Application Timeline

[lite_on]

I'm sorry if anyone has already asked this question, or if its a stupid question.

How does the application timeline work? I'm in 3rd year (3A), and to gain acceptance directly after I finish my undergraduate I would have to apply in 2008 before september correct? However, my first year marks are poor and I am counting on my 4th year marks but those would have not been submitted in my application.

Do I have to take a year off to have my 4th year marks submitted? Do medical admission boards give conidtional offers to students who have applied after 3 years, depending on their 4th year marks?

 

Or do I have the whole process all wrong?

Thanks in advance.

[Madz25]

yes, apply in fall 2008 for entry in fall 2009.

 

many schools look at last 2 or best 2 years (western, queens, dalhousie) so if your first year marks are the worst then they wont even be looked at. many schools have weighting formulas (UofT, ottawa) that generally work in the applicant's benefit.

 

if you want your 4th year marks to be counted then you must apply in the fall after you graduate (im assuming you're class of 2009) - fall of 2009 for entry in 2010.

[The Law]

You can apply to medical school as many times as you want. I'd encourage you to take a look aroudn the med schools' websites and p101 to get an idea how competitive you'd be, and apply in your 4th year anyway. There are many weighting formulas that the schools apply that can tremendously improve a GPA.

 

Example... Queen's has two GPA cutoffs and if you don't make one, you might make the other (but your MCAT has to make the cutoff too).

 

Western uses your best year for interview purposes, but again, you must make the MCAT cutoff.

 

Dalhousie looks at your last 2 years, must make MCAT cutoffs again.

 

U of T, Ottawa also have weighting formulas.

 

There are more, too... but you'll have to take a look to find out more.

 

When you apply in the fall of your 4th year, your 4th year marks will not count for that cycle (at most schools anyway - I don't know if there are any exceptions). As a general rule, the marks you get from the year you apply in will not count because interviews are granted well before these marks are made available.

 

You do not have to take a year off after your 4th year. You can do another year of undergrad if you wanted and apply again (remember, the marks in that extra year would not count for the cycle you got them in, but they might help boost your GPA should you fail to get in on that shot).

 

Hope that helps.

[The Law]

yes, apply in fall 2008 for entry in fall 2009.

 

many schools look at last 2 or best 2 years (western, queens, dalhousie) so if your first year marks are the worst then they wont even be looked at. many schools have weighting formulas (UofT, ottawa) that generally work in the applicant's benefit.

 

if you want your 4th year marks to be counted then you must apply in the fall after you graduate (im assuming you're class of 2009) - fall of 2009 for entry in 2010.

 

 

Madz, pouncing on new posts... NB must be boring...

[Steve-0]

OK..... I am a little confused. I am in the winter semester of my 3rd year right now. I was planning on writing the MCAT at the end of this summer (maybe mid Aug), and then applying to some medical schools. I was under the impression that the selection process took so long that they would end up considering your 4th year grades. Is this wrong?? If I apply after my third year only the first three years grades will be used??

 

Thanks for any help!

[p0tus]

Hey Steve,

 

You are correct. Marks that you receive during the year of application don't count towards GPA purposes for med schools. The only exception that I know of is UWO, who look at your best 2 years of undergraduate marks. In there case, if you have only 1 year above the cutoff (before your application year), they would accept you conditionally based on you scoring above the cutoff in the year of application (provided you meet their MCAT cutoff as well). Besides Western, there's no other school that I'm aware of that considers course marks you receive during the year of application.

[Jochi1543]

Hey Steve,

 

You are correct. Marks that you receive during the year of application don't count towards GPA purposes for med schools. The only exception that I know of is UWO, who look at your best 2 years of undergraduate marks. In there case, if you have only 1 year above the cutoff (before your application year), they would accept you conditionally based on you scoring above the cutoff in the year of application (provided you meet their MCAT cutoff as well). Besides Western, there's no other school that I'm aware of that considers course marks you receive during the year of application.

 

U of A looks at fall grades for pre-req GPA purposes.