Applying with a Professional Degree

[PharmaLife]

Hi all, 

 

I might be applying this cycle to UOttawa medicine,, but I need to better understand how Ottawa is going to calculate my GPA before making a decision. I tried getting an answer from them directly, but their answer is pretty vague. They said each case in evaluated individually. I thought somebody in the same situation as mine would be able to clarify this for me based off their experience with UOttawa's admission process.

My academic background is very unusual, so none of the examples that are shown on their website actually applies to my case. I have completed 2 years of CEGEP like most pre-university students in Quebec. However, instead of enrolling in a regular undergraduate degree (Bachelor's degree), I went on to undertake a doctor of pharmacy degree (PharmD). While my GPA in pharmacy was not stellar, it was still above the average  GPA of my graduating class. Unfortunately, I realized too late that no medical school cares about this detail, so I had no choice but to enrol in a 2nd undergrad degree, more specifically, one that would lead to a BSc. I already completed my 2nd year out of my 3-year program. So far, I thought Ottawa would disregard my grades from my professional degree since it is not one that leads to a bachelor's degree, but now I'm not sure anymore, especially after reading their last email.

If they take everything into account (including pharmacy grades), then YEAR 1 would consist of my last year of PharmD while YEAR 2 and YEAR 3 would correspond to my 2  years spent in my BSc. In that case, I wouldn't make the GPA cut-off for sure despite their 3-2-1 weighing formula. I  found that I can only get an interview this cycle if they overlook my last year of pharmacy school and stick to my CEGEP grades for YEAR 1, just the way they would do it for a regular applicant from QC (CEGEP + 2 years of a Bachelor's degree).

 I'm really confused as to whether or not I should even bother applying. I'm not writing MCAT until next summer, so Ottawa is my only hope in Ontario this year, but if I don't even stand a chance there, then I feel like it's pointless to waste time with OMSAS to ultimately get rejected for not having the minimum GPA for a full application review.

 

Did anyone here already apply to UOttawa medicine with a professional (non-BSc) degree in the past? Did they include your years spent in a professional degree in their GPA formula?

 

Thanks! 

 

[Kez]

From their website :

Please note that professional degrees earned at Canadian Institutions are generally considered undergraduate degrees. Applications will be individually assessed during the evaluation process once the application is submitted at OMSAS. 

(https://med.uottawa.ca/undergraduate/admissions/application-process/eligibility-requirements) - Under Eligibility Criteria

And :

Your Cegep studies will be recognized as being equivalent to one year of post-secondary university studies provided that you have obtained your Diplôme d’Études Collégiales (DEC).  You will need to complete two years of a bachelor’s program of studies (including prerequisite courses completed with a minimum Grade of 70%) in a recognized university to meet our application eligibility.  You would normally apply after your 1st year of university studies.  Only the grades obtained during this year of studies will be assessed.

(https://med.uottawa.ca/undergraduate/admissions/faq)

From what I understood your CEGEP years will not count towards your WGPA whereas your final PharmD year could count. It seems they really do evaluate these cases on an individual bases. If I were you I'd apply, worst case you lose money on the application fee and can apply the following year. Good luck  

[Donald_Duck]

If they do decide to count your PharmD as a bach degree, then the formula you quoted is corrrect. If they don't, they will take the last year of CEGEP into consideration.

That being said, if you do not have above the GPA cutoff, please do not apply as you are wasting your money and more importantly your time.

Please note that the GPA cutoff for Quebec applicants out of the Outaouais region is 3.85 (outaouais region is 3.7). They are subject to change every year.

All the best

Mr Duck

[PharmaLife]

On 7/30/2018 at 2:22 PM, Donald_Duck said:

If they do decide to count your PharmD as a bach degree, then the formula you quoted is corrrect. If they don't, they will take the last year of CEGEP into consideration.

That being said, if you do not have above the GPA cutoff, please do not apply as you are wasting your money and more importantly your time.

Please note that the GPA cutoff for Quebec applicants out of the Outaouais region is 3.85 (outaouais region is 3.7). They are subject to change every year.

All the best

Mr Duck

My GPA would be about 3.9 without my PharmD grades, but it would be way lower (approximately 3.7) if my final year of pharmacy was to be taken into account.This is  actually why I thought of asking online to see if people could tell me from experience how they'd calculate my GPA. One way would result in an automatic rejection while the other would give me a decent chance of getting an interview. Anyway, I made the decision to apply anyway to familiarize myself with the process. I guess it's all a matter of luck at this point. 

[Donald_Duck]

Too bad they don't have a pass fail system like they do in Med school for pharmacy :l

Mr Duck