OOP, GPA, MCAT - a bit of everything!

[Guest steak]

Hey All,

 

A few quick questions that I'd appreciate some feedback on..

 

I'm hoping to be an OOP applicant (well, I WILL be OOP) this fall.

 

Educational path: BMath, MBA, then BSc

cGPA (all courses) is a 3.04 (but 76.1%)

 

Question 1) The UBC web page says it computes gpa based on all university level courses and requires a 70% / 2.8.

 

a) does this include grad courses, and

which is it - 70% or 3.0? As with my case, when you get a large number of courses under your belt, there is a significant difference between the two

 

(also, does UBC use the same scale as OMSAS?)

 

Question 2)

MCAT: 12V, 10B, 10P, M. Is the M going to be a big problem?

 

Thanks for any input!

 

Steak

[Guest Kirsteen]

Hi again steak,

 

To answer one of your questions, all courses, including graduate courses, are included in UBC's academic calculations.

 

Cheers,

Kirsteen

[Guest steak]

wohoo..

finally a school who isn't (graduate degree)ist

[Guest flowers]

hey! i'm kinda in the same situation as an OOP, but honestly, what are the chances with slightly lower than avg. marks of getting an interview? ie: 83% in last two years, 76% overall, over 10 in all sections of MCAT and R in WS??????

[Guest steak]

hey flowers,

 

those marks seem to be pretty competitive with the posted profile of admitted students. i realize there's more than just the marks, but i'm sure that (like everywhere else) it's a big part..

 

what other schools are you looking at?

 

steak

[Guest flowers]

oh my god - are you serious steak! i seriously thought i had no chance! mind you, i used to go to the u of a (aka: harvard of the north!). here it's all about the #'s and i decided to apply somewhere where they look carefully at other things like extra currics. perhaps i'll apply to calgary and maybe down east (although i prefer to stay close to home!) how bout you?

[Guest steak]

well, with my "unconventional" academic background, and with courses to date, I will only be able to apply (and will be doing so) to:

 

Calgary

UBC

Northern, and

Western (contingent upon an MCAT rewrite to better my M)

 

I'm waffling on doing another year to go from a 3 yr to 4 yr BSc, and in the process hopefully making myself eligible to apply to Mac, Manitoba, Western (next year they need an Hons degree), and otherwise just strengthening my application to the same schools above.

 

As I'm just scraping by the cutoffs in most areas for most of the schools above, I'm not expecting great things, but maybe I can play the maturity/life experience card effectively..

 

steak

[Guest physiology]

which is it - 70% or 3.0? As with my case, when you get a large number of courses under your belt, there is a significant difference between the two

 

The released academic information regarding rejected/accepted candidates is always in percentage form. UBC uses a percent system and leaves your grades in that form. If you come from a school like SFU that only uses letter grades, they convert that to a percentage as well. So, my best guess is that they would convert the grades on your transcript, in whatever form they are (purely letter grades or purely GPA) into a percent.

 

In your case, the percent system can really "wipe out" those low grades, if they exist. I know that in a GPA system getting one C+ can really lower your 4.0 GPA if all other grades are As.

 

BTW, all courses taken at the university level are taken into consideration. This includes graduate work (like Kirsteen said) and summer school as well.

 

UBC is one the few schools that considers summer school grades. However, that said, UBC may weigh them differently. I think this has to do with the fact that SFU has a fully operating summer session.

 

MCAT: 12V, 10B, 10P, M. Is the M going to be a big problem?

 

If you get in, no. If you don't, yes. Sounds useless but UBC admissions is sketchy. If you don't get accepted, and you go to the file review session, they'll point at that M and perhaps your GPA and say "that's the reason." However, it shouldn't hold you back in getting an interview because the MCAT isn't worth very much (5% I think).

 

UBC tries to be transparent by releasing scores to rejected/waitlisted applicants, but there's oh so much more that they don't say.

[Guest Ollie]

steak,

 

I believe the 4 year honours degree requirement for Western does not come into effect for another 2 years. Check out the Western forum to be sure.

[Guest steak]

hey Ollie,

 

yes, i think that's correct - i meant next year's application cycle, rather than next year's starting class (which would be from this application cycle).. the point being that if i don't get in on the strength of the courses i'm already finished with, then i will have had to do another year to even be eligible to apply, nevermind to increase GPA..

 

and physio, thanks for the clarification.. sort of.

 

sometimes i think it'd be nice if they just picked the best GPA/MCAT scores and gave admission to those people.. obviously, that wouldn't yield the best candidates (and in fact, probably wouldn't get me an offer) but think of the administrative headaches (on both sides of the process) and the stressing out that could be avoided!!

 

cheers,

steak

[Guest soapyslicer]

I think you have to remember that being oop you do have to meet a higher standard than the average. I think this year they needed in the neighborhood of 42/50. The academics are out of 25 based on your last 60 cr, your overall GPA and your pre-req average. So with a lower overall you would need high marks in the last 60cr and pre-req's. I think everyone who has been through UBC admission process would tell you that it is hard to say for sure what will get you in but as an OOP you do need a high score out of 50 than on IP to get an interview. Without one of those......

 

That being said I would apply anyways. You never know what you are going to get on the non-academic portion and you never know what the other OOP's applications are like. It took me 4 application cycles and there was little consistency between them all. 1st time missing a pre-req, rejected prior to any assessment. 2nd applied via special consideration - was given an interview, scored in the 85%ile, not given a seat. 3rd time no interview. 4th interviewed and accepted(thank god!!!) However each time was an immense source of learning, particularly because I found out I could request my file via the freedom of info act. Back then they were not giving out any parts of your file at your rejection interview.

 

Make sure take time for your non-academics, it can be a great source of marks. Don't just list items without putting some detail into what made the experience special. If you look at old listings you will find the 5 categories they use to mark them by. Not sure what they are using but I suspect those items are still really important.

 

soapy

[Guest Ollie]

The academics are out of 25 based on your last 60 cr, your overall GPA and your pre-req average.

 

The pre-interview score /25 only includes overall (/15) and last 60 (/10). Perhaps this has changed since previous years, but that's definitely what my score consisted of. The prereq average comes into play after the interview.

[Guest dttran]

Hey Ollie:

 

WHen did you get accepted into UBC? Do you know how the other 25 marks will be marked? Thanks

 

dttran

[Guest Ollie]

I got rejected pre-interview from UBC this year , but I got accepted at UofT :rollin

 

The other 25 marks are for non-academic. You get a score out of 5 in each of 5 categories which are: service ethic, level of acheivement, diversity of experience, ability to work with others, and leadership. In the past there was a "point system" that awarded points in each category for a particular activity. They have changed this to a "holistic" method of awarding your score.