Rejectee's Upcoming Year Plan - Advice Please! (Incl: Courses, Work, Certifications, Etc.)

[clever_smart_boy_like_me]

Alright, this might be a long(ish) post so bear with me... I need some advice

 

Stats:

Rejected post-interview IP 2016/17

AGPA: 83.** with upward trend

AQ: 20.**

NAQ: 34.**

MCAT: 510-512

Interview: Avg

Non-traditional

Completed BSc

ECs: lots of various volunteering, music, athletics, leadership positions, publication, etc... a couple long-term commitments; have held many employment positions.

Special note: I have never had a full courseload due to working obligations.

I was rejected this cycle (WAHHHHH ) and now have to craft my plan-of-attack for the coming cycle as well as the following if I don't get in, again. Most of the course-related stuff won't affect my GPA until 2018/19 cycle but may show full course-load ability for 2017/18 cycle (which is one of my app's weaknesses).

 

During the holistic file-review post-interview do you think admissions would look at completed coursework for that year to see I successfully completed it and it was a full load? Though it won't affect #'s per se, could it contribute to removing doubt about my perceived application weakness?

 

Are TRU-OL courses considered for GPA calculations? Course-load concerns?

Will any other schools consider TRU-OL?

I'd like to branch out to other provinces for applying but the way I had my courses structured made it pointless...

 

I am looking at taking two certificate programs as well as 2 random courses, in a five 3-credit course arrangement per 'semester' (ie: Sept-Dec and Jan-Apr).

The first certificate is Medical Laboratory Assistant and requires five 3 credit courses and a non-credit workshop. I would do this from Sept to Dec 2017.

The second certificate is the Polysomnography Certificate and only requires three 3 credit courses and a non-credit placement but I would add in BIOL 3701 and another online course (UBC online or TRU-OL any suggestions?) taken between Jan and Apr 2018.

 

Has anyone taken these programs, courses similar or any courses through TRU-OL? How is the grading - fair? easy? difficult?

I am aiming for all A/A+'s as anything less would be detrimental to my application.

 

I like the idea of these programs because the courses seem interesting and medically relevant and also the certificates could lead to jobs in the meantime, though I already have a few jobs .

The original idea was to take a year of five-course semesters of medically-relevant 3-credit courses (10 classes) at UBC as UNCL.... but those go towards nothing (other than gpa) and are a waste of money in the end in that way...

 

Would UBC admissions consider my TRU-OL arrangement to be full course-load? Would other med schools in Canada consider this to be full course-load?

Should I do a full year of 'full course-load' or would one semester suffice? I am erring on the side of a full year (plus Polysomnography seems interesting!)

 

The reason for taking online courses is that I live far from UBC Vancouver and UBC doesn't offer any certificate programs like these, and if it does they aren't really available online. I wasn't able to find any at BCIT that fit what I am looking for... there are a few but I am not sure that the way they offer their distance courses would be amenable to making a "full course-load" (it seems designed to rigidly adhere to a P/T schedule).

I have a job where I can study while being paid so was considering that I'd be able to complete these courses while still making money to live. Even if I wasn't working, the online option works better purely for the fact that I live far away and it will save me so much time in commuting that I can put towards studying.

 

How can I improve my NAQ?

 

I felt pretty good about my interview and had positive feedback while practicing from others who had either been accepted or who had themselves obtained an "above average" interview score. How do I improve this section?

 

Thank you all in advance for your input!

 

PS: I just discovered the emoticons

[thank4]

I don't think anyone truly knows how everything is weighed, so in my opinion, the best bet would be to improve every aspect of your application. A small boost in each area will have a big overall impact. 

 

Your NAQ score is already very strong, so I would keep doing the actives you are doing and try to improve other things more. 

[B3.572A]

For your questions regarding the assessment of your TRU-OL courses, it is best for you to contact the MD Admissions Office of UBC. They are very responsive. If it is something with existing rules, they adhere to the technical rules strictly.

 

UBC does look at your entire application after your interview, when determining your final rank. But no one outside the Admissions Committee knows how much impact it will have on your application. 

[Lesigh2]

Sorry, just to be clear if you take a year of courses as an unclassified student it won't count toward the UBC GPA?

[clever_smart_boy_like_me]

It will, but it doesn't count towards a program, certificate or degree so... other than improving gpa, it is useless.

[Lesigh2]

Ah ok misunderstood your meaning. True, guess it depends if you have work you find meaningful right now. I have very similar stats to you but my GPA is 1% lower and NAQ was 1 pt lower so I did not receive an interview this past year. It is clear our GPAs are lowering our scores disproportionately so boosting GPA seems like the most effective strategy.