How are OOP applicants at a disadvantage in the process?

[Zuckman]

Hey guys,

I'm wondering, I looked at the Alberta Med site and it shows that OOP applicants need to make a higher cutoff gpa. Now, I know that Alberta takes ~10-15 OOP in each medical class. But I'm wondering, how are they getting the number this low. Is it only because the gpa cutoff is higher for OOP. Or do the OOP also need a higher score in the overall holistic assessment?

 

I know for Ottawa Med, the class has higher proportion of Ottawa students because the gpa requirement is higher but the Sketch review scores don't need to be higher for the out of ottawa ppl.

 

One last Q: Does anyone know how many OOP are interviewed? Thanks a lot.

 

Zuck

[Jixe]

Hey guys,

I'm wondering, I looked at the Alberta Med site and it shows that OOP applicants need to make a higher cutoff gpa. Now, I know that Alberta takes ~10-15 OOP in each medical class. But I'm wondering, how are they getting the number this low. Is it only because the gpa cutoff is higher for OOP. Or do the OOP also need a higher score in the overall holistic assessment?

 

I know for Ottawa Med, the class has higher proportion of Ottawa students because the gpa requirement is higher but the Sketch review scores don't need to be higher for the out of ottawa ppl.

 

One last Q: Does anyone know how many OOP are interviewed? Thanks a lot.

 

Zuck

 

I was wondering this too. How exactly are OOP applicants chosen for interview? Are they looked at separately from IP applicants? Or if looked at together, do we OOP applicants have a higher GPA/MCAT requirement (the way UBC does it)?

[Kuantum]

I am wondering what my chances still are at Alberta.

 

GPA: 4.00 (U of A conversion)

MCAT 13PS 6VR 12BS WS S (I have already requseted a VR rescore b/c I didn't expect a 6)

Extracurrics: good...probably better than average

Reference letters: good

3rd year OOP

[Complacent Tragedy]

I was a 2nd year 00P when I was accepted (off the waitlist)

 

Okay, so during interviews, I asked Marlene what my chances were, being in the most difficult pool (2/3 year OOP). She told me they were better than 1/27.

 

I'm pretty sure something like 15 percent of all seats are OOP. There were two spots for OOP 2/3 year this year, which is well... let's just say if everyone was that slim we wouldn't have the obesity epidemic.

 

If you'd like to know my numbers, you can PM me, but I will say they were below the average of 11.6 or whatever for each section for the IPs. My write sample was higher though, at an R. I also didn't have 4.0 average.

 

A little note, I think the MCAT cutoff is a 7 for each section. I may be wrong about that.

 

- David

 

Oh, and I talked about my interviewer's Mom during the interview. Must be good strategy.

[Zuckman]

Hey Complacent Tragedy,

Do you have anyone in your class with less than 30 on the MCAT and OOP? Thanks.

 

Zuck

[dc1414]

Hey Kuantum,

 

Sorry to break it to you, but last time I heard, you need a minimum of a 7 in any one of the sections to be applicable to the U of A. So that 6 in VR may be an obstacle for you. Unless something changed with the UA application.

[Kuantum]

Last I checked, it was still a 7. However, I am still waiting on my rescore report. I think the 6 may be a mistake.

[paulchemguy]

Hello everyone,

 

I'm slightly confused. I completed 3rd year already, so am I in the 2/3 year pool as well?

 

Thanks!

 

Paul

[bioboy2007]

Hello everyone,

 

I'm slightly confused. I completed 3rd year already, so am I in the 2/3 year pool as well?

 

Thanks!

 

Paul

 

Nope. You have completed your third year and are thus in the general degree pile (as I am assuming you graduate this year).

 

The 2/3 year pool refers to students who are applying while in their 2nd or 3rd year of their undergraduate degree.

[Zuckman]

Hey guys,

Do any of you know how many OOP interviews are given..and how many OOP applicants there are...there's none of these stats shown on the website. I'm guessing now that there is a separate pile for OOP ppl and us OOP ppl have to obtain a different overall mark to get an interview.

 

Zuck

[muchdutch]

As an oop you need at least a 3.7 to be considered for interview. And yes, there is a separate pile for you oop's. So the good news is that the oop spots will always only be filled by oop's. The bad news is that you have to compete against eachother's high (>3.7) gpas...

[Jixe]

I sent the admissions committee an e-mail last week and still haven't heard back re: how OOP applicants are looked at (i.e. diff pool, higher avg). Are they usually this slow?

[Zuckman]

Hey Jixe,

Ya, they are really slow. In fact, they often never reply. I've had past experience with them at the alberta med admissions. I think it's best to phone them. If you get any info, it'd be cool if you could post it.

 

Zuck

[Jixe]

Admissions wasn't too helpful. Marleen stated that OOP applicants are looked at separately and the top X number of applicants are taken for interview. She said that the number of OOP interviewees varies quite a bit, and has been 100 in one year. Check out the GPA/MCAT thread to see some interesting info re: how the GPA scores MAY be calculated out of 15. Marleen didn't seem to want to give out the specifics of how to do it.

[muchdutch]

That doesn't seem all that unhelpful. Now you know that oop's are looked at separately so you obviously have to be the cream of the crop as far as all the oop's in order to make it. She probably wouldn't give you the gpa info becaus it doesn't really matter - whether you have a 3.7 or a 4.0, you still have to be in the top X number of applicants in order to be accepted, but this will vary with each yearly application pool. I would imagine (and I'm just speculating here) that they do something simple like rank the gpas from low to high, then divide the number by 15 and assign accordingly such that someone who has a 3.7 will get 1%, and a 4.0 will get 15% in order to make the disparity between the highest and lowest students the easiest to see.

I would assume Marelene didn't want to give the specifics of it because it would really be very highly dependent upon the application pool of that year (if you had a good spread of 4.0-3.7, it would be easier than if everybody had a 4.0 to rank by gpa).

[Scholastica]

I'm currently in first-year medicine at UofA. I got into the program in May in the first round. It is true that there is a separate pile for OOP students and a separate waiting list... so OOP students are at disadvantage, but it's not impossible to get in either!

[Kuantum]

I was politely informed of the closure of my file today by the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Alberta because I got a 6 in verbal reasoning...there cut-off is 7. 6 is extremely low, however, its unfortunate that the MCAT screening process occurs first. Anyways...hoping Ottawa sees something in me.

[muchdutch]

Why would your file be closed already? Seems strange since everything doesn't have to be in until nov 15th...

[Kuantum]

Sorry, they informed me it will be closed.