All right. I think I can give you the most unbiased insight on the Univ. of Toronto, as I graduated from Life Science Program there. (Yes. I went to the main campus and what I am going to describe to you concerns the Life Science/Biology Program at the Downtown Campus.
Pros: 1) The world-class faculty, couple of Nobel Prize Laureates, No.1 Canadian school in medicine, plenty of undergraduate research experience
2) Urban setting, lots of fun, more opportunities (ex. shadowing, volunteering, work position)
3) Multicultural student body: lots of chance to make international connection
4) Beautiful campus, high-tech buildings, 24-hour open libraries, good food
Cons (but can be pros)
1) Extremely huge first year courses (there were >1500 students in my 1st year biology class and we had a lecture in the theater-looking lecture hall. It is really really tough to have your professor know about you in such a huge class)
2) Real example of "survival of the fittest": the tests are brutal. I mean... really. The vast majority of the first year course professors are required to make tests and exams in a way that the class average always stays C - C+. It gets better in 3rd and 4th years.
By the time you finish your second year, you will see many of your freshmen peers have transferred to other "easy" schools
3) Hard to balance GPA and extracurricular. Because the academic demand is so great, you might not want to spend too much time on extracurricular and jeopardize your GPA. The summer is usually spent on re-taking the courses you have dropped throughout the school year. Not much time to do research throughout the year.
4) The professors seem to be least caring about their students. Their main focus is research. Hard to reach professors and it takes million minutes to have your professor remember your name - sucks when it comes to asking for the LOR
- In fact, I have no regret attending the University of Toronto. Many students benefit from the extremely difficult curriculum at the U of T by the end, proving with their MCAT and DAT scores. ( a couple of MCAT 44s and 30 DATs from my univ-mates). I met great friends and had fun while staying there. The difficult part was when I had to go and beg for the LORs. What I had to do is to take an year off and volunteer at one professor's lab to get a LOR. If you are planning on going to d-school or m-school, remember to make good working relationships with several professors.
- If your ultimate goal is to get into d-school and does not care about the school you attend, I am telling you, the Univ of Toronto is the worst option. Many kids are top students from their high schools and still find the U of T really hard. (Even the professor ridiculed us by saying that only 10% of the freshmen would graduate within 5 years and go to med school). My recommendation is to go to a smaller institute where the courses are geared towards your needs. The Univ of Toronto is a perfect choice if you are into research or graduate study.
"The Univ. of Toronto would be your best choice: if a) you are willing to sacrifice much of your social life, b) you have strong work ethics and finally c) dental/ medical school is not your final destination
Take your pick.
