high school activities??

[Guest QuestionMan23213]

I applied to Ottawa this past year and was rejected based on my detailed ABS. They said I had too many high school activities that overshadowed the university stuff, and they really stressed this point. The sketch component of the OMSAS applications however states that all activities since age 16 can be included and many other Ontario schools look at them (toronto, mac, etc). So Im wondering whether I should just leave all of my high school activities blank when filling out my detailed ABS for Ottawa U? If this is not advisable, how do you go about emphasizing your university experiences that are interspersed among high school activities/awards etc. I do have tones of University ECs, research, and awards as well but I do think the highschool stuff cluttered it.

 

Thanks for the feedback.

[Guest jmd]

Hi!

 

Unfortunately, I do not have an answer to your question. I guess I would just do what they said and cut out some of the highschool stuff, if you have enough university activities to replace those. I know it kinda sucks since it may decrease some of the breath of activities you have taken part in.

 

I was wondering how you got that information regarding your application. Does the office provide that feedback by phone, email, or written request by mail?

 

Thanks!

jmd

[Guest DrPunjabi]

I don't know if this will help you, but be picky about what you put on your application as far as activities go. You want ones that highlight you and your strengths. For example: I had tons of activities from high school, in fact way more than I did for university. But face it things like being a part of the committee that builds a floats for the annual Christmas parade does not look as good as stuffing bears and cleaning bears for kids who go through traumatic experiences. Ok, this is lame but do you see what I am getting at. It's the quality of the stuff you were involved in and not how much you actually did. This is how I looked at it, and it worked for me. Someone else may have some better advice for you, but for me at least my high school didn't out shadow my university and it gave importance to each and every activity for both secondary and post secondary. The main point is you don’t need everything, you need the good quality stuff you did.

[Guest mcatsucks]

Someone told me that Ottawa grades their sketch..so does that mean that if you have more entries, your mark on the sketch will go up..I only have 35 entries and that is stretching it.Opinions would be helpful. Thanks

[Guest FrenchyMed]

For Ottawa entries quality is more desirable than quantity... When grading your sketch, Ottawa ranks activities pursued in university higher than those pursued in highschool. How exactely is the sketch graded?? No idea...

 

I would suggest you list your most recent activities first in your sketch. Then you add some highschool stuff if there is room left.

 

As mentioned above, I would also be more choosey when it comes to highschool activities. Some will be worth mentioning, but not all of them.

 

I only listed one activity from my highschool years. Then again, I was a little older when I applied and my highschool days seemed obsolete...

 

Also, you may want to group some activites to decrease the "clutter". I volunteered at my university's open doors and engineering olympics a few years in a row. I grouped those in my application.

 

How many entries are best??? Hard to say. You need enough entries to demonstrate that you are a well-rounded individual with a variety of interests and volunteer experiences.

 

So do you need to fill out the entire list to get an interview? NO...

 

Hope this helps. Good luck with your application!

 

FrenchyMed (UOttawa Meds 08)

[Guest QuestionMan23213]

Hey Wassabi, I sent you a PM.