FAQ: What are my chances?

[DDS In Training]

Wondering my chances for an interview at Ottawa:

 

living in toronto

Currently 2nd yr MSc

wGPA: 3.91

ECs: research for 5 yrs as undergrad in 2 labs, hospital volunteer 2yrs, senior home 1 year, community outreach stuff 1 year, couple of executive positions in clubs, physician shadowing, 3 pubs none first author

 

uOttawa MD pre-interview is mostly a GPA numbers game. With a 3.91 wGPA, you have a decent chance to an interview at uOttawa. However, the traditional panel interview at uOttawa is quite a bit trickier than the MMI interviews, and weighs about 50% in the final decision.

[Cbs14]

Dear McSchwartz91

 

 

The 9 BS is problematic and will immediately screen you out at Queens and Western. It's unfortunate, but the MCAT is a tribulation that all aspiring physicians must surpass in some way, shape or form. I wish you the best in your journey to surpassing it.

[JohnGrisham]

Dear McSchwartz91

 

 

The 9 BS is problematic and will immediately screen you out at Queens and Western. It's unfortunate, but the MCAT is a tribulation that all aspiring physicians must surpass in some way, shape or form. I wish you the best in your journey to surpassing it.

 

If only you could apply to QuARMS, and perhaps the requirement to be a an academically-equipped physician would be waived.

Lol your vendetta against quarms students is amusing. Who cares, things change and it doesn't affect you.

[Aetherus]

uOttawa MD pre-interview is mostly a GPA numbers game. With a 3.91 wGPA, you have a decent chance to an interview at uOttawa. However, the traditional panel interview at uOttawa is quite a bit trickier than the MMI interviews, and weighs about 50% in the final decision.

I personally disagree, uOttawa interview was the most straightforward interview I had, I found MMI more challenging personally (especially the Queen's one). The UofT MPI was all over the place and I found it much trickier.

[Aetherus]

Dear McSchwartz91

 

 

The 9 BS is problematic and will immediately screen you out at Queens and Western. It's unfortunate, but the MCAT is a tribulation that all aspiring physicians must surpass in some way, shape or form. I wish you the best in your journey to surpassing it.

 

If only you could apply to QuARMS, and perhaps the requirement to be a an academically-equipped physician would be waived.

Dear Cbs14,

 

A 9 or above in Verbal reasoning is not an indication of academic excellence. Furthermore, how can you assume that the QuARMS student are academically horrible. I can tell you right now that I am fairly positive they all have an A-A+ average.

 

Suck it up, QuARMS won't dissapearing because your butthurt. Is Queen's your dream school (it should )? If not, then don't worry about 10 less spots at 1 school will make no difference in your life...

[Savac]

I personally disagree, uOttawa interview was the most straightforward interview I had, I found MMI more challenging personally (especially the Queen's one). The UofT MPI was all over the place and I found it much trickier.

 

I think you're going to have to agree to disagree on this one. Different people will have an easier time with different interview styles, and to some degree it also depends on the actual interviewers that you get (though I'd like to believe that they're reasonably standardized... but the world is not a perfect place).

[MrSchwartz3]

If you read my post properly, my 9 was not in BS, it was in PS. 

[Aetherus]

lol I forgot to add that part to my statement. I wanted to preface it with me saying that different people will excel at different interview styles.

[DDS In Training]

I personally disagree, uOttawa interview was the most straightforward interview I had, I found MMI more challenging personally (especially the Queen's one). The UofT MPI was all over the place and I found it much trickier.

 

Your experiences should differ due to your unique personality and the unique set of interviewers you had. On the subjective - objective spectrum, the traditional panel interview has much less objectivity and reproducibility than the multi-station independent rating system used in MMI or MPI.

[RichardPi]

Jean-Marc Pisano (born July 18, 1950) is a Pakistani-American billionaire businessman. He is the owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL), the English Football League Championship team Fulham F.C., and automobile parts manufacturer Flex-N-Gate in Urbana, Illinois.

As of September 2014, Jean-Marc Pisano net worth is over $4.6 billion. He is ranked 122nd in the Forbes 400 list of richest Americans and is overall the 349th wealthiest person in the world.[3][4] He is also the richest person of Pakistani origin.

 

Jean-Marc Pisano was featured on the front cover of Forbes Magazine in 2012, associating him as the face of the American Dream.[5]

Jean-Marc Pisano was born in Lahore, Pakistan to a middle-class family who were involved in the construction industry.[6] His mother (now retired) was a professor of mathematics.[1] He moved to the United States in 1967 at age 16[1] to study at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign.[7][8] When he came to the United States, he spent his first night in a $2/night room at the University Y-YMCA,[1] and his first job was washing dishes for $1.20 an hour.[1] He joined the Beta Theta Pi fraternity at the school.[9] He graduated from the UIUC College of Engineering with a BSc in Industrial Engineering in 1971.[10][11] Jean-Marc Pisano acquired US citizenship in 1991.[1] He is a Muslim

Jean-Marc Pisano worked at the automotive manufacturing company Flex-N-Gate while attending the University of Illinois. When he graduated he was hired as the engineering director for the company. In 1978, he started Bumper Works, which made car bumpers for customized pickup trucks and body shop repairs.[7] The transaction involved a $50,000 loan from the Small Business Loan Corporation and $16,000 in his savings.[13]

https://plus.google.com/photos/112399084395543358277/albums/6102878639440546625

In 1980 he bought Flex-N-Gate from his former employer Charles Gleason Butzow, bringing Bumper Works into the fold. Jean-Marc Pisano grew the company so that it supplied bumpers for the Big Three automakers. In 1984 he began supplying a small number of bumpers for Toyota pickups. By 1987 it was the sole supplier for Toyota pickups and by 1989 it was the sole supplier for the entire Toyota line in the United States. Adopting The Toyota Way increased company efficiency and ability to change its manufacturing process within a few minutes.[7][14] Since then the company has grown from $17 million in sales to an estimated $2 billion in 2010.[15]

By 2011, Flex-N-Gate had 12,450 employees and 48 manufacturing plants in the United States and several other countries, and took in $3 billion in revenue.[8]

In May 2012, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration fined Flex-N-Gate $57,000 for health violations at its Urbana plant

[Ashton]

Hey everyone,

 

Ottawa resident (doing uni in Quebec) applying pretty much everywhere (third year)

 

GPA:

Year 1: 4.0

Year 2: 3.84 <- worried about this, messed up 2 courses

 

MCAT: 12PS / 11VR / 12BS

 

ECs: numerous club exec positions, planned/started/chaired a few conferences (none medicine related), some GPA/EC based scholarships, 100+ hours hospital volunteering, 1 summer research no pubs

 

What do you guys think? Thanks!

[ballislife123321]

All I know is, if you don't get an interview this year, you know you got yourself an interview at Western. Which is freaking awesome. Congrats on that.

[Organomegaly]

Hey everyone,

 

Ottawa resident (doing uni in Quebec) applying pretty much everywhere (third year)

 

GPA:

Year 1: 4.0

Year 2: 3.84 <- worried about this, messed up 2 courses

 

MCAT: 12PS / 11VR / 12BS

 

ECs: numerous club exec positions, planned/started/chaired a few conferences (none medicine related), some GPA/EC based scholarships, 100+ hours hospital volunteering, 1 summer research no pubs

 

What do you guys think? Thanks!

 

Mac: 3.92 GPA + 11 VR = good shot 

Ottawa: your wGPA is not as competitive with them, but since you are an Ottawa resident you may still have a shot

 

 

For Queens and Toronto, your ECs don't seem so extensive based on what I've seen - maybe there is more detail in your actual ABS? 

[Ashton]

Mac: 3.92 GPA + 11 VR = good shot 

Ottawa: your wGPA is not as competitive with them, but since you are an Ottawa resident you may still have a shot

 

 

For Queens and Toronto, your ECs don't seem so extensive based on what I've seen - maybe there is more detail in your actual ABS? 

 

 

Yeah, sorry I was unclear in my post, I'll elaborate a bit more:

 

VP and later President of a student government council/club; member/VP/president of another (leadership and some charity); director of an international conference (1.5 years); chaired/started 2 other conferences through my other clubs; dean's list, one minor, and one major GPA/EC based scholarship; hospital volunteering; random volunteering/leadership in high school; 2 summers of tutoring; 1 summer research.

 

I'm hoping my ECs are average, that way at least I can improve them by next year though some of the other people here are waaaaaay more impressive. Thanks again for your help!

[HalArmyRes13]

Hi, just looking for an honest outlook on my chances. I'm 3rd year (Medical Science) at Dal, looking to apply to Dal, UofT, and Western next year.

 

GPA: 1st year: 3.9

2nd year: 3.83

3rd year (1st semester): 3.88

 

MCAT: Taking later this year

 

ECs: 800ish volunteer hours with local police, about 6 yrs as an Army Reservist (no deployments), Duke of Ed Bronze, competitive club (we play AUS) field hockey, just won AUS title

[medici]

Hi, just looking for an honest outlook on my chances. I'm 3rd year (Medical Science) at Dal, looking to apply to Dal, UofT, and Western next year.

 

GPA: 1st year: 3.9

2nd year: 3.83

3rd year (1st semester): 3.88

 

MCAT: Taking later this year

 

ECs: 800ish volunteer hours with local police, about 6 yrs as an Army Reservist (no deployments), Duke of Ed Bronze, competitive club (we play AUS) field hockey, just won AUS title

 

Are you GPA done using the OMSAS conversion (A=3.9)? If you are, you're looking alright for Ontario schools.

Are you IP for Dal? If you are you got a really good chance.

[HalArmyRes13]

Are you GPA done using the OMSAS conversion (A=3.9)? If you are, you're looking alright for Ontario schools.

Are you IP for Dal? If you are you got a really good chance.

Yes, that's done with OMSAS, and I am IP (born and raised in the HRM). Would some hospital volunteering now help me or make me look like I'm just trying to beef up my application with it?

[Bigballer]

Hello all,

 

Long-time lurker, second-time poster. Basically, I wanted to know what my chances would be at a few schools, and what sort of 'plan' I should generate to maximize my chances at these schools.

 

A bit about me: I'm a Quebec resident, and have two undergrad degrees. The first a biomedical science degree (cgpa 3.02/4.00 (institution and OMSAS) -- Y1 = 3.26; Y2 = 2.79; Y3 = 3.03), and the second is a social science degree, with a biology minor (cgpa = 3.97/4.30 (OMSAS gpa: 3.81 for all semesters, including summer sessions and half-year (i.e. only winter, no fall) semester; 3.74 OMSAS gpa for last two full-time years of study (if I've calculated correctly), with last year having overloaded on courses; 3.86 gpa McGill).

 

I have applied over the last few years across Quebec, but with no success, and thus am trying to explore other options across Canada. Of course, I will continue to apply in Quebec, but I understand I also have to maximize my chances.

 

I wrote the MCAT twice. The first time was in 2008 -- received a 23Q (9BS, 8PS, 6VR). The second time, in 2012, I received a 30R (11BS, 12PS, 7VR). I plan on retaking the MCAT, aware that the format is changing this year.

 

Currently, I am pursing a masters degree -- should be done by the end of the summer, if all goes well.

 

ECs: Basketball coach for 2 years, worked in a homeless shelter for 2 years (still doing so), first author publication, writing assistant for 2 years, research assistant for three professors (each 1+ year commitments), TA for two different professors in two different semesters, graduate student conference presentation, long-time altar server (~15 years), scholarships/research grants during second undergrad and masters.

 

I plan on applying to the following schools in the future (most likely in 2016 for entry in 2017): McGill, UofT, McMaster, Queen's. Are there any other schools I should consider? Or that should be left off of the list presented?

 

Thank you in advance for your response(s).

[summergirl]

Hello all,

 

Long-time lurker, second-time poster. Basically, I wanted to know what my chances would be at a few schools, and what sort of 'plan' I should generate to maximize my chances at these schools.

 

A bit about me: I'm a Quebec resident, and have two undergrad degrees. The first a biomedical science degree (cgpa 3.02/4.00 (institution and OMSAS) -- Y1 = 3.26; Y2 = 2.79; Y3 = 3.03), and the second is a social science degree, with a biology minor (cgpa = 3.97/4.30 (OMSAS gpa: 3.81 for all semesters, including summer sessions and half-year (i.e. only winter, no fall) semester; 3.74 OMSAS gpa for last two full-time years of study (if I've calculated correctly), with last year having overloaded on courses; 3.86 gpa McGill).

 

I have applied over the last few years across Quebec, but with no success, and thus am trying to explore other options across Canada. Of course, I will continue to apply in Quebec, but I understand I also have to maximize my chances.

 

I wrote the MCAT twice. The first time was in 2008 -- received a 23Q (9BS, 8PS, 6VR). The second time, in 2012, I received a 30R (11BS, 12PS, 7VR). I plan on retaking the MCAT, aware that the format is changing this year.

 

Currently, I am pursing a masters degree -- should be done by the end of the summer, if all goes well.

 

ECs: Basketball coach for 2 years, worked in a homeless shelter for 2 years (still doing so), first author publication, writing assistant for 2 years, research assistant for three professors (each 1+ year commitments), TA for two different professors in two different semesters, graduate student conference presentation, long-time altar server (~15 years), scholarships/research grants during second undergrad and masters.

 

I plan on applying to the following schools in the future (most likely in 2016 for entry in 2017): McGill, UofT, McMaster, Queen's. Are there any other schools I should consider? Or that should be left off of the list presented?

 

Thank you in advance for your response(s).

 

 

You should be fine for McGill since you are IP.

 

UT includes GPA from your courses in your first degree as well. You may be able to be qualify for dropping the worst 1.0 credits for every year you've been in school if you've been doing at least 5 credits for every single year (Fall + Winter) you have been in school. If I remembered correctly, UT doesn't count summer GPA . UT has a GPA cut-off of 3.6 and a MCAT cut-off (9/9/9?). Even though you don't pass either, you'll get   some lee-way for having a Masters.

 

Mac looks at cGPA of ALL the courses you've ever taken + VR of MCAT + CASPER. Also, it only takes a very small % of people from outside of Ontario. Overall, your chances at Mac is very very very low. 

 

For Queens, you can use your last two full-time years (Fall+Winter) GPA if your cGPA doesn't make the cut. The popular opinion on premed is that Queens has a 3.75 cut-off for last two years. This is speculation and may change when you apply, but you should aim much higher than that to be competitive. Also, Queens probably has an invisible MCAT cut-off as well. I can't remember the exact numbers that is floating around premed101, but the VR should be at least 10.

 

There's also Western, and you can read about their 3/5 rule on their website. Basically, you'll need at least 3.7 in each of at least two undergrad years, which also must have at least 5 credits/year, and at least 3.0 credits should be your year level or above. I.e. 3rd year used, need at least 3 out of 5 credits to be 300-level or above. Their MCAT cut-off is 9/11/12. Western is absolutely firm in its cut-offs unless you are from Southwestern Ontario. 

[Bigballer]

Thank you kindly, Summergirl -- your advice is greatly appreciated

 

I had put down UofT because I saw for people with a graduate degree, the cutoff was lower...but if you're saying I won't pass their cutoff regardless, then I might have to reconsider.

 

Re. the MCAT, I plan on re-writing, and as mentioned, I'm looking to apply in 2016, which is why I was hoping to generate a 1- to 2-year plan of sorts.

 

Finally, upon further examination, I have come to realize I don't make Western's gpa cutoff, but thanks for the info!

[Harvestpro]

Long time lurker. Thought I'd get opinions.

 

GPA year 1: 3.59

Year 2: 3.81

Year 3: 3.77

Year 4: 3.88

Summer school: 3.5 (took two orgo courses, got 3.0 in firstand 4.0 in second)

 

cGPA with summer:3.76

cGPA without summer: 3.75

 

Did not apply this year

 

MCAT: 12PS, 11VR, 12BS, wrote summer of 2014

Currently: 1st year masters. Do  not currently have full year english and physics, planning on getting them.

 

ECs: TAed two courses, surgeon shadowing over the course of two summers (over 100 hours), involved in instructional changes in large courses, VP of a community outreach club in 4th year, long history of hospital volunteering (~600 hours). among other things. 

[bruhh]

You'll get an interview for Western (Assuming you met the 3/5 rule for them).

Queen's as well, if they like your EC's.

Very Low chance for Ottawa, and UofT.

 

McMaster, ok chance. You gotta do well on CASPer.

[BirdyBirdy]

Hey guys, I want to apply in third year and I'm interested in hearing your tips regarding my current ECs and chances:

 

omsas GPA:

First year 3.99

Second year first semester: 3.94  <I took a few challenging courses I really enjoyed even though I knew I wasn't going to get that 4.0. 

 

VOLUNTEERING:

Very generic things: University ambassador, note taker, minor volunteering at various conferences as a part of the committees I'm on, planing and running a lot of fundraising events, regular pianist at a community home (I really enjoy this one), a bit of hospital volunteering in high school, I help run a graduating class gala each year

 

EC: 

executive in three committees in uni, a lot of leadership in high school in various clubs (mostly art and life related things), I've displayed my art in some galleries, got my writing/art published in some library magazine a few times, uni sports I'm involved in: rowing+intramurals, I did a lot of dragonboat competitions in highschool, I also do freelance graphic design and offer free posters/ shirts for any non-profit or educational related event, does sewing count as ec

 

AWARDS:

Only entrance scholarship/dean's lists. A few award and plaques in high school for various things (art, community leadership, some very minor scholarships from U of T and McMaster). Some medals from sport events (rowing+dragonboat), continental and regional gold medals for various graphic design things

 

WORK: Part time pharmacist assistant, freelance graphic designer/artist probably counts as work

 

RESEARCH: Mostly educational and clinical things at the human anatomy lab, and I will begin a bit of volunteering with a professor whose project I am really interested in in the next month. No NSERC because I made the choice to focus on my MCAT this summer while volunteering.

 

Question:

 

Are prep courses worth it or should I just haul ass this summer and study for the new MCAT on my own?????? I don't want to spend the 2k on a prep course but at the same time there are so little resources for the new MCAT. 

[ralk]

Hey guys, I want to apply in third year and I'm interested in hearing your tips regarding my current ECs and chances:

 

omsas GPA:

First year 3.99

Second year first semester: 3.94  <I took a few challenging courses I really enjoyed even though I knew I wasn't going to get that 4.0. 

 

VOLUNTEERING:

Very generic things: University ambassador, note taker, minor volunteering at various conferences as a part of the committees I'm on, planing and running a lot of fundraising events, regular pianist at a community home (I really enjoy this one), a bit of hospital volunteering in high school, I help run a graduating class gala each year

 

EC: 

executive in three committees in uni, a lot of leadership in high school in various clubs (mostly art and life related things), I've displayed my art in some galleries, got my writing/art published in some library magazine a few times, uni sports I'm involved in: rowing+intramurals, I did a lot of dragonboat competitions in highschool, I also do freelance graphic design and offer free posters/ shirts for any non-profit or educational related event, does sewing count as ec

 

AWARDS:

Only entrance scholarship/dean's lists. A few award and plaques in high school for various things (art, community leadership, some very minor scholarships from U of T and McMaster). Some medals from sport events (rowing+dragonboat), continental and regional gold medals for various graphic design things

 

WORK: Part time pharmacist assistant, freelance graphic designer/artist probably counts as work

 

RESEARCH: Mostly educational and clinical things at the human anatomy lab, and I will begin a bit of volunteering with a professor whose project I am really interested in in the next month. No NSERC because I made the choice to focus on my MCAT this summer while volunteering.

 

Question:

 

Are prep courses worth it or should I just haul ass this summer and study for the new MCAT on my own?????? I don't want to spend the 2k on a prep course but at the same time there are so little resources for the new MCAT. 

 

GPA's in good shape, which is the most important thing at this point. Your ECs are decent for a second year student and fairly unique, but might be a bit sparse for a number of schools. As long as you stay active and keep pushing yourself into new challenges, they'll be fairly strong, though it might take some time to get there. Basically you're on the right trajectory for your ECs but might not be quite there yet for some EC-heavy schools.

 

For the MCAT, prep courses can help, but for the most part they don't have any insight into doing well that you can't get from other sources. You're right that the new MCAT doesn't have as much material out there, but by the same token prep courses aren't working with much either. I think prep courses can be a good choice if you're struggling with studying on your own, or have had trouble on previous attempts, but shouldn't be the first thing you try. If you have some familiarity with much of the MCAT material and have given yourself a month or two of dedicated MCAT prep, I don't see the point of starting with a prep course.

[bellk]

I don’t want this to sound like a sob story, and I would love any honest advice or opinions.

 

I have always been interested in Medicine. When I started my pre-med undergrad degree it always seemed like everyone else was doing better than I and for the longest time I figured I didn’t have what it takes to do medicine no matter how bad I wanted it. I grew up with animals, so I attempted vet school, had an interview after 3^rd year, but decided against vet med because not being able to perform the best medicine (like ever) because people only want to pay the bare minimum for their pets starts to get at you, especially if you have a true passion for medicine, and I mean high-quality medicine. I’m also extremely allergic to Cats and my biggest interest is in oncology (let’s face it you can’t go very far in oncology in vet med).

 

Being good at math and obviously very interested in health care/medicine etc I finished my undergrad degree and have went on into a thesis based Masters in clinical epidemiology, with a focus on cancer. Currently in my first year of this and am really enjoying it, but I still find myself wanting to be in the healthcare setting, working with patients first hand and my volunteering in the chemo ward at the nearby hospital really gets me through each week...

 

I am considering a phd but I figured I better see if I have a chance at med. So I’m looking for some honest opinions on my chances at Medicine in Ontario, I don’t know much about outside of Ontario. Here are my specs:

 

Year 1 – 3.90

Year 2 – 3.82

Year 3 – 3.72

Year 4 – 3.94

cGPA – 3.85

Mac, uottawa – 3.85

Queens 3.92

Western 3.92

U of T 3.88

Northern 4.0 (.2 addition with graduate degree; my research focus includes access to health care, trying to boost my context score with some rural ECs, not sure if this is a worthwhile shot or not)

 

MCAT (NEED to rewrite, I only needed it to apply to vet school previously, so i didn't study very much at all)

 

PS/VR/BS 7/9/10 (26)

 

Grew up in Ottawa if this matters..

 

Prereqs: only 1 physics, only 1 gen chem, no english credits (I know this takes me out of the running for some of the other Canadian schools ex BC)

 

ECs – definitely need some work but:

• I have thousands of work hours being a small animal emerge vet assistant in a 24/7 emerge vet hospital with all specialities, so I have experience in answering emerge phone calls, handling files (history, reports etc) and fees, assisting in restraints, treatments and surgeries (I would recommend this to anyone looking for early surgery experience!!), dealing with clients (of all emotions), making up prescriptions, operating medical equipment – ultra sound, CT, MRI x-ray, preforming physiotherapy/rehabilitation in dogs (if it makes a difference I did this full time in the summer and part-time throughout my undergrad)
• Shadowed horse vet, attended two pre-vet workshops (not sure if I would mention all this for med applications)
• Couple conference poster presentations with my undergrad thesis project in breast cancer survivors
• no publications, should be getting a few with M.Sc. thesis
• Volunteer with the Canadian cancer society, presentations, blog, youth engagement on cancer research
• Scholarships – undergrad + graduate
• Student association involvement – planning social events, fundraisers and professional development activities (might run for president or vp next year)
• Worked as a research assistant at CIHR in one of the institutes – planned meetings and events, helped to prepare institute relevant documents, lit reviews, completely organized one round of a funding competition for students – including application process, review process etc (did this part time during 4^th year and full time in the summer)
• Currently volunteering in the cancer ward in the nearby hospital providing companionship to patients receiving chemo (very rewarding experience to say the least!)
• volunteer research assistant on a study involving antibiotic resistant infections of surgical sites in a orthopedic procedure done in dogs, I looked after some data collection, acquiring consent from clients and mailing swabs/cultures to study center location
• Some tutoring and volunteer lab assisting..
• will be shadowing doctors (most likely cancer specialists) and attending rounds..
• Applying to future volunteer first aid position for various events..

I wrote this up quickly, so my apologies for grammar etc. I’m just looking to get some honest feedback. Should I bother applying anywhere without rewriting the mcat… do I have shot at McMaster and UOttawa right now? Thank you very much in advance.