Thanks for answering! I'm assuming your grade 12 average was around the same mark. Anyway, what type of residency are you planning to get into? Surgical or just medical?

Hi Dr. Jay,

It seems like you are one of the few on here that know what they are talking about with confidence. I have a small, general question: How do I convert my percentage to G.P.A for Canadian med schools?

Thanks Bud

I decided early on that surgery wasn't for me (which was confirmed through my surgical rotations so far this year).

I like the lifestyle and autonomy in family medicine, plus the shorter residency, so that's what I'm going for :)

From your signature it sounds like you're going to a Ontario university. If so, you can find the GPA conversions here:

http://www.ouac.on.ca/docs/omsas/c_omsas_b.pdf

Hey, unfortunately, course titles won't tell you much about difficulty. You are best off asking older students in your university who took those courses already.

As for lab practice... I'm not sure what you can do besides maybe volunteering in a lab in the summer to get more hands on experience. Like any procedural skill, it comes with experience.

What university did you do your undergrad at?

Hey Dr. Jay. I am trying to decide between going to McGill or University of Alberta.

pros for McGill - prestige, their bio/life sci program is really hard to get into, top ranked in the world, and I've always told people I wanted to go to McGill, plus Montreal sounds like a fun place, fresh start away from people I knew in high school
cons for Mcgill - harder to get a high GPA in, living away from home so I will have to cook & clean, I might get distracted by the vibrant social scene, far away from home so I will feel homesick, and it seems almost unwelcoming with the way they have already treated me as a student during the whole admissions and registration process

pros for UAlberta - comfortable, less risky choice, I will get the luxury of having all my meals cooked and all chores done for me, I can focus more on my studies, financially AMAZING (they give out way more scholarships so I will essentially have a free ride through university)
cons for UAlberta - boring, I want a change from my current surroundings and to be away from people I knew in high school, less so-called prestigious

I would like to know, is it really worth going to a prestigious university for undergrad when your ultimate goal is medical school? I know that GPA is king when it comes to med admissions. Plus McGill won't give me status as a Quebec resident so I won't have a good chance for their medical school even if I go there for undergrad...
I know that this other med school student, his name is Joshua Liu (he answer's hopeful med questions too on his website and stuff), he went to York University to do his undergrad and said that going to a less intensive university allowed him more time to pursue extracurricular endeavors. I feel that being at UAlberta would allow me to do the same...but I don't know.

I just don't want to regret going to the university I end up going to...

As I mentioned before, I'd rather not say at this point, but it was a typical Canadian university.

Montreal is a gorgeous city. I haven't been to Alberta, so I can't compare haha.

In any case, I agree it's a tough decision. I truly think if you work hard, you can do well anywhere. I agree that "prestige" is not really important for your undergraduate degree, especially if you want to do an undergrad in life science, and if you want to do medical school.

How bad was the high school situation? That is the one factor that seems to be sticking out to me. That being said, UofAlberta I assume is big enough that you can make many new friends. Also, if you want to experience the university life, there is also the option of living on campus at Alberta anyways.

From what I hear, UofAlberta is a fantastic school, and personally I'd go there for medical school or residency over McGill, for what it's worth.

Plus a free ride in university helps a LOT.

Based on all that, if you feel OK from a social stand point going to Alberta, I'd probably go to Alberta.

All that said, at the end of the day, university is what you make of it.

I went to the U of A, and am from Edmonton, so basically everyone from my high school went there too. I barely saw most of them and I made a lot of new friends. So this is absolutely true.