Guest physiology Posted April 21, 2004 Report Share Posted April 21, 2004 Since every other forum seems to have a similar thread, I thought I'd start one here too. I thought applying to med school would open doors, but it just seems to close them, because it's so time-consuming! I really don't want to do COOP for a year and a half in a lab, if I don't get in. I'll probably make the best of it but still, I want to have integrity in what I do (it's like the medical school interview all over again). I mean seriously, they have all our scores, what are they waiting for? If they're worried about having incomplete transcripts, why not give people conditional acceptances based on maintaining the GPA you originally applied with? I mean that would encourage people to study hard for exams. I just hate not knowing and when exactly are we supposed to find out? Mid or late May? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tea Posted April 21, 2004 Report Share Posted April 21, 2004 hi Physio et al. Does anyone know if the adcom has met yet? I remember Dr. Frinton said that things should be done by the end of April and the result would be known in the first week of May. In previous years, they met in May, but this year process seemed to be a bit more standardized. I hope that they'd met already. That way, we'll know one way or the other in a few days. tea Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest coastal79 Posted April 21, 2004 Report Share Posted April 21, 2004 I remember Dr. Frinton saying that we would find out in early May as well, however, in other threads people are talking about May 20. Is this The Day, or, are we going to know sooner? Any insiders out there with the scoop? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Koppertone Posted April 21, 2004 Report Share Posted April 21, 2004 I have to say, I've never participated in a process that has made me more bitter. I haven't even gotten rejected yet and I'm STILL unhappy! I'm beginning to think that if I don't get in, I'm just going to pursue graduate studies and forget about this whole sordid affair (I mean how many years of my life to I want to live for a career that I may never attain?). Still... I'll probably just apply again next year Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jazz Posted April 21, 2004 Report Share Posted April 21, 2004 I think they are still trying to figure out what integrity means to them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest SouthMigration Posted April 21, 2004 Report Share Posted April 21, 2004 I can sympathize with the bitterness feeling. I haven't checked this forum for a while, specifically due to the frustration with the process, and tried to quit thinking about whether I got in or not. I tried to quit cold turkey, for a while anyway... It didn't work. In my humble opinion, I think pursuing graduate studies is a good idea if one does not get in. I did my M.Sc., and it has opened a lot of doors. I kind of felt "hey, well, I'll just continue to re-apply until I get in, and in the meantime I can strengthen my application, get more education, increase my employability in case I never get in, and have fun, all by going to grad school." And one of the nice things is you can get great financial support packages from your department if they want you bad enough, and if you have good grades, and supervisor/university support, you can get research grants. I got an offer to do my Ph.D., and honestly, that was more validating in a way than acceptance to med school, as it was more competitive, and I am totally funded by the department, i.e. my Ph.D. will be free in essence, although my budget will be tight. I am really not sure at this point what I will do if I get a spot at UBC. I thought I would give it up, but I'm not sure now. But yeah, I think applying for grad studies at the same time as applying to med school is the best way to go if you like school. The main thing is, make sure you get straight A's if possible. Grad studies won't help if you do poorly right? Basically I think that having a good career choice lined up while you are pursuing that elusive acceptance to med school is a good idea. I could never pipette tube after tube while hoping that this next application will be the one that gets me into med school. Anyway, that's my 2 cents. I babbled long enough. Good luck everyone. Cold turkey time again... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest coastal79 Posted April 22, 2004 Report Share Posted April 22, 2004 :lol cold turkey never works....you'll always come back.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Kirsteen Posted April 22, 2004 Report Share Posted April 22, 2004 Hi there, I think they are still trying to figure out what integrity means to them. Good one. (A little chuckling out loud on this end.) Cheers, Kirsteen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Kirsteen Posted April 22, 2004 Report Share Posted April 22, 2004 Hi again, Regarding the wait, it would be great if UBC could send the notifications out earlier this year. Calgary began making their calls on May 10th last year, so earlier than that, i.e., in the next two weeks, would be fab. Cheers, Kirsteen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest kanayo101 Posted April 22, 2004 Report Share Posted April 22, 2004 okay so this edit function screwed up...oops Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ollie Posted April 22, 2004 Report Share Posted April 22, 2004 Hi, I did not receive an interview this year, so I went for my feedback session about a month ago. The info I got was a bit different from what you say. They did have 2 people determining the non-academic score, but I was not told anything about it being divided male vs female. In fact before your essay and activities list are marked, they eliminate any references to your gender (although I imagine that this is not always entirely possible, ie I did work with a women's organization, so kind of implies that I am female). The marks distribution from the 2 markers were normalized. I was right at the cut-off (34.49) and I was told that my file did undergo a second review. As for the huge increase in applicants due to the elimination of MCAT minimums, I doubt that this had a huge effect. If you look at past years, the number of applications eliminated due to not meeting MCAT cutoffs, GPA cutoffs, prereqs, or being incpmplete has only been around 100 or so. So I doubt the MCAT change was the reason for the increase of applicants from last year to this year. I thought the most likely reason was the increase in seats. People who didn't apply previously because they thought they weren't competitive enough may have given it a shot this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest kanayo101 Posted April 22, 2004 Report Share Posted April 22, 2004 Cool...I guess rumours will be rumours. Admissions is starting to worry me a little. They are now looking at my credit distrubution, considering I was originally a business student and completed a significant portion of my undergrad (including Science) at college. These credits counted towards my 90 minimum considering I have not finished my degree. Now they are getting technical about transferrable credits, non-transferrable credits, diploma versus degree etc which leaves my total under 90 if you do it that way. I explained that [admissions] emailed me ages ago saying it does not matter where you take your credits or in what program because credits are not formally transferred to UBC. Luckily, I had a copy of that email and forwarded it off only to receive a reply saying my business credits were towards a diploma. No! They were univerisity transfer program credits, I say! So now they're saying that IF the Admissions Committee scrutinizes this and still offers me admission, they may include a condition that I complete X number credits in the summer. And I can do that considering offers come out after the start of semester how...? NOW I'm worried... :rollin Correction: It seems that I got the wrong impression of how credits for FoM are calculated. Transferrable credits are an issue, but in a different manner. Although FoM does not transfer any credits or live by the "max 60 transfer" rule per say, they have to consider and respect transfer rules that have been implemented at the rest of the university. For example, even though I have ~12 particular college credits "toward a degree program" I cannot use those toward my application's 90 credits because they are not transferrable to ANY faculty at UBC. If they did accept those credits, that would require the faculty to trample on existing transfer rules, etc. If you think about it, it makes sense. So bottom line, can you use college credits for FoM? yes! Do some exceptions apply? yes! I just had some extra issues because I spent such a long time in college versus univeristy but it's all good! Anyway, Admissions took the better part of the day and sorted everything out for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Koppertone Posted April 22, 2004 Report Share Posted April 22, 2004 If the notifications came out in two weeks I think that'd be great. I'd love to be planning a move up to Prince George or, at the least, planning SOMETHING. If I'm on the waitlist, there's no way that I can plan to actually attend the medical school. I mean, I've heard stories of people getting in at the end of August, but I mean really... who can afford to wait that long with the chance of having NOTHING to do come September? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest canstowski Posted April 22, 2004 Report Share Posted April 22, 2004 With the selection of successful applicants going three way and with the introduction of several wait list this year, i think a lot of applicant might be waitlisted. And in reply to koppertone, i was one of those who waited ALL SUMMER before i got my rejection letter in september. So i guess, the waiting now means nothing compare to what i've been thru last summer :b Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest physiology Posted April 23, 2004 Report Share Posted April 23, 2004 Hello Kanayo and tea, I guess by your post Kanayo101, the adcom is looking at our files. I bet they have access to our term 1 grades from this year (damit, I don't want them to see my bioc mark!). So Tea, perhaps this is why it takes so long. They're going through our applications again with a fine-tooth comb, to "comb" out those knots (credit inconsistencies, pre-reqs, etc). I figure they want to do this now, rather than after they've sent out the "congrats! You've been accepted" letters. God forbid something like an offer of acceptance being rescinded! There was an individual on the board who had his/her interview cancelled, which is bad enough. Canstowski, Yah, being the waitlist for medicine also puts your "life on a waitlist." You're in utter limbo and your future is uncertain. Never been there but I can empathize. Well, I hope everything goes well this year! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Koppertone Posted April 23, 2004 Report Share Posted April 23, 2004 Hey don't feel too bad about Bioc, I got the worst mark I've ever had in my undergraduate career last semester in Bacterial Path. Sure I didn't take the prereq, but try explaining THAT to the med board However I don't see how they'd have access to our first semester marks unless you submitted them, as I believe they're protected under confidentiality laws unless you submit them to an institution. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest not rex morgan Posted April 24, 2004 Report Share Posted April 24, 2004 Yeah. I'm not 100% sure about their access to marks, but logic dictates that they don't have access to them. I wouldn't worry about that. Even if they did see your mark, I don't believe they will be calculating it into your overall grade average. I can sympathise with the big wait as I was there several times (2x with no interview 1x interviewed and waitlisted...for those of you new to the board). All I can say is hope for the best and plan for the worst. Start thinking of ways to turn your "time-off" into an opportunity to get experiences you wouldn't otherwise get. Work experience, extra courses, travel, volunteer, international volunteer... In other words, at the end of it, you should be able to say "it wasn't my original plan, but I'm sure happy I had this time off to do this. I wouldn't trade it for the world." Good luck guys. I know what the waiting is doing to you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Kels2004 Posted April 25, 2004 Report Share Posted April 25, 2004 hi not rex morgan... Thanks for the words of encouragement It just gets a bit stressful when you're already had the "time-off" (ie - did not get in last year OR the year before!) I'm lucky in the sense I have an alternate career started, but it is hard when your heart is just not in it. My current employers do not know I am applying to meds, as I decided it would do more harm than good... Anyone else out there "stuck" in a great job but still waiting for the "yes" from meds admissions?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Makunouchi Posted April 25, 2004 Report Share Posted April 25, 2004 Kels, nice to have a good job to be in to wait the time away though. how will you break it to them that you will be leaving them in a few months? leaving? yes... gotta think positive! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Kels2004 Posted April 25, 2004 Report Share Posted April 25, 2004 Yes, think positive! It's been a while since I've done that... and it's good to be reminded of that once and a while! :rollin Thanks, Makunouchi! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest physiology Posted April 25, 2004 Report Share Posted April 25, 2004 So I was looking at this brochure I found cleaning up my room (my room is a pig sty, I find so much @#%$ when I clean up). It just mentions we receive our offers of acceptance or rejection letters in May. So that probably means May 31st Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest soapyslicer Posted April 27, 2004 Report Share Posted April 27, 2004 Hi everyone, I think that as long as you average does not drop you are ok. I thought there was something in the application that stated you had to send a final transcript in if you were registered for courses during the application cycle. I know that use to be the way it worked. Transcripts use to have to be in by July 1st( I think). If I remember correctly from what happened to a friend your offer of admission is based on those marks being above your average. If they are not then they can remove the offer. Could be different now though, that was what a friend told me, he made the average by the way and is just finishing 3rd year. Soapy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest physiology Posted April 27, 2004 Report Share Posted April 27, 2004 Hey Soapy, This is from someone I know who got in last year, she told me she had to maintain her grades by 5%. However, she was a grad student so perhaps her situation was different than that of an undergrad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest kanayo101 Posted April 27, 2004 Report Share Posted April 27, 2004 okay, you guys are making me more and more nervous. This semester went south fast and my semester GPA was a B/B- compared to my cGPA of a A/A-. Not encouraging, especially considering I wasn't taking any hefty courses. How will that factor in if they receive my transcripts after (if) I get an offer? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Kirsteen Posted April 27, 2004 Report Share Posted April 27, 2004 Hi there, I just pulled out my acceptance package from May 2002, at that time, signed by Dr. Bates. (Thus, the policies might have changed.) Following are the sections that are relevant to academic performance: The cover letter states: "This offer... may also be conditional on current academic performance and assumes that you have read and agreed to the information provided in the enclosed response to offer form." The response to offer form states: "Applicants currently enrolled in post-secondary courses or programs must: -successfully complete their current course of studies (including any outstanding prerequisites) -achieve satisfactory academic performance in courses taking during the (then) 2001/2002 academic year. If your average drops five (5) or more percentage points below the academic average calculated upon receipt of your application, the Selection Committee reserves the right to review the decision and withdraw the offer." At the time of my 2001/2 application, I was taking my final year of undergraduate courses; thus, it appears that the academic average policy applies to both undergraduate and graduate students alike, if it is still in place. :rolleyes Cheers, Kirsteen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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