Jump to content
Premed 101 Forums

OOP with zero Maritime connection


Recommended Posts

Hey everyone. Should I bother applying to Dal if I am OOP and have literally zero Maritime connections? I could write about certain socio-economic issues that plague the Maritimes that are similar to what I'm familiar with, but that's a stretch in my opinion. Thoughts?

 

EDIT: Actually I went to Dalhousie University in grade 11 summer for SHAD for a month ish, it's an enrichment in STEM. Is this a good Maritime connection? 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, aloeplant said:

Hey everyone. Should I bother applying to Dal if I am OOP and have literally zero Maritime connections? I could write about certain socio-economic issues that plague the Maritimes that are similar to what I'm familiar with, but that's a stretch in my opinion. Thoughts?

 

EDIT: Actually I went to Dalhousie University in grade 11 summer for SHAD for a month ish, it's an enrichment in STEM. Is this a good Maritime connection? 

To my knowledge, they pay close attention to the maritime connection in the assessment of applications for interview selection. Does anyone actually know what is a “good maritime connection” that will bode well for the admissions committee? I think not.

Was the entire 1 month spent at Dalhousie? If so I think it’s possible to make a case. If one day out of that SHAD bit was spent at Dal, then I wouldn’t bother. 

Just ask yourself if you would buy into your maritime connection as legitimate if you were on the admissions committee. 

Just my two cents!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 hours ago, aloeplant said:

Hey everyone. Should I bother applying to Dal if I am OOP and have literally zero Maritime connections? I could write about certain socio-economic issues that plague the Maritimes that are similar to what I'm familiar with, but that's a stretch in my opinion. Thoughts?

 

EDIT: Actually I went to Dalhousie University in grade 11 summer for SHAD for a month ish, it's an enrichment in STEM. Is this a good Maritime connection? 

You never know who will read your essay and if it will resonate with that person. Every application is another chance, even if a slim one. It's just up to you if it's worth the extra time and money.

I am in the same boat as you and was given this advice. Good luck!! :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

17 hours ago, studentt8 said:

Does anyone know how they rank the OOP students? Is it just based on the Maritimes Essay once you've met the academic and MCAT cutoffs outlined on the website? Are GPA and MCAT looked at competitively pre-interview? I'm aware they are assessed competitively post-interview.

Last year, GPA, MCAT, and Maritimes Essay Score were assessed competitively for OOP students. The top 50-60 students from the OOP pool were granted interviews. However, on their website, they do mention that admissions requirements are reviewed annually and the admissions requirements from previous years may not apply. They say you should monitor their website for up-to-date information. You could also call the admissions committee and ask them directly how applicants are assessed pre-interview. AdCom at Dal is really helpful.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...
On 7/18/2019 at 9:53 PM, studentt8 said:

Does anyone know how they rank the OOP students? Is it just based on the Maritimes Essay once you've met the academic and MCAT cutoffs outlined on the website? Are GPA and MCAT looked at competitively pre-interview? I'm aware they are assessed competitively post-interview.

I believe you must meet thresholds for them to read your Maritime connection essay. Then, they select a small portion of interviewees based on the Maritime connection essay and the GPA/MCAT are just cutoffs to be interviewed. 

Once you interview, then your interview, essays, supplemental score, and academics are factored into admission. I hope this info helps :)

Source: Admitted and starting at Dalhousie this year as an OOP!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...
2 hours ago, medicineandchill said:

Hi! I'm also struggling with this paragraph because I have zero Maritimes connection. I don't know how I can make myself sound compelling without a proper connection! 

Hi, I'm applying as an OOP as well so I completely understand where you're coming from, I think why it's difficult to find any answers on here about this essay is because people really don't know what a good or compelling connection is, myself included. 

For my essay, I sat down for a looong time, really thinking hard about why I want to apply to Dal, and I would encourage you to do the same! If you have absolutely no physical or personal connections, look at their mission, their curriculum, what distinguishes dal from other medical schools, think about what compels you to want to practice in the maritimes, have you worked with underserved populations before or do you at least know about the concerns in the area?

And this is my personal opinion, but even if you do have familial or personal connections; it really has to be relevant. For example, I don't think an applicant who has an uncle living in NS but never talk to him or visits will have anymore advantage over an applicant who has never visited and has no family connections, it really depends how you talk about your connections.

Lastly, I think it would be important to be honest, and genuine about your motivations; the admissions committee has read so many of these essays they can probably call BS within reading the first three sentences. 

Although the odds are stacked against us, I hope this helps at least a little, I believe in us!!! 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...