Thread: why so many canadians?

why are so many canadians going to MUA and not the more established caribbean schools? wont this only make life more difficult for you when applying for residency in the US and/or coming back to Canada?

Yes it will.

mind explaining why it will make it more difficult?

Canada is the hardest country to get into med school, especially if you have moved provinces since you graduated high school...you will lose the gpa/mcat advantage of being a provincial resident. I know this, I was scheduled for an interview at Dalhousie Medical School for several months...and then had that interview taken away from me 3 days before because they claimed the fact that my parents lived in BC and not Nova Scotia was grounds to reject my provincial status....despite being 25 years old, a member of the workforce, and resident of the province for 4 years.

As for the other big 4 schools, the only one I applied to is Saba, and I was referred to MUA. Ross and SGU are outrageously expensive, especially when you factor in the 1.15 current conversion of Canadian dollars. Maybe I an naive, but I have spent a lot of time stressing about what may lie ahead, but all I know is that I want to be a doctor more than anything and I plan to work my *** off to get there and succeed. I will do whatever it takes, whether it means transferring to Saba where more Canadians have a history of returning to their country, or I will be the first one behind Dr. Omar Sultan of MUA by pioneering my way back. I am ready to fight to be a doctor, and MUA is well on its way to being up to the standards of the other "fabulous" big 4. It just needs a few more graduating classes to prove itself.

PS...any american boys looking for a wife??? lol, just kidding....

It doesn't matter which foreign school you attend, it's still an uphill battle if you want to go back to Canada. Granted that there are caribbean schools with track records of Canadians going back to Canada but it's still really difficult. Maybe Canadians attend MUA because they know their fate as an IMG and MUA give you a great bang for your buck, and no one really wants to pay back a huge loan for attending one of the big 3 for the same chance of going back to Canada as they would have if they went somewhere else.

Double post

Originally Posted by jburkmar

PS...any american boys looking for a wife??? lol, just kidding....

I'm sure there will be no shortage of proposals when you get on the island. You should find a big stick so you can beat guys off with it.

Originally Posted by dr.bum

why are so many canadians going to MUA and not the more established caribbean schools? wont this only make life more difficult for you when applying for residency in the US and/or coming back to Canada?

which offshore school you attend makes no difference at all as far as the uphill battle of returning to canada..

<Insert generic Canadian joke here, eh>
<If from French speaking province, insert French joke here>
<Finish off by singing 'Blame Canada'>

Originally Posted by jburkmar

Canada is the hardest country to get into med school, especially if you have moved provinces since you graduated high school...you will lose the gpa/mcat advantage of being a provincial resident. I know this, I was scheduled for an interview at Dalhousie Medical School for several months...and then had that interview taken away from me 3 days before because they claimed the fact that my parents lived in BC and not Nova Scotia was grounds to reject my provincial status....despite being 25 years old, a member of the workforce, and resident of the province for 4 years.

No it isn't. Just because it is harder than America doesn't mean its the hardest FYI.

If you did your homework you would have selected a school in a province besides the one you grew up in that allows people who have lived in that particular province for longer than x years (usually 3-4) to be eligible as an in province applicant (By third year undergrad I had 3 schools to apply to (as an in province applicant), all it took was some research during highschool)

Considering a 3.7GPA (very attainable provided you are not an idiot and put in some effort) is competitive, i'd say that Canada isn't that bad at all. Sure its competitive, but competition brings out the best in us (and makes it a bit fun IMO).

To the OP: People from Canada come to caribbean medican schools for 1 reason - They don't make the cut for Canadian schools.