to post any additional questions!

-prag

 

[boulux]

lol, come on man. why do you have to take it personally that I didn't mention your school.

I don't spreak french so I can't read the content of your link and I'm sure %99 of the readers here can't either. The OP asked about Mcgill and I stated that it is a top Canadian school, which it is. I'm glad your FRENCH school is ranked high, but most of us don't speak french and I don't think the OP does either. The website for the school doesn't even support english so I can't even look at their stats and matching list to compare. Sorry.

UofT and Mcgill have had the a lot success and breakthroughs in research and have the best name in the US. The have great clinical training, vast resources and the greatest amount of residency positions. That said, all the Canadian schools are great schools and if I was attending UBC, UofA, Western or any other school in Canada, I'd still be proud and happy to be there.

I don't want to hijack this thread, the debate is between Mcgill and Emory and I just wanted to point out that Mcgill is really up there.

I think there's a little misunderstanding here... This is not what I meant at all... But let's keep on topic.

As for McGill, if you're admitted to the 4 year program, you should go there imo. The clinical exposure is amazing there. I've been a patient there for two full years and I liked how much the students were involved during the clerkship. They have the opportunity to be really close to their patients and they learn to do everything. Such a wonderful school. But it's not for me since I'm heading towards a french school.

 

[chester1000]

thanks for all the comments! 😀 does anyone know how loans work if you're going to canada?

 

[Acherona]

thanks for all the comments! 😀 does anyone know how loans work if you're going to canada?

Hi, I'm an american at mcgill. Here are the roadblocks I have encountered at mcgill since first year:
1) was unable to do a summer research program in new york because I was ineligible being at a canadian medical school
2) repeatedly have to seek alternative patients or opt out of doing an interview because i am not comfortable enough with french. This may not bother you but it does me. Also, people will not translate for you so you better have some understanding when your classmates or tutors are interacting with french patients.
3) You do not have enough time to study for step 1. We only get one month so you have to give up your entire vacation to study for it. Meanwhile you are competing with people who have 8 weeks to study. It's is not true that second year is "shadowing." Just to give you an example, for our introduction to internal medicine rotation, we had to write 4 case reports, attend lectures and teaching sessions, and end with 1 written exam, 1 oral exam, and 1 pediatrics exam. Do you think you are going to have much time to study for step 1 through all that?
4) The administratrion does not give two sh***s about you or your professional goals. The secretaries have complete control over your life. I requested a rotation block with my elective at the end of third year so I could go to the US since all core clerkships must be completed beforehand (not so in canada). I was not put in this group. Instead, people who want to like, go to vancouver in june to be with their families (how nice) got this sequence.
5) You get no vacation during xmas in third year (you get 1-2 days). Not only is this highly unpleasant, but it also offsets the rotation schedule from many of the american schools jan-may which may make it hard to set up your elective away. There are ways around it but it may make your life more difficult.

These are just some of the roadblocks I have encoutered so far. I am sure there will be many more. The fourth year schedule I can see is constructed for canadians to write their lmcc's in february, not for americans and their residency interviewing in november. I just wish someone had been up front with me about these things before I had decided to come here. The education and clinical training is very good, I have nothing to complain about there. But given the other issues, If I were deciding solely on academic reasons, I would go to Emory and save yourself some headaches.

P.S. you are eligible for exactly the same loans as if you were going to an american school (stafford and private).