TARS

You can go back as far as you want I believe, I went back to before 2000s if the scenario was really applicable. I would use the clarification box though, especially if your role progressed, to specify the hours associated with those roles (ie. How much of your 2000 hours are actually at a national or international level if that's something you're trying to showcase).

82% is workable, but to be honest I wouldn't call it a good start in the sense that you're on the lower end of the application pool. Statistically the average of applicants is around 86% and those accepted are around 88%. Since your academic component (AQ) scales pretty hard in terms of GPA to AQ conversion (ie. Every 1% drop is about 1.5-1.6 drop in AQ), you'll have to work a lot harder in your NAQ to make up for it (NAQ score can vary based on year, not super reliable). With that being said, it's not the end of the world because 1) you have another 3-4 years ahead of you to move up your GPA

I definitely used short forms at ubc, but I kept it as minimal as possible (max 1-2 per sentence is pushing it). I did things like omit pronouns at the start of sentences and start with a verb instead (ex. Collaborated with.... Instead of I collaborated with...) And I also used short forms like & or +. But to ensure it doesn't look unprofessional or overdone, I typed it out normally first and only changed it to symbols if I really can't cut it down through rewording - it's important not to let these shorthands clutter and disrupt the flow of your entry. It worked out for me, but can't guar

Can't hurt to apply. Your GPA looks fine, if things haven't changed much, UBC competitive GPA is probably around 80% (from what I remember in my class a few years ago). You seem well rounded and have a solid shot at getting an interview invite, which will be the deciding factor for acceptance. If you have any questions about UBC or pharmacy in general, feel free to ask or PM me.

The most was probably doing about 20 hrs of ECs on top of 25-30 hrs of class and working two part time jobs totalling 18-26 hours a week, leaving me only the night before exams to study. Was exciting juggling everything, until you fall behind in one thing, and everything crashes down along with it lol. I felt like 8 hours of work + about 10-15 hours of ECs on top of school was much more reasonable for the sake of GPA, health, and my own hobbies lol. A lot of the EC hours weren't in person (ie. planning and organizing at home).

You're freaking out. I didn't even do any good extracurriculars til my 3rd year and I still made it lol (although not recommended). Just start building some more long term ones now and you're fine. If you want to stay in Canada, shadowing a physician is probably not super useful (although nice). It's low hours, and of all the qualities they're looking for in an applicant, the only one you're showing is an interest in medicine. You're not providing any service to others, not demonstrating leadership or intiative etc. Might be better off focusing on volunteering activities that you're pass

Yea it's a good strategy if you use it for a question that is actually interesting lol... Don't say "that's a really interesting question" if they're asking you to describe your teamwork abilities or everytime they ask a follow-up. If you're going to need time to think for a follow-up, I don't think there's any problem with just saying "let me think about that" or whatever variation, and just think quietly for the next 10 seconds. It's better than stretching an "um...." or starting a thought or sentence that you cant complete because you haven't thought it through.

Wouldn't mind contributing some things about the pre-medical experience retrospectively, but not sure what you are looking for and I have 0 experience blogging haha

It seems unreasonable and unlikely that UBC will revoke admission this late into the cycle as long as proof of graduation is documented sometime soon... They'd go through more trouble gathering paperwork from a new student than they would just the proof of graduation from you lol If an unfavorable outcome does happen, you can try appealing through the faculty first (unless this is already considered an appeal). Adcom will review the circumstances and provide you with a response. If faculty appeal is denied, you can appeal through UBC Senate Vancouver via Admissions Committee. I've done

My heart sank when I read this. Hopefully UBC is reasonable about this. Is your school sending a new letter of completion in an endorsed envelope to UBC? When is it arriving to admissions?

No experience applying on the Eastern side, but in general, focus on your GPA first, think about the ECs later and don't let ECs pull down your GPA - you need as much of a boost as you can. Regarding your ECs, I feel like you're over-focused on medicine-related activities. It's good to have some but diversify with other service ethics and leadership initiatives, as medicine-related activities don't give you bonus points, and looks rather unidimensional if your app is stacked with it. Observerships are hard to come by, usually short in duration, and the nature of it doesn't show many attributes

I don't think any school is going to accept a personal statement they didn't ask for... All the applications are completed online anyways so you won't be able to add an extra letter in. I believe some schools like UBC have a small area in your application to explain extenuating circumstances. I don't think anyone knows how important references are - some say it's just to catch red flags, some say it's a pretty key differentiator between applications, we'll never know. Does knowing the answer change how you approach it though? Just try to get the best possible references that you can, re

Don't know enough to comment on the whole CaRMS IMG CMG situation, but damn she gave up on Canadian medical school applications at the age of 21 because she didn't get interviews and decided to go to the Caribbeans? If she wanted to practice back in Canada, she should've done the proper research on IMGs coming back, and realized she should've worked on her app for a few more years and kept applying to Canadian schools instead. Also, could someone please clarify - what was stopping her from coming back to Canada to practice seeing as she already completed her residency in the states? Was i

We have 6 weeks of freedom before clerkship starts after 2nd year

It's understandable that you are concerned about age, but do realize that a lot of people 27 and up get admitted across Canada every year and they make it work. Banks will be there to give you the loans you need, and you'll always make it back. If medicine is something you really want, it's actually never too late (27 isn't even "old" for medical school standards). However, I'm not sure if I entirely agree that age is not relevant to this decision. Depending on your priorities and expectations of other aspects of your life (eg. Family), I feel that entering medicine at a later stage in