UBC Pre-Requisite Courses

[Guest Kirsteen Can MBA]

Hello,

 

I'm hoping that someone can shed a little light as to how UBC handles their pre-requisite courses.

 

Now, from the UBC Medicine website, it is absolutely clear as to which courses are deemed pre-reqs; however, what I would like to better understand is how, unlike most universities, UBC considers applicants who are CURRENTLY completing some/any of their pre-reqs at the time of application. It is impossible for the Admissions Committee to include those marks, but the AdCom requests that the courses must be complete by April 30th of the year of admission for with you are applying. Do they await the interim marks for those courses and use those in the selection process? Do they assign you a separate mark for those yet-incomplete courses?

 

Anyone have any footing to share on this process?

 

Cheers,

Kirsteen

[Guest Ian Wong]

I can't help you too much here, but what I can tell you is a bit of my past experience. I applied during third year, while I was simultaneously taking Biochem 300, a full year UBC med prerequisite.

 

I was granted an interview in early April 1999, before I'd written my final Bioc 300 exam. If I remember correctly (and I might not be), the transcript I'd sent in with my UBC application gave marks for all my completed courses, and an "In progress" for all the courses I was currently taking. Therefore, since I was granted an interview without UBC knowing my final Bioc 300 mark, I can only assume that they extrapolate what your marks will be based on your current academic record. This has the same effect as the other possibility, that being that they simply don't include that course into your GPA calculations.

 

They did require another transcript once all my courses (including Bioc 300) were complete, and the marks were ready. Therefore, although you may get an interview without UBC having all your pre-requisite marks, it's best not to slack off at that point, and still try for the highest mark possible. I don't know how poorly you'd have to do on that pre-requisite in order to jeopardize your admission chances.

 

Ian

UBC, MS2

[Guest Kirsteen Can MBA]

Thanks for your insight, Ian,

 

I thought I'd hold off phoning the Admissions Office on this issue until after their tornado of activity had diffused a little. So I spoke to them today, and received some nice clarification as to how pre-requisites, incomplete at the time of application, are included in the selection process.

 

If you apply to UBC's MD program and are enrolled (and have not yet completed) some or all of your pre-requisite courses, then no marks for those courses will be included in either: your pre-requisite average nor GPA calculation, to determine whether or not you will be invited for interview. If you are invited for an interview based on your remaining credentials, then come May, when your pre-requisite courses are complete, you will be asked to forward a final transcript which should include those initially missing, pre-requisite course marks. At that time your pre-requisite course marks will be used to re-calculate your pre-requisite average, which will consequently adjust your rank in the list of MD program candidates.

 

Good luck,

Kirsteen