How Strict Are They?

[Guest struict]

I have a significant award that I won while I was 15 (2nd place at B.C. Provincial Strings Competition); is it ok to put this in although OMSAS said activities 16 yrs of age?

[Guest TimmyMax]

Hey,

 

Yeah, might as well throw it in- I've never heard of anyone's app being disqualified for anything that trivial. I used one thing from when I was 6 in mine (I played baseball since that age) and never ran into any trouble. So my advice is to include it and not worry. I think the idea is to discourage people from putting stuff from like public school in to pad their ECs. I think something like what you've mentioned is totally legit, so include it!

 

Best of luck!

Tim

[Guest jennifer Y]

No, I would strictly stick by the age 16 rule. Otherwise, you might have them thinking that you are a yr older than you are (I don't know if this would be an advantage to you). Or you might have to explain down the line why you could not follow the directions given. Since I am 19 I also felt that I should put down activities done before I was 16 since this rule had shortened my list of activities considerably. I was thinking that I am short changing myself but in the end I decided to follow the given directions and did just fine (got accepted into 4 schools). As for TM with his baseball thing, it was ok for him to do so b/c he was continuing it from age 6 and past age 16?

[Guest aneliz]

I really don't think that it will make that big a difference either way. I don't think that one line on an autobiographic sketch will either make or break your application. They will likely give it only a passing glance at best at most schools. It may serve as an interesting topic for the interview though.... I would include it if you have the space. Don't worry about 'not following the instructions' because really, the difference between 15 and 16 is, in my opinion, not important. I think what they are getting at is that they don't want to know that you won the class spelling bee in grade 2....

[Guest struict]

Jen,

 

Your 19?? And you got into 4 schools? Could you possibly elaborate on your background and how you did that? I've never heard of that happening...unless you came from out of Ontario and entered uni without OAC, fast tracked in highschool or skipped a grade in elementary school, had a birthday near Jan/Dec., did two full yr undergrade and then went straight into medschool after only two years to either U of Calgary or U of Sask.....

[Guest JSS02]

I know of people born in 1982 (i.e. still 19, or just turned 20) who are starting first year meds this year. This can be done by skipping a grade and fast-tracking (if from Ontario, otherwise it's not even an issue), and then getting into meds after three years of undergrad.

[Guest Jennifer Y]

JSS02 is right on.