MEDNUT97 Posted August 17, 2016 Report Share Posted August 17, 2016 Hi beautifuls, So I know U of A allows people to apply in their second year.. What is the 'wow' factor with these young applicants? Is it outstanding academic performance, EC's? The whole package? Surely there must be some sort of factor which can show the ability to handle so much (medical school) at such a young age. I hope everyone is having a great day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BernieMac Posted August 17, 2016 Report Share Posted August 17, 2016 - Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MEDNUT97 Posted August 17, 2016 Author Report Share Posted August 17, 2016 My mistake! I am a little ways off from applying, was just wondering! Not sure that detail you pointed out is very important to the nature of the post, thanks anyways Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocBrown9 Posted August 17, 2016 Report Share Posted August 17, 2016 Not sure about u of a. But for Ontario schools I know about 30ish people applied an got in during their third year. There doesn't seem to be a huge trend for successfully third years apps. In those people. There was quite a range in terms of GPA, ECs and research. So I don't think there is any formula to be a successful third year app. Speaking with some of my friends that got in after their fourth year, it seems like they felt that their maturity was an issue in when they applied in third year and that fourth year made them more mature. Tldr; there is no formula to med school admission. It's a lottery. Simply buy your ticket and wait for the results Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Birdy Posted August 17, 2016 Report Share Posted August 17, 2016 Successful third year applicant here... I'm not as young as a typical third year applicant (I was 28 when I started med), so I think that helped. I had a fair bit of life experience and a very competitive GPA and VR. There are quite a lot of third year entrants in my class and I think in most cases it's just that they had what it takes to do well on CASPER and the MMI and an additional year wouldn't necessarily make much difference to skills they already possess. My interactions with my classmates largely support that maturity isn't a problem; they're good people who will be good doctors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Artier Posted August 17, 2016 Report Share Posted August 17, 2016 Not sure about u of a. But for Ontario schools I know about 30ish people applied an got in during their third year. There doesn't seem to be a huge trend for successfully third years apps. In those people. There was quite a range in terms of GPA, ECs and research. So I don't think there is any formula to be a successful third year app. Where did you get these stats? Misread what you said Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ralk Posted August 17, 2016 Report Share Posted August 17, 2016 With some exceptions, the entrance requirements for second or third year applicants isn't any different than it is for fourth year or graduated applicants - you need a good GPA, a solid MCAT, and strong, diverse ECs. The advantage people later on in undergrad get is an extra year or two to develop ECs and a good GPA, that's really all it is. To the extent there is any real "secret" for getting into medical school earlier on, it's simply doing what the successful fourth year applicants do, just faster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocBrown9 Posted August 18, 2016 Report Share Posted August 18, 2016 Where did you get these stats? Misread what you said I reread my post and i can see how it looked like stats. Just to clarify for anyone else reading this thread, what I wrote was just anecdotal info I got from talking to friends who also go in during third year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocBrown9 Posted August 18, 2016 Report Share Posted August 18, 2016 Successful third year applicant here... I'm not as young as a typical third year applicant (I was 28 when I started med), so I think that helped. I had a fair bit of life experience and a very competitive GPA and VR. There are quite a lot of third year entrants in my class and I think in most cases it's just that they had what it takes to do well on CASPER and the MMI and an additional year wouldn't necessarily make much difference to skills they already possess. My interactions with my classmates largely support that maturity isn't a problem; they're good people who will be good doctors. I hope I didn't come across as saying third years weren't mature (I'm one so that would be awkward). I simply meant that for some people it just takes another year (or a rejection) to help them develop a bit more maturity Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thestar10 Posted August 18, 2016 Report Share Posted August 18, 2016 But being frank, the average 3rd year applicants are less mature than older applicants. It's not a hard and fast rule but I do think it holds some truth. I was a successful third year applicant FYI. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edict Posted August 23, 2016 Report Share Posted August 23, 2016 Biggest difference i'd say is that many schools will weight your GPA in your favour for those applying in 4th year e.g. drop your lowest grades or take your best years. Other advantages are more time to develop ECs, more maturity which can help in interview, possible previous application in 3rd year which would help with being more familiar with the application process/interviews. I don't know much about those who get in after 2nd year at UofA but in general with 3rd year applicants you don't have as much leeway when it comes to your first year GPA, all your years of GPA pretty much count. I'd say 3rd year applicants are more likely to have been gunning for medical school since the beginning of uni. The entire application process requires a certain GPA and usually good ECs and/or MCAT and good interview skills and after that it basically is a lottery with rising chances of admission the better your stats are until you kind of hit a plateau. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chairs Posted October 23, 2016 Report Share Posted October 23, 2016 . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Artier Posted October 24, 2016 Report Share Posted October 24, 2016 Do med schools look unfavourably on multiple MCAT attempts? I got a 508 (125/126/128/129). Definitely have to retake it. Will this be a permanent detriment until/if I get into med school? It depends on the school. For the most part, Canada doesn't care but US does. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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