Confluence

I've applied to do electives at larger centres in cities like Vancouver and Toronto. I have heard some say that it is not great for med students to be at these larger sites where there are so many other leaners and residents because you don't get much interaction with your assigned preceptor. From those who have done electives at larger sites, what are your thoughts on this? Thanks!

The advisor I spoke to said that that max is increasing from 275k to 300k. Not sure exactly when it’ll be updated though.

They also added in CASPER, an essay, and a panel interview over the course of only a couple cycles smh

I’ve seen quite a few med students vlogging on YouTube and was wondering if anyone has come across some good channels that they’d recommend!

Yup, I took a plain old general science degree—no honours or specialization.

I’m really naive about this whole system, but are there no board exam scores that are important to attaining residency positions? (Like the USMLE in the states) So far, I’ve been hearing lots about likability and fit, but not much about exam scores.

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I’ve heard people mentioning that because of Calgary’s 3 year program, a person wanting to pursue a competitive specialty should have their act together with a plan formed early on in med school (less time to explore various specialties). Would any UofC med students further along in their journeys be able to provide insight on what a new med student should do in the first few months of medical school if they are interested in a competitive specialty? Thanks!

Now that it's been a couple years, I was wondering if you had gotten the answers for your questions. I have many of the same ones, and I'd love to hear your current thoughts regarding your previous questions.

You’ll be fine with the EK books. Most of the material is intro level anyway, so you’re fine on that front as well. I took the MCAT without having taken any biochem courses, but still found it doable to learn the material from EK.

Result: Acceptance—Unspecified campus Timestamp: 10:45 am EST 2yr GPA: 3.95 MCAT: 129Chem 128Bio 129CARS 129Psych ECs: Standard—not too diverse, long term-ish Interview: Felt this interview was my best one. Got lucky that panel interview asked many of the questions I had expected and previously thought of.  Year: Just graduated BSc Geography: OOP Will most likely be rejecting this offer in favour of UofC! Good luck to the waitlist!!!

Most definitely helped; thank you!

Thanks for this answer. I’ve been typically hearing that a 3 year program is less ideal than a 4 year one, so it’s good to get a different perspective. Could you talk a little bit more about how Calgary students fare in matching into competitive specialties? What are the disadvantages in that regard?

Don’t worry too much about the summer C+. I got two summer C+’s and still got into Calgary. The UofC in addition to the numberical GPA value, looks at your transcripts in a wholistic, subjective way as well. Thus, even though you may have some “blips”, if you’re trending in the right direction and aren’t only taking cakewalk classes, you shouldn’t shy away from applying.

I can’t actually decide on whether a 3 year program is a selling point or drawback. Hoping for some thoughts that can make things clearer. Any help appreciated!