The WS

[Puggy]

How important is WS score to get an interview for Queens? I got 10/10/11 N.

[webshy]

Like with the other sections of the MCAT, the cut-off for the WS section is a firm cut-off. The last time the WS cut-off was an N was 2003, when there were 1388 applicants for 100 spots.

 

Elaine

[a41]

12/12/N/10. I didn't even bother applying to Queen's.

[Vallinar]

I wonder if Queens ever makes exceptions: ie if someone has a great GPA good EC's good responses, but a 9 in one subsection.

 

Doubt it tho.

[webshy]

I wonder if Queens ever makes exceptions: ie if someone has a great GPA good EC's good responses, but a 9 in one subsection.

 

Doubt it tho.

 

Queen's clearly states that all MCAT cut-offs must be met in order for them to look at your application. They do make exceptions with the GPA cut-off for graduate applicants though.

 

Elaine

[a41]

I wonder if Queens ever makes exceptions: ie if someone has a great GPA good EC's good responses, but a 9 in one subsection.

 

Doubt it tho.

 

Yeah it's not "Queen's"...it's a computer.

[Vallinar]

lol that means that someone with a 15/15/9/T on the MCAT, 4.00 GPA, Tons of ridiculous EC's won't even get looked at. Pretty sketcky system imo.

[Puggy]

It's a computer?!?!?!

[Vallinar]

It's a computer?!?!?!

 

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[webshy]

lol that means that someone with a 15/15/9/T on the MCAT, 4.00 GPA, Tons of ridiculous EC's won't even get looked at. Pretty sketcky system imo.

 

I think it is fantastic that each school has different ways of looking at applicants. I am ineligible to apply to any school that looks at every course ever taken when calculating my GPA. At a school like Queen's or Western, you only need two good years plus a good MCAT. Personally, I think this type of system gives a chance to those of us who may have taken unconventional routes to med school.

 

The person who received 15/15/9/T and a 4.0 GPA will definately have a good chance at some other medical schools, while those of us who may have an overall lower GPA but a recent strong GPA plus meet the MCAT cut-offs will have a chance at Queen's and Western.

 

Elaine

[daryn]

I think it is fantastic that each school has different ways of looking at applicants. I am ineligible to apply to any school that looks at every course ever taken when calculating my GPA. At a school like Queen's or Western, you only need two good years plus a good MCAT. Personally, I think this type of system gives a chance to those of us who may have taken unconventional routes to med school.

 

The person who received 15/15/9/T and a 4.0 GPA will definately have a good chance at some other medical schools, while those of us who may have an overall lower GPA but a recent strong GPA plus meet the MCAT cut-offs will have a chance at Queen's and Western.

 

Elaine

 

I agree. All admission policies have pros and cons -- it really depends on which side of the fence you are on.

[Vallinar]

I think it is fantastic that each school has different ways of looking at applicants. I am ineligible to apply to any school that looks at every course ever taken when calculating my GPA. At a school like Queen's or Western, you only need two good years plus a good MCAT. Personally, I think this type of system gives a chance to those of us who may have taken unconventional routes to med school.

 

The person who received 15/15/9/T and a 4.0 GPA will definately have a good chance at some other medical schools, while those of us who may have an overall lower GPA but a recent strong GPA plus meet the MCAT cut-offs will have a chance at Queen's and Western.

 

Elaine

 

 

i don't quite understand this... how does having a "flexible" 30 MCAT cutoff make it worse for anyone? (by flexible i mean 30 total is needed but individual subsection scores are flexible as long as total score is 30). It doesn't make sense for some one with a mid 30 to be eliminated while someone with a 30 on the dot is accepted.

[Puggy]

Yea I know... that always bothered me too.

[sbrugby]

i don't quite understand this... how does having a "flexible" 30 MCAT cutoff make it worse for anyone? (by flexible i mean 30 total is needed but individual subsection scores are flexible as long as total score is 30). It doesn't make sense for some one with a mid 30 to be eliminated while someone with a 30 on the dot is accepted.

 

The problem is that having a flexible 30 would increase the number of candidates that could possibly apply, and in order to keep interview invites to the same number, they'd have to make it a HIGHER overall MCAT cutoff (e.g. 33+ or w/e).

 

Also, Queen's probably likes consistency and a fair amount of competence in all subject areas of the MCAT.

 

For example, a 15/15/1/T is a 31, and so according to you, they should accept such a person.....

 

Basically, we need SOME line drawn.. and of course it's debatable what the cutoffs should be, but there are so many applicants, that lines must be drawn and some marginal cases will unfortunately be cut - c'est la vie.

[sdkram]

It really beats me whether the VR really helps people in the future as a doctor or just a means to draw a line to cut off some people. Although they did say that VR is correlated to future success, maybe the people who excelled in VR are just smart

[Vallinar]

The problem is that having a flexible 30 would increase the number of candidates that could possibly apply, and in order to keep interview invites to the same number, they'd have to make it a HIGHER overall MCAT cutoff (e.g. 33+ or w/e).

 

Also, Queen's probably likes consistency and a fair amount of competence in all subject areas of the MCAT.

 

For example, a 15/15/1/T is a 31, and so according to you, they should accept such a person.....

 

Basically, we need SOME line drawn.. and of course it's debatable what the cutoffs should be, but there are so many applicants, that lines must be drawn and some marginal cases will unfortunately be cut - c'est la vie.

 

 

eww that 31 T would be rejected everywhere....

 

I think is jsut bad to erject poepl with good overall applications because they one SUBsection by one point... i mean they are rejecting some great potential docotrs!

 

UofT has flexible cutoffs... Queens and uwo should follow this example and have a higher total if they want.

[sbrugby]

eww that 31 T would be rejected everywhere....

 

I think is jsut bad to erject poepl with good overall applications because they one SUBsection by one point... i mean they are rejecting some great potential docotrs!

 

UofT has flexible cutoffs... Queens and uwo should follow this example and have a higher total if they want.

 

You said it's bad to reject people because they are one point below the cutoff.

 

Okay so let's say Queen's said the cutoff was 10 10 10 Q, and it was okay if you were 1 below any of the section cut offs, as long as your overall was 33+.

 

Umm.... so essentially they are accepting 9 9 9 Q with a 33+ overall?

 

WAIT, so isn't that basically just changing the CUTOFF?

 

See the problem here? There needs to be a cutoff, and a strict one, or else there are just too many problems. I know it sucks if you're in a really marginal case, but that doesn't mean there's anything wrong with the system.

[Vallinar]

when someone with a 15/15/9/T 4.0 GPA gets rejected in place of someone with a 3.7 gpa 30Q... then there is something wrong with the system

[Dante]

i agree with elaine... there are enough schools with different systems in ontario, that whatever your gpa/mcat, if you are competitive (one way or the other), you'll have a shot somewhere. Amazing gpa + poor mcats? mac and ottawa are your friend; great gpa and decent mcats? UofT; good gpa in some years and good mcat? Queen's and/or Western. None of the above + from a small town? NOMS (don't get angry, i'm just joking and i'm quite misinformed about NOMS)

[sbrugby]

when someone with a 15/15/9/T 4.0 GPA gets rejected in place of someone with a 3.7 gpa 30Q... then there is something wrong with the system

 

Okay so what about someone with a 15/15/8? Or a 15/15/7? Or a 15/15/6?

 

Please tell me where you draw the line? Do you draw NO line? Really, there are numerous viable ways for adcoms to use the MCAT, but honestly, all you've done is make a statement without any reasons to explain why you feel what you feel.

 

The fact is, the admissions committees and their respective medical schools are the ones in charge, and therefore, THEY draw the line where they see fit.

 

For example, Queen's values a certain level of ability in ALL sections - so they want 10 10 10 Q.

 

McMaster, on the other hand, doesn't care about the MCAT - a student who had a 1/1/1/L has no disadvantage compared to someone who had a 15/15/15T. Do you think that is fair? Should someone who essentially failed the MCAT not deserve to get into medical school? Does it even matter if we think it's fair? Each school has their own philosophy, and we have to respect that.

 

Seriously, I think Elaine said it best. Each medical school is different. Hopefully, who we are is deemed a good fit for at least one of them.

[Vallinar]

i agree with elaine... there are enough schools with different systems in ontario, that whatever your gpa/mcat, if you are competitive (one way or the other), you'll have a shot somewhere. Amazing gpa + poor mcats? mac and ottawa are your friend; great gpa and decent mcats? UofT; good gpa in some years and good mcat? Queen's and/or Western. None of the above + from a small town? NOMS (don't get angry, i'm just joking and i'm quite misinformed about NOMS)

 

A good MCAT gets rejected often times becuase of one section not meeting the cutoff.

[thecoolest47]

A good MCAT gets rejected often times becuase of one section not meeting the cutoff.

 

That's not a good MCAT.

[Guest begaster]

Any idea when we actually find out what the cutoffs for this year are? Not really worried, just kind of curious if it has gone up or down from last year.

[flying kumquat]

I think it's usually in the late December to January range. Looks like last year's cutoffs were released Dec 20, but they came out at the end of January the year I applied (3 year ago!).

[Vallinar]

That's not a good MCAT.

 

a 33+ is not a good MCAT?