Applying to Med Schools in the Atlantic provinces of Canada

For many undergraduate and graduate students, summers in Canada are a time to gain much needed entrepreneurial or experiential skills through employment and/or volunteering. The break away from all the commitments and deadlines of university allows for a less stress-filled life, for the exploration of new places at home and abroad, and for more opportunities to reconnect with family and friends.  

For the thousands of students who apply to Canadian medical schools each year, summers can also be a busy time to prepare their applications. That perfect application which will yield an interview invitation to their preferred medical school(s), either in their home province or maybe in a province some distance away. 

There are only two medical schools in the Atlantic provinces – Dalhousie University (with campuses in Halifax and Saint John) and Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador (with its campus in St. John’s). Between the two schools, their first-year meds classes are comprised mostly of students with bone fide residence status in Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, or Prince Edward Island. The residency requirements for both schools are important, as they demonstrate accountability to their provincial communities to educate individuals with a real connection to this vibrant part of Canada.

It is worth noting that both medical schools accept applications from Canadian Citizens/Permanent Residents of Canada who are not residents of one of the four Atlantic provinces. Dalhousie takes 9 non-provincial residents in its entry class of 134 students (6.7%), and Memorial takes 6 non-provincial residents in its entry class of 80 students (7.5%). Numerically, however, the odds of gaining entry are not particularly very good. For instance, Memorial receives up to 450 applications for those coveted 6 spots each year … that is just a little better than a 1% chance of success! Despite these incredibly low odds of receiving an acceptance offer “down East”, both Dalhousie and Memorial receive hundreds of applications from individuals with non-provincial residency status in their yearly admission process. In the face of such uncertainty, the one happy certainty is that, once all the acceptances have been delivered, there will be 15 successful applicants who chanced to fill one of these spots. Clearly, many Canadian students are prepared to take this gamble because there is an overwhelming preference to conduct their medical education (anywhere) at home, rather than in a foreign country (see my previous Blog – Canadians Studying Medicine in the Caribbean). 

So, what makes for a great competitive application from a non-provincial resident who is applying to medical schools at Dalhousie University (section 1 deadline 31st of July / section 2 deadline 4th of September) and/or Memorial University (deadline 30th of August)? At MD Coaching Service, I know that I can provide you with the right feedback and input to make your application stand out from the others. What are my credentials to say so? I am a Newfoundlander by birth, who grew up in Corner Brook. At 17 years of age, I was accepted to Acadia University in the Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia, where I completed my undergraduate and Master’s degrees in biology. I have strong cultural connections with both the island of Newfoundland and Nova Scotia. I have helped many students craft and prepare applications that speak to their genuine desires to pursue a medical education in the Atlantic Provinces, and I have successfully coached students on how best to prepare for interviews at these two schools. 

The countdown to the application deadlines for entry into Dalhousie’s and Memorial’s medical schools for September 2024 has started, with less than a couple of months remaining. If you are keen to have the very best competitive application as a non-provincial resident to these Atlantic schools, and you are looking for some guidance and assistance, please get in touch with me at www.mdcoachingservice.ca. Let’s chat about how I can be of help in your quest for success!