Why is USask one of the only medical schools in North America to not consider extracurriculars?

[CanIKickIt]

Above

[minahg]

Mac, Manitoba, sask all don't consider ECs post interview. 

Not sure why but I would speculate that ECs can be subjective view of personal characteristics. The schools try to assess personal characteristics through interviews and casper. 

[Iwillmakeit]

Result - Waitlisted 4th Quartile 

GPA - 83

MCAT - 505

Location - IP

Degree - Biology UG

 

What are my chances of getting in from the waitlist this year? Any thought?

 

posted here by mistake. Oops

[zoxy]

As people have already said, it's not just Sask. Mac and Manitoba already do it as well.

It's because they interview pretty much any IP candidate with a feasible shot of getting in. They interview around 70 percent of all IP applicants. No other school will interview such a high percentage of IP applicants. Why would they go through looking at EC's just to interview the same group of people? You have a UAA of 75 and an MCAT of 495? You get an interview! No other school does that. They also added interview slots this year and I think the proportion of IP candidates interviewed is greater than 70 percent for this cycle.

Even UBC which puts a great deal on ECs pre-interview with the NAQ accounting for 50 percent of the pre-interview score doesn't use it post-interview. Look at the UBC sub, it's full of people with great NAQs and above average interviews who get rejected post-interview. An above average interview and great NAQ isn't enough to overcome a bad GPA and MCAT at UBC. They don't use ECs too aggressively there either post interview.

I'm not saying it's fair, just that IP from Sask already have the best shot of getting into med-school in Canada. And studies have shown that once you get to MCATs below 505 medical students start to struggle with the rigor.

Anyway, the UofS is currently reviewing its admission procedures. They have a new director of admissions as of last year, Dr. Domes, and he might put his own stamp on admissions by adding ECs. What I do like about USask is how transparent and informative their admission process is. I hope that other schools take a leaf out of their book.