Undergrad Institution

[doctorhopeful1199]

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Hey guys. I posted this in premed101 but was told to bring it over here. My cousin is finishing up his junior year of high school right now and is looking at where to do his undergrad (he's premed). He's between the health science program at McMaster and life sciences at McGill or UofT. The McMaster program is fantastic at placing kids into Canadian medical schools but when I told him that he said that he had heard that McGill and UofT would give him a better shot at US schools which is where he wants to go. Any thoughts? Which program would be better for him?

 

[Dr Turkelton]

RUN AS FAR AWAY FROM U OF T AS POSSIBLE. I'm still in the process of repairing my GPA from there, the slight increase in prestige and much better opportunities are in no way worth the struggle it will take to get a half decent gpa at U of T.

 

[Essee]

He should go where he thinks he will do the best. Undergrad rep hardly matters. And it's my understanding that colleges in Canada are all fairly around the same quality anyways. I actually think McMaster is quite well known among med schools here. Isn't that the school we can blame for introducing the MMI lol?

 

[Lamel]

He should go to the best school where he can still keep up a great GPA.

 

[Judson]

I am not from Canada, and while I agree with the above comments, I would recommend that your cousin also factor in some additional criteria. Does he like the campus? What is the culture like on campus? Are there clubs offered at one campus and not the other that he might want to join? Is there a better chance of him being involved in meaningful research at one of the campuses? If he does not enjoy the culture, opportunities, etc., his GPA will certainly reflect that.

 

[Xenoblade]

He should go where he thinks he will do the best. Undergrad rep hardly matters. And it's my understanding that colleges in Canada are all fairly around the same quality anyways. I actually think McMaster is quite well known among med schools here. Isn't that the school we can blame for introducing the MMI lol?

I read from a reputable book that took a survey of pds, that some specialties take into account of an applicants undergraduate degree brand. It was a little surprising when I read that because I went to a top 50, but no one, and I mean no one outside of sdn, has ever heard of it.

 

[hoihaie]

choose the school that will offer the best research opportunity

 

[moop]

He should go to Harvard.

..what.

 

[snarkie]

I'm from McMaster (not health science though) and got into my top choice US school this cycle 🙂 when I was at interviews, lots of upper year i spoke to on tour and other interviewees had heard of Mac, due to the MMI. I don't think you would be disadvantaged by going to Mac vs U of T.

 

[Essee]

I read from a reputable book that took a survey of pds, that some specialties take into account of an applicants undergraduate degree brand. It was a little surprising when I read that because I went to a top 50, but no one, and I mean no one outside of sdn, has ever heard of it.

lol I'm just an incoming M1, so I know next to nothing about residency but I'm guessing from that survey that it only really might matter a little to a PD if you went to something like a top 5 undergrad. Otherwise I'd think medical school name brand would matter more...

 

[Xenoblade]

lol I'm just an incoming M1, so I know next to nothing about residency but I'm guessing from that survey that it only really might matter a little to a PD if you went to something like a top 5 undergrad. Otherwise I'd think medical school name brand would matter more...

The specialty is ortho. So....you know...