The Faculty of Medicine at the University of Calgary is a dynamic teaching and research faculty of growing national and international stature. Despite their young age (they admitted their first students in 1970), the faculty is widely recognized for the quality of their research, as well as for their medical and medical science education.

The pattern of education in most medical schools is changing rapidly in response to trends in health care, new concepts in learning and pressures from the community and the profession. The University of Calgary's medical education and evaluation methods emphasize a health-team approach, the development of problem solving skills and life-long learning tailored to suit the individual student's talents and interests.

The Faculty of Medicine operates on the basis of interdisciplinary research groups, an approach that has been successful both for biomedical education and research. The research group concept allows professors who would normally work in different departments to collaborate for the benefit of students and the advancement of research and development. For example, the Joint Injury and Arthritis Diseases Research Group involves rheumatologists, engineers, molecular biologists, orthopaedic surgeons and epidemiologists working to understand the cause, develop treatments and hopefully prevention strategies and cures for such diseases as lupus and rheumatoid and osteoarthritis. There are presently seventeen research groups within the faculty.

Off-campus housing price range: $200.00 (room) to $900.00 (apartment) per month. The Students' Union maintains an off-campus housing list available online at www.su.ucalgary.ca.

The comprehensive mandatory first-year orientation program, U of C 101, includes orientation, president's welcome, peer support, faculty orientations, student advisors and parent sessions.

Career planning workshops for prospective and current students are offered by the Counselling and Student Development Centre (CSDC). Please refer to the Web site at www.ucalgary.ca/counselling.

The University is a full-time member of the Canada West University Athletic Association (CWUAA). The CWUAA is one of the most competitive conferences in the Canadian Interuniversity Athletic Union (CIAU). Canadian championships are sponsored by the CIAU each year in various sports including basketball, football, hockey, swimming, soccer, wrestling, track and field, and volleyball for men, and in basketball, swimming, soccer, track and field, cross-country, volleyball, ice hockey, and field hockey for women.

The University of Calgary has over 150 different athletic, academic, religious, cultural, interest/hobby, and political clubs on campus. A list of these can be obtained from the Students' Union: E-mail: studun@ucalgary.ca Web Site: www.su.ucalgary.ca

All students may have Internet accounts allowing them access from home or from terminals on campus. The university also has almost 1,000 computers available for student use. The Distance Education Centre houses one of Canada's best video conferencing facilities.

Regular exhibitions are held at the Nickle Arts Museum. In addition, the Art Department Gallery and the University Theatre Mezzanine Gallery feature art exhibitions. There is a continuing array of music, drama, and dance presentations open to the public. Calgary is Canada’s third most ethnically diverse city and the restaurant, entertainment and cultural scenes reflect this diversity. It is home to the Calgary Stampede – “The Greatest Outdoor Show On Earth” – professional sports teams in hockey, football, soccer and lacrosse, cultural festivals such as the Carifest and the Hispanic Festivals, a philharmonic orchestra, theatre and arts venues, and jazz, folk and film festivals.

The University of Calgary collection of services includes: Adult Student Advising, International Student Centre, Disability Resource Centre, Peer Support Centre, Prospective Student Office, and Women's Collective and Resource Centre. The Native Centre offers academic, personal, and financial advising for Aboriginal students.

Dates for campus tours vary throughout the year. Please call Prospective Student Office: Tel: (403) 220-6920 Fax: (403) 210-0043 or see www.starthere.ucalgary.ca