Non-academic sections of application

[Guest leviathan]

Hey all,

 

I'm curious to find out what sections are on the non-academic part of the application? Is there a link to what things they want you to fill out, or can someone give some information about it on here? I'd like to know if there are any sections on there where I am not going to have anything to put down so I can work on those before I apply in September. For example, I think research is one of the areas on the application, and that right now is going to be blank for me.

[Guest Melisende]

The non-academic part of the application are:

culture/community service experiences

leadership/working with others experiences

travel/sports/arts experiences

outdoor experiences (recreational or educational, organized or informal)

experiences showing self-reliance (independence, decision-making, maturity, facing diversity)

other experiences(eg. research, non-academic awards, publications, and certifications. etc)

experiences in rural/remote/northern/aboriginal communities or with aboriginal people (living, working, volunteering, etc.)

[Guest leviathan]

Hi Melisende,

 

It looks like I'm going to have little to say in some of those categories! (Eg., experiences with aboriginal communities).

 

Do they want you to fill these things out with specific activities in a list format, or are you allowed to just type out a paragraph or two explaining how you meet the criteria? For example, I don't know how I would write activities that show "experiences showing self-reliance", but I could certaintly write a few paragraphs about how I've lived on my own for the last few years, supported myself through working, dealt with health issues in the family, etc.

 

Also, can you use the same extracurricular activity in more than one field if it fits more than one category, and can you explain how?

[Guest Melisende]

Hi leviathan,

The application is a list format. You list an activity and have a limited number of characters you can use to describe the activity.

Regarding if you can use the same activity twice, that I don't really know. I think there was an older thread that discussed that. If I remember correctly people had slightly different opinions about if you can use the same activity twice.

[Guest leviathan]

Hi Melisende,

 

Thanks for the info. That's pretty stupid, if you ask me. For example, how do you write an extracurricular activity for "facing adversity"?

 

Do you write "Cancer" followed by the number of hours you were involved with this extracurricular activity that shows your ability to face adversity? :rolleyes

[Guest drcave]

 

I have the perfect EC for facing adversity. Cave exploration. Squeezing through tight passages, crawling through mud, rigging deep pits with hanging death (loose rocks), rappelling through waterfalls, groveling through mud, fighting hypothermia and at the same time making detailed survey measuremnts to draw a map of the cave.

 

Many times I've had to rescue tired, or sick companions and haul them up long vertical drops (30 to 40m) and once even had to crawl out of a cave with a fractured talus while trying to keep my buddy from panicking.

 

So want to face adversity? Then go caving! http://www.nature-exploration.com my website where I offer the toughest cave tours in North America. But for a limited time only if I get into medschool.

[Guest DramaticallyCounterintuitive]

Sweet, a fellow spelunker!

[Guest thatuvicguy]

Hey drcave,

 

If you're the Rob fellow on that website I think I followed you around for a mushroom ID hike several years back when I was a UVic bio undergrad. Thetis Lake I think. Anyways, good luck with your application either way.

 

Cheers,

thatuvicugy

[Guest drcave]

Yeah thats me!