UBC Med 2021/2022 Chances

[FF20]

Hello there,

I was wondering if I could receive some feedback from this community regarding my chances. Here is my stats and would really appreciate any tips and thoughts from you helpful people:

GPA: 90.5%, (Biology Honours, Chemistry Minor)

IP

Extra curriculars:

-1 year research assistant (wet laboratory) + 2 poster presentations (160 h)+ one of posters received DEAN OF SCIENCE AWARD. (Worked on synthesizing novel compounds with catalytic potential to perform water oxidation, a green method of producing hydrogen gas, an environmentally friendly feul)

-1 year volunteering as an office coordinator for Canadian Cancer Society, processing donations, planning and preparing for fundraising events, answering emails and phone call inquiries. (130h)

-Volunteered for 8 months in ER. (81 hours)

-Volunteered 1 year in a senior resident center.(65hours) Doing activities with seniors to create a sense of engagement and belonging.

-Played piano since childhood, performed on community events like funerals and community gatherings. As well as performances in Spring and Christmas concerts in my high school.

-Volunteered with a non profit organization helping ESL adults who recently moved to the country to improve their English language skills and prepare for english proficiency exams like CELPIP to increase their chances of admission to different education programs and increase their chances of obtaining permanent residency . (9 months)

-Founded a Vancouver based advocacy group focused on advocating for eradication of extreme poverty globally as well as equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines. Published 2 letters on newspapers and coached other leaders to lead and found their own groups. One of the letters was about funding international programs like ACT-A that aims at increasing access to COVID-19 vaccines and another was addressing the problem of tuberculosis in first nation community in Canada. (8 months, 124 h)

- CCS Run director, my district raised more funds than anywhere across the country and was featured on national television. (6 months, 85 h)

-6 years working in a pharmacy as a pharmacy assistant (working with vulnerable populations like OAT patients, worked with individuals who struggled with opioid addiction, mental health, and homelessness). ongoing.

- Worked one summer in a sunglasses kiosk.

-Life Experience: Immigrated to Canada when I was 18 years old, spend significant time learning and adapting to the new environment.

- Spend significant time teaching my family english, accompanying them to their doctor's/bank/ immigration lawyer/realtor appointments, translating and facilitating communication.

-Taking care of my mother during and post her surgery, facilitating communication between her and her health care providers by translating.

- Managing a rental suit, collecting payments, addressing repair issues. (4 months)

Awards:

- A president entrance scholarship ($16,000), Leadership Award ($1,000), First year outstanding Chemistry Award (a plate with my name on it, issued from the university), international entrance scholarship($1,000).

I am worried that my activities are not like 3 years or 4 years, except only one. For my MCAT, I am waiting for my results to come back, but what do you guys honestly think about my chances for UBC Med at least for an interview. 

[FF20]

I know it's a long post but your guys' input would be very valuable, and I am taking gap years and this would be my first time really applying, your input can tremendously help me, please don't shy away from leaving a comment. I read everyone of them. Please.

[frenchpress]

Your GPA is competitive. ECs are a crapshoot and its difficult to say how they’ll be scored, since it depends a lot on how you present them and they are scored relative to the other applicants that year. The best I can say about your ‘chances’ is that, if you look at the stats of accepted applicants, you’ll see that there’s plenty of people with similar stats who have been accepted and plenty who have been rejected. Apply and see what happens. 

[FF20]

39 minutes ago, frenchpress said:

Your GPA is competitive. ECs are a crapshoot and its difficult to say how they’ll be scored, since it depends a lot on how you present them and they are scored relative to the other applicants that year. The best I can say about your ‘chances’ is that, if you look at the stats of accepted applicants, you’ll see that there’s plenty of people with similar stats who have been accepted and plenty who have been rejected. Apply and see what happens. 

Thanks very much for the feedback, I guess I can't know if my EC are good or not, I know my GPA is alright but the uncertainty of EC is very concerning to me, and I am on a gap year right now and don't know if I should start a back up programe or continue taking gap years working here and there and applying not knowing much.

[frenchpress]

15 minutes ago, FF20 said:

Thanks very much for the feedback, I guess I can't know if my EC are good or not, I know my GPA is alright but the uncertainty of EC is very concerning to me, and I am on a gap year right now and don't know if I should start a back up programe or continue taking gap years working here and there and applying not knowing much.

You should apply with the expectation that you won’t get in on the first try and plan accordingly. The average number of applications for accepted applicants at UBC is over 2 (so between 2 and 3). You may get in the first try and not have to execute a back up plan. Or you may never get into medicine. So I’ll recommend the same for you as I do for everyone: keep living your life and pursuing things you’re interested in, and which could lead you to a suitable back up career if Med does not pan out. Going into another degree program or just working here and there are Also probably not the only options available to you. 

[appos]

I was rejected off the waiting list so I'm not sure how useful my two cents would be. With your GPA, I'd like to think that you should have a decent chance at a UBC interview and perhaps interview elsewhere in Canada. Check out Ontario since most of those schools don't give any preference to geography.

There's a lot of uncertainty in the way med school admissions select their classes, so I'd go with what @frenchpresssaid about expectations.

[FF20]

On 7/12/2021 at 1:39 PM, appos said:

I was rejected off the waiting list so I'm not sure how useful my two cents would be. With your GPA, I'd like to think that you should have a decent chance at a UBC interview and perhaps interview elsewhere in Canada. Check out Ontario since most of those schools don't give any preference to geography.

There's a lot of uncertainty in the way med school admissions select their classes, so I'd go with what @frenchpresssaid about expectations.

Thanks so much for responding, really appreciate it, I just worry a lot on my NAQs, i know that my GPA is within the range of accepted applicants but I just don't know how my NAQs are seen and asking people looks like it's impossible to find out.

[3betafish]

Hi,

Your GPA is great, and you have an advantage as an in-province.

Can't really give you too much feedback on your activities. It really matters I think how you write about the activities. Try to show how these activities have shaped who you are today as well as how these activities are a representation of who you are. Someone reading your activities section should be able to get a good grasp of you as a person! There are so many factors to it and it's hard to say for certain, but having received an NAQ score in the 75-100%, that's the advice I would give! 

[pretty daffodils]

Absolutely agree with the above comemnts that it completely comes down to how you write your NAQ.  I'm a current UBC MD resident and having helped a few people from this forum in past years, so happy to review applications / interview prep for anyone interested, PM me!