^ wasn’t the OP talking of 'crossing the border’to live on the US side? If nys it’d make financial sense since the child would still pay Canadian tuition if he chose to attend a Canadian university and would be instate for sunys including med schools.
If Minnesota it wouldn’t since Manitoba has reciprocity already.
Not sure for Michigan.
There is a huge Canadian U.S. border. This family could,also over in the Pacific Northwest. Or in any of the upper plains states that border the U.S.
Even so…I will say again. This is a 9th grader who is maybe 15 years old. There is a LOT that can change between now and when he applies to undergrad school…never mind 7-8 years from now when he applies to medical school.
The only main reason I’m talking about his future (that by no means, is very close) is his high school situation. It would be financially easier to simply move to the US gain residency and graduate from an American high school. The only reason that has not happened yet is a) It is a long time from now we’ll need to worry and b) he enjoys his current high school environment and we agree it would be most enjoyable if he stayed at one high school with his friends.
Another question is how much difference in being chosen by a medical school is if he were a resident of the state or not? Would it help since he is a citizen or would it be the same difficulty as a certain state US resident applying to a med school in a different state?
There are different situations:
- preference to state residents
- preference to graduates of the state’s universities
- preference to graduates of the med school’s university
- no preference whatsoever
- impossibility (or virtual impossibility) for non residents (ie. CA)
What state?
But back to my main point…this kid MIGHT…read that again MIGHT be applying to medical school 7 or so years from now. MIGHT.
Wh are you trying to make career choices for a 15 year old…now?
The state that we’re contemplating to move to is Michigan. And by no means am I trying to run my son’s life. This is something that he desires and consistently questions me about. Of course, I remind him not to think about things so far into the future, but I want to gauge the entire situation and the available possibilities to answer any questions he may/does have.
Again unless you are very affluent and can afford to be full pay easily the option that minimizes undergraduate debt would be the better choice.
I think it’s a good idea to think about this question now. If I’d had to do it over again, I would have moved D16 back to the US while she was in high school. Applications and acceptances to a US university from a Canadian high school were very difficult.
I might have missed it, but is the student a dual US/Canadian citizen? If so, even if they finish high school in Michigan, they’d be eligible for financial aid from OSAP if they attend a Canadian university.
To be competitive for Canadian med schools, a student needs a GPA as close to 4.0 (on a 4.0 scale) as possible. My impression is that’s it’s a lot easier to get into a US med school. The competition to get into Canadian med schools is very fierce. There is no pre-med advising. Canadian students are on their own in that respect.
Graduating from a Michigan high school would mean an opportunity at UMichigan at instate rates without stopping the student from attending a Canadian university.
For reference, the DEC system is open to all Canadians and international students. However the medical school admissions afterwards would e reserved to Canadians and permanent residents.
Yes, he is a dual US/Canadian citizen.
And my question is if he graduated from a Canadian high school, I understand it would simply be treated as paying as an out-of-state resident. Financially, that is the case but what about the likelihood of him getting accepted in the first place? Would it be the same as if he graduated from a US high school and just went to college in a different state, or is it a whole different situation if he were to graduate from a Canadian high school?
If he were to graduate from a Michigan high school, he’d be an in-state applicant, subject to in-state rules (much easier than for OOS/international applicants for public university admission + cheaper tuition rates). You could probably expect better college guidance for MI universities, especially if you choose a high school with a good student/college counselor ratio (especially if guidance counselors and college counselors are different people). However, you wouldn’t have much advantage if applying to universities outside of Michigan, where you’d be considered OOS if applying to public universities; perhaps the only advantage would be better advising for American universities, again only if you choose a high school with good college advising.
How big of a disruption are we talking about? Are you just accross the border (you could commute from MI to your current job). What about your spouse (and possibly, other children)?
No big disruption at all. I actually work in MI and cross the border on a regular.
Just remember…even IF your son graduates from a college on Michigan, that does not guarantee him admission to medical school…in Michigan or anywhere else.
Think of the other things you will also need if you move to the states…first up would be health insurance.
You would,have the advantage if your son being able to attend either University of Michigan or Michigan State…or any of the other Michigan publication at instate costs should he be accepted there.
In addition, there are several public medical schools in Michigan which would be less costly for him as a resident IF he gets accepted.
To restate a few things:
- It is probably easier to get into Canadian Universities from the US for undergrads than vise versa; UBC, McGill and UofT see significant number of US apps. Canada uses much lower boundaries than US: typically 90% for an A the US and only 80% in Canada. This does not always translate well when a student moves to the US schools. Canadian Universities set tuition on the basis of citizenship not provincial residence with Quebec the only (~$4k) exception. Check out McGill requirements to get a better feel for the contrast: https://www.mcgill.ca/applying/requirements/minima/usa
- US medical schools are more numerous and typically there are more choices and ease there. It is also typically easier to work in the US if you get degreed in the US.
- Moving across the border for graduate school is pretty simple.
- Regular Canadian High school is probably more rigourous than US regular curriculum. There is more AP availability in US. AP is not helpful for applying in most Canadian schools. IB is more useful in Canada. AP is better/easier to leverage for University credit once accepted.
- Canadian schools are typically still cheaper than most US alternatives with exception of superstar students and athletes. It is also easier with financial aid and scholarships if the student does not move across the border after grade 12.
These conditions can all change in a few years!
My 2 cents.
My wife did here undergrad in WI, went to med school at McGill, practiced in Canada, then moved down to the US and practiced after a few years. All that was required for her to do before she could practice down in the US was to write her US Boards. Some specialties might involve doing an extra year or two (give or take) of residence, but usually not.
I would certainly consider getting medical training in Canada. It’s pretty good, and for the most part, transferable.
i don’t think this is a question that can be easily answered as different colleges may have different criteria and rules for scholarships for Canadian students.
for example, the automatic full-tuition Presidential scholarship for University of Alabama is available for international students as well as out-of-state students.
http://scholarships.ua.edu/types/out-of-state.php
http://scholarships.ua.edu/faq/
that is just one example, although it does seem to be an offer that lots of OOS 32+ ACT kids are taking advantage of.
i hope you can get it sorted out, it’s a tricky and complex issue.
I see the advantages to pre-med in Canada. I also hear that universities in Canada only look at grade 11 and 12 marks and colleges in US look at all 4 years. Could someone please clarify this? Also how would marks transfer over to US schools from a Canadian high school since above 80 is A here but above 90 is A there?
It is not true that graduation from a Michigan HS will give him in state status. Depends on the school. For example, UMich requires all 4 years of HS for in state tuition. So you would have to check the college.