Thejuice Posted January 29, 2008 Report Share Posted January 29, 2008 Hey guys, I was just wondering if volunteering or academic awards had any significant impact on your scores when applying to medical school? Also, does being in an honours program impact your chances of getting in, as opposed to a general program? How about maintaining a 5 course courseload rather than 5/semester for 2 years, then four or three courses per semster? Any constructive feedback would be appreciated Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madz25 Posted January 29, 2008 Report Share Posted January 29, 2008 some schools require a 4 year honours degree (western) and more schools are moving towards that requirement. so it may be beneficial to do an honours degree. i would suggest keeping a full course load for every year. there are many benefits. UofT's weighting formula will only be applied if you've kept a full course load for every year. also, some schools that look at best 2/last 2 years will only consider full-time years. if you can handle 5 courses/semester i suggest you do that instead of worrying about meeting requirements for different schools later on. awards always look good - i dont think theres a way to tell if they impact your application since med schools usually dont release that kind of information. they definitely can't hurt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lostintime Posted January 29, 2008 Report Share Posted January 29, 2008 On a related note, if a school doesn't have your sketch, i.e. UWO, how can you let them know you have won a major scholarship/award without having it come out of the blue or seem like you're bragging? It's one thing to discuss EC's, but it's another thing to start discussing scholarships (the latter seems to be more "arrogant")...but then again, you do want them to know you've won it since it exhibits your qualities that have been confirmed by a recognized organization? Hmm... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cas1234 Posted January 30, 2008 Report Share Posted January 30, 2008 some schools require a 4 year honours degree (western) and more schools are moving towards that requirement. so it may be beneficial to do an honours degree. i would suggest keeping a full course load for every year. there are many benefits. UofT's weighting formula will only be applied if you've kept a full course load for every year. also, some schools that look at best 2/last 2 years will only consider full-time years. if you can handle 5 courses/semester i suggest you do that instead of worrying about meeting requirements for different schools later on. awards always look good - i dont think theres a way to tell if they impact your application since med schools usually dont release that kind of information. they definitely can't hurt. More schools are moving towards having an honors degree as a requirement??? Which schools are these and when do they plan to implement this change? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madz25 Posted January 30, 2008 Report Share Posted January 30, 2008 UWO requires an honours degree. I believe NOSM also requires a 4 year degree (don't know if it has to be honours). Dalhousie "prefers" a 4 year degree - i.e. RARELY do people get in with only 3 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thejuice Posted January 30, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2008 See, this is my issue. I did an honours degree from the U of A and did well enough, I guess, a 3.8 GPA on all three years(transferred from a college after year 1) got some awards and what not but i can't help wonder if I could have achieved higher in a general program taking only 4 or 3 courses here or there. Which is better 3.8 GPA honours degree + awards or a straight 4.0 ? Not that it really matters now, since I've finished my degree but people ask me which is the best route and honestly I have no idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madz25 Posted January 30, 2008 Report Share Posted January 30, 2008 there's not much difference between a 3.8 and 4.0 when applying to medical school. many schools use straight cutoffs or have weighting formulas which can help boost your GPA. 3.8+ awards is better than 4.0. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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