Why Should You Choose UofT?
Posted by Admin on January 30, 2008
Top 10 Reasons for going True Blue.
10. Research Galore
Research opportunities for students are limitless!
BASIC SCIENCE
CLINICAL RESEARCH
PUBLIC HEALTH
and SO MUCH MORE!
If someone is studying it, you will find it in Toronto! On top of that, research funding for medical students continues to increase, and the faculty actively encourages interested med students to pursue research opportunities.
Check out these ground-breaking discoveries from UofT:
UHN World Firsts
Faculty's List of Medical Breakthroughs
More information at: Faculty of Medicine - Research and International Relations
9. Large Class Size of 220+
Other schools will tell you this is a weakness, but let’s look at the facts!
UofT has many small-group learning environments:
Clinical skills - 6 (students)
Community health tutorials - 6-8
Community agency visits - 2
Problem-based learning - 6-9
Seminars - 20-25
Anatomy dissections - 8
What else is great about a large class?
DIVERSITY, DIVERSITY, and…DIVERSITY!!!
You really will learn everyone’s name too…if you want to… and can pick out any non-classmate from the crowd… quite astonishing. Either way, the class size at U of T is an advantage.
8. Comprehensive Curriculum where your opinion matters!
1st year: Learn everything about the normal human body.
2nd year: Learn about diseases, and how to manage them in our patients.
3rd and 4th years: Become clinical clerks and experience a variety of rotations at the teaching hospitals to prepare us for residency.
Arts and Science of Clinical Medicine (ASCM): This course occurs during years 1 and 2. Small groups are taught by physicians in the teaching hospitals, and best of all, we see patients from day one.
Determinants of Community Health (DOCH): This course occurs during all four years. and takes place in lectures, community agencies and hospitals.
Who are our teachers? Clinicians, scientists, nurses, librarians, patients, etc. etc.
On top of that, the faculty and students are constantly assessing the curriculum. It’s common for significant changes to occur each year, constantly improving our learning experience. U of T values the student opinion highly, and takes it very seriously. You’re not just a number at our school.
7. Competition… For the Best Social Life
Picture this: Over 200 of the country’s best and brightest who have just spent the majority of their undergraduate life studying, volunteering, writing the MCAT and well, trying to get into med school.
Now its time to relax and socialize!!!!
The class is extremely sociable, and definitely NOT ultra-competitive. In fact, we share notes, resources, expertise, etc…the goal is to become outstanding doctors and colleagues, not to overshadow your classmates and hinder their learning.
Socially, you’ll find your niche at U of T.
There’s a diverse mix of those who go out a lot, those who study constantly, those who rarely study, and everyone in between. Parties and events are plentiful …and we’re always the last ones standing at OMSW (Ontario Medical Student Weekend) and MedGames
6. World Class Teaching Hospitals
Pediatrics at the Hospital for Sick Children
www.sickkids.ca
Trauma at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
www.sunnybrook.ca
Neurology at Toronto Western Hospital
www.uhn.ca/twh/
Cardiology at Toronto General Hospital
www.uhn.ca/tgh
Gastroenterology at St. Michael’s Hospital
www.stmichaelshospital.com
U of T medical students have access to hospital centers that are national and international leaders in many specialties. If a disease or procedure is described in a textbook, you’ll see it firsthand at U of T. This fact alone is enough to convince most students to choose U of T.
5. Do-It-Yourself Anatomy Dissections
U of T is the only medical school where students perform their own dissections!!
On day one, you and seven of your colleagues are assigned to two cadavers. Over the next ten weeks, you and your partner will perform various dissections, and present them to the rest of your group. Armed with only a scalpel, scissors, bone saw, rib cutter, a highly skilled instructor, and nerves of steel, you will dissect and appreciate every organ, nerve, artery, and vein of the human body.
A proper initiation? Definitely!
You learn how to assimilate information quickly, work as a team, teach your colleagues, and respect the sanctity of human life. This is a definite advantage of studying medicine at U of T.
4. Flexible 2nd Year
1st year at U of T is rough. We’re talking 8am - 4pm from September until January, and bit lighter until the end of March and then it hits you hard again until the end of school in May.
But unlike other schools, our 2nd year has a much more relaxed schedule. This gives us the freedom to run the student government (MedSoc), and the numerous clubs and other extracurricular activities that the U of T student body prides itself on.
That also means that when you’re in 1st year, the 2nd year students have time to organize all the events that will make your 1st year the most memorable one ever.
You can also use this time to sleep, exercise, socialize, do research, shadow doctors, etc. Having this flexible 2nd year is an extremely important aspect of the total U of T experience.
3. Support for our Med Students
Med school is tough.
Many students encounter problems during their studies, including academic, social, wellness, and financial problems. Fortunately, U of T offers assistance in many forms to help us succeed in medicine and life. These include:
Peer Support Center
Program for Advice and Support of Students (PASS)
Office of Health Professions Student Affairs
U of T has an open-door policy when it comes to supporting us. Having trouble sleeping? Need a tutor? Dealing with difficult family or relationship issues? In every case U of T is there to help.
For more information, visit: Office of Health Professions Student Affairs
2. Extracurriculars Galore!
We all got into med school in part due to our involvement in numerous activities outside of class. Trust us, that won’t stop when you arrive at U of T!!
Have a particular interest?
- International literacy
- Rural health
- Complementary medicine
- Family medicine
- Women's rights
- Surgical skills
- Technology in medicine
- International health
- Diversity in medicine
Want to volunteer in the community?
- Mentor high school students
- Teach healthy living to kids
- Help single mothers and their children
- Blood drive
- Teach about sexuality
- Teaching about science
Are you musically or artistically inclined?
- EarthTones
- Daffydil
- Rhythm and Dance
- Fashion Show
- Synesthesia
- Orbital Groove
Have a flare for writing?
- Toronto Notes
- U of T Medical Journal (UTMJ)
- The Pulse
All of these traditions add to the richness of the experience at U of T, and in your time here, you too will be able to contribute to the evolution of one of the finest medical school in North America.
For more information, visit: U of T Medicine - Student Life
And the number one reason to choose U of T Meds…
1. The Fine City of Toronto
Toronto is a vibrant city and has a lot to offer medical students. Toronto is one of the world’s most multicultural cities, and doctors are fortunate to learn from the healthcare needs of many cultural backgrounds. Toronto provides an extensive and diverse patient population unparalleled by any other Canadian medical school.
There’s never a shortage of things to do in T-dot. There are parks to enjoy, restaurants to sample, sports facilities to visit, and neighborhoods to explore. At the end of a long day, it’s nice to have so many entertainment opportunities just minutes away. You also have to factor in many of the above reasons, such as the research opportunities and teaching hospitals…not to mention Queen’s Park being nearby for any health policy aficionados. The bottom line is that Toronto is at the center of the medical industry in Canada. Why not become part of it as a medical student?
For more information on the city of Toronto, visit: http://www.toronto.com
Still need more reasons to attend U of T? Do you have more questions? Check out our FAQs section.
