Writing = M, should I bother?

[Guest Sandman AK]

I am starting the med school application process for the first time and have noticed that most schools require a minimum of "N" for the Writing Sample in the MCAT. Here's my background:

 

I scored

Verbal Reasoning: 10

Physical Science: 13

Biological Science: 12

 

I have a 4 years honours degree in Biochemistry from Queen's University and I am half way through my Masters of Science program in Biochemistry. GPA (depends on how you calculate it and if my Grad school marks are counted) may be right at the cutoffs of most schools. ~78%

 

I understand the requirements for med school changes every year so what schools do I have a legitimate chance in getting an interview? Thanks for any feedback.

[Guest arjuna83]

First of all, congrats on those excellent MCAT scores!

 

Unfortunately, the M is going to jeapordize your chances at two Ontario schools: Queens and Western. Both these schools have extremely rigid cutoffs (Their writing cutoffs were Q last year I think; and the chances of them getting lower this year are minimal).

 

Although UofT says any score below 9 or N would jeapordize an application, there's evidence of them looking over one section of the MCAT. If you look at the stats on the "accepted/waitlisted/rejected" thread, you'll find that there are a few applicants who were accepted with an 8 verbal score.

 

McMaster and NOMS don't require MCAT, so your good to go in these schools.

[Guest avisee]

I would say that how you calculate your GPA really will make a huge difference, since you are so borderline. I have an 83% which works out to a 3.5, which is very bottom-of-the-line, so hopefully your 78 is composed of a few good years or else doesn't have a lot of variation in marks (since low marks will pull down your GPA more so than high marks will pull it up).

 

This is a tough call. I'm not sure if there are schools that will accept an M on the written sample, unless you are an in-province applicant outside of Ontario.

 

You would of course qualify for schools that don't require the MCAT (eg, McMaster and Ottawa), but your GPA could be a problem there. If you have at least a 3.5 overall and some decent extracurriculars, it might be worth giving McMaster a shot. You could also apply to Ottawa and qualify through their graduate pool, especially if you have good research productivity (publications, presentations, etc). Your chances there depend on your WGPA by Ottawa's scale, but if your undergrad marks are better in your upper years than in your lower, and you have good grades in grad courses (I think they may require straight A's in every grad course, though I'm not totally sure), then it could be worth applying.

 

If you don't have much success with interviews or acceptances this year, it might be wise to rewrite the MCAT next spring or summer. You had great science scores on the test, so even if you study less and they drop a point or two, you should still be fine, and presumably will be able to keep your verbal score at least at a 9 if you rewrote. It shouldn't take much effort to improve your M score. Just practice writing essays with advice from arts-student friends, or from a writing support centre at your university, or by reading the essay advice in MCAT prep books. If you have the time, you might consider taking a technical writing or english class, or even an interesting arts class that requires lots of essay writing (you could do this by distance ed, at a night class, or try to squeeze one in during the day). Some schools will let grad students take undergrad courses for free, as long as you don't mind the extra work. If you have two good years (at a GPA >3.6), then rewriting the MCAT and bumping up your essay score could open doors at a number of schools (Queen's, Western, Dal, Calgary.. possibly others) if you don't already meet the essay cutoffs at those schools.

[Guest Sandman AK]

Thanks for the replies. For the GPA, your 83% would be a 3.7 if you were from Queen's according to the OMSAS conversion table. I'm not sure how they calculate it. I did take one summer course in my second year so if they take that into account and my grad school marks (as well as disregarding my first year marks!!!), I will be on the verge of a 3.6 GPA I think. ~80%

The U of T revelation has lifted my spirits a tiny bit thanks! Hopefully being a grad student will set me apart. So what other schools would be open to someone in my position?

[Guest T dawg 2004]

Summer School Courses don't count towards your OMSAS GPA.

 

Usually, if you have finished (or are in) two years of a Masters program, they will use that to compute your GPA... Besides U of T, I think at Ottawa you get placed in a different pool to be considered if you are a grad student.

[Guest threeputt]

I agree that your GPA may be more problematic than your MCAT scores - but many schools have a weighting formula that drops lower grades. For instance, Queen's and Western will look at your last two years only (best two yrs for Western?), so this may help you out.

 

Queen's WS cutoff was N this yr, so there is a slight (very slight) chance it may go down to M next year, but I don't think you should count on it.

 

For OOP, the GPA will probably hinder you, as most provinces are much tougher on OOP applicants. So I think your best shot is to write the MCAT again, improve on that score, and apply in Ontario. That probably seems awful, but you've already proven you can get a great score - you may even improve the other sections since you know what to expect (not that it really matters, since you just need to make the cutoff).

 

Another option is the USA, where they place heavy emphasis on the MCAT numerical scores, and pretty much none on the WS. Again, the GPA may keep you out of the top-tier schools, but you should have a chance at others down there. Look in the American schools forum for more info.

[Guest aneliz]

I also think that your GPA may be much more of a problem than your MCAT scores.

 

To calculate your GPA, you need to convert the grade your received IN EACH COURSE to a 4.0 GPA and then AVERAGE the course GPA's for each year to get a GPA for the year.

 

You cannot average your courses for the year in percent and then convert the average to a GPA.

 

For example:

 

If in a year you had:

 

Course A - 90%

Course B - 85%

Course C - 76%

Course D - 79%

Course E - 70%

 

Your 'average' would be 80% - direct conversion of the average gives you a GPA of 3.7

 

However, if you calculate the GPA properly (converting each course grade and THEN averaging) you get a GPA of 3.44

 

It is possible for people to have the same 'average' and have a very different GPA. Two people could have an 85% average, but there person that got 85% in all courses would have a higher GPA than the person with half 95's and half 75's.

 

Your MCAT scores are great...except for that M.... which unfortunately will put you fully out of the running at UWO...

 

Good luck!

[Guest gonzo23]

Just to add about OOP that from what I understand McGill and Dalhousie do not look at the writing sample. I could be wrong b/c I haven't applied first hand but I have a friend who applied from BC to both Dal/McGill with a lower writing sample than you and she got interviews at both.

 

Cheers.

[Guest Sandman AK]

Oh shoot...

[Guest medicator007]

Just to back up what was recently said... McGill does not look at the writing sample. Sandman my MCAT score was pretty similar to yours, I got an M on the WS... I don't know what went wrong and at first I was miffed. Truth be told it only really torpedoed my shots at Queen's and UWO, their loss

 

So even with my M and an average GPA I am now a 3rd year medical student... so yeah, you should bother!

[Guest Sandman AK]

Thanks for the encouragement! Are you from Quebec? I hear it's tough for someone in Ontario to be accepted to McGill. Also, what is an average GPA?

[Guest Sandman AK]

Also these scores are from 2002...not sure if that's relevant. I haven't taken the MCAT since.

[Guest medicator007]

MCAT scores are "fine" for 3 years post writing and as much as 5 years at some schools.

 

Yes I am from Quebec, so that certainly makes a difference. It is substantially harder as an OOP, but certainly possible and worth the application if you are interested. Average GPA was a tad above 3.7

 

Medicator