Hi, I have some questions that I really need answers too. ANY help would be great

First: What is the required GPA for admission to medical school in US. I know this is not a general question because it depends on the med school but if any one knows that is the range? Also, how much would it cost? are there any financial aid given such as OSAP for students considering studies outside Canada?

Second: I just found out that english and physics are requirements for many med schools outside Canada. I took PHY 1B03 and had a bad experience; and in High School English was one of my worst subject (use to get like 78-82%). I presume standards are high for english in uni. Would you recommend I take it in summer or not? same question for PHY1BB3. Also, i am going to 2nd year in 2012. Does it matter when I take it (i.e. in my 2nd, 3rd or 4th year)? because I already selected my 2nd year courses (mostly bio).

Third: Does a program matter for med schools? Should I stick with Life sciences or choose Honors bio? Is one better than the other. In you opinion which one should I choose (I know its up to me, but what is ur general opinion)?

Forth: If I take 1st year course like PHY 1BB3 in my 3rd year does the med school that looks at your top 3 years count this mark? if yes, What if I take 10 3rd year course and one 1st year course in 3rd year?

Fifth: After finishing med school in the US what requirements do I have to fill out to become an established Canadian doctor? in short, what are the hurdles?

Sixth: Are gaining research positions very important to be considered a strong candidate for med school? If so, can you share some of your experience, i.e. if you have any

Seventh: What courses do you consider 'bird courses' in 2nd year?

I know these are a lot of questions and many of you might think they are well... stupid. But I feel like my life has changes A LOT since last year (grade 12) and its going at a very fast pace. ANY kind of help would be greatly appreciated!

Originally Posted by Need2knowme

Hi, I have some questions that I really need answers too. ANY help would be great

First: What is the required GPA for admission to medical school in US. I know this is not a general question because it depends on the med school but if any one knows that is the range? Also, how much would it cost? are there any financial aid given such as OSAP for students considering studies outside Canada?

Second: I just found out that english and physics are requirements for many med schools outside Canada. I took PHY 1B03 and had a bad experience; and in High School English was one of my worst subject (use to get like 78-82%). I presume standards are high for english in uni. Would you recommend I take it in summer or not? same question for PHY1BB3. Also, i am going to 2nd year in 2012. Does it matter when I take it (i.e. in my 2nd, 3rd or 4th year)? because I already selected my 2nd year courses (mostly bio).

Third: Does a program matter for med schools? Should I stick with Life sciences or choose Honors bio? Is one better than the other. In you opinion which one should I choose (I know its up to me, but what is ur general opinion)?

Forth: If I take 1st year course like PHY 1BB3 in my 3rd year does the med school that looks at your top 3 years count this mark? if yes, What if I take 10 3rd year course and one 1st year course in 3rd year?

Fifth: After finishing med school in the US what requirements do I have to fill out to become an established Canadian doctor? in short, what are the hurdles?

Sixth: Are gaining research positions very important to be considered a strong candidate for med school? If so, can you share some of your experience, i.e. if you have any

Seventh: What courses do you consider 'bird courses' in 2nd year?

I know these are a lot of questions and many of you might think they are well... stupid. But I feel like my life has changes A LOT since last year (grade 12) and its going at a very fast pace. ANY kind of help would be greatly appreciated!

K so a lot of this can be found out just by doing google searches but here goes

1. higher the better. US uses AMCAS which converts all 11s and 12s to 4.0 so canadian GPA is inflated. the avg gpa for entering american schools seems to be less than in canada but depends on the school for sure. there are applicants that get in as low as like 3.0 but 3.7+ my guess would be competitive for many schools.

2. it doesnt matter when you take physics. some schools need 60% of ur course load to be at the level of study or above (so 6/10 courses in 3rd year must be 3rd/4th year courses, but 4 can be 1st year if u wanted). take physics in the summer or even at a different uni if you find it hard at mac.

3. i dont think it would matter if you were in bio or life sci at all.

4. i have no idea what you said, but if you take a course during the year they will look at the mark for sure.

5. not really sure at all, but it's much much easier to go back to canada than it is if you go carribean / europe. this is the least of your worries imo.

6. research is always good. just email profs and have a genuine interest in the research, not jsut cuz it looks good. this is where specialized programs come in handy, since it's easier to show interest

7. pop music 2ii3, some first year soc sci courses (anthro, econ etc). if you play an instrument, take band as a credit etc. but i recommend just takign what interests you

I may not be the best person to give advice on this subject, but I have several friends I knew from secondary school in Australia med school right now.

The Canadian schools are a gamble - not everybody that applies gets in. There are tons of extremely bright people that get passed over every year.

In fact, one of the girls I know who is studying at University of Queensland right now actually got into Harvard for her undergrad but opted for Queens Life Science instead...so yeah, extremely bright and hard working.

Another option if the Canadian route doesn't work out is to try to get into US-based osteopathic medicine schools. Osteopathic medicine schools are a little easier to get into than regular MD schools and at least this way you won't be considered an IMG and can still specialize once you get to the CARMS process.

Best of luck!

I don't think it matters whether English is taken summer or regular school year...the courseload either way is rather light - couple of readings, couple of essays...especially in comparison to the heavier science courses! Of course, essay grading is rather strict, but I scarcely think that would change between school year and summer...
I do find that, on average, now, American med schools place a larger emphasis on clinical placements and extrac's than Canadian schools...like (especially) Mac. I think I saw a stat once that the average Canadian has 100 hours clinical (or requires 100 hours), whereas Americans have 400 hours...
Now, that's just a stat from my head, not sure how accurate it is...:.)

1) 3.7+ is the general consensus for any medical school. They cost about 50k a year minimum. Some schools offer financial aid but most do not.

2) You need to take it unless you have a transfer credit from high school. It doesn't matter when you take it but you need to have the pre-requisites complete before like may of the year you are enrolling.

3) Not at all. Do what interests you and you will do well.

4) AMCAS just asks you to input all your grades into their system and I'm not sure how it works from there. USually when applying to american medical schools they just average the mark of every course from first year to third year so I guess it doesnt matter. Although, I'm not too sure about this

5) Competition to get your residency i guess. Even then you won't be counted as an IMG so you will be okay and will be most likely matched during hte first round.

6) Yes. Many schools are research-based medical schools so they appreciate the interest.

5. if you go for a med school in states, you wont be considered IMG (International Medical Graduates). So when you apply for residency through CAMRS, US medical graduates = Canadian medical graduates. The only problem is that you will have to write both USMLE 1, 2, 3 (US exams) and MCCQE 1 and 2 (Canadian exams). Another problem is that if you go to med school in US, you will need H1b visa and if you do not plan to write MCQQE 1 and 2 and do your residency in states then you will need the hospital (where you plan to do residency) to sponsor you for H1b visa, which can be a tedious process. Another problem for US is that it will cost you around $ 200000 - $ 250000 tution fee for 4 years and if you get line of credit you will pay 3% interest even while studying.

It seems pretty stupid to apply to US schools so that you can become a Canadian physician. Just hit the magic numbers for interviews and don't be socially inept at interviews and you'll be fine. There are too many medical school spots here anyways. It costs less and Canadian schools are typically nicer to their students. Some schools require you to show that you have enough money in your bank account for all 4 years before they accept you.

I'm not going to bother answering some of the questions that have been repeated earlier ... but

6) I had two summers of research and a thesis, but I got in at a bunch of schools that didn't even look at my sketch or ask me about research. If you know that you're going to hate your life while doing research, then don't do it and focus on something else. It's not necessary.

2/3 doesn't matter.

Also I wouldn't bother with bird courses in second year, 2nd/3rd year were a total joke in terms of difficulty/workload.

Originally Posted by Need2knowme

I took PHY 1B03 and had a bad experience; and in High School English was one of my worst subject (use to get like 78-82%).

This cracked me up!