Applying during 3rd year. Good or bad?

[Guest 2ndYear]

I want to apply in the beginning of my third year of undergrad studies. However, is this a disadvantage? Does the admissions committee look less favourably on students applying during 3rd year?

 

I know that when they receive our transcripts in October, they'll only get our 1st and 2nd year marks.

 

Another thing, how does the med school evaluate summer school credit?

 

Oh, and Ian (Med 3 student), do you know anyone who got in after 3rd year. Did they do worse than students with baccalaureate degrees?

[Guest KatieKat]

UBC accepts very few people without bachelor's. Out of a class of 128 last year, only about 4 people got in after 3 years. But I think its always good to apply after 3 years anyway so that you can get experience interviewing! That way when you do have your degree you'll also have med interviewing experience.

 

UBC factors in summer classes to your overall average.

 

And Ian knows someone who got in after 3 years, because he did! Lucky guy...

[Guest Ian Wong]

In my class, about 8-9 of us got in after third year, and at least one of them already had a Bachelors degree by this point. This last year, as mentioned already, only 4 people out of 128 got in after 3 years without a degree. That's mighty slim odds.

 

Essentially, you need to be really superlative in all aspects of your application to get in after third year as you are competing against people who've had an additional year to get stuff done compared to yourself. I encourage people to apply after third year, but with the mindset that they probably won't get in. The situation may be slightly different in Ontario, where I hear because of Grade 13, many more third year applicants may be accepted (at least at U of T) as it's possible to complete a degree in that time period.

 

The reason for applying a year early is that when you re-apply in fourth year, you'll already have a copy of last year's application, you'll have all of your references already available, and you might even have had a chance to do some interviews the previous year and hobnob with other applicants while on the road. In this respect, I think applying after third year really gives you a leg up on other people when you apply again in fourth year, because you're already experienced in jumping all the hoops of the application process. And who knows, you might be one of those third years who gets accepted.

 

As far as how the third year acceptee's perform, academically they are indistinguishable, if not brighter when it comes to writing tests than the rest of the class. Just running through my classmates who got in after third year, I can't think of anyone who isn't considered to be above average, at least in book smarts. Although, we also tend to be less encumbered by things like marriages and kids, so perhaps there's just more time to devote to med school. Where we lack is perhaps in having that extra year of maturity and experiences. At the onset, I was much less comfortable working with patients than many of my older classmates (which can be really frustrating), but that gets better with time.

 

Ian

UBC, Med 3