American applying to Canadian meds school?

[yelloslugmarine]

Hey, I'm from California and I'm thinking about applying to the med school at U of British Columbia (besides applying for in-state meds schools).

What are the chances of my getting accepted? Do they take many Americans? I also know that MDs from another country are not taken as seriously in the US as a US MD. So would this mean I would have to stay in Canada to find good work?

More info: I'm an undergrad at UC Santa Cruz, haven't taken the MCAT, and have a 4.0 GPA.

thanks!

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[moo]

Unless you have Canadian citizenship the chances of admission to UBC is virtually nil.

There are other Canadian schools which take foreign students like McGill.

You will be well-respected if you come from a Canadian school. They are all accredited by the LCME, and are thus equivalent to all US schools.

 

[docbill]

Good Point mooo...

Dalhousy also accepts lots of US citizens.
UBC sais zero international students... unless they changed that.. or I have it wrong.
UofT and McGill do accept US students.

But I should say that it is much harder to get into a Canadian school as a Canadian and especially a NON-Canadian!!!!

 

[yelloslugmarine]

Whew! Thanks tons guys. I'm pretty clueless about this sort of thing.

 

[Surfer75]

I'll be happy to answer any Q's you might have about this process as I'm from CA as well and attended a Canadian med school...

McGill by far has the most US spots compared to any other Canadian institution... Dal and MUN have a few spots as well in addition to the others mentioned.. but more than most take virtually no US applicants if they have no Canadian ties or permanent resident status.

S

 

[sunnie]

I'll be happy to answer any Q's you might have about this process as I'm from CA as well and attended a Canadian med school...

McGill by far has the most US spots compared to any other Canadian institution... Dal and MUN have a few spots as well in addition to the others mentioned.. but more than most take virtually no US applicants if they have no Canadian ties or permanent resident status.

S

Surfer75: Hey there.. I'm from CA also and very interested in going to MUN. I just received word from them that I have an interview scheduled for the beginning of February. What have you heard about the school? Any advice for the interview? Thanks!

 

[doogyhowser]

how bout McMaster and U. of Calgary...

cuz they've got three year programs and that would be swwweeeettt

what kind of people are getting accepted from the U.S. they can't all have strong ties to the great north right?
i'm sure there are plenty of accepted americans that just wanted to go to med school anywhere they could get in...like me.

 

[ny skindoc]

how bout McMaster and U. of Calgary...

cuz they've got three year programs and that would be swwweeeettt

what kind of people are getting accepted from the U.S. they can't all have strong ties to the great north right?
i'm sure there are plenty of accepted americans that just wanted to go to med school anywhere they could get in...like me.

Its very uncommon that someone who is not highly competitive for a spot in a US med school would have much of a shot at a Canadian school.Still it does happen.In the past I'v heard Memorial Univ in Newfoundland has taken US nationals without strong local ties.

 

[Surfer75]

Yep, I went to MUN. No Canadian ties. Mac and Calgary have 3 yr programs that run year round.. but really dont' accept internationals... best bet would be McGill at this time since MUN is filtering out US applicants now - - new dean... more local emphasis / or less international emphasis... 2 Americans in the current US class, when I went through there were 9.

S

 

[supremedork]

Hi,

I have quite a few questions about Canadian medical school, if someone could help me out. I'm an American and have an opportunity to interview at McGill but would like a few questions answered.

How well does McGill prepare you for the USMLE? Why is their curriculum seem so scattered when compared to American schools? Is the average age of the student body in Canadian schools like 20 because of the Med-P program? How well prepared are you for residency and residency matching after med school in Canada? What opportunities for research and for off-campus electives are there?

Thanks.

 

[docbill]

McGill has all the features as Johns Hopkins , Harvard, and other Ivey schools.

From what I understand, they prepare you really well for Canadian exams, which are as, if not harder than USMLEs. Average age... hmmm p-med would be about 20yrs... and non-p-med route.. those who have a BS are prob the same age as in US schools.

Lots of research at McGill and you can always do summer research at other institutions like UofT. McGill is highly regarded around the world.

 

[pianist]

I believe that U. Western Ontario will also accept international students as it brings in $$$$. Tuition would still be far less than in the US.

 

[jbish]

Hi,

I have quite a few questions about Canadian medical school, if someone could help me out. I'm an American and have an opportunity to interview at McGill but would like a few questions answered.

How well does McGill prepare you for the USMLE? Why is their curriculum seem so scattered when compared to American schools? Is the average age of the student body in Canadian schools like 20 because of the Med-P program? How well prepared are you for residency and residency matching after med school in Canada? What opportunities for research and for off-campus electives are there?

Thanks.

Well, I'm a second year so the only thing I've done in regards to the USMLE is register for step one. I don't find the curriculum scattered. In fact, it just about mirrored the University of Cincinnati's material (I did research there last summer so I chatted with their med students). A third of the class is medp and they're around 20 when starting. The oldest person in my class was 33 when we started with most of the 2/3 of non-medp's having just graduated (avg. age around 22/23) or took one year off to work/do research/travel. I'm from the U.S. and I started at McGill at the age of 21 after completing my B.A. in the States. Supposedly McGill students match well in Canada and the U.S. Ability to match in the US is greater if aiming for institutions where current McGill grads are doing residency...this info is available in the med office in a big binder. Also, you have the opportunity during med4 to do 3 or 4 electives and they can all be done in the States to get a chance to "audition" at places you want to match. There is also an elective during the summer after med2 which can be anywhere...I'm working on doing mine in Scotland. My friends are going to Tibet, Thailand, Africa, Israel...and some are just staying in Montreal and doing rotations at the local hospitals. Research opps are good...especially for summer between med1 and med2 but there are also professors looking for part-time research assistants during the school year and you can get funding for this stuff. As I said earlier, I chose to do research last summer at UofC because they pay almost three times as much as McGill.