GPA for McMaster?

[Leigh]

Hi -

 

I'm wondering what sort of GPA you need to have to get into McMaster.

I know the GPA score is taken in conjunction with Casper and the MCAT Verbal Reasoning scores...but I guess I'm wondering what other people's experience has been.

Do people get in if their GPA's are in the B range? Or do people generally get in with A's? My story is that my undergrad GPA is in the B range, but I will get some extra percentage points thanks to the PhD I'm about to finish.

 

Apologies if there's another thread on this - I didn't see one, but let me know if there is!

Cheers,

Leigh

[itimebomb2]

look online - they publish the breakdown of GPAs and who gets accepted every year.

With a PhD, you definitely have a shot, even with a B average (which is quite low on the spectrum, but people do get in with those marks).

[Should_Be_A_Doc]

Here is a link to the latest published demographics and stats.

 

Goodluck!

 

 

http://fhs.mcmaster.ca/mdprog/documents/Classof2013.pdf

[PhD_Candidate_2011]

Hi -

 

I'm wondering what sort of GPA you need to have to get into McMaster.

I know the GPA score is taken in conjunction with Casper and the MCAT Verbal Reasoning scores...but I guess I'm wondering what other people's experience has been.

Do people get in if their GPA's are in the B range? Or do people generally get in with A's? My story is that my undergrad GPA is in the B range, but I will get some extra percentage points thanks to the PhD I'm about to finish.

 

Apologies if there's another thread on this - I didn't see one, but let me know if there is!

Cheers,

Leigh

 

I am in the same boat. Applied this year with a 3.2 undergrad GPA (and 10VR score) and about to finish my PhD. However, unless you have you PhD completed at the time of application, we do not get any "special" treatment from Mac (i.e. we're looked at no differently from an undergrad applicant). If you had your PhD conferred at the time of application (Oct. 1st), then they add 0.03 to your composite score (not GPA), which apparently makes a difference.

 

Though perhaps someone can enlighten me, does Mac actually look at your reference letters (and possibly the sketch) before interview invitations? If not, then one's graduate productivity is completely ignored in all decisions leading up to the interview (i.e. only GPA, MCAT VR and CASPer count).

 

Though the fact that there are people in the class of 2013 with <3.5 GPAs suggest there is some degree of "holistic" review on their part (or these people had 14+ on the MCAT VR to compensate).

[Femto]

I am in the same boat. Applied this year with a 3.2 undergrad GPA (and 10VR score) and about to finish my PhD. However, unless you have you PhD completed at the time of application, we do not get any "special" treatment from Mac (i.e. we're looked at no differently from an undergrad applicant). If you had your PhD conferred at the time of application (Oct. 1st), then they add 0.03 to your composite score (not GPA), which apparently makes a difference.

 

Though perhaps someone can enlighten me, does Mac actually look at your reference letters (and possibly the sketch) before interview invitations? If not, then one's graduate productivity is completely ignored in all decisions leading up to the interview (i.e. only GPA, MCAT VR and CASPer count).

 

Though the fact that there are people in the class of 2013 with <3.5 GPAs suggest there is some degree of "holistic" review on their part (or these people had 14+ on the MCAT VR to compensate).

 

I don't believe so, as others have answered this same question on here for me before. I suppose the intent is for your distinguishing life experiences to manifest through CASPer, but who knows if this is possible. I think it is a step in the right direction, actually. If you take one look at how UBC evaluates "life experience", and see the problems associated with it, a more subtle and less direct method for ascertaining this information seems reasonable, and I suppose this is what CASPer should do (theoretically).

[itimebomb2]

Mac does require reference letters, but it is unclear at what stage they use them. Research productivity isn't a formal criterion, since you get the 0.03 boost automatically. No point in worrying now - the point is you have a shot, but it remains to be seen how well you did on CASPER/ABS - which will make or break any candidate.

[mavrik13]

I wonder if the implementation of CASPer (as well as the increase in the % it is worth compared to the ABS) will lead to more interview invites being sent out to us lower GPA individuals (Mac GPA: 3.55). I guess it depends on how closely related applicants scores between CASPer and overall GPA end up being.

[little_gremlin]

This question was probably addressed in an earlier thread. But for McMaster, is the GPA from the best 2 years or is it a cGPA of all undergrad courses?

 

Thanks!

[champ]

This question was probably addressed in an earlier thread. But for McMaster, is the GPA from the best 2 years or is it a cGPA of all undergrad courses?

 

Thanks!

 

the gpa used is ur cgpa

[MamboVipi]

If it is only your VR MCAT score used, are you allowed to go and only write for that section of the test? I don't have a strong science background and therefore doubt I would do well on the other sections...

[MGB]

If it is only your VR MCAT score used, are you allowed to go and only write for that section of the test? I don't have a strong science background and therefore doubt I would do well on the other sections...

 

No. You have to write the whole thing.

[mattw]

If you're writing only for VR you do have to go through the other sections but you don't actually have to complete them (you can leave everything blank). I don't suggest this though. I would give the sciences a shot to keep your options open. Lots of people with non-science backgrounds do well - in fact I remember reading somewhere that non-science students actually do better on the science sections than science majors!

[thatonekid]

If it is only your VR MCAT score used, are you allowed to go and only write for that section of the test? I don't have a strong science background and therefore doubt I would do well on the other sections...

You can only write VR (you just skip through the other sections), but like someone else said, you're limiting yourself that way. People with no science background do fine on the science sections (like 10+) through self-studying over the summer or throughout the year.

[Broccoli]

^ I'd definitely give the entire MCAT a good shot, even if you're only concerned with VR. Leaving your options open is critical with med school...you significantly increase your odds of getting in when you apply to multiple schools.

 

As well, medicine is a lifelong commitment and is very science-based. Although you don't need to be in a science major to apply to med school, science is an unavoidable part of the profession. (Given, the MCAT science isn't exactly the same type, but the thought processes are similar). Anyways, there isn't MUCH science to learn for the MCAT if you passed high school, so it won't be too big of a commitment to learn. Med school will require you to learn a ridiculous amount of science anyways, so if med is really your passion, learning the basics for the MCAT should not be too much of a barrier. Don't close off options unless absolutely necessary!

[bored]

This is Outragous

 

http://fhs.mcmaster.ca/mdprog/documents/Classof2013.pdf

 

on the link provided...

 

SEX

Female 128

Male 72

 

really? half as much females admitted..? the interviewers must really be biased!

[LupeFiasco]

This is Outragous

 

http://fhs.mcmaster.ca/mdprog/documents/Classof2013.pdf

 

on the link provided...

 

SEX

Female 128

Male 72

 

really? half as much females admitted..? the interviewers must really be biased!

 

Not true.

 

Females perform better on MMIs. It's published somewhere.

 

Also, this is before CASPer was instituted and females tend to write better than males as well so their ABS scores tend to be higher, meaning that more of them get interviews in the first place.

 

I imagine the numbers will be a little less skewed this time around.

[bored]

Not true.

 

Females perform better on MMIs. It's published somewhere.

 

Also, this is before CASPer was instituted and females tend to write better than males as well so their ABS scores tend to be higher, meaning that more of them get interviews in the first place.

 

I imagine the numbers will be a little less skewed this time around.

 

i think more females tend to accept their offers cause they are so much worried about age?

[SolitaireAddikt]

Not true.

 

Females perform better on MMIs. It's published somewhere.

 

Also, this is before CASPer was instituted and females tend to write better than males as well so their ABS scores tend to be higher, meaning that more of them get interviews in the first place.

 

I imagine the numbers will be a little less skewed this time around.

 

You think CASPer has a bias for male applicants? I'm just curious since you said that women tend to write better than men, but your last statement seems to contradict that.

 

To bored: Mac has had a heavy female scew for years. It's something they are proud of in fact, so I doubt it will change in the near future. Furthermore, most Canadian medical schools have more women than men, it's just more pronounced at Mac (I think another school in Canada is just as high, but I don't have the numbers with me right now...)

[HBP]

I think Memorial may be higher

 

edit: this might be relevant http://www.afmc.ca/pdf/EnrolTotalTrend1-2010.pdf

57.7% females (average of all schools)

 

also http://www.afmc.ca/pdf/EnrolbyFacandSex2010-6.pdf

 

^ stratified by school

[SolitaireAddikt]

Northern is 29% male. Laval is 31%. U de Montreal is 32%. Ottawa is comparable to Mac.

 

I think the common theme here is that these schools (traditionally) don't use standardised testing (I actually don't know about Northern, I could be totally wrong). However, even when Mac introduced the verbal into it's assessment it didn't seem to change the numbers much (last year's accepted class has a very similar male to female ratio to the school overall).

 

Also, looking at the first graph it seems that "femaleness" peaked in 2004 and has been on a slow, but steady, decline since then.

[LupeFiasco]

You think CASPer has a bias for male applicants? I'm just curious since you said that women tend to write better than men, but your last statement seems to contradict that.

 

I was trying to imply that CASPer doesn't have a bias for females or males.

 

IMO, most med applicants have similar writing skills. I think you'll agree that what makes or breaks an application with regards to an essay or writing your responsibilities for an EC/ volunteer activity is how much time the applicant spends writing it and how many people proofread it. Females tend to be far more organized than males so they should use their time more wisely with regards to med school applications.

 

With CASPer, you have 5 minutes to write what you think. There is no time to mull over what you wrote to an exaggerated extent like you can with an essay and such. I think that should remove at least part of the traditional female bias.

 

I doubt it'll be 50/50 this year, but I don't think it will be 70F/30M. I think it will be close to 60F/40M.

[Broccoli]

^ Based on your previous premise that females perform statistically better than males at MMIs, I'd conclude that CASPer would further exaggerate the gender differences. (Because CASPer is so similar to an MMI) Your assumption that females performed better on the written sections of the application (and the reasoning behind the assumption) is solely speculation, while the MMI-gender link has apparently been published. What's essentially happening is a replacement of something that MAY have a gender difference with something that is an awful lot like something that DOES have a proven gender difference. That's how I'd interpret the information.

 

However, I do think that the huge gap between females/males was mostly due to chance last year, and that it will likely be more even this year - again due to chance. I'd be surprised if the introduction of CASPer really polarized the genders all that much.

[Fatso]

At least on my day, the pool of applicants seemed like a pretty even 50/50 split, which would suggest to me that casper brought with it very little gender bias. Mind you this was one day, and I didn't exactly do a head count.

[mattw]

There is no gender bias at least in the overall process. There are just more female applicants than male applicants. I was reading a document a while ago and the matriculants per 100 applicants was roughly the same for males and females for McMaster (and most Canadian schools).

[thatonekid]

At least on my day, the pool of applicants seemed like a pretty even 50/50 split, which would suggest to me that casper brought with it very little gender bias. Mind you this was one day, and I didn't exactly do a head count.

Funny thing is that I my interview day I was commenting to a friend that there were a lot more guys than girls, about 2:1. I agree that I think CASPer had little gender bias.