US citizen applying to Canadian medical schools?

[Doc J6]

I am a US resident applying to some Canadian medical schools, and I was wondering about the differences between US and Canadian programs, more specifically issues relating to financial aid, board exams, and residency programs. As a US citizen, could I get financial aid to go to a Canadian medical school? Are the respective licensing organizations and board exams --- US (USMLE) and Canada (LMCC) --- considered equal, or would I have to choose one or the other? I heard it is difficult to get Canadian residencies?

Basically, I am hoping to gain some insights into the process (American going to medical school in Canada) from people who have done it.

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[ssc_396]

As far as I know there are only ~3 schools (McGill, UofT and Dal?) who admit Americans. Most Americans write the USMLE because they prefer to return to the US for residency, but if you want to stay in Canada you do need to write the Canadian equivalent (at the end of year 4 instead of 2). If you choose to do residency in Canada there are provincial restrictions on where you can do this, e.g if you go to McGill you can only do residency in Quebec. Double check with both the school and CaRMS if you really think you'd like to do residency in Canada.

Going to the US for residency from Canada is dead simple, and from what I remember of my McGill interview US grads get 90% of their first picks which is on par with top US schools.

As for financial aid - yes, you can get a Stafford in Canada, and I think McGill at least will provide additional school aid if needed.

Note - I am Canadian so this is just what I remember from being bored waiting for my McGill interview and reading the pamphlet.

 

[Acherona]

This is all pretty accurate, though I don't think it's easy or even possible to get money from McGill. You don't need it though because you are eligible for exactly the same government and private loans as you are going to schools in the US (and the tuition is about half). Strangely, it's true that Quebec would rather exacerbate its doctor shortage than make it easy for you to stay in Canada to practice. Applying to residency is no different from applying from a US school.

As far as I know there are only ~3 schools (McGill, UofT and Dal?) who admit Americans. Most Americans write the USMLE because they prefer to return to the US for residency, but if you want to stay in Canada you do need to write the Canadian equivalent (at the end of year 4 instead of 2). If you choose to do residency in Canada there are provincial restrictions on where you can do this, e.g if you go to McGill you can only do residency in Quebec. Double check with both the school and CaRMS if you really think you'd like to do residency in Canada.

Going to the US for residency from Canada is dead simple, and from what I remember of my McGill interview US grads get 90% of their first picks which is on par with top US schools.

As for financial aid - yes, you can get a Stafford in Canada, and I think McGill at least will provide additional school aid if needed.

Note - I am Canadian so this is just what I remember from being bored waiting for my McGill interview and reading the pamphlet.

 

[hoomsy]

Yup. Confirmed again.

I just got accepted to McGill as an American. It sux that if you want to stay in Canada you'll have to serve in an underserved area of Quebec (for a limited time). I've lived in Montreal since 2001. Amazing place!

So yeah, you can get the Stafford Loans which is 8,500$ USD interest free per year, then you can get 10k and over unsubsidized per year.

If you're a med student you can get 150K line of credit from RBC at a fixed rate of 5.75%.

With getting residency in the states...wow you are at a super advantage. You can basically get any residency you want coming out of McGill. Actually, durring one of my interviews at a US school the dean of the med school told me that if I could get into McGill then I should go there. One of the best med schools in the world and especially as an American, you can get your top choice of residency after. His nephew also went there

Anyhow...if you have any questions PM me.

For those who interviewed OOP at McGill...in theory you should hear today ca. 5h00pm EST if you got accepted by e-mail.


Cheers

Hoomsy

This is all pretty accurate, though I don't think it's easy or even possible to get money from McGill. You don't need it though because you are eligible for exactly the same government and private loans as you are going to schools in the US (and the tuition is about half). Strangely, it's true that Quebec would rather exacerbate its doctor shortage than make it easy for you to stay in Canada to practice. Applying to residency is no different from applying from a US school.

 

[Godly_doctor]

Yup. Confirmed again.

I just got accepted to McGill as an American. It sux that if you want to stay in Canada you'll have to serve in an underserved area of Quebec (for a limited time). I've lived in Montreal since 2001. Amazing place!

So yeah, you can get the Stafford Loans which is 8,500$ USD interest free per year, then you can get 10k and over unsubsidized per year.

If you're a med student you can get 150K line of credit from RBC at a fixed rate of 5.75%.

With getting residency in the states...wow you are at a super advantage. You can basically get any residency you want coming out of McGill. Actually, durring one of my interviews at a US school the dean of the med school told me that if I could get into McGill then I should go there. One of the best med schools in the world and especially as an American, you can get your top choice of residency after. His nephew also went there

Anyhow...if you have any questions PM me.

For those who interviewed OOP at McGill...in theory you should hear today ca. 5h00pm EST if you got accepted by e-mail.


Cheers

Hoomsy

What if I am a permanent resident in america, would I be considered international student if I applied to Mcgill?

 

[ConfusedChemist]

What if I am a permanent resident in america, would I be considered international student if I applied to Mcgill?

I think as an American you're considered international at all Canadian schools. This was from 04, so I'm not sure but I'm guessing it's insanely difficult to get into Mcgill as an international now considering Canadian med applications have grown exponentially since then