FAQ: What are my chances?

[champ]

What are my chances

3.86 overall GPA from Ontario

over 3.9+ for best 2 years and completed all prereqs

After a few attempts my mcat is 30 overall but 8 in VR

ECs include extensive research, volunteering, club executive positions, international experiences

 

Any chance at McMaster, Alberta, Sask, U of T, Ottawa or Western?[/QUOTe

 

Id like to say you have some decent stats but that 8 in VR is really not going to help you at all. I am in a somewhat similar situation with a low verbal score. I just applied to ontario and know a fair bit here and about some other schools. Firstly, Ill be honest and i'd say you pretty much have no shot at western with an 8 in verbal. With that said, you could have a good shot at u of t considering you only have one section below a 9 in the mcat and you took a full course load and you have other areas in ur application to make up for that 8 in verbal. McMaster,,, I really dont know what to tell you about that school. You can always apply and see what happens but your VR could really hurt you but you could always do really well on casper to make up the difference. Its prolly a long shot. Ottawa you could have a good shot if your 3 year wieghted gpa is above a 3.85 which sounds like it could be and other than that I am not sure what triggers an interview invite from the personal sketch activities side of things. So no harm in applying. Sask,, I am assuming your OOP and therefore your going to need at least a 2 best year gpa of aroudn 3.95 or higher cause they convert to percentages and its really steep for OOP. Not sure about the mcat score needed there. Lastly, sorry dont know much about alberta.

 

Id suggest applying to u of t and ottawa for sure and mac if your feeling lucky lol

The only school id rule out completely is western(unless your SWOLLEM eligible or whatever the area is called) and like I said before if you have a 2 year gpa above 3.95 for sask then apply there assuming ur mcat meets the cut not sure if it does and ur OOP. I assumed your an ontario resident for all of this and you have a full course load.

 

Hope that helps you out a bit.

[enmeds]

any idea how sask converts grades. Like for instance do they take the grade point average on a 4 scale and convert it to percentage or each individual grade? What has been the cutoff in past years for OOP?

[champ]

any idea how sask converts grades. Like for instance do they take the grade point average on a 4 scale and convert it to percentage or each individual grade? What has been the cutoff in past years for OOP?

 

it depends on what school you are doing your undergrad at. Just to give you an idea, an A+ = 95% and i think an A was a 87% not too sure. You needed to have at least a 92.0%, I believe to be competitive. There are some older threads with info on the U of S application process. Theres a ton more info in there that will prolly help you out better than I can.

 

I called the school this summer to find out some info and my gpa was below the historical cut off whcih the secretary told me was generally above 92% for OOP's. So I would imagine somewhere around a 3.95 2 year gpa would be around it. I was just below it so i never applied.

[thatonekid]

any idea how sask converts grades. Like for instance do they take the grade point average on a 4 scale and convert it to percentage or each individual grade? What has been the cutoff in past years for OOP?

For OOPs, you need to have about a 92% to meet the cutoff. You can email Sask and ask for their conversion chart for your school. They'll give you that information, since it depends on where you did your undergrad.

[Singh]

I don't post here often, but what do you all think my chances are at U of T? I've applied for Fall 2011 entry to a few places, and I really have my heart set on U of T.

 

3rd Year, University of Toronto, Pharmacology specialist program

OMSAS cGPA 3.97

39 S MCAT (13-13-13 S)

EC's are pretty decent (NSERC USRA, volunteering, quite a few sports, some pretty cool academic awards (top 100 in U of T undergrad))

 

I know that my third year status may be a deterrent, but do you guys think I stand a chance at acceptance to U of T?

[thatonekid]

I don't post here often, but what do you all think my chances are at U of T? I've applied for Fall 2011 entry to a few places, and I really have my heart set on U of T.

 

3rd Year, University of Toronto, Pharmacology specialist program

OMSAS cGPA 3.97

39 S MCAT (13-13-13 S)

EC's are pretty decent (NSERC USRA, volunteering, quite a few sports, some pretty cool academic awards (top 100 in U of T undergrad))

 

I know that my third year status may be a deterrent, but do you guys think I stand a chance at acceptance to U of T?

Based on stats, you stand a chance. Your ECs seem good too. Like you said yourself, the knock on your app is that you're a 3rd year and UofT seems to not accept many 3rd years.

[calgary_02]

Hi,

 

I was wondering if someone could please assess my chances of getting into an Alberta medical school.

 

Stats:

 

Alberta resident

2nd year graduate student

GPA: 3.7 (3.63/3.33/3.77/3.91) best 2 undergrad 3.84, grad GPA 4.0

MCAT: 31Q

ECs: volunteered at numerous places and overseas (total hours close to 650), worked in hospital jobs, a few university government committees, a few publications

 

thanks,

 

calgary_02

[simpy]

calgary_02,

 

Fairly good. It will be almost totally dependent on your interview performance. I would guess you would need to be somewhere in the top third of the people they interview to get in.

[GGGSaint]

Ontario/BC resident

4th year undergrad at U of T

 

GPA: 3.4 (3.0/3.39/3.74)

currently working on 4 th year hoping to get 3.8 ish

 

MCAT: 12/11/11Q

 

ECs: volunteered at hospital for 3 years, one summer research, summer job as a translator, overseas volunteering, club exec, etc.

 

I was thinking I may have a chance at UWO this year if they consider my current year as my second full yr..

 

Also, if I get 3.8 this year, would two years of 3.74/3.8 be strong enough next cycle to competitive for Queen's? Should I consider doing a 5th year?

 

Also, should I consider rewriting MCAT to improve my writing score?

 

Any comment will be appreciated Thanks!

 

1) Definitely do NOT rewrite the MCAT. You have a beautiful balanced score.

 

2) No one is sure where Queen's is going with admissions quite yet (they may be evaluating more than MCAT/GPA pre-interview this year). As things stand now, your best 2 year GPA of 3.74 (estimate) should be good enough. Aim for perfection for this year though (I know first-hand it's hard to do at U/T).

 

3) Consider doing a 5th year for Ottawa perhaps. However, I say re-evaluate where you stand after you do your UWO interview (which you should receive provided you meet their courseload criteria).

 

Prepare your ass off for the UWO interview and go from there. Very nice job with the MCAT.

[blasto9]

Ontario resident

3rd year undergrad at UWO

 

GPA: 3.85ish (3.85/3.86)

My 3rd year is looking to be around a 3.95?

 

MCAT: 12/10/10 R (12 in physical sciences)

 

ECs: Varisty athlete, volunteered at two different hospitals doing physiotherapy and various other positions, shadowing a doctor, Nserc research, some charity work, intermurals etc.

 

I applied this year to Queen's, Toronto, Mac and Ottawa.

I'm wondering am I competitive for this year?

 

And should I consider rewriting my MCATs, for Western?

[simpy]

Ontario resident

3rd year undergrad at UWO

 

GPA: 3.85ish (3.85/3.86)

My 3rd year is looking to be around a 3.95?

 

MCAT: 12/10/10 R (12 in physical sciences)

 

ECs: Varisty athlete, volunteered at two different hospitals doing physiotherapy and various other positions, shadowing a doctor, Nserc research, some charity work, intermurals etc.

 

I applied this year to Queen's, Toronto, Mac and Ottawa.

I'm wondering am I competitive for this year?

 

And should I consider rewriting my MCATs, for Western?

 

You will probably get an interview at Queen's. You have a small to medium chance of interviews at both Ottawa and Mac. You will probably not get an interview at Toronto.

 

Schools tend to be fairly hard on applicants applying after their second year. You generally have to be a pretty phenomenal applicant to get in at this point (and I'm not saying you're not; it's just very tough is all).

 

I wouldn't worry too much about it this year. Do your best in interviews but look at them as preparation for next year. You will have a fairly strong application next year.

 

I would not rewrite the MCAT unless you are absolutely confident you can get R again in the writing section and an 11 in verbal (i.e. you consistently get 11+ in practice tests). The last thing you would want is to get a 9 in verbal or a P in writing or something and really screw yourself over. Missing the cutoffs at only one Canadian school (while still having decent scores for the States) is not a great reason to rewrite.

[Prothrombin]

Ontario Resident (Ottawa)

GPA: 2.33/2.98/3.83/3.84 (Happens to be my two most recent and best)

MCAT: 7/8/10 P (Horrible...)

EC's: The usual hospital stuff, blood lab, cancer center, some involvement in youth awards, motorsports volunteer, co-pres for tennis club.

Work Exp: 3 years at retirement home, 1 year doing research on schizophrenia

 

Thinking of applying to UOttawa, Queens and Western. Taking a 5th year as well to be eligible at UOttawa.

[shikimate]

Ontario Resident (Ottawa)

GPA: 2.33/2.98/3.83/3.84 (Happens to be my two most recent and best)

MCAT: 7/8/10 P (Horrible...)

 

Thinking of applying to UOttawa, Queens and Western. Taking a 5th year as well to be eligible at UOttawa.

 

Unfortunately I think you have no chance of making MCAT cutoff for UWO and Queens. Ottawa may be a legitimate shot though. What about UT and the weighting formula?

[Prothrombin]

Unfortunately I think you have no chance of making MCAT cutoff for UWO and Queens. Ottawa may be a legitimate shot though. What about UT and the weighting formula?

 

I'm doing the MCAT again in the summer so hopefully I can get a competitive score, making me, hopefully, competitive at Queens and Western. U of T weighting formula won't apply to me because I dropped a course.

[pininkid]

Hoping to apply for UBC (IP) and Toronto (OOP, but no discrimination):

 

cGPA 3.97/4.33, OMSAS GPA 3.8, Toronto wGPA 3.92. Will be applying after completing 3rd year. MCAT 13BS/14PS/12VR, WS S.

 

Extracurriculars are average, some volunteer activities, 1 year in a hospital, president of student union, won a few competitions, and some artsy hobbies. The problem is for my volunteering positions, some of them are not very long term (since last summer/fall-ish).

 

What's your honest opinion of my chances this year? Weakness is definitely ECs. I had a rough 3rd term 1st year so I was focused on bringing that up during second year (GPA first, EC's later?). I'm quite confident that if I keep plodding at it, I can definitely be competitive to apply in summer 2012, but I'm debating whether to go for it this summer too. Might consider Queen's/UOttawa? (The ones with weighting formulas, obviously... but I'm OOP for those schools.) Best two years is probably 3.89-3.9 ish.

[hking03]

Hoping to apply for UBC and Toronto:

 

cGPA 3.97/4.33, OMSAS GPA 3.8, Toronto wGPA 3.92. Will be applying after completing 3rd year. MCAT 13BS/14PS/13VR, WS S.

 

Extracurriculars are average, some volunteer activities, 1 year in a hospital, president of student union, won a few competitions, and some artsy hobbies. The problem is for my volunteering positions, some of them are not very long term (since last summer/fall-ish).

 

What's your honest opinion of my chances this year? Weakness is definitely ECs. I had a rough 3rd term 1st year so I was focused on bringing that up during second year (GPA first, EC's later?). I'm quite confident that if I keep plodding at it, I can definitely be competitive to apply in summer 2012, but I'm debating whether to go for it this summer too. Might consider Queen's/UOttawa? (The ones with weighting formulas, obviously... but I'm OOP for those schools.) Best two years is probably 3.89-3.9 ish.

 

 

I'd say you stand a good chance at UBC to get an interview. oop applicants with a gpa in your range scored pretty high on the AQ... your NAQ score (or EC's) would probably be sufficient to get you in. Your MCAT score will definitely help with other schools, but UBC just uses it as a flag. Regardless, you'll be competitive at a bunch of different schools with an MCAT and GPA like yours... just keep plugging away at EC's you enjoy and you'll get your shot.

[pininkid]

Sorry I slipped up... I have a 13BS/14PS/12VR, WS S. I wish I could hit the elusive 40!

 

Thanks for your input. Definitely going to keep at the ECs, probably apply for UBC and UofT for this year, but I hate asking for verifiers from volunteering places I've only been doing for ~1 year... for some reason I feel odd doing that.

[hking03]

Sorry I slipped up... I have a 13BS/14PS/12VR, WS S. I wish I could hit the elusive 40!

 

Thanks for your input. Definitely going to keep at the ECs, probably apply for UBC and UofT for this year, but I hate asking for verifiers from volunteering places I've only been doing for ~1 year... for some reason I feel odd doing that.

 

Oh, and with ubc's application cycle this year only events that have started prior to june 1st 2011 can be included and can only be included up to that date. So if you started something on may 10 you can put how many hours it was up until june 1st... even if it is supposed to continue until september/indefinitely.

 

Don't worry about the verifiers- I had to contact people that I worked with two or three years ago and they were all fine with it. People want to help you, provided you weren't an ass to them you shouldn't feel weird about it.

 

Good luck.

[shikimate]

I'm doing the MCAT again in the summer so hopefully I can get a competitive score, making me, hopefully, competitive at Queens and Western. U of T weighting formula won't apply to me because I dropped a course.

 

I would say a safe MCAT for both would be BS10, PS10, VR11, R.

 

If you do well on the MCAT I suggest also try Dalh, USask and Ucalgary because they look at 2 years.

 

I wish you the best of luck this summer. Don't give up, UWO and Queens are within sight.

[funnyboy6]

Hey, this is my first time posting on this forum. Do you think these numbers are competitive?:

 

Unadjusted GPA: 3.96-3.97

MCAT: 12/10/10/S (PS/VR/BS/Writing)

Third year biosci at University of Guelph.

[PhoenixFlare500]

Hey, this is my first time posting on this forum. Do you think these numbers are competitive?:

 

Unadjusted GPA: 3.96-3.97

MCAT: 12/10/10/S (PS/VR/BS/Writing)

Third year biosci at University of Guelph.

 

Is the GPA on a 4.0 scale? If so your numbers look good. If it's out of 4.5 then I guess it would depend on what your individual marks were and how good your GPA would be when adjusted at different schools. You've got a balanced MCAT and a great writing score.

[GGGSaint]

Hey, this is my first time posting on this forum. Do you think these numbers are competitive?:

 

Unadjusted GPA: 3.96-3.97

MCAT: 12/10/10/S (PS/VR/BS/Writing)

Third year biosci at University of Guelph.

 

Guess you're asking about your MCAT (your GPA is obviously a very good one). You're good to go in or out of province. Everywhere but Western. Otherwise, you're golden (provided you have decent ECs to coast on your stats).

 

Good luck!

 

ps: I'm assuming your GPA is out of 4.0.

[funnyboy6]

Is the GPA on a 4.0 scale? If so your numbers look good. If it's out of 4.5 then I guess it would depend on what your individual marks were and how good your GPA would be when adjusted at different schools. You've got a balanced MCAT and a great writing score.

 

Ya, its out of 4.0. Thanks for the quick response!! And I know that I'm screwed for western, but thats Ok...as a Guelphite, I take pride in not going to western:p (even though its a great school)

[mrnursing]

Hey, this is my first time posting on this forum. Do you think these numbers are competitive?:

 

Unadjusted GPA: 3.96-3.97

MCAT: 12/10/10/S (PS/VR/BS/Writing)

Third year biosci at University of Guelph.

 

Nice stats!

 

btw, how high did your nose go up when you were typing up those stats?

[funnyboy6]

Nice stats!

 

btw, how high did your nose go up when you were typing up those stats?

 

I didn't mean to be arrogant/boastful. I've just been bombarded with horror stories lately and so I needed some reinforcement. I'm sorry if I offended you in any way.