Agree with @
stevo140 on this one @
Aestusa
I wouldn't look too much into the success statistics of colleges: those statistics are probably more of a reflection of the people who tend to apply and get accepted into to those colleges (and get accepted into medicine) rather than services they offer that would make you more likely to succeed. Whilst it can be motivating to be surrounded by people who do well in HSFY, it shouldn't be the only thing that you consider when applying to a college and in some cases it can be detrimental (eg mass-hysteria during exam periods).
In reality, from an achievement perspective
most colleges would suit
most students. Most (if not all) offer tutorials for HSFY papers; the food at some may be slightly better than the food at others; some are very close to campus whilst others are far away; some also offer shuttle services to compensate for a further distance; there is a wide range of sizes; some colleges have sports/gym equipment on-site. I was at Aquinas in 2011 when I did HSFY, and I loved it there. Whilst many people at other colleges thought it to be a drag living so far away, it was actually great. The distance thing meant that more people tended to hang around the hostel rather than spend time in town or study at uni, which meant that there was a real collegial atmosphere and you saw people in common areas much more frequently. Our statistics for entrance weren't too good, but I don't regret going there at all and have made really good friendships.
All I could say is think about the things that are the most important to you and try not to restrict that to purely academic aspects. Think about what you'd like doing in your spare time and how easy this could be at your hostel of choice; what new things you may want to try (eg maybe pick up a sport, join a club/society, nearby parks/tracks); the social environment of hostels (smaller hostels can feel more close-knit, the academic/social balance). I chose Aquinas because it was the only hostel with a volleyball court and sport is quite important for me
I feel that academic achievement is a strong reflection of social, physical and psychological well-being: pretty much, it's much harder to succeed if you don't have balance in your life, and having a good balance in life can give you more resilience if things don't go so well. I've noticed that a lot in medicine: the vast majority of our cohort have stuff that they do outside of class to keep themselves balanced. Many play sports; there is a large extra-curricular involvement; many people do volunteer work; and there's a lot of med-specific interest groups that you can join. I'd recommend having a real good think about what helps you to succeed in your work and the stuff you do during down-time, and ask the hostel staff about those things when you narrow down your list of colleges
Health science is tough. It can be
very tough. But it can be very rewarding and that's regardless of what happens at the time that offers are made. When I think back to first year, I honestly don't really remember much about how difficult I found it, but 5 years on what stands out the most is how much I enjoyed what I was doing and the people that I met. Maybe if I was at a different hostel, I may have been more focussed but I may also have been more stressed being surrounded by so many other HSFY students. Perhaps I'm just much more socially-focussed than others, so it all comes down to perspective.
Good luck with your choice, and good luck for next year too!!
-LM