Canadian Applicants for US Schools 2009

[joshto]

does anyone know if the University of Miami will look at Canadians?

I dont think they do but can anyone confirm?

[mca]

In MSAR it says US citizens and permanent residents only.

[schnauzr]

Did anyone submit their primary application?

It says on the website that June 4th is the first date.

Personally, I'm just agonizing over the PS.

[mMD]

not getting my mcat results in until september, so i guess i'm not in a rush to fill out that mcas form, BUT i do have some questions

 

do tutorials count as labs? and their categories are kind of limited. would you say anatomy is a health science or a natural science or an other? what about physiology?

i wish i could just send them my transcript and they could figure it out themselves.

[schnauzr]

It's all in the "help" section.

Tutorials wouldn't count as labs.

 

Behavioral & Social Sciences (BESS)

· Anthropology

· Economics

· Family Studies

· Psychology

· Sociology

 

Biology (BIOL) - BCPM

· Anatomy

· Biology

· Biophysics

· Biotechnology

· Botany

· Cell Biology

· Ecology

· Entomology

· Genetics

· Histology

· Immunology

· Microbiology

· Molecular Biology

· Neuroscience

· Physiology

Business (BUSI)

· Accounting

· Business

· Finance

· Human Resource Studies

· Management

· Organizational Studies

· Marketing

Chemistry (CHEM) - BCPM

· Biochemistry

· Chemistry

· Physical Chemistry

· Thermodynamics

Communications (COMM)

· Journalism

· Media Production & Studies

· TV, Video, & Audio

Computer Science/Technology (COMP)

· Computer Science

· Computer Engineering

· Information Systems

· Telecommunications

Education (EDUC)

· Counseling & Personnel Services

· Curriculum & Instruction

· Educational Policy

· Educational Administration

· Health Education

· Human Development

· Physical Education (except for sports courses such as tennis, golf, aerobics, etc. Use Other for these types of courses.)

· Special Education

Engineering (ENGI)

· Aerospace Engineering

· Biomedical Engineering

· Chemical Engineering

· Civil Engineering

· Electrical Engineering

· Engineering

· Environmental Engineering

· Mechanical Engineering

· Nuclear Engineering

English Language & Literature (ENGL)

· English Composition & Rhetoric

· English Creative Writing

· English Language & Literature

Fine Arts (ARTS)

· Art

· Art History

· Dance

· Fine Arts

· Music

· Photography

· Theatre

Health Sciences (HEAL)

· Allied Health

· Chiropractic

· Dentistry

· Hearing & Speech Sciences

· Hospital Administration

· Kinesiology

· Medical Technology

· Medicine

· Nursing

· Nutrition & Food Sciences

· Occupational Therapy

· Optometry

· Osteopathy

· Physical Therapy

· Physician Assistant

· Public Health

· Pharmacology & Pharmacy

· Sports Medicine

· Veterinary Medicine

History (HIST)

· History

Foreign Languages/Linguistics/Lit. (FLAN)

· American Sign Language

· Comparative Literature

· Linguistics

· Foreign Language(s) & Literature

Government/Political Sci/Law (GOVT)

· Criminology & Criminal Justice

· Government

· Internationsl Relations & Studies

· Law/Legal Studies

· Political Science

· Public Affairs & Policy

·Urban Policy & Planning

MATH (MATH) BCPM

· Applied Mathematics

· Mathematics

· Statistics

Natural/Physical Sciences (NPSC)

· Agriculture

· Animal and Avian Sciences

· Forestry

· Geography

· Geology

· Horticulture

· Landscape Architecture

· Meteorology

· Natural Resources

· Oceanography

· Environmental Science & Policy

Other (OTHR)

All courses which do not fit appropriately into another category, including:

· Architecture

· Interdisciplinary courses

· Library Science

· Military Science

· Sports (tennis, golf, aerobics, etc.)

Philosophy/Religion (PHIL)

· Ethics

· Logic

· Philosophy

· Religion

· Theology

Physics (PHYS) - BCPM

· Astronomy

· Physics

Special Studies (SSTU)

· Afro-American Studies

· American Studies

· Gender Studies

[mMD]

oh nice, that should teach me to read...

thank you!

[worriedandwaiting]

when inputting grades... what happens to IB? i did not take the credit for the 3 courses i took during high school. do they have an effect on amcas grade?

 

 

Hey, you'll want to put the IB credits exactly as they're written on your university transcript and put pass. Amcas will not use it in the GPA calculation but it will count towards prereqs etc.

[flamesfan]

thanks worried ^^

 

i dont think i will submit them because i took no credit

[THX]

Hey, you'll want to put the IB credits exactly as they're written on your university transcript and put pass. Amcas will not use it in the GPA calculation but it will count towards prereqs etc.

 

Would you include them under your university coursework or under your IB school?

[worriedandwaiting]

I put it under my university. Under Course type I put Intl Baccalaureate (IB)

[bobo]

I have a 37 and a 3.7. I sent primaries out to these schools (a lot I know!) How long will the secondaries take to complete lol?

 

Albert Einstein of Yeshiva University

Baylor College

Boston University

Brown University

Case Western Reserve University

Columbia University

Cornell University

Dartmouth College

Duke University

Eastern Virginia Medical School

Emory University

George Washington University

Georgetown University

Harvard University

Indiana University

Jefferson Medical College

Johns Hopkins University

Mount Sinai School of Medicine

New York Medical College

Northwestern University

Pennsylvania State University

Rosalind Franklin University

Saint Louis University

SUNY Upstate

University of Chicago

University of Kentucky

University of Minnesota, Twin Cities

University of North Carolina

University of Pennsylvania

University of Texas, Galveston

University of Texas, Southwestern

University of Vermont

University of Virginia

Vanderbilt University

Wake Forest University

Washington University in St. Louis

Yale University

[lll]

do we send our LOR with the primary or with secondaries? is interfolio free?...and boy! bobo..thats a lot of schools .....r u applying to canada as well?...fun summer eh?..its worth it

________

maryjane

[worriedandwaiting]

wow bobo, that is a lot of schools, (i hope you know that they're gonna charge you for the secondary too- can range from $50 to $130 ) I hope you get a good round of secondaries, interviews, and then acceptances!

 

Interfolio is not free but it is very cheap and very very useful. Your LOR writers can sign up for free, but there is a cost for you, the student, and a cost with each time you send it out (different cost if it is by mail vs. electronic-- talk to the school to see how they want it delivered).

 

The school will ususally tell you when to send in the secondary. Sometimes they will request the names of the LOR writers on the secondary form so that they can keep track when they receive them. some schools only ask for LOR's once they've processed the secondary and specifically ask for them (hint hint ..interview?). I'd check with each school you plan to apply to.

[SpanishFly]

Can you explain how interfolio works with all of this? So your letter writers sign up and then what? they send their letters in to interfolio who then distributes it to the schools you need? or do they write the letter electronically?? Basically: what are the advantages to using interfolio vs . not?

[KennethToronto]

1) You sign up with interfolio

 

2) In your interfolio account, you enter that you're expecting a letter from Dr.A, Dr.B, and Mr.C

 

3) For each letter you tell Interfolio to expect, you print out a special cover sheet with a barcode. You give this special sheet to your letter writer, who must send the letter to Interfolio with this sheet.

 

4) Interfolio will then tell you that the letters have been received by them. You cannot read the content of the letters.

 

5) You then tell Interfolio which letters and which schools you want to have sent. E.g. Send letters from Dr.A and Dr.B to Harvard, letters from Mr.C and Dr.B to Dartmouth, etc.

 

 

Why Interfolio is better?

1) You control when and which letters are sent to each school

2) You don't have to ask your letter writers to send letters to a bazillion schools.

3) The costs are reasonable. It probably comes out the same as giving pre-paid envelopes

4) Most schools allow electronic transfer of letters from Interfolio. This means knowing for certain your letters have reached where they should.

 

I could go on, but I sound too much like I work for them already.

[SpanishFly]

haha they should hire you. Thanks for that info. One more thing, although I guess its pretty obvious...so interfolio just copies the original letter and sends out copies to the various schools? About copies, do med schools not require an original with the letter writers signature? And if you do give prepaid envelopes to your letter writers, how do the schools know that you havent read the letters and then sent them in yourself?

[worriedandwaiting]

Yup, KennethToronto's got it pretty much down for ya.

 

Your reference writer can either upload the reference online and submit an electronic signature (if they have one). Or they can send in their letter by mail with the cover sheet containing the barcode. Interfolio scans it in - signature and all.

 

You select the schools you want to submit the letter to and how you want that done (electronic, regular mail, courier) and pay the associated cost and then - presto!

 

As for not sending them yourself, well basically its an honor system. You are expected to be truthful and honest, just like the rest of the application process. Without interfolio you could still open a sealed envelope and then send it out. Or i suppose you could set yourself up as one of the receipients throgh interfolio. The schools won't know, but you will. I'd think about the career you plan to go into and whether or not thats important for you. If you're worried about the quality of your references, you should reconsider who you ask to write them.

 

(and just to prevent any misunderstandings, i'm not using 'you' to mean SpanishFly specifically, but just any reader in general who may be contemplating these thoughts. )

[flamesfan]

spanishfly.... references like transcripts that are given to you, come with a seal at the back... when the letter is open the seal is broken

[SpanishFly]

 

(and just to prevent any misunderstandings, i'm not using 'you' to mean SpanishFly specifically, but just any reader in general who may be contemplating these thoughts. )

 

lol no I get what your saying. What one of my friends professors had done when he gave her several copies of the reference letter was he sealed each of them and then signed his own signature over the seal so the schools would know they hadn't been opened. I guess I could ask my references to do this if I decide not to do interfolio, although it sounds like it might be easier to do just do it and make things simpler....yet another thing I have to pay for

[MED-3]

for the American schools, are the letter of references mailed out when you finish the primary application OR with the secondary application. Thanks.

[polarb]

kenneth,

 

for interfolio, does the system work with...send letter from Dr. A to harvard AND Dartmouth?

can the same LOR be used for multiple schools?

 

thanks

[worriedandwaiting]

lol no I get what your saying. What one of my friends professors had done when he gave her several copies of the reference letter was he sealed each of them and then signed his own signature over the seal so the schools would know they hadn't been opened. I guess I could ask my references to do this if I decide not to do interfolio, although it sounds like it might be easier to do just do it and make things simpler....yet another thing I have to pay for

 

Oh, I see what you're saying now, I was confused. Yeah, if you weren't going to use interfolio, giving them prepaid envelopes which they sign over is an option.

 

I would strongly recommend interfolio for the states however for a couple of reasons. 1) most of the schools i emailed a year ago in the states said they prefered to get letters by interfolio (or virtualevals- a similar company) because they can receive the letter electronically. 2) its easier to organize for you and you can send stuff when needed once you have the basic letter without having to go back and bug your reference. 3) The company is based in the states so even if you use interfolio to send the mail by regular mail (which i personally wouldn't recomend for security and peace of mind), it will probably arrive at the destination sooner.

 

In terms of costs, I think it was for me about $15 for a 1 year account, and then about 4 dollars each time i had to send something to a school (all the letters to that school would be sent together in a pack). Thats not too expensive is it? Of course, it gets more expensive for the courier options.

[worriedandwaiting]

kenneth,

 

for interfolio, does the system work with...send letter from Dr. A to harvard AND Dartmouth?

can the same LOR be used for multiple schools?

 

thanks

 

Yes. once your reference letter from doc A, B, and C is in the system you can choose which letter goes to which school. (i.e. School #1 wants 2 science ref letters so you send A and C, but school#2only needs one so you send A, and School #3 has no limits so you send A, B, and C).

 

It might be a good idea to inform your referee to keep your reference letter general (i.e. don't mention a specific school) since you plan to use the same one for multiple schools.

[worriedandwaiting]

for the American schools, are the letter of references mailed out when you finish the primary application OR with the secondary application. Thanks.

 

 

They don't go with the primary applications. If and once you receive a secondary applcation from a school, they will tell you where and when to send the LOR. The time the LOR is requested (with the secondary, after the secondary, right before the interview) varies from school to school.

[worriedandwaiting]

not getting my mcat results in until september, so i guess i'm not in a rush to fill out that mcas form, BUT i do have some questions

 

do tutorials count as labs? and their categories are kind of limited. would you say anatomy is a health science or a natural science or an other? what about physiology?

i wish i could just send them my transcript and they could figure it out themselves.

 

I don't think tutorials count as labs.

 

if you do have a lab course, indicate it on the course name! like: Chemistry 101 with Lab, or Introduction to Organic Chemistry with lab. This is because AMCAS won't be able to tell if it has a lab component otherwise

 

I would put anatomy and physiology under the biology category if there is one. I think the natural sciences refer more to physics/chem sort of science.

 

 

Also, dont wait till september! you can still submit your primary without your final mcat mark and can start receiving and working on secondaries. The earlier everything is in, the earlier you can start getting interviews- last year i had my first interview in september!!