FiftyshadesofMD Posted January 25, 2017 Report Share Posted January 25, 2017 Alright, here's the thing: I, like some 3000+ other applicants just got rejected pre-interview by Ottawa admissions committee today with no further clarifications and feedback, and presumably with no right to ask for such. Now here's the story; I have a 4.0 wGPA and have Ecs that would've allowed me to "at least" present myself during a potential interview. Now sitting here wondering how I can make a better applicant next year (if I choose to apply again) when I won't even be provided with a decent feedback on my application and as to which part of my application failed me ! I took the Casper test which again, there's no feedback provided and I "think" I did a great job, again there's no one to prove it otherwise ! How would someone like me move forward with applying to any Med schools in Canada next year, without even knowing what to improve? I cannot afford to apply to US med schools and study there, so I'm left in a state of frustration ! There's no way I can improve academically, nor can I lie when applying again ! Being an professional athlete, pianist with 1000+ hours of volunteering in favor of minorities in my country along with stellar academic and social involvements would not leave room for me to lie, especially at my age, aka 28 ! This is the silliest and the most irresponsible situation I've faced my entire life and I'm sure hundreds of you guys would relate to me and my situation. I'll never come to terms with it all I can think of is that education is a business in this country that suck people's money in different stages of their lives and in return, gives them a mid-finger ! This isn't professionalism, but merely.... Good luck to all who've been invited and those who haven't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j17f Posted January 25, 2017 Report Share Posted January 25, 2017 Find someone who did get accepted and see how they worded their app, and how they presented themselves in their app. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fresh fry Posted January 25, 2017 Report Share Posted January 25, 2017 You are hurt, understandable. You are frustrated, also, totally reasonable. Won't patronize you, won't pile on to the negative things you are going through right now. No one can say anything that will make you feel better right now. Tincture of time. If you haven't figured it out in a week (don't ask me sooner because I won't amend my time frame) from now I will give you the brutal honest truth if you PM me and ask me too. The answer was in your post. If there is a silver lining to any of this, it is that you are being presented with an opportunity to grow in a way you have probably never experienced before. Takes the hottest fires to mold the strongest steel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RicardoKaká Posted January 25, 2017 Report Share Posted January 25, 2017 You are hurt, understandable. You are frustrated, also, totally reasonable. Won't patronize you, won't pile on to the negative things you are going through right now. No one can say anything that will make you feel better right now. Tincture of time. If you haven't figured it out in a week (don't ask me sooner because I won't amend my time frame) from now I will give you the brutal honest truth if you PM me and ask me too. The answer was in your post. If there is a silver lining to any of this, it is that you are being presented with an opportunity to grow in a way you have probably never experienced before. Takes the hottest fires to mold the strongest steel. Fresh fry has worded it perfectly. Even a rejection is a learning experience, hopefully you let it shape you for the good. Being mad at the system is fair but realize that you can beat it. Also put yourself in the shoes of the admissions committee, would you like to comb through every application and provide feedback to each application that got a rejection? Is that truly feasible? It may be unfair, but in life things are usually that way. Make the best of your situation. Seriously, take a step back and breathe. One rejection isn't the end of the world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FiftyshadesofMD Posted January 25, 2017 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2017 Fresh fry has worded it perfectly. Even a rejection is a learning experience, hopefully you let it shape you for the good. Being mad at the system is fair but realize that you can beat it. Also put yourself in the shoes of the admissions committee, would you like to comb through every application and provide feedback to each application that got a rejection? Is that truly feasible? It may be unfair, but in life things are usually that way. Make the best of your situation. Seriously, take a step back and breathe. One rejection isn't the end of the world. It's sad that you and Fresh fry haven't realized that it's NOT the "rejection" I got today why I posted this ! I am not looking to beat the system either, that would be what people are for in prisons ! I also wouldn't try to look nice in this forum by writing fancy words/statements, I'm just bringing up something here that many others are feeling deep down, but have silenced themselves for numerous reasons. Every application is reviewed and scored, that's what applicants have paid for, right ? Once an application is reviewed, there goes a sentence or two on it, explaining why it's worth an interview or not ! The fact that we are deprived of that, makes me physically hurt. To those who've received an invite, always remember that you're not able to say how much hunger sucks when you've just had your lunch ! Again, good luck everyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RicardoKaká Posted January 25, 2017 Report Share Posted January 25, 2017 It's sad that you and Fresh fry haven't realized that it's NOT the "rejection" I got today why I posted this ! I am not looking to beat the system either, that would be what people are for in prisons ! I also wouldn't try to look nice in this forum by writing fancy words/statements, I'm just bringing up something here that many others are feeling deep down, but have silenced themselves for numerous reasons. Every application is reviewed and scored, that's what applicants have paid for, right ? Once an application is reviewed, there goes a sentence or two on it, explaining why it's worth an interview or not ! The fact that we are deprived of that, makes me physically hurt. To those who've received an invite, always remember that you're not able to say how much hunger sucks when you've just had your lunch ! Again, good luck everyone. But that is exactly why you posted, I don't think you would have posted this if you had received an interview invite.... don't mean to be rude, I think you have completely misinterpreted the kind advice I was trying to give to you. Best of luck in the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardDegrasseSagan Posted January 25, 2017 Report Share Posted January 25, 2017 It's sad that you and Fresh fry haven't realized that it's NOT the "rejection" I got today why I posted this ! I am not looking to beat the system either, that would be what people are for in prisons ! I also wouldn't try to look nice in this forum by writing fancy words/statements, I'm just bringing up something here that many others are feeling deep down, but have silenced themselves for numerous reasons. Every application is reviewed and scored, that's what applicants have paid for, right ? Once an application is reviewed, there goes a sentence or two on it, explaining why it's worth an interview or not ! The fact that we are deprived of that, makes me physically hurt. To those who've received an invite, always remember that you're not able to say how much hunger sucks when you've just had your lunch ! Again, good luck everyone. In an ideal world, you'd want feedback on what you can improve on your CV to become a better candidate for medicine. But practical considerations create problems with this transparency: Logistically speaking, it would be impossible to break down each person's application and cite specific things like 'lack of altruistic endeavours' for each of the 4000+ candidates with regrets. I think more importantly though, it prevents this formulaic approach to medicine. When I started preparing for medicine, I had a vague idea of the requirements: clinical exposure, research, altruistic activities, extracurriculars etc. There wasn't a rigid set of activities. I had the flexibility of choosing the subset of activities which resonated most to me. Each experience has allowed me to grow so much, rather than becoming a stepping stone for medicine. Lastly, if they spot red flags in your application, they will obviously not share these. It just gives the applicant an opportunity to be evasive about some of their qualities that are not suitable for a career as a physician. So overall, there is a fairly acceptable level of transparency. For instance, you KNOW that it's not your GPA that's currently holding you back. And with all due respect, I don't think you should feel entitled to an interview just because you have a 4.0 wGPA. I've been where you are, and what's required at this stage is introspection and self-improvement rather than rationalized blame. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fresh fry Posted January 25, 2017 Report Share Posted January 25, 2017 Every application is reviewed and scored, that's what applicants have paid for, right ? Once an application is reviewed, there goes a sentence or two on it, explaining why it's worth an interview or not ! The fact that we are deprived of that, makes me physically hurt. Actually no, that is not what you paid for. Your (tiny) application fee was to help pay for the massive logistical effort it takes to organize, evaluate, verify, review, the as you mentioned, thousands of applications they receive per cycle. They are not there to provide you with advice or feedback and they explicitly state this when you apply. You paid for the opportunity to apply for medicine at the University of Ottawa, you were afforded exactly that. If you wanted your file reviewed and to receive feedback there are countless for-hire services that offer to do exactly that, some of which even advertise on this forum (that is not an endorsement). Whatever "sentences" the reviewers write about your file belongs to the university and there is no reasonable expectation to have access to what is essentially someone's private opinions especially when it was explicitly stated that this was the case before any money exchanged hands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardDegrasseSagan Posted January 25, 2017 Report Share Posted January 25, 2017 Actually no, that is not what you paid for. Your (tiny) application fee was to help pay for the massive logistical effort it takes to organize, evaluate, verify, review, the as you mentioned, thousands of applications they receive per cycle. They are not there to provide you with advice or feedback and they explicitly state this when you apply. You paid for the opportunity to apply for medicine at the University of Ottawa, you were afforded exactly that. If you wanted your file reviewed and to receive feedback there are countless for-hire services that offer to do exactly that, some of which even advertise on this forum (that is not an endorsement). Whatever "sentences" the reviewers write about your file belongs to the university and there is no reasonable expectation to have access to what is essentially someone's private opinions especially when it was explicitly stated that this was the case before any money exchanged hands. A bit harsh, but this is correct. By applying, you already agreed to play by UofO's rules. This includes no feedback. Although I don't like the entitlement, I do agree that it sucks not knowing why you didn't recieve an invite. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nachoolibre Posted January 25, 2017 Report Share Posted January 25, 2017 UofT and UWO DDS will invite you (as long as you have decent DAT scores) and in most probably accept you with your GPA and ECs. This may be a blessing...look forward to dentistry! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TechToMD Posted January 25, 2017 Report Share Posted January 25, 2017 Now sitting here wondering how I can make a better applicant next year (if I choose to apply again) when I won't even be provided with a decent feedback on my application and as to which part of my application failed me ! How would someone like me move forward with applying to any Med schools in Canada next year, without even knowing what to improve? You want to know what to improve for next cycle? It's obvious. The most high yield thing you can do at this point is to write the MCAT like everyone else, get a high score and apply to more than 2 schools (i.e. everywhere). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
011235813 Posted January 25, 2017 Report Share Posted January 25, 2017 You want to know what to improve for next cycle? It's obvious. The most high yield thing you can do at this point is to write the MCAT like everyone else, get a high score and apply to more than 2 schools (i.e. everywhere). harsh but accurate. The op will drastically increase his or her chances at an acceptance by applying to more schools. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FiftyshadesofMD Posted January 25, 2017 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2017 UofT and UWO DDS will invite you (as long as you have decent DAT scores) and in most probably accept you with your GPA and ECs. This may be a blessing...look forward to dentistry! Thank you, I do look forward to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FiftyshadesofMD Posted January 25, 2017 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2017 Thank you everyone who took your time reading this and spending time writing back. Just so everyone knows, I contacted the admissions office and the lady was kind enough to let me know that wGPA is combined with Casper scores and would be given a single score, named as academic excellence. Even though I had a perfect GPA, my performance on Casper has been sufficiently awful to ruin my entire application. Just a heads up for other potential applicants, seems like Casper is weighed as much as wGPA is, if not more than that ! Thanks again for all the support and suggestions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ralk Posted January 25, 2017 Report Share Posted January 25, 2017 Thank you everyone who took your time reading this and spending time writing back. Just so everyone knows, I contacted the admissions office and the lady was kind enough to let me know that wGPA is combined with Casper scores and would be given a single score, named as academic excellence. Even though I had a perfect GPA, my performance on Casper has been sufficiently awful to ruin my entire application. Just a heads up for other potential applicants, seems like Casper is weighed as much as wGPA is, if not more than that ! Thanks again for all the support and suggestions. Just going to chime in here to note that at Ottawa, pretty much everyone has a 3.9+ GPA, most very close to a 4.0. Ottawa is a GPA-focused school and it shows in the interview/admission stats. However, that means that of the pool of potential Ottawa candidates, there isn't much light between any two candidates with regards to GPA. That means other considerations take over, even if they aren't weighted highly, because they become the main point of distinction between candidates. Basically, wGPA is still a huge component of Ottawa's admissions process, but while it is a necessary component to gaining an interview, it is not sufficient. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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