championcc Posted October 5, 2015 Report Share Posted October 5, 2015 Damn, killer MCAT. You're good for Western, not sure about the other schools! Thanks. Hoping to interview at Sask and maybe one other! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
virgil Posted October 5, 2015 Report Share Posted October 5, 2015 Ontario Student GPA 4.0 OMSAS 95% UBC MCAT: 522 (129 CARS) ECs - local comunity volunteering with vulnernable populations (1000+ hours) and international medical volunteering, mental health advocacy - 3 years of research in multiple labs 2X NSERC USRA, one paper, 2 oral presentations - Multiple exec posiitons including multiple STEM organizations (long term committments), other community and university related leadership positions - Organized several conferences - Some sports and other hobbies (nothing huge here) Will lack of ECs hold me back this cycle as a 3rd year, curious what to expect? "3 years of research... one paper..." "lack of ECs" Checks out PeterPatting and UofTpremee 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
virgil Posted October 5, 2015 Report Share Posted October 5, 2015 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metachaos Posted October 9, 2015 Report Share Posted October 9, 2015 GPA: 3.83. Weighted at U of T, 3.89. At Ottawa, 3.835. MCAT: Not sure yet. Felt really good about it, especially verbal. My score on the official practise test was 50/53 for verbal. ECs: 300+ hours hospital volunteering over three years, 800+ hours lifeguarding/swim instructing, 100 hours volunteering in a lab, one summer project with an award, one current research project, exec at a medical volunteering club (and did two trips, helped organize one of them) for a year, exec at a recreational snowboard club (currently VP) for two years where helped organize trips. Those are the major points, I can't help but feel it's kind of average for an applicant. References: A research prof, a physician involved with the club, and the volunteer coordinator at my hospital. Feels kind of average too, but not bad. Bump Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sesshomaru Posted October 9, 2015 Report Share Posted October 9, 2015 ^ Can't evaluate you very accurately without knowing your MCAT score. The wGPA for Ottawa probably won't cut it unless you're an aboriginal or applying to the french stream. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdj78we9jtf2o3mgfvj298j Posted October 9, 2015 Report Share Posted October 9, 2015 Bump A lot of this will depend on your MCAT. Being honest, you aren't eligible for Ottawa (assuming you aren't Aboriginal/french) and your wGPA isn't competitive for Toronto (it's still possible, I've had friends interview with your GPA). The schools that you could be competitive for (Queen's, Western, and Mac) are all highly MCAT dependent. Your ECs are very strong and I think you have a good chance at schools like Queens if you do well on your MCAT. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metachaos Posted October 13, 2015 Report Share Posted October 13, 2015 A lot of this will depend on your MCAT. Being honest, you aren't eligible for Ottawa (assuming you aren't Aboriginal/french) and your wGPA isn't competitive for Toronto (it's still possible, I've had friends interview with your GPA). The schools that you could be competitive for (Queen's, Western, and Mac) are all highly MCAT dependent. Your ECs are very strong and I think you have a good chance at schools like Queens if you do well on your MCAT. ^ Can't evaluate you very accurately without knowing your MCAT score. The wGPA for Ottawa probably won't cut it unless you're an aboriginal or applying to the french stream. Got my MCAT score back! 130 on Physical, Verbal, and Psych and 129 on Bio! I think that's really good. I'm a little concerned that 129 is a 12 in bio, which was the cutoff last year for Western. Does that mean i'm totally fine, or do they expect higher BIO marks/ is there a concern for the cutoff increasing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ralk Posted October 13, 2015 Report Share Posted October 13, 2015 Got my MCAT score back! 130 on Physical, Verbal, and Psych and 129 on Bio! I think that's really good. I'm a little concerned that 129 is a 12 in bio, which was the cutoff last year for Western. Does that mean i'm totally fine, or do they expect higher BIO marks/ is there a concern for the cutoff increasing? You're fine. That's a stellar, balanced MCAT score. Western raising its Bio cutoff higher would be extremely unlikely. Take a breath, you did what you needed to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metachaos Posted October 13, 2015 Report Share Posted October 13, 2015 You're fine. That's a stellar, balanced MCAT score. Western raising its Bio cutoff higher would be extremely unlikely. Take a breath, you did what you needed to. Amazing, thank you. Considering the rest of my application, I think that makes me very likely to get at interview at Western, Queens, or McMaster? I'm doubtful on U of T because my letters were meh and my GPA isn't as crazy high as some others. But I am truly happy with my MCAT score and it feels extremely rewarding for something to go completely fine during these months of pure anxiety. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ralk Posted October 13, 2015 Report Share Posted October 13, 2015 Amazing, thank you. Considering the rest of my application, I think that makes me very likely to get at interview at Western, Queens, or McMaster? I'm doubtful on U of T because my letters were meh and my GPA isn't as crazy high as some others. But I am truly happy with my MCAT score and it feels extremely rewarding for something to go completely fine during these months of pure anxiety. Should be an automatic interview for Western, good shot at Mac, Queen's will come down to how they evaluate your ECs. U of T is a long shot, because they value GPA so much, but throw an application their way just in case. Celebrate the MCAT score, that's a very good showing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
runforestrun Posted October 13, 2015 Report Share Posted October 13, 2015 just want to know re: MCAT C/P: 131 CARS: 132 B/B: 130 P/S: 125...... Thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
novak123 Posted October 14, 2015 Report Share Posted October 14, 2015 ........... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Med_new Posted October 14, 2015 Report Share Posted October 14, 2015 Got my MCAT score back! 130 on Physical, Verbal, and Psych and 129 on Bio! I think that's really good. I'm a little concerned that 129 is a 12 in bio, which was the cutoff last year for Western. Does that mean i'm totally fine, or do they expect higher BIO marks/ is there a concern for the cutoff increasing? Nice! I am working on pulling my score up ... what was your secret? lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metachaos Posted October 14, 2015 Report Share Posted October 14, 2015 Nice! I am working on pulling my score up ... what was your secret? lol Honestly, I was intuitively pretty good at verbal and generally am pretty good at efficiently and effectively studying. The main things I noticed: - In verbal, the most important thing is to identify what exactly must be true for an answer to be true (when you're stuck between two likely answers). For a support question: is the text ACTUALLY providing support, or does it just imply it by being very favourable? For tone: is the tone actually positive or negative, or is the tone actually neutral with a positive/negative tone being projected onto it because of the subject matter? It's very important to understand exactly and precisely why you got an answer wrong because it is generally for a very specific reason that would help you with future questions. - With the rest, after ingesting the background knowledge, doing test questions is key to knowing what to focus on. Physics generally does not require memorization of complex equations, only the simplest in my experience, biochemistry and research is emphasized, and psych definitely focuses on certain issues, especially issues of inequality and discrimination. I found that the biology textbook specifically contained the most extra detail which, while it may be tested, generally wasn't necessary for the focuses of the MCAT, especially since passages generally provided plenty of background. My most useful resources were the online questions and practise tests the Princeton Course provided and the textbooks of course. Hopefully something helped, message me if you have any questions. spotsanddots 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HanSolo Posted October 15, 2015 Report Share Posted October 15, 2015 Hi! I posted earlier but wanted to get more feedback as to possibilities for interview invites. I am in a coop program so I have an extra year (going into 4th) at uoft. I am confident in my GPA and MCAT but my ECs I feel are very weak. Omsas: 3.89 Uoft: 3.97 Queens: 3.92 Ottawa: 3.91 MCAT: 12/11/10 Ecs: Volunteer research in exercise lab (1sem) research in basic science lab (1sem) Nserc basic science (this past summer and ongoing) Research at a hospital (summer of 2013) 1 publication + conference presentation Founder/exec of a social outreach club Exec of academic club Volunteer at senior home (on/off 3 years) Scholarships/in course awards at university And am starting to build up my ecs and volunteering in activities I am interested in for my 2016 application. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
collegegirl1996 Posted October 27, 2015 Report Share Posted October 27, 2015 Is it harder to get into a Canadian medical school or US medical school? Lmb 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_ _ Posted October 28, 2015 Report Share Posted October 28, 2015 Is it harder to get into a Canadian medical school or US medical school? There is not a 'answer' to this Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnGrisham Posted October 28, 2015 Report Share Posted October 28, 2015 Looking to apply next year in the 2016 cycle. I want to get in to ANY Canadian or US MD school. I am an IP resident for BC. AMCAS GPA: 3.8 cGPA 3.78 sGPA Last 3 years all with a cGPA > 3.90 OMSAS cGPA (worst year removed) = 3.91 OMSAS cGPA (no years removed) = 3.73 UBC % Avg is about 90% after removing worst year. 512 MCAT (129/126/130/127) -->> do I need to retake??? Research 0.5 years in a bio lab. Didn't really get much meaningful experience out of this 2.5 years in a physiology lab.1 international conference poster presentation (1st author), 2 poster presentations at a mini department conference at my university, 2 additional posters with my name on them (but didn't present) 2 primary research pubs (1st author and 3rd/4th author), 1 review article pub completed honors thesis in this lab (1 semester of research + written thesis) other small research courses (literature based + lab based) taken Community volunteering experience - my weak area local food bank for 1 year @ 4 hours/week (total = ~150 hours) seniors care home for 1 year @ 2 hours/week Other work experience worked as a tutor for elementary and high school students for 1 year trying to get a job in 2016 from Jan-Aug in a clinic - this might be similar to scribe or more as a research assistant. Very strong GPA and MCAT, but ECs don't seem very competitive for UBC at least, but maybe your high GPA will balance it out? I wouldn't predict a very high NAQ score.. I'd imagine you'd have better odds at Western perhaps if you make MCAT cut-offs for a gauranteed interview? Or focus on schools that dont look into ECs as much? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
struggling2getin Posted November 1, 2015 Report Share Posted November 1, 2015 Hi guys, I'm looking to apply to the 2016 cycle, will try for all Ontario schools + UBC + Alberta as a fourth yearOMSAS: 3.92- Year 1: 3.94, Year 2: 3.90, Year 3 (projected): 3.95+Grade average: 88.5% with first 2 years, looks hopeful to pass 90% by year 3. MCAT: doing this summer Research- 4 months as a neurology research intern, saw 10 surgical cases, conducted data and imaging analysis which was used in construction of programming algorithms. 100 hrs, 2015 Summer (may continue again this summer) - X months in a neurobiology lab 2015 Fall - present Volunteering- Senior home for summer for 3 years, 100hr/yr 2012 Summer - present - Volunteer tutor for first year classes 3hr/week 2015 Fall - present Employment- Analytical Chemist for 8 months as part of my co-op program, 1.2k+ hours 2014 fall – 2015 summer Leadership - Executive of my high school's magazine club 100 hrs 2012 fall - 2013 summer - Member 2013 Fall -2015 Summer, then Executive of a departmental association 2015 Fall - present Extracurriculars- Vocals (in choir + in classes which have monthly competitions, can count as 2 different things) probably 40 and 80 hrs respectively so far 2015 Winter - Present- Learned Japanese for a very long time (6-7 years on and off) probably like 2000 - 4000 hrs overall, began late 2008ish and continued – hope to get JLPT accreditation soon for 2015Awards- 2 Volunteer based awards- 2 highschool awards- for highest grade in language studies and the 80+ avg one in Ontario - University honors list It looks like I will barely pass 20 OMSAS items by the end of this year which seems problematic.. also most of my extracurriculars began in 2014/15 since I was still very undecided on whether I wanted to choose medicine until recently and just realized how competitive it was (padding is also minimal haha). My references should all be strong, hopefully I will be able to scoop up some bigger academic awards/scholarships by the end of this year for >20 OMSAS items. Though it looks pretty unlikely due to a low NAQ, I'm hoping for UBC the most. Any insight to my focus/options in terms of schools to apply to, or whether I should try to raise my OMSAS item number would be helpful, thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bambi Posted November 2, 2015 Report Share Posted November 2, 2015 You look fine. Don't worry about the number of activities. And also apply @ McGill. Good luck! struggling2getin 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arekel Posted November 2, 2015 Report Share Posted November 2, 2015 delete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MD2B2019 Posted November 2, 2015 Report Share Posted November 2, 2015 Applied this cycle to Ontario schools & USask. MCAT 524: C/P 130 CARS 131 BIO 132 P/S 131 overall GPA just under 3.6 Best/last 2 year GPA - 3.96 (may be conditional at Western depending on how my transcript is assessed) Research experience but no pubs, extracurriculars are very heavy on volunteering with some sports and student leadership. Your chance at Manitoba is as good as Sask, after dropping your worst 6 to 10 courses, your aGPA at Manitoba maybe somewhere 4.0 to 4.5. Your chance at McMaster and Western Ontario also very good in my experiences. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metismedhopeful Posted November 10, 2015 Report Share Posted November 10, 2015 I am wondering what my chances are. Considering not applying for intake come the fall of 2017 and waiting to apply for fall 2018 intake. Currently in my second year of BScN (Nursing), in Northern Ontario. My first year GPA was 2.8 but including the summer course that I failed it drops to 2.55. My anticipated second year GPA is 3.8-3.9. Making my cGPA 3.23 but my wGPA for uOttawa because they do not consider summer courses marks 3.46 My ECs include various municipal commissions and committees, member of the gay straight alliance, anglers and hunters, coaching minor hockey, working with aboriginal organizations, and having the opportunity to go on some medivacs to remote first nations communities. Also I am an aboriginal applicant and intend on applying through the aboriginal stream. I intend on applying to McMaster and uOttawa, would consider NOSM come applications for Fall 2018 intake. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
not my real name Posted November 10, 2015 Report Share Posted November 10, 2015 Your first year is an issue, but you can definitely recover if that's what you're wondering. Just make sure that your anticipated GPA becomes a reality! That is key. With that in place you can become competitive, and being an aboriginal applicant will surely help. Focus on your grades. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metismedhopeful Posted November 10, 2015 Report Share Posted November 10, 2015 Your first year is an issue, but you can definitely recover if that's what you're wondering. Just make sure that your anticipated GPA becomes a reality! That is key. With that in place you can become competitive, and being an aboriginal applicant will surely help. Focus on your grades. Good luck. Do you think I should wait to apply to medical school until I haver completed 3 years of uni? Or should I still attempt it this year? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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