Where to start with McGill?

[lushlivin]

Hey all! New member here, so I apologize ahead of time if I'm going about asking this incorrectly/in the wrong place. McGill is currently a dream school for me: perfect location, internationally renowned program, Francophone culture, etc... But as a U.S. citizen coming up on my junior year at a domestic university, how realistic is this dream? I understand that Canadian schools already have less seats, and that they prioritize Canadians. More specifically, where should I set goals for my GPA and MCAT?

Any input, especially from previous applicants, will be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

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[gyngyn]

The median gpa for accepted students was 3.75.
Median MCAT was 509.

According to MSAR, McGill interviewed 13 internationals (of 378 total interviews).
It would seem unrealistic to expect an interview as an international applicant.

 

[md-2020]

According to MSAR, McGill interviewed 13 internationals (of 378 total interviews).
It would seem unrealistic to expect an interview as an international applicant.

And yet we often see Canadian applicants try for U.S. schools with similarly long odds. Is there any different for the reverse route?

OP: it's unrealistic though, as gyngyn describes. Plenty of nice prestigious places in the U.S., you can always work/go on vacation to francophone regions in the future.

 

[gyngyn]

And yet we often see Canadian applicants try for U.S. schools with similarly long odds. Is there any different for the reverse route?

OP: it's unrealistic though, as gyngyn describes. Plenty of nice prestigious places in the U.S., you can always work/go on vacation to francophone regions in the future.

Though difficult for Canadians, it's still a lot better than the reverse. We also have DO options open to Canadians.

 

[lushlivin]

Where do you plan on practicing and are you a Canadian permanent resident or citizen?

I don't have any solid plans on where to practice yet, but wouldn't be completely opposed to practicing in Canada. I'm an U.S. applicant.

 

[lushlivin]

I read elsewhere on these forums (after some serious digging) that McGill sets aside a small number of seats for Americans and that it's just as hard for out of province Canadians as it is for U.S. applicants. This was stated about half a decade ago though...has the US to Canadian playing field changed at all in the past decade? I'm trying to weigh what's been said here about McGill, much of which is pretty dated.

 

[SquishyRock]

There are a few seats set aside for foreign/out-of-province applicants, but it's a very small number across all the CA schools. (From the AFMC): "The number of places available is determined by provincial governments based on educational and financial resources as well as Canada’s future physician workforce requirement. Since the universities are under provincial jurisdiction, the majority of places in a faculty of medicine are allocated to permanent residents of the province in which the university is located."

The AFMC site has the med school seat numbers listed, as well as by year admissions, in these docs off their site:
https://afmc.ca/sites/default/files/CMES2016-Section1-Information.pdf
https://afmc.ca/sites/default/files/documents/en/Publications/AdmissionRequirements_en.pdf

Of course, if you do manage to be admitted, you face the above stated issue of residencies. Lots of great reasons to go for it, your personal reasons as well as next-to-nothing in tuition compared to US/other international schools, but the odds aren't great (again, practically zero)for out of province applicants.

 

[lushlivin]

There are a few seats set aside for foreign/out-of-province applicants, but it's a very small number across all the CA schools. (From the AFMC): "The number of places available is determined by provincial governments based on educational and financial resources as well as Canada’s future physician workforce requirement. Since the universities are under provincial jurisdiction, the majority of places in a faculty of medicine are allocated to permanent residents of the province in which the university is located."

The AFMC site has the med school seat numbers listed, as well as by year admissions, in these docs off their site:
https://afmc.ca/sites/default/files/CMES2016-Section1-Information.pdf
https://afmc.ca/sites/default/files/documents/en/Publications/AdmissionRequirements_en.pdf

Of course, if you do manage to be admitted, you face the above stated issue of residencies. Lots of great reasons to go for it, your personal reasons as well as next-to-nothing in tuition compared to US/other international schools, but the odds aren't great (again, practically zero)for out of province applicants.

Wow, thanks for this resource! Really puts it into a more quantifiable lens

 

[lushlivin]

Thanks for the help everyone! I guess I'll have to think about it more down the road after my MCAT and see if it's worth my time and money to send in the app along with my U.S. schools. As for the residencies...I'll worry about that once and if (looking like a HUGE IF) by some miracle I get in and have to choose between there or stateside

 

[NotASerialKiller]

And yet we often see Canadian applicants try for U.S. schools with similarly long odds. Is there any different for the reverse route?

OP: it's unrealistic though, as gyngyn describes. Plenty of nice prestigious places in the U.S., you can always work/go on vacation to francophone regions in the future.

There aren't that many med schools in Canada so generally as a Canadian you apply to all of the schools you're eligible for, then you throw on another 10+ American schools as a backup. As an American applicant you obviously don't apply to all schools, so if you want to increase your chances slightly you might as well add another OOS school, not a Canadian school where your chances will be crap. It just makes a lot less sense to do the reverse.

I read elsewhere on these forums (after some serious digging) that McGill sets aside a small number of seats for Americans and that it's just as hard for out of province Canadians as it is for U.S. applicants. This was stated about half a decade ago though...has the US to Canadian playing field changed at all in the past decade? I'm trying to weigh what's been said here about McGill, much of which is pretty dated.

Yeah but OOP applicants face brutal odds at McGill as well, neither have an easy path even by med school standards. It happens, so you can apply if you want, just don't think of it as a likely route.

edit: Also McGill eliminated the MCAT requirement a few years back, as far as I know it's optional to release your score, so only do it if it makes you look better than your GPA does. There's a chance that doesn't apply to international applicants though, go check their admissions site.