Do pre-medicine in Malaysia and MD in Canada?

Question

Guys please please please help me. I need correct and authentic advice!

I am presently in Sri Lanka and my intent is to do MD medicine in Canada. First off-what are the best universities in canada for MD? Is it only Uni of Toronto and Mcgill Uni?

Next: Due to financial probs, I cannot do the pre-med course in Canada. I am instead going to begin the BSc Biotechnology course at Monash University in Malaysia (on a good scholarship) in February 2009. This is a 3 year course but I can graduate after 4 years if i study another year. After 4 years, I would be given a double degree: Bachelor of Science (Biotech) and Bachelor of Science (Medical Bioscience). (HONS)

Is this course accepted as a pre-med in Canada? Must I do all 4 yrs or is it enough if I do the 3 years Biotech only?

Please help. I don't want to ruin my life by doing unwanted courses.

I chose canada for MD because my dad is there and i have applied for PR and will likely receive it in 2-3 years.

Thank you !

Answer 1

Unlike in the United States, where there is a large variation between the best and "worst" medical schools, all 17 medical schools in Canada (14 English, 3 French) are considered top-rated, and their graduates are competitive when applying for residency in other countries like the US, Australia, etc.  You can find the profiles for the schools here: http://www.cfms.org/pre_med/profiles.cfm

There is a tendency for people not "in the business" to equate the size of the city where the medical school is located with the quality of medical school.  This is simply ridiculous.  

I have personally worked with excellent M.D.s from small schools like Queen's (Kingston, Ontario, population 152,000) and Memorial (St. John's, Newfoundland, population 181,000).  I've also worked with some pretty weak M.D.s from UofT (Toronto, population 5.1 million) and McGill (Montreal, population 2.1 million).  

For what it's worth, when it comes to residency application, the medical school applicants graduated from is simply one of the many criteria considered (and not one of the highest either).  Instead of worrying about which schools are "best", maybe you should worry about getting in first!

For someone in your situation, the size of the school matters because smaller schools may be less likely to take foreign-trained applicants.  But even the biggest schools only accept a few International Applicants.  For example, out of the 244 entry spots available at the University of Toronto, only 7 are for International Applicants.  Obviously, if you are able to get your PR status in time, you'll be eligible for the same spots as the majority of applicants.

However, you need to check each school's admission policy to make sure your pre-med education will meet their admission criteria.  For example, for UofT, you need to complete a four-year degree (the 3-year biotech won't do) and the transcript must be submitted to World Education Services for evaluation and GPA conversion:

http://www.facmed.utoronto.ca/programs/m...

Make sure you read through all the fine print, and do the same for all the schools you intend to apply to.

In general, medical school admission in Canada is an extremely competitive process, and many excellent Canadian applicants get turned away every year.   Your non-North American education will not make things easier.  You need to be realistic in terms of your expectations, and be prepared to keep at it even if you don't succeed the first time you try.

Good luck.