US student with dual citizenship

<p>I have never lived in Canada before, but I have dual citizenship in Canada and the US. Supposing that I want to go to a Canadian college (i.e. McGill, U of Toronto, U of Ottawa), would I have to pay fees as an international student? Generally speaking, is it cheaper to go to college in Canada if I have citizenship compared to America? Are there a lot of merit based scholarships in Canadian colleges (I tried looking on their websites but couldn't find any...?). Also, are the medical programs in Canada all BS/MD meaning that you get automatic admittance to medical school if you get into the school? Sorry about all the questions, and thanks in advance for any answers you guys can provide!</p>

<p>If you have Canadian citizenship you pay Canadian tuition rates NOT international fees. Domestic student fees much cheaper than international student fees,(even for “out of province” fees at certain universities like McGill). For example tuition fees at the University of Toronto is about $7500 per year, vs international student fees which are about $25 000 per year. </p>

<p>Tuition in Canada ranges from about $3000 per year (Quebec residents at Quebec universities) to about $7500 per year (expensive Ontario schools like UofT). Generally this is far less expensive than even US state universities, since Canadian schools are heavily government subsidized. NBC had a good news analysis of this: [US</a> colleges too expensive? Look to Canada - Video on NBCNews.com](<a href=“http://www.nbcnews.com/video/nightly-news/51652290#51652290]US”>http://www.nbcnews.com/video/nightly-news/51652290#51652290)</p>

<p>Keep in mind that the American students here were paying international student fees (which according to the show, is often still less than US tuition fees). Your fees will be domestic student fees, which will be much lower.</p>

<p>There are plenty of Canadian merit based scholarships. Most require the applicant to be a Canadian citizen, which you are, so you will qualify just fine for them as long as your grades are good.</p>

<p>To be able to apply for just about any medical school in Canada you have to complete a 4 year undergraduate degree beforehand and then apply for medical school in your final year of your undergrad. Being accepted into a bachelors program is no guarantee for being accepted into medschool 4 years later, as medical schools, like law school and graduate school tend to be much more difficult to get accepted into.</p>

<p>Alright, thanks, that info helps a lot! Also, is it easier to gain admission into Canadian colleges compared to American ones (colleges with the same kind of reputation/ranking)? And if I do get a degree and graduate from a Canadian college, would it easily transfer to the US (for example, meaning I can practice in the US if I become an MD)?</p>

<p>I don’t really know much about the ease of admission question, but I know that the top ranked American public schools (eg. UMichigan, UCLA, Berkeley) have much higher admission rates then comparatively ranked private universities. All of the internationally prestigious Canadian schools are large public universities, so I would assume that the pattern would be similar to the good American state schools. The other thing with Canadian schools is that admission is VERY numbers driven; they care about gpa and standardized test scores (for those in the American school system), ECs are generally irreverent. As a result Canadian students can generally predict where they will get in even before they apply and generally only apply to a few universities. Therefore you should only apply to the universities and programs where you meet or exceed all the academic standards. If you do meet these standards you will likely be accepted, if not you will very likely be rejected or at best wait listed. Here is an example of the admission standards for various faculties at McGill: [Admissions</a> Standards - U.S. High School | Applying to Undergraduate Studies - McGill University](<a href=“http://www.mcgill.ca/applying/standards/unitedstates]Admissions”>http://www.mcgill.ca/applying/standards/unitedstates)</p>

<p>Overall the Canadian system of application for undergraduate degrees is much quicker and less complex. There are also generally no real essays you have to write. (I applied to three universities for my undergraduate and did it all in one weekend- Incidentally I got into all three and ended going to Toronto).</p>

<p>A medical school degree from a Canadian school like Toronto or McGill or any other reputable university in the country will be just fine for practicing in the US, (for that matter McGill and Toronto are part of the Association of American Universities). In fact Canada is more strict about foreign degree holders practicing medicine in Canada than the US is. For example, a individual who holds a degree from a university in the Caribbean (a common career path for students who lack the grades to get into a North American medical school) would be permitted to practice medicine in the United States but they would not be permitted to practice in Canada.</p>

<p>You should understand that good medical schools are very difficult to get into, since there are huge numbers of graduating life science/premed students and comparatively very few medical school spots. However you have the advantage of being able to apply to medical school (after you get your bachelors) as a domestic student for both the US and Canada, so you have a bit of an edge. I suggest that if you graduate with the grades necessary you apply to both Canadian and American medicals schools to hedge your bets of getting into one of them.</p>

<p>Being a dual citizen gives you a lot of options and advantages for your education most people don’t have :)</p>

<p>The only Canadian schools that I know of where ECs are a factor before waitlist are UBC and Queen’s.</p>

<p>Do you apply to Canadian universities through the common app? Also, I couldn’t find anything about early action/decision on the McGill website so does that exist in Canada? From what I’ve heard, Canadian universities tend to care less about personalities and stuff like that and focus more on your numbers (GPA and scores). I looked at the link, and I definitely meet those requirements in terms of scores :D</p>

<p>There is no such thing as early decision, or even early action, with McGill… so you might have your answer by mid-March.</p>

<p>Also, for a school to accept the Common Application or even the Universal College Application, a school has to be holistic, so there is no chance for a school other than UBC or Queen’s to accept either. However, there is OUAC if you want to attend an Ontario university.</p>

<p>I am not really certain about the paperwork for applying for Americans. You would do best to contact the Canadian universities you are interested in and ask them about the application procedures for American students, or to check out their websites online. For McGill the related pages are here: [Applicants</a> from U.S. High School Programs (in the U.S.A. and other countries) | Applying to Undergraduate Studies - McGill University](<a href=“http://www.mcgill.ca/applying/admissionsguide/usa/]Applicants”>http://www.mcgill.ca/applying/admissionsguide/usa/)
Here is some info for UofT: [Admissions</a> - Enrolment Services ? Apply](<a href=“http://www.adm.utoronto.ca/admissions/?p1=true&domain=adm&page=APPLYING105]Admissions”>http://www.adm.utoronto.ca/admissions/?p1=true&domain=adm&page=APPLYING105)</p>

<p>As far as I know early admission/decision doesn’t exist for Canadian schools, but I could be wrong. You just apply and then if you are offered admission, you respond before the acceptance deadline. What they do have at some universities is rolling admissions, meaning that if you apply earlier you will get a response earlier. In this situation you will be offered a conditional acceptance, which generally means that your in as long as you maintain your current grades.</p>

<p>Also as Catria stated, most universities only care about grades and test scores not personal stuff and extracurricular activies. ECs only generally matter for getting off the waitlist and even then they are secondary. The University of British Columbia is a notable exception to this rule, but even they weigh ECs and essays less than most American schools.</p>

<p>All medical schools in Canada, including francophone schools, are fully accredited by LCME, the American based accrediting board. Canadian medical school graduates are not considered to be “foreign” medical school graduates if they want to practice in the US. </p>

<p>Canadian medical schools admit only a few out of province Canadians. Although you are a Canadian/dual citizen, you lack a province of residence. This is irrelevant for undergraduate admission but may affect your ability to be admitted to a Canadian medical school. </p>

<p>The online application for McGill is very simple and straight forward. The only hassle would be applying for a CAQ and the paperwork for a student visa if you are accepted and choose to attend.</p>

<p>Hey, You are eligible to apply to any medical school in Canada ( as long as your application is compeitive) Which means you can apply to basically all MD/PhD programs in NORTH AMERICA.</p>

<p>Here’s a helpful link</p>

<p>I believe one of them has a dual citizenship like your self, try and find him</p>

<p>[Ask</a> an MD/PhD Student… - Canadian Premed and Medical Schools](<a href=“http://premed101.com/forums/showthread.php?t=76512]Ask”>http://premed101.com/forums/showthread.php?t=76512)</p>

<p>I’ve been looking around on the McGill website and I’m getting really confused about how admissions work. Is there rolling admissions or not? Secondly, would I apply to a specific program or to the school in general? According to this page, [Applicants</a> from U.S. High School Programs (in the U.S.A. and other countries) | Applying to Undergraduate Studies - McGill University](<a href=“http://www.mcgill.ca/applying/admissionsguide/usa/]Applicants”>http://www.mcgill.ca/applying/admissionsguide/usa/) the deadline seems to be Jan 15 because I’m a US student. But I’m interested in going to med school eventually, so would I apply to the med program (or is that for grad students?). The deadline for the med program is Nov 1 [Applying</a> | Admissions, Equity & Diversity - McGill University](<a href=“http://www.mcgill.ca/medadmissions/applying/]Applying”>Applying to Medicine | Undergraduate Medical Admissions - McGill University) however, so which deadline would apply to me? Also, does McGill have a guaranteed med school admission program, like a BS/MD program?</p>

<p>The page you posted says: “When program space is limited, preference may be given to applicants who have provided all required supporting documents earlier on.”</p>

<p>This implies that there is some form of time sensitivity to the admissions process for American students. I know for Canadian students there are often 2 or 3 possible admission times: late fall for early acceptance, spring for regular acceptance and late spring/summer for off the waitlist. I am not sure exactly how American students figure in these admission times and you would do best to contact McGill admissions for more detail, but I think it is fair to say that it is probably best for your chances to get your transcripts and documents sent in as soon as the application period opens.</p>

<p>As to your second question; if you want to eventually go to medical school you first have to complete an honours bachelor degree. The norm is to apply to Life Sciences, if you plan on going into medical school but theoretically you can get into most Canadian medical schools with any undergraduate degree. You must apply to an honours bachelors program NOT medical school for next year. When you are in your final year of your undergraduate degree THEN you apply to medical school. You cannot apply to medical school from high school, it is pretty much like graduate school in this regard as you must complete an undergraduate degree (a 4-years honours degree is ideal). Medical schools only look at your undergraduate grades and work experience, they don’t care about high school.</p>

<p>If you think going to college (and then on to med school) in French is a good idea AND you can establish Quebec residency, here’s the trick: everyone takes classes at the honors level in college. While you might be spared the MCAT, Laval and Montreal would penalize applicants for having declared easy majors/honors (i.e. theology, consumer science, per Laval’s major hardness grids) whereas Sherbrooke will not.</p>

<p>Just to give you an idea what kind of GPA is required in college in order to get into a French med school, it amounts to a ~3.6-3.7 in physical therapy, a ~3.8 in ChemE, biochemistry or microbiology, and a 4.0 in consumer science or theology may not get foot in the door.</p>

<p>You also might want to look at the school requirements for Canadians applying to schools from the U.S. versus Americans applying as international students.</p>

<p>I remember when I looked into it my parents decided I might have a better chance at getting into Canadian Universities from the U.S. as an american applying as an international. If you do this you would have to pay the int. fee the first semester and then provide proof of citizenship second semester for the tuition to drop.</p>

<p>Just a thought-good luck</p>

<p>I am not sure about other Canadian schools, but at McGill a Canadian citizen coming out of an American high school would be evaluated as an American applicant just as an American citizen graduating from an Ontario high school would be evaluated as an Ontario applicant. Citizenship only comes into play for tuition purposes once admitted.</p>