Applying to only Ottawa?

[SLC6A4]

Had a few questions about the application process to Ottawa Med:

1. What GPA would it be worth it to apply to Ottawa? In terms of wGPA?

2. What is required for a strictly Ottawa application? I know that the essays are only really for Toronto, but do we need to find verifiers, is there any written component or is it just the general application?

3. Does Ottawa care about applying as a third year? Do they frown upon it, and prefer fourth year applicants?

4. I know they don't look at the MCAT, but can I apply without actually writing it? Does it need to be completed at the minimum?

5. What's the interview format?

6. When do EC's come into play? From what I can tell only GPA and CASPer matter for determining whether you receive an interview.

 

 

I've tried looking up these questions through search/googling but I can't get a concrete answer that I'm confident in. Thanks for any help guys!

[HappyAndHopeful]

1. The cutoff for the English stream has been 3.85, so I would apply with anything above that. That said, the higher your GPA, the better your chances, of course (especially >3.9). 

2. The Ottawa application does not include essay questions, but it does include the autobiographical sketch, for which you need to have a verifier for every activity you list. You also need three reference letters. 

3. From what I understand, it doesn't matter whether you're in third or fourth year when applying. Many third year applicants are accepted each year. 

4. You can indeed apply without actually writing the MCAT, since it isn't an admission requirement (yet :P). 

5. The interview format is a panel. It's 45 minutes long, with three panel members asking you questions and evaluating you. 

6. I'm not sure when/how ECs come into play. This year, GPA and CASPer were used to determine interview invites. My guess would be that they came into play during/after the interview, but I'm not sure if anyone knows for sure. 

I hope that helps, and good luck with applying!

[ihsh]

6. Two cycles ago, I think interview invites were based on grades and ECs (we used to have to pick the "Top 3" of each ABS category). This cycle, interview invites were based on grades and CASPer. 

[Donald_Duck]

Everything here is correct. In terms of 6, the ABS was def used, however only interview stage. In the future they may decide to implement it pre-interview like they have done once in the past, where its equal split between grades, GPA and Casper. Try to your best in all of those criterias. And even if the ABS skectch is not directly evaluated, it helps to have done some meaningful experiences that you can talk about during your interview. It makes for a more... interesting conversation. You can also use your experiences to back your answers.

Mr Duck