Worth Applying to McGill as OOP?

[mdapp]

Hello,

I just finished a 4 year UG and I am thinking about applying to the McGill MD.CM program as an OOP.

With a ~3.80/4.0 GPA, I know that I am on the lower side as an OOP. However, I have stellar ECs (mainly research/publications, clinical/non-clinical volunteer, and leadership roles). Nothing like the Olympic medalist...etc but I have founded and lead a few clubs and been to pretty prestigious research centers to do research during UG.

I feel like I might be disappointed though, as I heard McGill is 70% GPA pre-interview.

Any thoughts?

 

[la marzocco]

1 hour ago, mdapp said:

Hello,

I just finished a 4 year UG and I am thinking about applying to the McGill MD.CM program as an OOP.

With a ~3.80/4.0 GPA, I know that I am on the lower side as an OOP. However, I have stellar ECs (mainly research/publications, clinical/non-clinical volunteer, and leadership roles). Nothing like the Olympic medalist...etc but I have founded and lead a few clubs and been to pretty prestigious research centers to do research during UG.

I feel like I might be disappointed though, as I heard McGill is 70% GPA pre-interview.

Any thoughts?

 

You are correct that McGill does weigh the GPA at 70% of the pre-interview score. Not sure if this would matter in your case, but 60% comes from your GPA, and 10% comes from the "academic context." You can read about that on the McGill website. Academic contexts assess the difficulty of the course work, progression towards a professional degree, etc. 

20% of your pre-interview score is going to be CASPer - given your GPA score, you will likely have to do very well on the CASPer to garner an interview spot. 

Remaining 10% of your pre-interview score is from your CV - this is where your research, pubs, volunteerism, etc. come in. Maximize your scores here given how strong you are with your ECs.

-----

If you are invited, then great news! Your post-interview score which determines your ranking for acceptances is based on your PREREQUISITES score - NOT your overall GPA. This is the basket GPA of your basic science requirements. Assuming you did well on these (i.e., > 3.8), then you should be good. Besides, this is only going to be 20% of your score now. 

MMI is going to be key, like all med schools. It will drive 80% of your score. Make sure you have a good grasp on the MMI process.

-----

TL;DR: Apply, you never know. I applied having no expectations of even getting an interview and step by step things happen. You only lose out if you don't apply.