MDBelieve Posted June 8, 2017 Report Share Posted June 8, 2017 Hello, this is my second post regarding my chances of making it into UBC med. When I wrote my first post a little over a year ago, I had finished up to third year undergrad and now a year later I've graduated with my B.Sc. I submitted an application last cycle to UBC just to gauge and see where I stood in terms of competitiveness, and unfortunately was rejected pre-interview (TFR<40). The news stung quite a bit but I'm unsure if I was completely surprised with my score. Instead I told myself I'd work harder and smarter both in school and with extracurriculars in order to build on what I had at the time. I have also calculated my aGPA (including 4th year) to be 84.1%, which I know is still quite below the traditional average of accepted students over the years. I re-took my MCAT last year since my old MCAT score was about to expire and got a 513 (125 CARS). In terms of my EC activities, comparing myself to a lot of the other applicants that have generously posted their ECs, I don't have any publications, research experiences or even prestigious scholarships/awards which made me felt undeniably incompetent when I basically left those fields empty on my application. This gap year, however, my plan is to focus more on improving my ECs, and also to really take the time and do things I believe will be positive life experiences and rewarding rather than for the sake of trying to improve an NAQ score alone. I've also considered re-writing my MCAT just for the CARS score alone in hopes of making me eligible for other schools in Canada, although i'm still on the fence of whether this is a good strategy. In my original post, I asked the question of whether it would still be plausible for me to remain hopeful of getting into UBC med, or any school in Canada (an MCAT re-write may definitely need to be considered). Overall, sincere congrats to all those who've made it this year, however I'm absolutely not ready to call it quits yet. As I believe med school rejections should be handled as an opportunity to take some time to put things into perspective, and also to reflect and learn what we can do to make ourselves grow into more rounded and mature individuals. Any advice is appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yellow daisy Posted June 9, 2017 Report Share Posted June 9, 2017 I think you definitely have a chance! Although your GPA is just a teeny bit on the lower end, it honestly isn't that bad and it is possible to compensate it with a high NAQ! Pursue activities that you believe will bring you a positive life experience and not only will that possibly lead to a higher NAQ, it will also show in your interviews! Good luck and PM me if you have any questions! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jibrail Posted June 9, 2017 Report Share Posted June 9, 2017 On 2017-6-8 at 11:33 AM, 733 said: Hello, this is my second post regarding my chances of making it into UBC med. When I wrote my first post a little over a year ago, I had finished up to third year undergrad and now a year later I've graduated with my B.Sc. I submitted an application last cycle to UBC just to gauge and see where I stood in terms of competitiveness, and unfortunately was rejected pre-interview (TFR<40). The news stung quite a bit but I'm unsure if I was completely surprised with my score. Instead I told myself I'd work harder and smarter both in school and with extracurriculars in order to build on what I had at the time. I have also calculated my aGPA (including 4th year) to be 84.1%, which I know is still quite below the traditional average of accepted students over the years. I re-took my MCAT last year since my old MCAT score was about to expire and got a 513 (125 CARS). In terms of my EC activities, comparing myself to a lot of the other applicants that have generously posted their ECs, I don't have any publications, research experiences or even prestigious scholarships/awards which made me felt undeniably incompetent when I basically left those fields empty on my application. This gap year, however, my plan is to focus more on improving my ECs, and also to really take the time and do things I believe will be positive life experiences and rewarding rather than for the sake of trying to improve an NAQ score alone. I've also considered re-writing my MCAT just for the CARS score alone in hopes of making me eligible for other schools in Canada, although i'm still on the fence of whether this is a good strategy. In my original post, I asked the question of whether it would still be plausible for me to remain hopeful of getting into UBC med, or any school in Canada (an MCAT re-write may definitely need to be considered). Overall, sincere congrats to all those who've made it this year, however I'm absolutely not ready to call it quits yet. As I believe med school rejections should be handled as an opportunity to take some time to put things into perspective, and also to reflect and learn what we can do to make ourselves grow into more rounded and mature individuals. Any advice is appreciated. Hey 733. I got accepted off the waitlist this year, but I was rejected the year before, though the only things that really changed were my interview score ( I believe). I had a 30 MCAT, an aGPA of 84.5, and an NAQ score 35.5. I know that AQ score is going to hurt, because I'm only .4% off from where you're at, but Definitely continue working on your ECs, and doing your best to get that interview! Don't forget that for the NAQ score, they look at awards, research, work experience, and the volunteer section of your application. So you have the opportunity to work on all of those areas between now and then to bump up that NAQ score. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThatCanadianGuy Posted June 9, 2017 Report Share Posted June 9, 2017 Hi 733 - have you considered moving to the Yukon to increase the amount of IP schools you can apply to and to also have some crazy cool life experiences? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDBelieve Posted June 9, 2017 Author Report Share Posted June 9, 2017 Thanks for the advice all, I really appreciate it. One question pertaining to my MCAT however, would you recommend a re-take to try and improve the CARS score? Thanks again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clever_smart_boy_like_me Posted June 10, 2017 Report Share Posted June 10, 2017 15 hours ago, ThatCanadianGuy said: Hi 733 - have you considered moving to the Yukon to increase the amount of IP schools you can apply to and to also have some crazy cool life experiences? Can u elaborate a bit more on this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OwnerOfTheTARDIS Posted June 10, 2017 Report Share Posted June 10, 2017 7 hours ago, clever_smart_boy_like_me said: Can u elaborate a bit more on this? If you live in the Yukon or Northwest Territories for 1 or 2 years you become in-province for BC, Alberta, and Saskatchewan I believe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThatCanadianGuy Posted June 10, 2017 Report Share Posted June 10, 2017 1 year before the start date of med school for UofA/UBC/ maybe UofC? 3 years for UofS/Dalhousie? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExercMed Posted June 10, 2017 Report Share Posted June 10, 2017 8 minutes ago, ThatCanadianGuy said: 1 year before the start date of med school for UofA/UBC/ maybe UofC? 3 years for UofS/Dalhousie? Little correction, it's 2 years for UofC and Dalhousie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThatCanadianGuy Posted June 10, 2017 Report Share Posted June 10, 2017 27 minutes ago, ExercMed said: Little correction, it's 2 years for UofC and Dalhousie I thought Dal was 3! Do you have a link? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExercMed Posted June 10, 2017 Report Share Posted June 10, 2017 4 minutes ago, ThatCanadianGuy said: I thought Dal was 3! Do you have a link? Yup! Here ya go! https://medicine.dal.ca/departments/core-units/admissions/admissions/place-of-residence.html "[you are considered an independant resident if you] have resided continuously in the Maritime provinces for two periods of twelve consecutive months immediately prior to the start of the medical program (Aug 15 for the purposes of determining residency). This excludes time spent as a full-time student at a post-secondary institution..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clever_smart_boy_like_me Posted June 11, 2017 Report Share Posted June 11, 2017 Oh, so it doesn't count if u r in school... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purkinje 2016 Posted June 11, 2017 Report Share Posted June 11, 2017 On 2017-6-8 at 11:33 AM, 733 said: Hello, this is my second post regarding my chances of making it into UBC med. When I wrote my first post a little over a year ago, I had finished up to third year undergrad and now a year later I've graduated with my B.Sc. I submitted an application last cycle to UBC just to gauge and see where I stood in terms of competitiveness, and unfortunately was rejected pre-interview (TFR<40). The news stung quite a bit but I'm unsure if I was completely surprised with my score. Instead I told myself I'd work harder and smarter both in school and with extracurriculars in order to build on what I had at the time. I have also calculated my aGPA (including 4th year) to be 84.1%, which I know is still quite below the traditional average of accepted students over the years. I re-took my MCAT last year since my old MCAT score was about to expire and got a 513 (125 CARS). In terms of my EC activities, comparing myself to a lot of the other applicants that have generously posted their ECs, I don't have any publications, research experiences or even prestigious scholarships/awards which made me felt undeniably incompetent when I basically left those fields empty on my application. This gap year, however, my plan is to focus more on improving my ECs, and also to really take the time and do things I believe will be positive life experiences and rewarding rather than for the sake of trying to improve an NAQ score alone. I've also considered re-writing my MCAT just for the CARS score alone in hopes of making me eligible for other schools in Canada, although i'm still on the fence of whether this is a good strategy. In my original post, I asked the question of whether it would still be plausible for me to remain hopeful of getting into UBC med, or any school in Canada (an MCAT re-write may definitely need to be considered). Overall, sincere congrats to all those who've made it this year, however I'm absolutely not ready to call it quits yet. As I believe med school rejections should be handled as an opportunity to take some time to put things into perspective, and also to reflect and learn what we can do to make ourselves grow into more rounded and mature individuals. Any advice is appreciated. You have the right attitude in applying for med and I encourage you to pursue activities that you are interested in and passionate about and it will show in your application. Your aGPA is only a little bit below the average aGPA of the overall applicant pool and your MCAT is good enough for applying to UBC, so I would focus on pursuing activities that you enjoy doing while working on your application. Good luck and if you have any questions feel free to send me a message. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThatCanadianGuy Posted June 12, 2017 Report Share Posted June 12, 2017 11 hours ago, clever_smart_boy_like_me said: Oh, so it doesn't count if u r in school... I think if you work there during the summers you should be good.. But don't quote me on that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExercMed Posted June 12, 2017 Report Share Posted June 12, 2017 @ThatCanadianGuy Unfortunately that is not the case. I have lived and in Halifax for 5 years as a student, working here every summer, and adcom still says I am not a resident. It is a frustrating rule but it is there to prevent students from getting privileged entrance when they have relatively little commitment to the province. I think the premise is debatable but that's the way it is . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jibrail Posted June 12, 2017 Report Share Posted June 12, 2017 On 2017-6-9 at 3:03 PM, 733 said: Thanks for the advice all, I really appreciate it. One question pertaining to my MCAT however, would you recommend a re-take to try and improve the CARS score? Thanks again! It's a tough call. Personally, I wouldn't want to spend all that time studying for another MCAT, especially with a solid score like a 513. A 125 in CARS will definitely limit the number of places you can apply, but I think the main focus needs to be getting an interview first, as the MCAT isn't even taken into account until after interviews are done. That being said, the best way for you to do that is to work on your NAQ score, in my personal opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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