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General Suggestions For A Successful Match


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  • 1 year later...

Thank you so much for your post zc1, it's very nice of you.

 

Someone mentioned earlier that the pass/fail system is a hindrance to the ranking system for carms. How exactly does the ranking system work for CARMS. Is it a "grading" system based on your activities and letters? That is, are there people that sit and read these applications and give you an overall score, which is then used to rank you in comparison to the other applicants?

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  • 1 year later...
Most schools, such as McGill, keep track of your actual marks as well even though your transcript only says pass/fail. They use the actual marks only for class rankings.

McGill probably does this, but I wouldn't go so far as to say 'most schools' keep secret class rankings that are never talked about or referred to until suddenly it's super important for CaRMS. I'm pretty sure that the transcript is pretty much all that is seen by any committee evaluating your academics for a residency spot. And as a result % grades don't really matter whatsoever.

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I agree that the grade percentage doesn't dome into play during CaRMS, but any school that administers exams with a grade % correct will keep track of those marks - how else would they select students for awards?

 

They do at western for awards - but almost all of those awards here are post CARMS match - they are given out at the grad ceremony. In order words I think they are kind of useless for the match itself.

 

How does it work at other school?

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so how would an application like mine, going to a school where grades are all in letters (pretty much no P or F) be evaluated within the Carms system -- especially when compared to students with only Pass or Fail on their transcripts ?

 

I don't know the comparison answer but if you are fluent in French there are a load of francophone spots in Quebec that would have reduced competition so you have that going for you.

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I don't know the comparison answer but if you are fluent in French there are a load of francophone spots in Quebec that would have reduced competition so you have that going for you.

 

Yeah...Im fluent in French of course....but I'm also interested in programs outside Quebec, hence the question...:P :p

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  • 8 months later...
There are residents from the Gulf countries who don't know how to say "bonjour"...so I think you're ahead of them Calgarymed...

 

There is always a nurse or anybody around to help you with a H&P...

 

noncestvrai

You are aware those residents from Gulf countries are funded by their countries (this saving the system money). They don't get in through CaRMS. The caveat is, they have to leave Canada back to their home country right after they're done with their training (fellowships allowed), so the country doesn't really benefit from their training (aside from saving $300,000 per resident)

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P.S. I hate to say it, but connections are obviously huge, and sometimes, it's not actually the best man who wins...

I was actually interviewed by a senior resident who told me before the interviews that the single IMG spot was already promised to another IMG working with a very influential professor. Talk about an awkward interview.

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  • 6 months later...

Any idea on how American LoRs are perceived by Canadian selection committee? I have two LoRs from Associate PDs in the U.S. and several others from section chiefs and attending physicians.

 

Wasn't able to do a Canadian clerkship - tried very hard but the lottery system for IMGs is a bit unfair. Personally I think International medical students should be selected on merits but I guess that's a whole new topic.

 

Do you think it's worthwhile to explain in my personal statement about the lack of electives in Canada?

 

p.s. I'm applying for Emergency Medicine. Is it true that even for IMG spots most of the EM programs in ON require on-site electives to grant interviews? I do have strong board scores and a decent extra-curricular experience.

 

Any thoughts / opinions are appreciated.

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  • 6 years later...
On 9/2/2012 at 8:40 PM, docrock said:

Personally I think International medical students should be selected on merits but I guess that's a whole new topic.

While I don't disagree with you, keep in mind how hard it is to select and differentiate candidates for residency, where you at least have scores, final class rank, and letters. Now imagine trying to differentiate between hundreds of such students that have none of those things under their belts. You also can't really use grades because schools around the world have completely different marking systems and schemes, making it a giant headache for everyone. I think a lottery system makes much more sense. I have also heard (anecdotally) that because IMGs do electives on a lottery-basis, PDs are more understanding if it is lacking. Having said that, I also know IMGs who have ALL of their electives done in Canada. I think if you set enough time for this and apply broadly to different Canadian schools, you may have some luck!

Regarding your initial question, I know matched IMGs who were also unable to get LORs from Canada and applied with US letters. I'm not certain whether this is something to put in your personal letter, but certainly something you can address during an interview. Don't know how others here feel about that.

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