Closing the File

So the news is in, I am indeed going to become a doctor some day. I have also decided which wonderful Canadian city will have the unfortunate task of training me over the next few years. I'm going to Calgary.

So how did this whole application experience go? Although hindsight would say "not too shabby", it was full of ups and downs along the way.

Rejected - No Interview
University of British Columbia
University of Alberta (Missing prerequisite)
Northern Ontario School of Medicine
University of Ottawa
McMaster University
University of Toronto
Dalhousie University

Interview Granted..Waitlisted
Queen's University

Interview Granted...Admission Offered!
University of Calgary
University of Manitoba
University of Western Ontario

Overall, I applied to most of the English speaking medical schools in Canada - 11 in total. I only got 4 interviews. I think the biggest setback for me was not getting an interview at UBC, my home school. When I found out why, I was quite frustrated at myself. This was compounded by the realization that I might be leaving the city which was my home all these years.

I learned something about applying to medical school: patience is key. One does a lot of waiting during the application process. First, applications start around October; around February, interview offers and rejection letters are mailed out. After interviews, it's another anxiety filled two months until admission offers are released. All in all, there is a lot of waiting. Come to grips with that reality before starting the whole application process.

Fortunately, my anxiety was unnecessary, as I ended up doing just fine. Before the 15th of May, which is when admission and waitlist notices are sent, I had already made predictions. I figured that, if I got into medicine at all, then I'd definitely get into Manitoba and Western. I knew based on their admissions criteria that they were my best shots. Not to mention, my Manitoba and Western interviews went quite well. I also knew that Queen's was highly unlikely to offer me a seat. Not only was I weak based on their final admissions criteria, but I also felt like I bombed that interview.

Calgary, however, threw me off. I felt like I had a solid interview (well, interviews). Despite this, I wasn't putting much hope in Calgary because of my preinterview score. I felt like I was at the low end of the interview pool, especially for out-of-province applicants. For me to then get one of the original out-of-province admission offers on the 15th was a hell of a surprise. I wasn't even thinking about moving to Calgary. In fact, I told people time after time that I'd never go there! My oh my how things change when circumstances are different.

So then, why Calgary? After I received my admission offers, the decision came down to Calgary or Western. Manitoba has a great school and program, but I did not want to live in Winnipeg if I could avoid it. The city isn't very nice, the neighbourhood of the medical school isn't very safe, and the weather is terrible. My pros and cons lists really helped out with my decision making... with one major difference.

I learned two things about Canadian medical schools that I didn't know during my interviews. First, school prestige isn't a major factor in Canadian medicine. All the Canadian schools are excellent, and all put out exceptionally qualified doctors. Second, residency matching statistics for Calgary and Western show little difference. Six years worth of residency matching statistics are available on the CaRMS website. The differences between schools in the specialties I'm interested in are small and insignificant. In other words, no school is obviously better at pumping out surgeons and neurologists. Having these two fears of mine silenced altered my decision making process.

Whereas I would have selected Western unequivocally, I became less settled with that choice. I had thought Western was a better school; the two things I learned nullified my assumption. Furthermore, I was attracted more and more to the program at Calgary.

In summary form, the following is why I ultimately decided to go to Calgary:

• Calgary is a nicer city to live in. It's urban, modern, growing, and wealthy. Of all the places I went to, it most resembles Vancouver's urban feel. You know what they say: once a city boy, always a city boy. And the fact of the matter is, deciding on medical schools is just as much about the city as it is about the school. I spend most of the week at the school, but I spend all my life in the city. When thought of that way, Calgary is clearly superior.
• Calgary has a three year program. Most medical schools have four year programs, giving students 3 months of vacation in the pre-clerkship summers. Students can spend the summer doing research, observerships, working, or traveling. It's free time. Calgary's three year program gives us four weeks of vacation a year: two weeks christmas and two weeks summer. The way I think about it: Calgary gets me to a real paycheque one year sooner. That's one year less tuition, one year less loaning. As someone who is aiming to become a specialist, I have a lot of training left after medical school, so every year counts.
• The program at Calgary is innovative and modern. Calgary seems to be a leader in medical education. They have pioneered the use of clinical presentations to guide and direct their pre-clerkship coursework. I'm really excited about this approach, and I think it will be a great way to learn.
• The facilities at Calgary are excellent. The medical school is located at Foothills Hospital, which is separate from the main University of Calgary campus. This is something I want (at least at this point), as I don't want to spend another 3 years on a massive, sprawling, campus. The health sciences building is also very impressive. Thus, in terms of facilities, Calgary is top of my list. Not to mention, the financial situation of the province hopefully trickles down to the health industry.

So, Cowtown, see you in a few weeks!