Accepted/Waitlisted/Rejected??

[Ohvalleyofplenty]

Result: Accepted 

Geography: IP

GPA: 3.87 per UCAN

MCAT: 511 (127 CARS)

Degree: MSc completed 

EC: Employment, community work in immigrant neighbourhoods, campus activities and clubs, research (several pubs), life experiences such as living abroad. 

Interview: Thrilled to be accepted at UofC after being rejected post-interview here the previous two years! I felt the stations were less convoluted and abstract and more straightforward compared to previous years, even though they were still quite long. I tried to go at an even pace and focus on being precise in my answers without rambling too much, and it seems to have worked (even though I only looked at the camera like 20% of the time lol). I think what also helped was caring a bit less, so it made me come across as more natural compared to previous years. I'm in a fortunate position to be able to decide on whether to choose between UofC and UofA now! 

[Sethadar]

Result: Accepted

Geography: OOP

GPA: 3.83

MCAT: 519 (129 CARS) 

Degree: BSc, BScFN, MSc, last degree completed 5 years ago

EC (what I wrote for top ten):  Included a mix of professional work and personal hobbies as well as being a parent.

Interview: I practiced every weekend for over a month but when it came to the interview it felt like everything I had prepared such as templates for answers, etc... just went out the window. I felt I couldn't have done better than average but who knows?

I'm a non-traditional applicant who was pretty content in my career before COVID hit and gutted it. A year ago this month I started studying for the MCAT. For those who didn't get in, I'm in my 30's so you never know what the future holds. Just keep moving forward and have alternate paths to go down while you wait for your acceptance.

[ellagirl]

Result: Accepted 

Geography: IP

GPA: 3.82 per UCAN

MCAT: 513 (130 CARS)

Degree: BA, MSc

EC: For my top 10 I really focused on who I was and why. I left out of a lot of "impressive" ECs and opted instead for things like "growing up in a rural area" and some more personal life experiences. For ECs I included long term commitment to music and mental health and how I tied those together through volunteer initiatives. Basically my top 10 read like a personal statement rather than unique entries. 

Interview: Felt super great immediately afterwards and then as the weeks went on I focused on the few things I didn't feel very great about. I prepped probably 4hrs/week for two or three weeks and then 1-2hrs/day for two weeks. Prep varied from practicing with other student, practicing with friends and family, and just reading the news/listening to relevant podcasts. 

 

I wanted to post this because I felt like my GPA was going to hold me back based on scrolling through previous years but it didn't at all  

[ekans2700]

Result: Accepted off the waitlist (May 20)

Geography: IP

GPA: 3.92

MCAT: 132/131/132/126

Degree: BScH Biochemistry (finished 3rd year)

EC: 2 jobs, volunteering, international trip, sports, etc. 

Interview: Felt really good. First 2 stations went okay, 3 and 4 went great, and last 4 felt excellent.

[Yyc1234]

 

Result: Accepted off the waitlist (May 20)

Geography: IP

GPA: 3.65

MCAT: 128/128/129/129

Degree: BScH 2017, MSc 2019, 2n Year PhD

[Yeehaw101]

On 5/13/2021 at 12:39 PM, LC97 said:

Result: Waitlisted 

Geography: IP

GPA: 3.79

MCAT: 505 (128 CARS)

Degree: BSc Honours Kinesiology (2019) & finishing a Master of Management in June

EC (what I wrote for top ten): Several long term volunteer roles (Adapted physical activity with kids with special needs, neuro-rehab assistant, one overseas volunteer experience - had to be careful with this one lol, research assistant at ACH, refugee aid), research experience, work in a managerial role, experience as an athlete, my experience as a patient, and one hobby (hiking). 

Interview: Only school I applied to. Thought it went well overall, some stations were better than others but don't think I actively bombed any. Knew I'd be on the lower end of applicants that interviewed based on my lower stats so I think it went well to put me in the position of being waitlisted.

Thoughts: I'm a third time applicant. Hoping for some good news in the coming months, thankful I've still got any chance.  

Update: Accepted off the waitlist

[user54321]

Result: Accepted off waitlist 

Geography: IP

GPA: 3.74

MCAT: 511

Degree: BSc 

EC: research assistant, a few pubs, volunteering.  

[Calmandsteady]

Hi all,

 

I was wondering if anyone here also applied to the ualebrta DDS program and have recently gotten an acceptance letter? Is anyone planning on declining their dental spot for med? 

I just want to get some idea on how likely the waitlist will move for this year.

 

Any help will be appreciated! 

Thanks,

desperate fellow

[ConfusedPotentilla]

deleted

[PurlGurl]

 

Result: Rejection

Geography: IP

GPA: 3.99

MCAT: 521 (130 CARS) 

Degree: BScHons

EC (what I wrote for top ten): Heavy research (multiple presentations at international conferences, publications, international research internship); Several years of volunteering in a Calgary-based clinic; 12 months of volunteering in a European hospital; Several years of working in childcare, including 12 months of work abroad (I want to specialize in Pediatrics); Advocacy and leadership work with a non-profit that focuses on community health 

Interview: First station started off shaky, but thought I thought 6 of the others went great and 1 other went just okay. The U of C format is weird and I feel like they don't give adequate information to prepare for this format beforehand or give clear information on expectations for this format, but this was my second year of interviewing here so I knew what I was getting into.

This is the second year in a row with straight rejection from U of C and it stings. I love Calgary, I was raised here, and this would be my first choice for med school. Last year I wasn't too surprised since my interview performance wasn't great, however this year I think I was able to really improve on that. It's okay in the end thought because I got accepted to U of A (IP) and to U of S as an OOP applicant (keep in mind that after being invited to an interview, U of S offers spots to OOP applicant 100% based on interview performance, so I do think my interview skills are decent). 

My thoughts: I honestly don't know what this school is looking for and who they are sending offers to. I know so many brilliant, talented individuals in the past 4-5 years who don't even get interviews or are rejected from U of C, but get offers from U of A and other schools across the country. I am mostly just posting here for anyone who is feeling the sting of rejection today and letting them know that you're a brilliant, talented individual as well U of C is just random. Their processes and decisions make no sense to me and probably many others. I feel like this school has a mold for their students and if you don't fit the mold you get rejected and that's on them, not you.

[inallmyyears]

I have to echo the sentiments above. 
also to add in that the UofC, while they claim to care about diversity, are about as culturally insensitive as they come. I didn’t interview there this year, but I heard about how they asked BIPOC students to justify how they would feel if indigenous students got a Covid vaccine before them or something like that. Incredibly inappropriate and exploitative. They create pathways just for show but are not really about social accountability like the say. Having MMI assessors that look nothing like certain students and can’t relate to them in anyway is a disservice. Always heard they were lowkey racist but didn’t realize to what extent. Keep your heads up guys. You will ultimately get in at a school that recognizes your potential and values what you have to offer. Hope you decide to go with UofA, see you in a few months  

[overeasyeggs]

This post has been removed.

[powdermonkey13]

15 hours ago, inallmyyears said:

I have to echo the sentiments above. 
also to add in that the UofC, while they claim to care about diversity, are about as culturally insensitive as they come. I didn’t interview there this year, but I heard about how they asked BIPOC students to justify how they would feel if indigenous students got a Covid vaccine before them or something like that. Incredibly inappropriate and exploitative. They create pathways just for show but are not really about social accountability like the say. Having MMI assessors that look nothing like certain students and can’t relate to them in anyway is a disservice. Always heard they were lowkey racist but didn’t realize to what extent. Keep your heads up guys. You will ultimately get in at a school that recognizes your potential and values what you have to offer. Hope you decide to go with UofA, see you in a few months  

As a current student i can ultimately say that you are dead wrong. You sound entitled and salty that you were not accepted. If this post is a representation of your character, the process has worked. 

[winston87]

removed

[inallmyyears]

Lol. Never applied to Calgary so your discriminatory  processes don’t apply to me.  BIPOC students SHOULD be entitled to interview questions that are not exploiting them. Asking a POC who is significantly disadvantaged why another POC should be prioritized over them makes no sense. You don’t pitch disadvantaged groups against each other. Culturally insensitive like I said. And for someone who is so quick to jump to the defence of an obviously discriminatory establishment,you’re not doing a good job dispelling my (and so many other students) claim by labelling me entitled and salty. You should direct that energy to working to make your school more inclusive and less biased. 

[powdermonkey13]

2 hours ago, inallmyyears said:

Lol. Never applied to Calgary so your discriminatory  processes don’t apply to me.  BIPOC students SHOULD be entitled to interview questions that are not exploiting them. Asking a POC who is significantly disadvantaged why another POC should be prioritized over them makes no sense. You don’t pitch disadvantaged groups against each other. Culturally insensitive like I said. And for someone who is so quick to jump to the defence of an obviously discriminatory establishment,you’re not doing a good job dispelling my (and so many other students) claim by labelling me entitled and salty. You should direct that energy to working to make your school more inclusive and less biased. 

You are toxic. You claim not to have applied, but yet you’ve gone out of your way to come here to spread misinformation in a derogatory and inflammatory way, for what gain I’m not sure. You have no basis for your claims. I truly hope that medicine or any other public service weeds you out. 

[inallmyyears]

Hmm, see people like  you are the reason students are scared to come out and speak about implicit or explicit biases that they face at the UofC. I made a statement based on actual facts and you try to attack my character and my fitness for medicine because what? The idea that an institution might be racist makes you uncomfortable? How do you expect to relate to bipoc patients if you can’t see past your comfort zone to try to understand how certain questions can be racially or culturally insensitive? I’m truly sad for you if this is how the system at Cummings is preparing you for the real world. Please try to step outside what you believe to be true. Medical schools are rife with bias and questions like the one mentioned above are just one example. Unlike you, I see no reason to attack a persons character because they have voiced an opinion which rings true to many POC students. 
 

This is exactly why we need more POC doctors smh. A patient tells you they feel a system or person is discriminating against them and you’ll probably tell them they are entitled and salty. 

 

[garceyues]

On 5/18/2022 at 7:24 AM, inallmyyears said:

I have to echo the sentiments above. 
also to add in that the UofC, while they claim to care about diversity, are about as culturally insensitive as they come. I didn’t interview there this year, but I heard about how they asked BIPOC students to justify how they would feel if indigenous students got a Covid vaccine before them or something like that. Incredibly inappropriate and exploitative. They create pathways just for show but are not really about social accountability like the say. Having MMI assessors that look nothing like certain students and can’t relate to them in anyway is a disservice. Always heard they were lowkey racist but didn’t realize to what extent. Keep your heads up guys. You will ultimately get in at a school that recognizes your potential and values what you have to offer. Hope you decide to go with UofA, see you in a few months  

Incredibly unprofessional and myopic to be posting about specific MMI scenarios on a public forum. Every medical school in Canada strictly prohibits this. It is also absurd to make such widespread, sweeping claims about a medical school you have never attended, let alone applied to this year (ostensibly). You clearly don't have sufficient information to make these claims, yet you pass off your claims as factual and indisputable. The irony is palpable. 

[overeasyeggs]

15 hours ago, inallmyyears said:

Hmm, see people like  you are the reason students are scared to come out and speak about implicit or explicit biases that they face at the UofC. I made a statement based on actual facts and you try to attack my character and my fitness for medicine because what? The idea that an institution might be racist makes you uncomfortable? How do you expect to relate to bipoc patients if you can’t see past your comfort zone to try to understand how certain questions can be racially or culturally insensitive? I’m truly sad for you if this is how the system at Cummings is preparing you for the real world. Please try to step outside what you believe to be true. Medical schools are rife with bias and questions like the one mentioned above are just one example. Unlike you, I see no reason to attack a persons character because they have voiced an opinion which rings true to many POC students. 
 

This is exactly why we need more POC doctors smh. A patient tells you they feel a system or person is discriminating against them and you’ll probably tell them they are entitled and salty. 

 

I just wanted to put my two cents in because I was asked the question that you are referring to, and I can speak to my own experience/thoughts as a BIPOC. I won't give details about the exact question since I signed an NDA, but there was a disclaimer statement saying that this question was made in collaboration with an equity, diversity, and inclusion association focused on Indigenous perspectives. So regardless of how it may have been interpreted, I do think it was earnest effort to use counsel from Indigenous peoples to ask a nuanced question that could unveil potential biases. 

I won't speak to other BIPOC impressions of this question, but I didn't personally find it to be inappropriate or invasive. This is not to discount the thoughts of others if they felt uncomfortable. I don't recall being asked to justify my feelings (it was more along the lines of "explain some of your thoughts on this situation", but I can see how it could be interpreted that way. That being said, there's always room for improvement when asking questions about racism in healthcare since there's so many perspectives/experiences that need to be taken into consideration. Fortunately, there was a thorough post-interview survey that was sent out afterwards and we were given the opportunity to provide anonymous feedback. If people took issue with the way that this question was asked/phrased, I hope that they voiced this to the UofC and that AdCom will take this into consideration when forming the questions for the next cycle.

I won't deny that the medical school admissions process, medical schools, and our healthcare system have a long and ugly history with discounting BIPOC lived-experiences and thoughts. I am 100% sure that Cummings (or any school for that matter) is imperfect and improvements are needed. However, I would caution anyone reading these posts to take them with a grain of salt. The interviewers I had (as well as many of my friends that interviewed) visibly came from a wide range of races, ages, and genders, so I do believe that the admissions process is moving towards a model where they pull from large pool of perspectives when assessing applicants and their responses. I personally know many POC students from the past few years that can attest to having a wonderful time at the UofC (and other schools!) and feeling very supported and heard when they were in situations where they needed to voice a grievance. I'm sure there have been instances of the opposite everywhere, but I hope these problems will become addressed as med schools move towards being more holistic in their values.

[DoctorSquared]

Result: Accepted off the waitlist (May 31, 2022 3:34MST)

Geography: IP

GPA: 3.78

MCAT: 503 (125 CARS) *for those who have lowish scores there is always hope! I'm just glad I don't have to take that test again.

Degree: Last (5th) year of PhD

Top 10s: Lots of research [6 first author publications is decent journals (IF ~6-10)], volunteer work, and several personal experiences.

Interview: I thought that the interview went generally well! I interviewed once before this cycle and was waitlisted. This cycle I tried to be myself and link things to what I was most passionate about (being research). For those reading the above thread, I (a white applicant) also had to answer the station in question. Take away from that what you will but I felt that the interview process asked important question about how one would react in difficult situations. The questions themes seemed to be consistent between the years that I interviewed and I don't think that I massively changed the way I approached them. I think this just highlights how different admissions can be from year to year. My first interview I prepped for about a month (reading up on ethics and doing ~3 questions/day) but this round I maybe did 3-4 days (2-3 questions/day). I honestly don't think the prep made any difference as I pretty much threw it out the window the second I got into the room. Being knowledgeable about the topic at and and having a well formed opinion seemed to be the deciding factor. 

My thoughts: This is was my 2nd time on the WL. I am over the moon and will definitely be accepting! This was my 3rd time applying to UofC and I can't fully believe that I actually got in! I have learned that this system is an absolute lottery and so many of my colleagues deserve much more than this. Seeing the numerous opportunities in medical industry has at times made my doubt why I want to go into this field, but the encouragement from my physician peers has truly strengthened my resolve. I really hope that this system will improve so that everyone can find a career path that they are happy with and not forced into from undergrad.

[garceyues]

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