Guest physiology Posted March 13, 2003 Report Share Posted March 13, 2003 Hello, Soapyslicer - I'm wondering how you were able to get such a high score in the non-academic criteria out of 25? Specific examples would be great, but if you don't feel comfortable doing that, anything general would be cool too. I'm curious and maybe it'll help out my application next year. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tea Posted March 14, 2003 Report Share Posted March 14, 2003 hi guys, i'd be interested in knowing too. My guess is that you must be a winter Olympic athlete Soapyslicer in addition to everyting else. Actually, I've just reviewed my file with UBC, world class athlete/performer etc. get 5/5 on the "high level of performance" category. I only finished piano (royal conservatory) and scored 2/5. (if you have a black belt in karate you'll get 2/5. So.... applicants... please remember your kung fu. :lol I didn't see anything for Tai chi. So, i don't know if i should bother putting that in next year. ) I've organized and lead teams of physicians/surgeons /dentists/nurses etc.... to other poor areas of the world for humanitarian works. I've been doing it for 4 years. I scored 5/5 for capacity to work with others. 4.5/5 for diversification of experience. 2/5 for leadership :\ I've listed numerous teaching/mentor/camp supervisor positions. Totalling 10 hours/week all year long. I've been doing this for about 7 years. 2/5 for service ethics. :eek don't know how they rated this. Doesn't my long term commitment to all my volunteering positions mean anything??? oh forgot, i got an extra .5 point bonus for overcoming hardship. (a. for being imprisoned 10 months when i was 5. My crime? attempted to escape a communist country. for goodness sake, i was only 5!:rolleyes . b. numerous cheating-death experiences for trying to escape). I don't mean to be lighthearted about it. The experience actually had forced me to grow up rather quickly. My overall score: 16/25. This apparently is the average score. So if you have similar experiences as me, then this is where you stand. The advisor suggested that i should do something to bring it up to 19-21/25 b/c that could make a difference when they're choosing b/t 2 well qualified individuals for the last spot. Any suggestions? tea. ps. My references: my advisor was very "pleased" with my selection of references. I don't know what it could mean or play any roles in this whole admission process. Anyhow, if it helps anyone to know... My academic ref: a professor who happened to be the department chair. Personal and vol ref: 2 MDs : 1's a specialist, the other 's a medical director (at the Centre where i work). Again, she kept stressing about the tiny details that would've made a huge difference in the offer for that "final spot". btw. they take points off (yup.. actually deduction!!) for messy application and poor references. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest shrimp Posted March 15, 2003 Report Share Posted March 15, 2003 Tea, Do you have UBC interviews this year? Your experiences and references were great and I think you should have interviews. I thought only those who didn't have interviews can review their file right now...I also want to review my file too! Who did you contact with to review the file? Thank you very much! Also, which poor country did you travel to? Shrimp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tea Posted March 15, 2003 Report Share Posted March 15, 2003 hi shrimp, how was your interview? did you make it through the storm/avalanches?? nope, i didn't make it to the interview. my grade wasn't high enough. Didn't make the 34 needed. :\ i just called the admission office and requested a review of my file as soon as my reject letter came. They let me see it within a week. (i guess they were feeling sorry for me ) poor country?? mexico and vietnam. i'm looking at China next year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest kellyl20 Posted March 15, 2003 Report Share Posted March 15, 2003 you should apply to other med schools tea or to Mac and Ottawa anyways. Your extracur is very impressive and it was still only average in score? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Orangelifesaver Posted March 15, 2003 Report Share Posted March 15, 2003 thanks for the in depth info tea:) i can't believe that they only give out 2 pts for having a black belt! they really have no idea what it takes to get one. i've put in so many hours (i've been doing karate for 9 years now) and let me be the first to say that its REALLY tough to get your black belt let alone any belt. - you know, i'm really starting to understand all the distaste towards the ubc adcom people.... so soapyslicer how DID you do it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest soapyslicer Posted March 15, 2003 Report Share Posted March 15, 2003 Hi guys, Here is the layout of what I had 2 years ago. I scored 5/5 on everything but the high performance, and diversity where I scored 4/5. Had and extra .5 for hardship and extra mark for outstanding reference letter. Swam nationals not Olympics when I was younger. Competed at national level for lifeguard stuff although those were both 15 years ago. Paramedic X15 years and equal number of years doing volunteer stuff at daycares/schools etc with the ambulance. Mother of 2, Run my own business, Masters student 10 years of collecting used jackets which paramedics keep in the ambulance for the homeless. Involved in policy committee's at the university. Traveled around the world twice by the time I was 11. Many other trips since. Coordinator(one of three) of the Advanced Trauma Life Support course all docs must take. TA first and second year med class sports - rec leagues, city leagues, co-ed leagues Basically I had to write my form out on the computer in 9pt then cut and paste it into the form as I had so much stuff. All of it from a variety of areas. Having said all that I think one of the keys is the length of time and the variety of some of the things - particularly the volunteer community service stuff. As well this year I only scored 19.5 out of 24. I know that they only gave me 2/5 for leadership but I didn't see the point in going over much as there was no way to fight the lower score. I hope they really do take away the subjectiveness of the scoring so it can be more consistent thus more fair for everyone. Remember that you want to come across as a very diverse individual to whomever is marking and looking at the non-acad. Hope that helps, soapy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tea Posted March 15, 2003 Report Share Posted March 15, 2003 wow, thanks soapyslicer. I also got nailed on the leadership thing. I asked the advisor as to what else could i've done to score higher in the leadership category. Her reply: be a president of a club. :eek alright.... martini club anyone??? Orangelifesaver: did you apply to UBC? yeah, i know how hard it is to get a black belt. I got only to blue ( and ended up with bruises all over.) That's why i'm doing tai chi. tea Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Kirsteen Posted March 15, 2003 Report Share Posted March 15, 2003 tea, You're hilarious: that's a good one! (martini club!) Cheers, Kirsteen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Orangelifesaver Posted March 15, 2003 Report Share Posted March 15, 2003 you've done pretty amazing things in your life soapyslicer, it makes me realize how far i still need to go:D tea: ya, i applied to ubc this yr and got a rejection letter without an interview. i think you should still included tai chi in your application - i've done tai chi several times and it's a lot harder on your body then one would think. btw tea, i think the two of us (and other martial artists out there) should offer the adcom people free karate/tai chi classes so they realize what it means to have a black belt or be in tai chi:lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest soapyslicer Posted March 15, 2003 Report Share Posted March 15, 2003 Hi tea and orangelifesaver, Maybe what we could do is organize three clubs - one Karate one tia chi and one martini. That way we can each be a president and each get 5/5. If anyone asks for the membership we can each enroll in each others club!! Just kidding of course! Don't compare yourself to someone else. I am sure you have lots of stuff too it is just a case of looking at your life and laying it all out. I wrote about what I did on the uoft board under "What else can I be doing". soapy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Biochem10 Posted March 15, 2003 Report Share Posted March 15, 2003 Reading the lists people have posted here makes me think that it is ridiculously hard to get into UBC. I definetly don't think you have to be a president of a club in order to exhibit leadership activities and telling people that they do only encourages them to do activities insincerely in order to gain admission into med school. Anyway, obviously one should be well rounded, but I think they are making things pretty difficult--I guess a med school can do that when they are so in demand (being the only med school in BC). Does anyone here know how many (on average) applicants apply each year? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ssup Posted March 15, 2003 Report Share Posted March 15, 2003 936 applicants this year...200 of them had invalid applications I heard... so 736 applicants competing for 128 seats Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest soapyslicer Posted March 15, 2003 Report Share Posted March 15, 2003 hi, Last year, 2002 cycle, we had 883 applicants - eligible/ineligible applicants were 590/688 BC and 137/179 OOP. Out of those if I remember right they interviewed 354, approx. 2.5 times the seats(at least they told us that was their way of deciding how many got an interview Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest medicator007 Posted March 16, 2003 Report Share Posted March 16, 2003 Soapyslicer, Just thought I'd pop in a brief note and mention that its great to see another medic aiming to make the jump. Been a paramedic now for 6 years and am nearing the end of my first year of McGill Medicine. Good Luck! Medicator007 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest soapyslicer Posted March 16, 2003 Report Share Posted March 16, 2003 Hi medicator007, Where did you work? How are you finding school. I figure on of the best part is that when I have to do external jug's etc in third year I will actually know what to do, probably the only time that will happen though. soapy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest medicator007 Posted March 16, 2003 Report Share Posted March 16, 2003 Soapy, I did my training in Vermont at the now defunct bradelborough paramedic program... (Though, i'm a Montrealer born and raised). Spent some time doing the commute and working weekends in VT for the evil AMR Inc. :evil After less than a year in that "system" i gave up that job and have spent the better part of my "career" volunteering for my local ambulance squad (Cote Saint Luc EMS, i still pull a shift every now and then) and doing mostly private contract work on movie sets, commercial shoots and race-tracks....easy work while doing my Bachelors! By and large i find my paramedic training to be of little value in the basic science component thus far... with the exception of the series on ECG interpretation! I'm sure that once we get more into the clinical side of things the paramedic in me will make it a TAD easier for some stuff.. ET, IV, NG, ACLS...etc Where do you work? Assuming you are from BC, have u been associated with the paramedic training that I now hear is under the mandate of the department of justice, or something along those lines? Cheers, Medicator007 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest kooty Posted March 17, 2003 Report Share Posted March 17, 2003 Hey everyone. I think the process is subjective indeed. I have many extracurrics, but none as impressive as any of yours. I am a third year student, and I recieved an interview. I have done many cool things, but nothing like being a national athlete or a paramedic for 15 years. I dont' know how this all works Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest canstowski Posted March 17, 2003 Report Share Posted March 17, 2003 Seriously, i know many people who got into med or got interview with rather average extracirrcular activies. Yea, i'm not trying to downplay everyone else's extraordinary perforamance. In fact, i'm very impress. But this thread is freaking people out almost phrasing as if you need to do THAT much to get into med....come on lets get realistic, shall we? :\ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest soapyslicer Posted March 17, 2003 Report Share Posted March 17, 2003 Hi everyone, I completely agree! My point was obviously lost. It was that: within your life you most likely have a ton of stuff you don't think of as important enough to put on your application. But in fact if you walk 3 nights a week it should be on there. I also was trying help those people who may not be as strong in the academic side some idea's to expand on their non-academics. Please don't use me as an example of what you need to have. I happen to be turning 40 this year and by shear time on the planet have done alot of things. Remember the average last year was 16/25 and most likely will be very similar this year. I apologize if some people thought that 24/25 is what you need as it certainly isn't. I only brought it up originally in a discussion about the subjectiveness of the marking of the non-academics. As well, I went into detail as people specifically asked me my background and what it took to get such a high mark. soapy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tea Posted March 17, 2003 Report Share Posted March 17, 2003 hi soap, i'm in the club. hahaha..... Thank you for sharing your experiences. Even if i don't make it into med school (although i'm gonna keep trying until i hit retirement at 65.. Then i'll apply as a senior. They gotta let me in by then. Just kidding) it's been quite rewarding process. How often do you get a chance to really really evaluate yourself honestly?? can't wait until i get my hands on the 2004 application. tea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest soapyslicer Posted March 19, 2003 Report Share Posted March 19, 2003 Hi Tea, I can't wait either. I found Dr. Frinton's comments about the fact that they are not even sure how they are going to be looking at students next year. She basically said they had a yet to set the "standards". I think it will be great for them to re-evaluate everything and hopefully work out some of the issues raised this year. It would be great if it went to an online format. I won't be surprised if the forms are out late this year. I started a club last night(haha). Finally cracked open a botle of the blackberry wine I made last year. I guess when they tell you to watch the ETOH content as your wine is brewing you should try and do that. This stuff is the strongest(but really tasty) wine I have ever had. ANyways if I partake in it much more I think I will have to name it the wino club. Not sure that would look good though!!!!! soapy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest physiology Posted March 19, 2003 Report Share Posted March 19, 2003 Hello Soapyslicer, You are currently in a VERY interesting position. Your extra curricular activities and other endeavors are very laudable. When did you complete your undergraduate education, and how does UBC's 10 year rule affect you, if it all? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest kooty Posted March 19, 2003 Report Share Posted March 19, 2003 What's the 10 year rule.....I was looking at all of soapy and tea's ec's and was wondering if age had been a factor in the admissions process? You guys sure are accomplished....I hope I'll have a list of experiences that long one day Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tea Posted March 19, 2003 Report Share Posted March 19, 2003 for the 10 year rule to apply, i must have completed course works in the past 10 years. I did do courseworks. However, UBC has decided not to take those into account. the reason? it was done at a private school in the US and unless it's Harvard, otherwise, they won't recognize it. At least that was the reason that was given to me anyway. (Yes it is an accredited school). whatever... I'll just complete some coursework at UBC this summer and reapply. No biggies. I did apply for special consideration, citing illness during the years i was at UBC. Unfortunately, like i said, unless it was really really really special (i was given the eg of cancer), they won't grant special consideration. And all that special consideration will do is to bring me into the interview. At the interview, i'll get a score out of 50. Then they'll add the other academic/nonacademics in. Unless i get 50/50 for the interview, otherwise, the GPA will bring the whole score down. It was my fault for down playing my illness and the fact that i only learnt english 3 years before i made it to UBC English 100. Anyhow.... I've got to learn to "expand" The advisor was kinda "in shock" when i actually explained things in detail to her. tsk! tsk! So, what have i learnt over this application to med school?? I gotta explain things in details. Don't assume that people will understand your situation. And.... it's ok to "elaborate"...(humility will get you nowhere- at least in the admission process anyway. Be sincere but definite elaboration is needed!! ) Ok... that's what i've learnt this year. Maybe i'll learn something else with next year application. tea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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