Application For Mcgill Med-P And Law (As Back-Up)

[sjw311]

I am doing my first year CEGEP in Science and I am fairly new on this forum, so here am I with a question:

 

I know that when applying for McGill Medical, besides Med-P, we can select another program that can be Science or Engineering etc.. These two Selection of Programs can be done with the opening of one application file. But how about applying for McGill Law School as the second choice of program?

 

The reason why I am asking this is because my first semester CEGEP R-score just sits on the verge of the threshold of being Invited for Interview (around 35.1). If it further slips next year the chances of an interview won’t look very good. On the other hand, because of our school curriculum, we do get some decent exposure to Social Science subjects / classes. As a result, I have an increasing interest in applying for the Law School, if a first choice of Med-P doesn’t work out.

 

Actually I had this exact question puzzling me when I first applied for CEGEP, debating whether I should pursue Social Science or Pure Science. Both my high school and CEGEP teachers said that I would be able to apply for Law or any other Arts or Commerce programs even I choose regular Science, but not the other way around. I have also checked with a McGill Admissions teacher, and she also told me it is possible. But she suggested that I contact Law or Medicine Offices directly as I could feel that even she was not so sure on how to properly do it.

 

So I wonder, if anyone has any experience on how to handle such an application, especially those McGill Med Ambassadors (and, I hope, if there are any Law Ambassadors who visit this site) who have gone through the process. From the McGill website, both Medical and Law have their own Admissions Offices, but to put either one of them as a second choice almost amounts to an insult…

 

I know that in theory, probably it is possible to put Law as Plan-B if Med-P fails; but practically, is this really feasible when we actually make the application? Anyone with any experience on this to share?

 

Thank you all very much.
 

[Bambi]

Why not go directly to the source, McGill?

[caribou]

I can't speak for CEGEP applicants but I know someone in the undergraduate stream who applied to both law and medicine at McGill, and was accepted to both programs. I don't see why you shouldn't be able to apply to both. I'm not sure I understand your question about how feasible it is - do you mean that it's not an option to select law as a second choice program? Or just that you feel it would be insulting to the Faculty of Law to be considered a second choice? If you're concerned about the latter, I wouldn't worry about it - people have to rank academic programs all the time. Although I have no evidence of this, I would be surprised if faculties knew how you ranked them when they receive your application. If you're still not sure, I would contact McGill medicine admissions. You're certainly not the first CEGEP student to want to apply to both med and law. Good luck  

[BH 5]

I am doing my first year CEGEP in Science and I am fairly new on this forum, so here am I with a question:

 

I know that when applying for McGill Medical, besides Med-P, we can select another program that can be Science or Engineering etc.. These two Selection of Programs can be done with the opening of one application file. But how about applying for McGill Law School as the second choice of program?

 

The reason why I am asking this is because my first semester CEGEP R-score just sits on the verge of the threshold of being Invited for Interview (around 35.1). If it further slips next year the chances of an interview won’t look very good. On the other hand, because of our school curriculum, we do get some decent exposure to Social Science subjects / classes. As a result, I have an increasing interest in applying for the Law School, if a first choice of Med-P doesn’t work out.

 

Actually I had this exact question puzzling me when I first applied for CEGEP, debating whether I should pursue Social Science or Pure Science. Both my high school and CEGEP teachers said that I would be able to apply for Law or any other Arts or Commerce programs even I choose regular Science, but not the other way around. I have also checked with a McGill Admissions teacher, and she also told me it is possible. But she suggested that I contact Law or Medicine Offices directly as I could feel that even she was not so sure on how to properly do it.

 

So I wonder, if anyone has any experience on how to handle such an application, especially those McGill Med Ambassadors (and, I hope, if there are any Law Ambassadors who visit this site) who have gone through the process. From the McGill website, both Medical and Law have their own Admissions Offices, but to put either one of them as a second choice almost amounts to an insult…

 

I know that in theory, probably it is possible to put Law as Plan-B if Med-P fails; but practically, is this really feasible when we actually make the application? Anyone with any experience on this to share?

 

Thank you all very much.

 

All you need to do is fill out 2 different applications and upload the necessary documents for each program ! If you have a 35 R score you're not on the threshold I think you have excellent chances of getting an interview btw. Good luck .

[Guest]

With a 35.1 R score, you should be smart enough to know that med-p, dent-p and law are all very competitive programs. None of these should be your real "back-up", as an admission relies on more than just your R score (there's a lot of luck involved)

I would recommend that you choose med-p and law for your first application, and pay another application fee for 2 other programs, Eng and Neuroscience for example. 

[sjw311]

Thank Bambi and caribou.

 

I was in McGill Open house this past winter and had a chance to have talked to one of the teachers from the Admissions Office (not from the school of Law or medicine, just the general AO). As I said, she told me that applying for both should be possible, but she was not exactly sure on how to do it, and she suggested that I further contact each Faculty. I don’t think she was there simply comforting me because there indeed should be a way doing it, I am just wondering ‘How’, and wondering if anyone one has had any experience going through the process, i.e. eventually ended up in Law as a second program choice after Med-P.

 

Thank you both.


 

[BH 5]

Thank Bambi and caribou.

 

I was in McGill Open house this past winter and had a chance to have talked to one of the teachers from the Admissions Office (not from the school of Law or medicine, just the general AO). As I said, she told me that applying for both should be possible, but she was not exactly sure on how to do it, and she suggested that I further contact each Faculty. I don’t think she was there simply comforting me because there indeed should be a way doing it, I am just wondering ‘How’, and wondering if anyone one has had any experience going through the process, i.e. eventually ended up in Law as a second program choice after Med-P.

 

Thank you both.

 

???? It's really simple ! Just go on McGill faculty of law and press apply ! Then do the same for med ! All the info is there , applying is the easy part .

 

 

 

[sjw311]

All you need to do is fill out 2 different applications and upload the necessary documents for each program ! If you have a 35 R score you're not on the threshold I think you have excellent chances of getting an interview btw. Good luck .

 

Thank you. Actually ‘Fill out 2 different applications’ is what I have been thinking about, one for Law and one for Med-P, with something else like Neuroscience as 2nd choice in each application.

 

But with opening of two application files from the same student, are they going to find out that regardless, this one applicant has a first choice somewhere else, since the school gets the R-score from the ministry using one unique permanent code? Will this put anyone into a disadvantage position for being considered?

[sjw311]

With a 35.1 R score, you should be smart enough to know that med-p, dent-p and law are all very competitive programs. None of these should be your real "back-up", as an admission relies on more than just your R score (there's a lot of luck involved)

I would recommend that you choose med-p and law for your first application, and pay another application fee for 2 other programs, Eng and Neuroscience for example. 

Sorry that maybe I didn’t make myself understood well in the Topic line… Med-P has always been my first choice, but just in case I don’t get the chance to get in, I plan to apply for Law, which I would be equally happy with - I don’t dare to put either of them as my real back-up.

 

Do you know anyone who has really done this and was fortunate enough to be successful in being admitted to both programs?

 

[sjw311]

 

Thank Bambi and caribou.

 

I was in McGill Open house this past winter and had a chance to have talked to one of the teachers from the Admissions Office (not from the school of Law or medicine, just the general AO). As I said, she told me that applying for both should be possible, but she was not exactly sure on how to do it, and she suggested that I further contact each Faculty. I don’t think she was there simply comforting me because there indeed should be a way doing it, I am just wondering ‘How’, and wondering if anyone one has had any experience going through the process, i.e. eventually ended up in Law as a second program choice after Med-P.

 

Thank you both.

 

It's really simple ! Just go on McGill faculty of law and press apply ! Then do the same for med ! All the info is there , applying is the easy part .

 

 

 

Ok, I will take a look. Thanks

[caribou]

But with opening of two application files from the same student, are they going to find out that regardless, this one applicant has a first choice somewhere else, since the school gets the R-score from the ministry using one unique permanent code? Will this put anyone into a disadvantage position for being considered?

 

 

If there is one thing you can be sure of, it's that applying to more than one program at this stage will not disadvantage you. Students apply to several competitive programs (ie, med & law, or dent & med) or even several universities with the same permanent code all the time, and get accepted to one, both, or neither. You could very well argue that it would be silly NOT to apply to more than one program given how competitive your choices are - the university knows that. You're also allowed to have varied interests, and having an interest in medicine does not make you any less competitive for law. I don't believe there is any communication between faculties as far as tracking what other programs you have applied to. Beyond this, if you need more peace of mind, you should contact Medicine admissions and express your concerns. They're really helpful!  Whatever additional information anyone can give you here will be anecdotal.

[sjw311]

Thank you Caribou. That actually makes total sense.

[Mycelium]

To answer OP as clearly as possible:

 

Please don't contact the admissions offices about this, because it's not such a good question (though I'm glad to answer it). First off, there is no such thing as a first or second choice, only the two choices per application. Second, there is 0 difference between putting Med and Law on the same application, or applying for each in different ones, other than paying more money. You also don't "get to choose Science or Engineering" or whatever when applying to Med. Med-P and Law are undergraduate programs like many others, and you get to pick any 2 that you want on each application. There's nothing more to it.

 

So, to answer your question, the "How" is: you click Apply, choose Med as the first program, Law as the second, or the other way around. That's all.

[sjw311]

To answer OP as clearly as possible:

 

Please don't contact the admissions offices about this, because it's not such a good question (though I'm glad to answer it). First off, there is no such thing as a first or second choice, only the two choices per application. Second, there is 0 difference between putting Med and Law on the same application, or applying for each in different ones, other than paying more money. You also don't "get to choose Science or Engineering" or whatever when applying to Med. Med-P and Law are undergraduate programs like many others, and you get to pick any 2 that you want on each application. There's nothing more to it.

 

So, to answer your question, the "How" is: you click Apply, choose Med as the first program, Law as the second, or the other way around. That's all.

From what I have read from the school website, Medicine and Law each has its Admissions Office, and they handle applications independently from each other and from all other programs. So to submit two separate applications to each of them makes some sense to me but I’m so not sure.

 

I just wonder realistically what the better approach it should be to maximize the chance to be evaluated by Law when an applicant is rejected in Med-P. I am still confused...

[Al22]

I just wonder realistically what the better approach it should be to maximize the chance to be evaluated by Law when an applicant is rejected in Med-P. I am still confused...

Mycelium answer was really clear.

 

There is no better approach in term of "chances to be evaluated".

 

There is a better approach in terms of you having a back up at Mcgill if both law and med refuse you which is to submit 2 different applications :

1st application : med and undergrad program of you interest no1

2nd application : law and  undergrad program of you interest no2

 

(ps. reading comprehension is a useful skill to a doctor or a lawyer...)