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Q&a With Mcgill Med Ambassadors


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Hello! 
Has anyone been to the admissions office in person to ask a few questions about your future application? If so, how was it? Do we have to wait a lot? Or would it be better to just write them an email instead? Any other comments or suggestions are very welcome!
Thanks!!

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  • 3 weeks later...
35 minutes ago, cacaonibs said:

When do exams end in December? I checked the schedule on Minerva, but class stop around the first week of December. 

Last year, the last exam med1s  wrote was on Dec 15. This is subject to change and you shouldn't really make any travel arrangements before you get your final schedule on myMDCM (the platform that is used by the faculty).

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  • 2 weeks later...

There was an accidental fire at one of the McGill Med buildings. Not intending to cause any "panic" (I've committed to McGill at this point, but don't know much being out of town), but can you shed some light, from the point of view of an upper year McGill student who is at (or knows lots of people already at) McGill/Montreal, what is going on, and what everyone fears/speculates may be affected? 

I say it's speculation because any opinions here are "unofficial". That being said, "official" statements have been limited.

Thanks

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Access is already allowed from floors 7-13 which is mostly research purposes. Administration offices have been moved and are fully functioning and should be moved back within the next few months. They’ve announced that access will be restaured for classes in time for the start of the semester (floors 5-6 auditoriums). The floors 2-4 where classes and exams take place will most likely be moved to different rooms. The library was fine and a section got very minimal damage so that should be okay. While I understand that it was a major event I don’t think you should be concerned about the quality of your studies being affected. Go to this link for updates on the state of the building post-fire: https://mcgill.ca/medicine/about/special-notices

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  • 1 month later...
1 hour ago, im_edgy_asf said:

I have a question.

 

Does the GPA you have in med-p account for the GPA of the MDCM. That means, when you finish med-p and enter MDCM, is your GPA reseted for the MDCM program??

 

Thank you

Hello, once you enter the MD program, the is no more GPA per say that will appear on your transcript because all courses are evaluated on a pass/fail basis. However, the faculty does keep track of individual mark for prizes, deans honour list etc.. Your med-P GPA will still show on your official transcript though (just like it would show for undergrad students who completed their degree at McGill). 

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Hello

I am a cegep student and I was wondering if I have a chance into getting to med dent if I have a low cote r ( 33) but I did McGill dentistery shadowing, have summer work experience, currently volunteering in a hospital, occasionally (just one semestre) working at school(2hours a month), homework help, some volunteering at my local volunteering center (like helping refugees), 1 week dentist assistant shadowing and lot of experience with kids

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 9/23/2018 at 12:48 PM, SaladeTomatesOignons said:

Hello

I am a cegep student and I was wondering if I have a chance into getting to med dent if I have a low cote r ( 33) but I did McGill dentistery shadowing, have summer work experience, currently volunteering in a hospital, occasionally (just one semestre) working at school(2hours a month), homework help, some volunteering at my local volunteering center (like helping refugees), 1 week dentist assistant shadowing and lot of experience with kids

In the last admission cycle, the average interviewee R score was about 37 for both med and dent. Given that the R score holds the most weight for the pre-interview consideration, you're definitely fighting an uphill battle, although I'd say there's still a slim chance to get an interview. Focus on writing your CV well (what you write for each activity is the most important part), and nail the CASPER.

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Hi,

I was wondering if anyone knew the amount of Vanier students that were accepted into premed, and Dawson and Marianopolis??

I’m applying to cegep this year and I just want to pick a school that will prepare me well and somewhere where I’ll get a decent R score. (Of course i know I have to work hard) 

I heard that when applying, McGill considers the cegep the applicants come from like say you have an extremely high R score, but you come from Vanier, they’ll pick another student like with a lower R score that comes from Marianopolis. This is just what I heard, don’t shoot the messenger. Please and thanks

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20 hours ago, Student1255 said:

Hi,

I was wondering if anyone knew the amount of Vanier students that were accepted into premed, and Dawson and Marianopolis??

I’m applying to cegep this year and I just want to pick a school that will prepare me well and somewhere where I’ll get a decent R score. (Of course i know I have to work hard) 

I heard that when applying, McGill considers the cegep the applicants come from like say you have an extremely high R score, but you come from Vanier, they’ll pick another student like with a lower R score that comes from Marianopolis. This is just what I heard, don’t shoot the messenger. Please and thanks

There has always been this rumour that Marianopolis gets more seats, even since I got in to MedP many years ago. The idea being that Marianopolis students get higher averages overall so therefore getting a higher R-score is harder. Of course we will never know the exact stats. In my class, half were from Marianopolis or Brebeuf and that seems to still be the case, with Dawson coming in second. Is there a reason you don't want to go to Marianopolis?

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2 hours ago, SaladeTomatesOignons said:

@MedP111 Oh okay thank you. But I was also wondering if McGill accepts students who finish their cegep in 2 years plus one summer course ? (the summer course will not be included in the r score they will look at because it will be done after I apply.. so this summer)

You should definitely speak to the admissions committee about this, but technically you would be past the application deadline (March 1). So when were you thinking of applying? You usually have to apply in your 4th semester of CEGEP.

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3 hours ago, MedCoachMD said:

There has always been this rumour that Marianopolis gets more seats, even since I got in to MedP many years ago. The idea being that Marianopolis students get higher averages overall so therefore getting a higher R-score is harder. Of course we will never know the exact stats. In my class, half were from Marianopolis or Brebeuf and that seems to still be the case, with Dawson coming in second. Is there a reason you don't want to go to Marianopolis?

Marianopolis is expensive, and I know it'll be hard to get a good R score. Right now, Dawson is the "it" school, and the average to get into health is 87, Vanier is around 84 and Mari is low 80s. My top two choices are Vanier and Mari, I was leaning towards Vanier, but because of the rumour/speculation that not many Vanier students get accepted, I'm not sure where to go. I know going to a specific school won't set in stone that I'll get into McGill, but my friends keep telling me that it's not worth it going to Vanier. I understand that essentially, all schools are learning the same thing but I don't want to risk working hard and then not being able to get accepted because of a prejudice against the school I went to, or not even being able to apply because my R score is too low. I read somewhere on a forum that it would be harder to go to Vanier because there's only a handful that get chosen, whereas Marianopolis, many are accepted. Of course there's more than just the R score, like your extracurriculars aka the CV, but R score does hold an extremely important role in the admission. So I want to strategize and just find some guidance. Please and thank you.

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11 hours ago, Student1255 said:

Marianopolis is expensive, and I know it'll be hard to get a good R score. Right now, Dawson is the "it" school, and the average to get into health is 87, Vanier is around 84 and Mari is low 80s. My top two choices are Vanier and Mari, I was leaning towards Vanier, but because of the rumour/speculation that not many Vanier students get accepted, I'm not sure where to go. I know going to a specific school won't set in stone that I'll get into McGill, but my friends keep telling me that it's not worth it going to Vanier. I understand that essentially, all schools are learning the same thing but I don't want to risk working hard and then not being able to get accepted because of a prejudice against the school I went to, or not even being able to apply because my R score is too low. I read somewhere on a forum that it would be harder to go to Vanier because there's only a handful that get chosen, whereas Marianopolis, many are accepted. Of course there's more than just the R score, like your extracurriculars aka the CV, but R score does hold an extremely important role in the admission. So I want to strategize and just find some guidance. Please and thank you.

If the only reason is money - I'll be honest with you, medical school is expensive, and I would take a look at the cost of medical school before deciding on a CEGEP based on cost.

By the time we finished medical school and paid for expenses over 4 years, exams, licensing fees, all those meals while on call, etc - most of us were in debt of around average 150-200k. This is something very common with medical students, as you don't get paid at all until you start your residency. 

You can also argue that if you get in from CEGEP, you will save 2 years of tuition/expenses from undergrad! So maybe it balances out if you just look at cost?

As for the stats - if medical school is really what you want - it would make sense to maximize your chances of getting in.

So if you are telling me that at Vanier you could have 10 people with a 36 R score and 1 will get in vs Marianopolis if 10 people have 36 R score 7 will get in...I would go to Marianopolis.

It's like when people ask me if they should do a second undergrad vs a masters. Technically staying in the BsC pool gives you more chances to get in, but a masters gets you further on your path in life.

To sum everything up, there are a lot of factors, but what I would focus on most is how important it is for you to absolutely get in to medical school on the first try, vs being ok with doing an undergrad. At the end of the day, you need to do what is right for you.

 

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6 hours ago, MedCoachMD said:

If the only reason is money - I'll be honest with you, medical school is expensive, and I would take a look at the cost of medical school before deciding on a CEGEP based on cost.

By the time we finished medical school and paid for expenses over 4 years, exams, licensing fees, all those meals while on call, etc - most of us were in debt of around average 150-200k. This is something very common with medical students, as you don't get paid at all until you start your residency. 

You can also argue that if you get in from CEGEP, you will save 2 years of tuition/expenses from undergrad! So maybe it balances out if you just look at cost?

As for the stats - if medical school is really what you want - it would make sense to maximize your chances of getting in.

So if you are telling me that at Vanier you could have 10 people with a 36 R score and 1 will get in vs Marianopolis if 10 people have 36 R score 7 will get in...I would go to Marianopolis.

It's like when people ask me if they should do a second undergrad vs a masters. Technically staying in the BsC pool gives you more chances to get in, but a masters gets you further on your path in life.

To sum everything up, there are a lot of factors, but what I would focus on most is how important it is for you to absolutely get in to medical school on the first try, vs being ok with doing an undergrad. At the end of the day, you need to do what is right for you.

 

I will add two precisions to this post because there are nuances to make. 
The statements below are based on the latest information made public.

1 - McGill will never favour one CEGEP

Assuming that Marianopolis has more students going to medical school, it's not because they have a better education.
It's most likely because more people from Marianopolis are applying to medical school.
It's like a vicious cycle because high school students get told that going there increase their chances.
It does not increase nor decrease the chances.

  • Marianopolis attracts more people that want to go to medical school
  • More students from Marianopolis apply to medical school
  • Marianopolis is over-represented in medical classes
  • High school students look at stats and think they have to go there for CEGEP.

To be able to compare CEGEPs, you would need to look at :

  • How many people from that CEGEP applied to medical school
  • How many people from that CEGEP actually got into medical school

Now going to a private school is not just about them grabbing your money.
If you are paying, I assume you have nice classrooms/libraries, better professors/students ratio, etc.
I would look into that instead and maybe organize a tour at different CEGEPs to see their facilities and curriculum.

2 - Medical school in Québec is the cheapest in North America

As a Québec resident, it is not true that medical school is expensive.
It's only slightly more expensive than what Marianopolis will cost you.

Marianoplis costs you 5.500$ per year so 22.000$ for the DEC.
McGill medical school costs you around 7.000$ for year so 28.000$ for the MDCM.
This is tuition fees only of course.
This excludes meals, housing, living expenses, etc.
It doesn't really matter, you would have to live anyways during the next years.

Both for CEGEP and university, you can have access to student loans from the Government of Québec.
Once you are granted an admission at McGill, you will have access to a line of credit of about 300 000$.
Moreover, they make it a priority that your financial situation should not prevent you from attending medical school.

After, you will have licensing fees and a lot of extra costs, as described by @MedCoachMD.
But the line of credit can be repaid after your studies so don't stress about it.

I think that what @MedCoachMD is trying to say is that if you value your education, tuition fees should not be the main determining factor.
In my opinion, a public CEGEP can offer you the same quality of education and chances of getting into medical school for a fraction of the cost.

If you have the financial resources to go to Marianopolis then you may have access to a nicer environment.
But maybe that being surrounded by a larger number of potential medical students will motivate you ?
Or will it increase the stress because of a constant feeling of competition?
As you can see, the debate between public and private schools is eternal.

Just remember that a bad student at the best private school is still a bad student.
You make what you want out of the resources that are available to you.
Professors only help you, they won't replace you or study for you, no matter what school you attend.

Take-home messages :

  1. Go to the CEGEP that is the best for you : closest to home, more convenient and where you will be getting the best grades.
  2. Don't listen to rumours and just focus on your studies and pursue your interests.
  3. Don't be ashamed of thinking that a private CEGEP is expensive and consider it when weighing the pros and cons.
  4. Money should never prevent you from pursuing medical studies in Québec as an in-province applicant.
  5. Student loans, line of credits and bursaries are there to ensure that money is not a stressing factor during your studies.


 
 

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  • 4 months later...
2 hours ago, i8aSS said:

Does McGill offer reasons on why you didn't get an interview?

Yes and no.

Yes
The reason that you don't get interviewed is always you overall ranking was lower than their cut-off.
For that, they will give you your rank for each component (CV, Casper, etc.)
There is a link to inquire about that information.
 

No
They will not tell you about why you were ranked X/200 for each component.
It just was ranked by them that way.
For example, you won't know why your CV is only #85/200.

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