What would be the down side of applying to McGill??
McGills in Canada
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nothing really, except the relatively low chances of being accepted. mcgill is an excellent, well-funded school who's grads get good residency matches. montreal is an awesome city - very european feel, lively, safe (compared to most american cities), and the canuck buck should be awesome for you yanks!
i guess the drawback is having to do a separate application
i guess the drawback is having to do a separate application
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what are the letters at the end of your name if you graduate from a canandian med school? i only ask this out of curiosity because i've heard it's not just "M.D", but rather it's something added to the MD to show that you're a canadian grad
is this true?
and if yes, why so?
thanks
is this true?
and if yes, why so?
thanks
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do the letters after the name really matter? you're going to be a doc. and you won't have to take the foreign exam that all practicioners who got their degree in another country have to take. You'd be elligible to apply for the US match.
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This is pretty funny. I never visit this forum, but I happened to stumble across this thread and thought I could offer you some information as an American medical student at McGill. To answer some of your questions, we do receive an MDCM, not just an MD. The CM stands for something about master of surgery (chirgurie). The application is indeed separate from AMCAS, but it is not too bad (not nearly as extensive as Northwestern's secondary!!) You need to write a four page autobiographical letter, which mostly comes from parts of other applications. They also ask for the course info on your prereqs, but I just cut and pasted out of my undergrad course descriptions.
As for your chance of being accepted, I would argue that it is relatively higher than most upper level US programs. My year, there were only several hundred applications for 25 US spots (they have a quota for international students -- about 20-30 per year). When I interviewed, there were only 50 people interviewing for those 25 spots so my chances were great once I got to the interview.
There are many upsides and some downsides to attending medical school at McGill. My feelings about my school vary widely depending on whether you catch me on a good day or a bad day. For my final opinion, wait until about 363 days from now, after match day 2005. But for now, here's a list of pros and cons for some of you Yanks thinking about braving it up here in the great white north:
Pros:
1) Amazing education -- Everyone graduates from McGill with a superior clinical education. The common line among McGill grads who do electives and residencies in the states is that an McGill MS4 is equivalent in clinical experience to an American R1. Because of socialized medicine and the near absence of medical malpractice here, medical students are allowed to do a good deal more than American med students (as least, that's what I hear). McGill grads are known as wonderful clinical physicians.
2) $$ -- You cannot beat the deal for the quality of the education. My total tuition for 4 years here will be approximately $65,000-75,000 Canadian ($50,000-$60,000 American). Compared to the price of your average private American medical school, you really cannot beat the price. Cost of living is also much lower here than in most large American cities.
3) Residency Matching -- McGill traditionally sends about 1/3 of its class to the US for residency training. I've looked at the appointments for previous years, and McGill always sends people to some of the elite programs in the states, MGH, Mayo, Hopkins, Cleveland Clinic, etc.
4) Reputation -- McGill has a great reputation among those that have heard of it. We are fairly well-known in the Northeast and not as well-known out west (although we did match two students to ENT programs in California last year, so our influence is spreading).
5) Montreal -- Very cool city with a European flavor and tons to do. Great resturants, great clubs, much diversity, all contained within a small area and for a good price. The summers are a lot of fun, with a jazz festival and a comedy festival back-to-back. I didn't go abroad during undergrad, but I feel that I am getting a similar experience by being here.
Cons:
1) Montreal -- Despite its many great qualities, sometimes I just cannot wait to leave. The weather in the winter is absolutely brutal. We have two or three weeks every January in which the temperature does not get above -10 F, with lows to -40 F. Winter lasts forever, often with snow coming in May. If you like Spring and Fall, forget it -- there are two seasons her: winter and August. The drivers are insane and people can be very rude sometimes. Many people really do not like Americans, and you will sometimes feel their wrath.
2) French -- I did not speak it when I got here (well, I really don't speak now, but at least I understand it) and I regret it. I was told that I did not need to know French to come here, but when I arrived in the hospital, I found out that about 1/3 of my patients were unilingual French. Ouch. Makes taking a history significantly harder. In hindsight, this would not have been a reason to stay away from McGill, but it would have been a good idea to learn French ahead of time.
3) Auxillary services -- The career office here sucks. They will not give you relevant, useful advice on career planning, they will not help you get in touch with people in your field of interest, they will not make phone calls to program directors on your behalf. I have struggled throughout med school to make contact with people in my field of interest, organize electives here, etc. I am told that this will only get worse as I begin the residency application process. McGill students on the interview trail are always amazed at the help other students receive from their own school -- assistance that is non-existant here at McGill. Despite all their complaints, MS4s always wind up matching to preferred residency, but it is a pain in the butt to get there.
4) Misc -- You have to deal with the stigma of going to a Canadian medical school. You will have to explain 10,000 times that you do not have to take any special exams to come back to the US. You will have to explain to elective coordiantors that you are not a foreign medical student and that McGill is approved by the LCME
Well, that's about all I can think of right now. If anyone has any more questions about McGill, I welcome your inquiries. Always willing to help out a fellow Yank.
As for your chance of being accepted, I would argue that it is relatively higher than most upper level US programs. My year, there were only several hundred applications for 25 US spots (they have a quota for international students -- about 20-30 per year). When I interviewed, there were only 50 people interviewing for those 25 spots so my chances were great once I got to the interview.
There are many upsides and some downsides to attending medical school at McGill. My feelings about my school vary widely depending on whether you catch me on a good day or a bad day. For my final opinion, wait until about 363 days from now, after match day 2005. But for now, here's a list of pros and cons for some of you Yanks thinking about braving it up here in the great white north:
Pros:
1) Amazing education -- Everyone graduates from McGill with a superior clinical education. The common line among McGill grads who do electives and residencies in the states is that an McGill MS4 is equivalent in clinical experience to an American R1. Because of socialized medicine and the near absence of medical malpractice here, medical students are allowed to do a good deal more than American med students (as least, that's what I hear). McGill grads are known as wonderful clinical physicians.
2) $$ -- You cannot beat the deal for the quality of the education. My total tuition for 4 years here will be approximately $65,000-75,000 Canadian ($50,000-$60,000 American). Compared to the price of your average private American medical school, you really cannot beat the price. Cost of living is also much lower here than in most large American cities.
3) Residency Matching -- McGill traditionally sends about 1/3 of its class to the US for residency training. I've looked at the appointments for previous years, and McGill always sends people to some of the elite programs in the states, MGH, Mayo, Hopkins, Cleveland Clinic, etc.
4) Reputation -- McGill has a great reputation among those that have heard of it. We are fairly well-known in the Northeast and not as well-known out west (although we did match two students to ENT programs in California last year, so our influence is spreading).
5) Montreal -- Very cool city with a European flavor and tons to do. Great resturants, great clubs, much diversity, all contained within a small area and for a good price. The summers are a lot of fun, with a jazz festival and a comedy festival back-to-back. I didn't go abroad during undergrad, but I feel that I am getting a similar experience by being here.
Cons:
1) Montreal -- Despite its many great qualities, sometimes I just cannot wait to leave. The weather in the winter is absolutely brutal. We have two or three weeks every January in which the temperature does not get above -10 F, with lows to -40 F. Winter lasts forever, often with snow coming in May. If you like Spring and Fall, forget it -- there are two seasons her: winter and August. The drivers are insane and people can be very rude sometimes. Many people really do not like Americans, and you will sometimes feel their wrath.
2) French -- I did not speak it when I got here (well, I really don't speak now, but at least I understand it) and I regret it. I was told that I did not need to know French to come here, but when I arrived in the hospital, I found out that about 1/3 of my patients were unilingual French. Ouch. Makes taking a history significantly harder. In hindsight, this would not have been a reason to stay away from McGill, but it would have been a good idea to learn French ahead of time.
3) Auxillary services -- The career office here sucks. They will not give you relevant, useful advice on career planning, they will not help you get in touch with people in your field of interest, they will not make phone calls to program directors on your behalf. I have struggled throughout med school to make contact with people in my field of interest, organize electives here, etc. I am told that this will only get worse as I begin the residency application process. McGill students on the interview trail are always amazed at the help other students receive from their own school -- assistance that is non-existant here at McGill. Despite all their complaints, MS4s always wind up matching to preferred residency, but it is a pain in the butt to get there.
4) Misc -- You have to deal with the stigma of going to a Canadian medical school. You will have to explain 10,000 times that you do not have to take any special exams to come back to the US. You will have to explain to elective coordiantors that you are not a foreign medical student and that McGill is approved by the LCME
Well, that's about all I can think of right now. If anyone has any more questions about McGill, I welcome your inquiries. Always willing to help out a fellow Yank.
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just wanted to say thanks for that informative post. i know it will be tough to get in, but I plan on applying when it's time to do so.
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I can definately second this one. I have driven through lots of cities in Canada, including Montreal and Toronto. Nowhere have I ever had such bad experiences as driving in Montreal. I'm Canadian myself, so just to clear something up Montrealers will be rude to you no matter where you're from
I have never experienced road rage like I have while driving around Montreal. Also the street system there was designed by a bunch of ******ed monkies. /end rant- Joined
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Originally posted by Spidey
I can definately second this one. I have driven through lots of cities in Canada, including Montreal and Toronto. Nowhere have I ever had such bad experiences as driving in Montreal. I'm Canadian myself, so just to clear something up Montrealers will be rude to you no matter where you're from
Ha ha ha. As Homer would say, "It's funny because it's true."
Just getting in a car here sends my blood pressure shooting up about 30 points. Only in Montreal do they actually need to place signs at downtown intersections saying "Please wait for the green light." I'm not making this up!!!
And as for the street system designers -- calling them ******ed monkeys is an insult to the monkeys. Why would you need to put a street sign on every street?? Are you crazy or something?? Nor should you put up a sign when the street you're on suddenly turns into another street entirely. Can't you just figure it out?!?
Gotta love the Quebecois!!
By the way, nvr endg jrny (nice name by the way -- it's true) good luck with your app. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. Incidentally, it's not as tough to get in here as some people think.
