This will give me a good shot, right?

[Guest swedeboy]

I'm an Alberta resident taking a M.Sc. in Biomedical Engineering at the U of A. My Cumulative Undergrad GPA is ~8.1, Pre-Reqs are ~8.8, and my recent Aug 2003 MCAT scores are:

 

Physical Sciences: 15

Verbal: 10

Biological Sciences: 11

Written Sample: Q

 

This will be my first time applying and I just wanted to get a feeling as to how confident I should be about getting an interview in Feb?

[Guest fox]

Your marks look good, but this year I think they are also taking into consideration your extracurriculars/character sketch when they are determining who will get interviews. It definitely causes some anxiety when you're waiting to find out about interviews, and no one can guarantee whether you'll get one for sure, but I would suggest you take your time in answering the personal questions on the application since this is the first time they will be evaluated pre-interview. Also, if you go to the U of A Faculty of Medicine website, under the admissions section (informational brochure) you can see the stats for our class. Good luck!

[Guest shkelo]

The academic portion of your application will be competitive. I wouldn't worry about that. Make sure your volunteer experience is up to snuff, including some hospital-related experience. You should be able to demonstrate that you've given to (or cared for) others. I doubt that you will have any problems in getting an interview. Make sure you practice (or anticipate questions) for the interview. I've seen a lot of applicants, despite incredible applications, fall flat on their faces at the interview (probably due to nerves and anxiety and some - maybe not).

 

BTW, I have a friend working in Christian Beaulieu's lab. I'm sure you know her.