Academic scores for those rejected

[Guest sedination]

Hey there,

 

I was rejected by UBC this year as a 3rd year student and my marks dropped by quite a bit this year, so when I apply next year these marks will factor into my application. I'm wondering how this will affect my academic score and I thought it would be helpful if those that got rejected this year or in previous years could post their average as well as their academic score.

 

The reason I'm curious is that I did pretty well in 1st/2nd year and not so well in 3rd year and I'm a little worried how much my academic score will drop. Well here's mine:

 

Year of Application: 2003

 

Overall GPA 89.77%

Last 60 credits 90.20%

Prerequisites 89.75%

 

Academic score 25/25

[Guest red]

I'm assuming those scores don't include your third year, because they are exceptional- congrats. I was rejected with an overall and last 60 credit GPA of 86% and I had 25/25 academic score. Make up what you may have lost markwise this year by doing lots of extra currics and travel. But most importantly, blow them away in the interview. Because that's what it all came down to for me the past 2 years regardless of a 20.5/25 non-academic score too...Surprisingly, I had an 85% for my interview last year and the same academic score but one interviewer rated me a bit lower than the other and that drew a red flag. This year my interview was only 82% and that mark alone I suspect kept me out. We'll see at the feedback session...

[Guest Phager]

wow, red...I can't conceive why you are not put on wait-list. Your overall scores seem to be quite competitive.

[Guest red]

Yah, the process eludes me but I refuse to give up. I have a list of about 20 questions for the feedback session so I hope to have a better idea of how things are done later this week. Last year I actually forgot to ask my number 1 question and that was why I was not waitlisted!!!!! I feel sort of shafted by the adcom at times (and have actually wracked my brain to remember if there was ever anyone I've ever angered- only to come up with a big fat no). But I do know others who have been in the same situation. My application certainly isn't perfect (one lower MCAT score, a low English mark 10 years ago, a possible strange referee) and offers some room for improvement. You just gotta be strong and keep tryin'.

[Guest sedination]

Wow, red, I seriously cannot believe you didn't get in...so you got an overall 45.5/50 in the academic/non-academic scores and the average of acceptants is 39.2/50...you have to be in the top 5 or 10% of applicants. And your interview is pretty good too. What factor could have caused you to not get in, considering I heard that barely looked at you MCAT scores this year? I honestly don't see one.

[Guest kanayo101]

Hey Red,

 

Do you think you'd wanna share some of your questions for the exit interview? I've been thinking of some but I'm a little dazed right now. I still say you were definately shafted!!

 

I still wonder about those funky mcat scores this year...

[Guest red]

Well, the main one is of course why I didn't get waitlisted at all. Others are sort of specific to my application- like does the one lower MCAT score I have really make a difference in the final vote, even when I had a 100% academic. It has been suggested that little things like that that are overlooked at first actually do influence the verdict in the end when you are compared with another applicant with similar marks and acheivements. I'm asking about any red flags like that.

[Guest Kirsteen]

Hi there,

 

I've seen the UBC interview evaluation form from a previous year's evaluation. On that form were a couple of statements with adjacent tick-boxes, one of which was, "I don't need to discuss this applicant re: admission" and the other, "I had difficulties with this interview". The latter statement also had room for comments. I'm not sure how UBC used these indicators in the final stages of the assessment process, but it's possible that a checkmark in one or the other could boost or scuttle anyone's chances of admission.

 

I've heard of other schools using a similar approach where an interviewer's overall assessment (no matter what the applicant's file score) has veto power. For example, even if the applicant was stellar in terms of academics and non-academics, if they came across as being a bit of a buffoon during the interview, or conversely, a complete star, all the interviewer had to do was indicate this on the interview form, and they'd no longer be in the running for consideration, or they'd be given the red carpet, respectively.

 

I'm not saying the above happened to you, red, nor that UBC still uses this exact interview assessment approach, but it might be one explanation for why they'd turn an otherwise strong candidate away. :rolleyes

 

Cheers,

Kirsteen

[Guest chocolatechips]

Hi red:

 

Your experience sounded like what I had last year!

I had an awesome file review mark (both academic and non-academic). My interview went very well, although I found out at the end that the 2 interviewers had scored me differently in 2 of the 10 categories. (This is one reason why I didn't get in). My main problem was my references. I had one strange referee (personal). He is my student's dad and I have been tutoring the kid for over 5 years. I figured he would be a good personal reference. It turned out that he wrote the reference in Chinese :rolleyes and had a translator to translate it to English....hum.... I wasn't even waitlisted last year. Anyways, this year, I decided to get a MD, a work supervisor and a prof to write my references. I heard that references can't get you into med school but a bad one can really hold you back.... I got in this year...maybe that's the reason why

[Guest Phager]

hey chocolatechips, were your references different from the first year you applied ? What kind of MD was your reference if you don't mind me asking.

[Guest chocolatechips]

Hi Phager:

 

Two of my references were different (academic and personal). The MD who wrote my personal reference is a gynecologist. I did some clinical research with her. I changed my academic reference because the prof I asked last year couldn't answer some of the questions re my basic science research. He was the faculty adviser when I served on the student government. My academic reference this year was my supervisor for my basic science research a couple years ago....I had to feed him a lot of information about my involvement in other areas of school life tho...

[Guest not rex morgan]

After having gone through two rounds of exit interviews, I have to say that the best advice is to go in with SPECIFIC questions. "Why didn't I get in?" is too broad. If you volunteered at X, ask "how was my volunteerism at X viewed?" Go over the specific mark breakdown of all the categories and ask what was slotted into these categories to come up with those marks. Great question stated above to find out exactly how MCATS counted this year, given that they dropped the minimum requirement.

[Guest liz80]

well, i got 23.8/25 for academic, and will probably get perfect next year (my last 60 credits will be 91% then).

i guess it didn't help this year.