25 year old student looking for advice

[sandwich]

I'm a somewhat non-traditional student.

 

I graduated back in 2005 with a double honours in microbiology/immunology and biochemistry from Dalhousie University (GPA 3.85)

 

After graduation, I travelled to Japan and taught English for 18 months.

 

Upon my return to Canada in March of 2007, I decided to spend the summer relaxing and studying for the MCAT. I scored a 35R 11 Verbal, 13 Physics, 11 Biology.

 

With no definate plan for the 2007/2008 year, I took several science classes and worked 20 hours/week with Sylvan Learning Centres teaching highschool maths and sciences.

 

I have over 100 hours of direct interaction with patients in the hospital setting.

 

Sadly, it looks like I will probably be unable to get into medical school this year. I was rejected from 4 of 5 institutions, and have not yet heard from the fifth.

 

This has kind of shaken me up, and I'm wondering what other option may be available for me to get into medical school. Is it worth applying next year? Or should I move on. Are there non-Canadian options available for me? I am currently enrolled for an 18 month teaching degree at University of Alberta, but this was definately not my first choice. Any help on alternative institutions, or advice for improving my application would be appreciated.

[doc2B]

Hi sandwich

 

You said your degree is from Dal, do you mind me asking where you are a permanent resident (i.e. which province) and where you applied?

 

Your academic stats seem really good. Perhaps there is something else with your application that needs to be improved. You said you have a lot of medically related experience, is it possible that you just didn't describe that experience and your other life experiences well in your essays? Also, how did you find interviews? I assume you intereviewed at those 5 schools. If interviewing isn't your stong area maybe you can take some interview skills workshops to improve.

 

I don't know much about the application/acceptance processes at other schools, I applied to a few schools the first year that I applied to medical school although it was quite clear from the beginning that I only had a real chance of acceptance at home (at Dalhousie).

 

I know that Dal has a fairly balanced scoring process (I assume it is much the same this year as it was last year, apparently they aren't giving out the scores to rejected applicants this year). You would score quite well on the academic side with a 12/12 for the MCAT and probably 10/13 or 11/13 for GPA there are another 5 points for academic discretion so I'm not sure what they'd give there but if you had any big academic awards, or publications you'd get something.

 

The supplemental section is also out of 30, if you have lots of good ECs and you can discuss them well in an essay you'd probably get quite a few of these points too.

 

The references and the interview are the 2 other sections and they are a little more "unknown." References are out of 15 (5 pts for each letter) and interview out of 25, this is probably now divided-up somehow between scores from each MMI station (just a guess though).

 

I'm sure some other schools also provide some feedback as to where you can improve your application and this forum has quite a lot of information on how each adcom scores their applicants.

 

There are plenty of options available to you... in Canada and out of Canada. It may be a little easier for you to get accepted to an international school but if you read through the appropriate threads you can find a lot of reasons why it may be more difficult for you to come back and practice in Canada after your degree.

 

If this was only your first time applying to medical school it may be a little soon to give up on Canada.

 

Not that I think it will take you long to get accepted, but I was accepted the 3rd year I applied (my academic stats are much lower than yours) and I know others that have taken even longer. I think its worth applying again in Canada if you don't get in this year. But that's a personal preference, I would not have wanted to leave Canada for school.

 

Good luck!

[blinknoodle]

At first glance, your GPA seems really good. Is it your OMSAS GPA or your Dal GPA? Does Dal do their GPAs out of 4.1 or 4.3?

 

I ask because your stats tell me you likely should have gotten an interview at UWO and Queen's (I haven't been keeping track of the cut-offs but you seem in the ballpark) but I don't think acceptances go out until mid-May.

[tooty]

I agree with blinkynoodle. I have no idea why you didn't get interviewed at western and queens with those scores if your gpa is omsas converted.

[A-Stark]

I'm rather surprised that you haven't gotten in anywhere this cycle - did you apply to Dal and, if so, did you lose in province status? I'm in a similar situation, also 25, only I'm finishing up a masters and I never did anything interesting like living in another country. I've gotten into Dal and am now waiting til May 15th to hear from Queen's and Mac.

 

Your academic background is certainly quite strong - where did you apply?

[sandwich]

My GPA was 3.85 out of 4.3.

 

But converted to the 4.0 standard, my GPA is still 3.78

 

I actually still counted as an Atlantic Canadian student. I applied at Dalhousie and Memorial medical schools and was turned down with an interview at both schools. I have yet to recieve any break down of what hurt me the most on my application to these two schools.

 

I also applied at U of A, had an interview, but haven't received any more information yet.

 

I also failed to get an interview in Ontario. Money was tight for me this year, so without student loans I wasn't really able to travel much more than this for interviews.

 

I'm just frustrated by the experience and the complete lack of respect and communication I have received from the medical schools. U of A decided I had not taken first year chemistry and removed me from the application process without even bothering to tell me. How they heck did they think I got an honours degree in biochemistry without taking first year chemistry? It was only because I happened to call them and check on the status of my application that I saved anything.

 

Dalhousie decided I was no longer a Maritime resident, despite telling me previously in the year that I was. Of course they couldn't be bothered to tell me about my change in status and just decided to not give me an interview. It was only through fighting with them that I managed to receive my interview.

 

Memorial lost my transcript the first time and I had to resend it, in January.

 

I'm hesitant about not seeking alternative solutions because I fail to see why my application should be looked at any more favorably next year. But if I'm going to receive this kind of service from Canadian schools, I'm hesitant about what would happen should I get accepted.

[doc2B]

I'm sorry to hear you had such a bad experience with all those schools.

 

Like I said previously I don't know much about the process other than at Dalhousie. You said you didn't receive any information about where to improve your application, but usually this information is included in your rejection letter. I assume that you received a rejection letter, did you not? From what I've seen of other people posting this year they have some sort of check box system where they check off if certain areas such as GPA, MCAT, interviews, etc are average, above average or below average. Did you not get that information?

 

Where in the maritimes are you from and what was their reasoning for telling you that you are an OOP candidate instead?

[sandwich]

There reason was I had been out of the country for two years. They sent my rejection letter to my parents' house instead of my own, despite my telling them not to. The letter then proceeded to get lost in the mail, and I haven't been able to recontact Dalhousie.

[doc2B]

Well that's just a bad situation all round it seems. If you call them/email them they may be able to email out what the letter said. Did your parents by any chance happen to look at it and make note of the areas you needed to improve?

[NLengr]

[QUOTE=sandwich;246108]My GPA was 3.85 out of 4.3.

 

But converted to the 4.0 standard, my GPA is still 3.78

 

I actually still counted as an Atlantic Canadian student. I applied at Dalhousie and Memorial medical schools and was turned down with an interview at both schools. I have yet to recieve any break down of what hurt me the most on my application to these two schools.

 

What Atlantic province were you a resident of for MUN? There are only reserved seats for NL, NB, and PEI. If you are from NS, then you are mixed in with the other OOP's.

 

Vice Versa with Dal. NS, NB, PEI are IP, NL is OOP.