cv

[lostcegepstudent]

hi everyone! I’m currently in cegep and mcgill has been my dream university for a long time. however, i might not be able to finish my third semester with higher than 34,5. i was wondering what could make my cv stand out to apply in med-p. i have 3 work experiences and a little volunteering. with covid and all, it has been hard to find clubs at school since most of cegep students involved in them were students there in high school. I have all summer and next semester to involve myself in activities. do you guys have any suggestions for me?

thank you so much and have a good day:) 

[bbpremed]

For the CV portion of the Med-P application, I'd say quality is far more important than quantity. Not in the sense of what type of activities/work experience you have (i.e. it does not have to med/science related), but rather how you show that what you learned from these experiences will make you a strong physician. That's really what they're looking for, the description portion of the CV where you make your non-academic qualities (https://www.mcgill.ca/medadmissions/prospective/selection-process/non-academic-criteria) stand out. You already have a strong base for your CV (3 work experiences is impressive for a CEGEP student!), so I would not worry about beefing up your CV, although if you can find a volunteer position you'd enjoy doing this summer (again, does not have to in the medical field!), that definitely would not hurt you. I think your first priority should be making sure your grades are as strong as they can be, as R Score does account for 70% of the interview selection criteria, and although it isn't impossible to get an interview with your R Score, you would maximise your chances if you could get it up by a couple of decimal places next semester.

Best of luck to you and don't hesitate to message me if you have any more questions! 

[ceelbe]

I’m also still an applicant but what I found useful was to list all of the non academic qualities (that the previous person linked) and see if I could match an experience from my cv with each one (and yes some experiences were used for multiple qualities in my case). If I found something was unmatched or weak, I tried to look for experiences that could help fulfil it, while it being something enjoyable to me at the same time. That way you can at least know where you stand and go from there  

[lostcegepstudent]

Do clubs and extracurriculars have a big importance? I’m not really committed at school and I’m scared it might go against me   Or do you have any idea of opportunities outside of school ?

[MedGoal2021]

1 hour ago, lostcegepstudent said:

Do clubs and extracurriculars have a big importance? I’m not really committed at school and I’m scared it might go against me   Or do you have any idea of opportunities outside of school ?

As bbpremed said, it's important not only for your application but also for your personal fulfillment that you take part in ECAs that you enjoy and find valuable! The CV is worth not that much so if you're not spending that time in the books, do something you love. For me, most of those endeavours involved me leading and organizing large projects, but for you that may be different. You may be into sports, photography, leadership, volunteering, music, etc. just do what makes you happy and think about how said activity can help you become a better physician. If you're not quite sure, something that Gary Vaynerchuk suggests to young people is to try as many things as possible and trust that eventually you'll find something you love. If you're having trouble seeking out opportunities, depending on your CEGEP, you could speak to a program coordinator, or PM me and I can give you a hand!

On another note, it's definitely hard to remain focused and motivated during the pandemic. I'm in the same boat, my performance and confidence have seen a dip in the past year. There absolutely may be extenuating circumstances that are preventing you from being committed at school. This is normal, and there are plenty of resources to help! However, if you find that you're not committed to school for the "wrong reasons", that may be something to be wary about, especially considering the challenging field you're trying to enter. 

In any case best of luck and feel free to PM me; I could provide some direct resources if you wish!  

[CODgal101]

My advice: Rscore and Casper are the most important indicators, CV is much more minor. Focus your time on doing well on your finals, and devote your next semester to improve your Rscore. If you have a difficult time academically and it's really not possible, I would put a lot of time aside to prepare for the Casper. It is so important to not lose sight that it is 90% Rscore + Casper, 10% CV, so make sure to focus your effort with that in mind. Also, quality>quantity. Show sustained involvement, they can see right through individuals who started everything in their second year to pad their university applications (you note your start/end time on your CV), and this will definitely hurt your chances of getting in.

[marsbar]

i disagree a bit with those above me^ coming from someone who had a medium/bad casper and a 35.5 rscore, my CV is what carried me to get the interview. My friend who has a whole 1 point higher in rscore than me was waitlisted for an interview but is higher ranked than me for UdeM for example. Look, to be frank, McGill says they only use the CV as 10% but I really feel like they put more value to it... Think about it, it's the only chance they really get to get to know YOU personally. The CASPer really doesn't tell them much because the answers of all applicants are about the same and they simply receive a score. So yeah I think the CV counts for a lot more than they say. My CV wasn't crazy or anything but I had a lot of various things and had things that were there for like 10 years for example (sports). They like to see that you stuck with something and that you're a versatile person. You don't have to simply volunteer in a hospital and so on (but I did I have to admit, but then again only for one summer). Some ideas for volunteering now are at vaccination clinics if it's something you're interested in. Again, when you write your CV the most important is gonna be how you spin everything. Someone could have a million crazy things but if they don't write good descriptions saying what they learned it doesn't tell them much. Also, I have to admit Rscore is important. Please believe in yourself. In my first semester I had a 34.0 and then I managed to get a 37 in the last. I put aside all distractions for one semester to be able to satisfy that part (Rscore) for the admissions. Anything is possible and if you do indeed finish with a 34.5 it's not bad at all, if everything else is nice and well rounded.

[askingquestions]

On 5/9/2021 at 1:15 PM, marsbar said:

i disagree a bit with those above me^ coming from someone who had a medium/bad casper and a 35.5 rscore, my CV is what carried me to get the interview. My friend who has a whole 1 point higher in rscore than me was waitlisted for an interview but is higher ranked than me for UdeM for example. Look, to be frank, McGill says they only use the CV as 10% but I really feel like they put more value to it... Think about it, it's the only chance they really get to get to know YOU personally. The CASPer really doesn't tell them much because the answers of all applicants are about the same and they simply receive a score. So yeah I think the CV counts for a lot more than they say. My CV wasn't crazy or anything but I had a lot of various things and had things that were there for like 10 years for example (sports). They like to see that you stuck with something and that you're a versatile person. You don't have to simply volunteer in a hospital and so on (but I did I have to admit, but then again only for one summer). Some ideas for volunteering now are at vaccination clinics if it's something you're interested in. Again, when you write your CV the most important is gonna be how you spin everything. Someone could have a million crazy things but if they don't write good descriptions saying what they learned it doesn't tell them much. Also, I have to admit Rscore is important. Please believe in yourself. In my first semester I had a 34.0 and then I managed to get a 37 in the last. I put aside all distractions for one semester to be able to satisfy that part (Rscore) for the admissions. Anything is possible and if you do indeed finish with a 34.5 it's not bad at all, if everything else is nice and well rounded.

.

[askingquestions]

On 5/8/2021 at 7:44 PM, lostcegepstudent said:

Do clubs and extracurriculars have a big importance? I’m not really committed at school and I’m scared it might go against me   Or do you have any idea of opportunities outside of school ?

.

[marsbar]

2 hours ago, askingquestions said:

I had no club commitments in Cegep so I don’t think it’s super important. Were you involved in clubs/activities in high school? 
You could also try tutoring through your cegep or other orgs, or even independently!

same, I had nothing in cegep except being on the flag football team for a year (covid happened though). but don’t force urself to be too involved in cegep if ur not interested, i feel like it takes up sooo much time and might end up hurting your grades. you can try volunteering on weekends or during the summer. i don’t know if these two programs still exist due to covid but i did the STEP Program at the MUHC (2 months of summer) and also the academie d’été du CHUM (1 week in summer). friends i have now are also volunteering at vaccination clinics! some other ideas are volunteering at the friendship circle in westmount (it’s a center for kids with disabilities), or the mckay center. also, if you play sports, that’s an amazing thing to put on your cv too. other things i can think of are volunteering as a phone recruiter at hema quebec (i did that only a few times and it was super chill), or just a part time job in general like at any store, a pharmacy, or if you’re a lifeguard maybe, or tutoring (there’s usually opportunities to tutor through your school)

[whatisgoingon]

Hey OP, regarding experiences the quality of them matters and I think you can say a lot about your work ethic with 3 jobs while maintaining an R-score as high as yours.

It's a good idea to seek more opportunities, I would suggest things that align with your interests so you don't hate going there every time. Do not take on too much if you think your GPA will take a hit.

I feel for you and have been in your shoes in the past, you can inbox me if you have more questions and I'm happy to talk to you more and look over your stuff.

[premed_13]

I have to agree with those who say that CASPer is really important. I had a 36,1 R score and a pretty good CV in my opinion (I love being involved in things that I have at heart and have been for a long time) and I was initially waitlisted for the MMIs. Thankfully I ended up being invited a few days later after the initial day for interview invites and got in, but as you can see my CASPer really played against me. For reference, I was in the 430s for the waitlist at ULaval (based on 100% CASPer). I also have a friend that had a R score similar to yours and was also waitlisted for the interviews and had an amazing CASPer, so we had a big difference in R score but were really close on the list for interviews invites. I think if you get a really good CASPer score, even with this R score you have a chance:))

[JosePurry]

Thanks for the good recommendations! Improving my CV is the main task for me now. I still have a year for that, and I am actively looking for any activities I can involve to make this document look better to a possible employer. I might also decide to get a master’s degree in one of England’s universities, and this CV would greatly help.
I know, however, that many employers prefer not to use CVs because the assessment process becomes too long and boring. They choose www.makipeople.com instead to provide possible candidates with well-structured tests to check their skills, personal traits, character type, and so on. It’s a fast and fair way to see who fits the position and who does not.

[doctorsforstudents]

CV is definitely one of the most important deliverables in your application. I personally used a tutor who helped me through CV writing and MMI. I know that about 20 people got in from our cohort and we were like 30 people. Thats awesome stats! It might be late in the cycle but let me know if youd like his contact info.

[cc11]

3 hours ago, doctorsforstudents said:

CV is definitely one of the most important deliverables in your application. I personally used a tutor who helped me through CV writing and MMI. I know that about 20 people got in from our cohort and we were like 30 people. Thats awesome stats! It might be late in the cycle but let me know if youd like his contact info.

I'd be interested to have his contact info if you don't mind sharing

[neuro2859]

On 10/5/2022 at 11:59 AM, doctorsforstudents said:

CV is definitely one of the most important deliverables in your application. I personally used a tutor who helped me through CV writing and MMI. I know that about 20 people got in from our cohort and we were like 30 people. Thats awesome stats! It might be late in the cycle but let me know if youd like his contact info.

Hey! I'd appreciate his info too  thanks a lot

[Dash]

Hello. I would also appreciate the tutor's contact info. Thanks in advance!

[ram]

Can someone shows their cv for reference. The due date is soon and I am really not sure what I should put in my cv .