ralk Posted June 29, 2013 Report Share Posted June 29, 2013 Oops! Looks like my thread was buried! If anyone could give feedback, that would be greatly appreciated! You're at the point where it'll all depend on subjective measures from here on out, and you'll have to do fairly well. Your GPA is ok, your MCAT is ok, your ECs are ok. Nothing stands out, but nothing's going to hurt you either. You've picked the right schools to apply to - each will give you a look*. I'd expect you to get some interviews, though probably not from all the school you're looking at. Getting an interview at Mac will be determined by your CASPer score, getting one at U of T will be determined by your essays, getting one at Queen's will be determined by how you present your ECs (and a bit of luck!) After that it's pretty much up to your interviewing skills. Overall, you're in reasonable shape, with some room to improve. A slightly higher GPA would help, as would better ECs. A stronger MCAT score, mostly just the verbal section, would really help you out at Mac, though you meet all of last year's cutoffs, so rewriting might not be worth the risk. *I assume you're not finishing your program this year? If you are, Western would be a good place to add to your list, since you have SWOMEN status. It'd be pretty much a guaranteed interview, with a fairly good chance of acceptance afterwards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schmitty Posted June 29, 2013 Report Share Posted June 29, 2013 You're at the point where it'll all depend on subjective measures from here on out, and you'll have to do fairly well. Your GPA is ok, your MCAT is ok, your ECs are ok. Nothing stands out, but nothing's going to hurt you either. You've picked the right schools to apply to - each will give you a look*. I'd expect you to get some interviews, though probably not from all the school you're looking at. Getting an interview at Mac will be determined by your CASPer score, getting one at U of T will be determined by your essays, getting one at Queen's will be determined by how you present your ECs (and a bit of luck!) After that it's pretty much up to your interviewing skills. Overall, you're in reasonable shape, with some room to improve. A slightly higher GPA would help, as would better ECs. A stronger MCAT score, mostly just the verbal section, would really help you out at Mac, though you meet all of last year's cutoffs, so rewriting might not be worth the risk. *I assume you're not finishing your program this year? If you are, Western would be a good place to add to your list, since you have SWOMEN status. It'd be pretty much a guaranteed interview, with a fairly good chance of acceptance afterwards. Definitely UWO if you are SWOMEN. I agree with the rest as well. Don't waste your time with UofM as your MCAT is not high enough for OOP (average OOP accepted had around 36 - they LOVE the MCAT). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MRC29 Posted June 29, 2013 Report Share Posted June 29, 2013 From NS Year 1: 3.62 Year 2: 3.75 Year 3: 3.75 Year 4: 3.91 cGPA: 3.76 Last 3 Years GPA: 3.80 Last/Best 2 Years GPA: 3.83 ECs: hospital volunteering (2 years), volunteering with special needs child (3 years), volunteering in a classroom (6 years), volunteering at an after school program (1 year), tutoring (1 year), teaching assistant for multiple courses (3 years), research assistant (1 year), honours thesis, some awards/scholarships, member of a few associations Have not written the MCAT yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lulu23 Posted July 1, 2013 Report Share Posted July 1, 2013 Fourth-year pharmacy student cGPA (OMSAS): 3.89 (Screwed up my first year... 3.67) wGPA (U of T): 3.96 Best/most recent 2 years: 3.96 MCAT: 35 (P 12 V 11 B 12) EC: - Piano 17+ years (RCM10) - preparing for ARCT but I just suck at theory! - 7 years hospital volunteering - 6 weeks volunteering in a foreign leprosy hospital - 2 weeks assisting in clinics in Africa - 2 weeks working as an interpreter in a foreign country for an international event - 2 years assisting a blind person (2 hours/week) (volunteering) - Other pharmacy-related volunteer stuff - exec in 3 societies + founded 2 of the 3 (2 are medically related; one is a human rights society) - Peer mentor for 2 years - Clinical research, 1 pub - Work experience as a waitress (1 year), in a pharmacy (2 years), TA (1 year) Awards: - Scholarships - Hospital volunteer awards - Music awards - Academic awards (few) Chances for UT and Western (non-SWOMEN)? Also for mcmaster, queen's, ottawa, and dal if you have time? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toastman Posted July 1, 2013 Report Share Posted July 1, 2013 Fourth-year pharmacy student cGPA (OMSAS): 3.89 (Screwed up my first year... 3.67) wGPA (U of T): 3.96 Best/most recent 2 years: 3.96 MCAT: 35 (P 12 V 11 B 12) EC: - Piano 17+ years (RCM10) - preparing for ARCT but I just suck at theory! - 7 years hospital volunteering - 6 weeks volunteering in a foreign leprosy hospital - 2 weeks assisting in clinics in Africa - 2 weeks working as an interpreter in a foreign country for an international event - 2 years assisting a blind person (2 hours/week) (volunteering) - Other pharmacy-related volunteer stuff - exec in 3 societies + founded 2 of the 3 (2 are medically related; one is a human rights society) - Peer mentor for 2 years - Clinical research, 1 pub - Work experience as a waitress (1 year), in a pharmacy (2 years), TA (1 year) Awards: - Scholarships - Hospital volunteer awards - Music awards - Academic awards (few) Chances for UT and Western (non-SWOMEN)? Also for mcmaster, queen's, ottawa, and dal if you have time? Thanks! Great stats, much better than my own(interviewed at 3 Ont schools, got into 2 and high wl at the other). Although my GPA and WS were higher, at this level it really makes no difference at all. You have excellent stats, which is even more amazing for a pharmacy student, congrats! Interviews are worth a lot regardless of what people tell you (apparently the word is UT interview is worth 20%, I really don't believe this). I know people that were 4.0 wgpas, that got rejected post interview. Also start writing your essays for UT, I'm sure you'll be fine looking at ur ecs I wouldn't be too worried about having stuff to talk about (again the whole app is important, I know people with nice gpas that got rejected pre intvw from ut as well). In terms of UWO it depends on what they do with writing sample now that the current mcat doesnt have it. You're just one point short of this years cutoff, but you'll have to wait and see what happens. If you meet the cutoffs you get an interview, if not no interview. Good chance at Ottawa too, you should be above their gpa cutoff with their gpa formula, and u seem to have great ecs. Queens depends what they do with WS as well, but you should be good. Mac, again great chance..just do well on casper. On paper you're a stellar applicant, and you've def got what it takes to get your foot in the door for interviews (and a good number of them hopefully). I'm really amazed at ur gpa as a pharmacy student. congrats again. keep the great work up Also, since your coming from pharmacy, be able to explain why medicine instead of pharmacy...and NEVER bring up negative points. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schmitty Posted July 1, 2013 Report Share Posted July 1, 2013 Fourth-year pharmacy student cGPA (OMSAS): 3.89 (Screwed up my first year... 3.67) wGPA (U of T): 3.96 Best/most recent 2 years: 3.96 MCAT: 35 (P 12 V 11 B 12) EC: - Piano 17+ years (RCM10) - preparing for ARCT but I just suck at theory! - 7 years hospital volunteering - 6 weeks volunteering in a foreign leprosy hospital - 2 weeks assisting in clinics in Africa - 2 weeks working as an interpreter in a foreign country for an international event - 2 years assisting a blind person (2 hours/week) (volunteering) - Other pharmacy-related volunteer stuff - exec in 3 societies + founded 2 of the 3 (2 are medically related; one is a human rights society) - Peer mentor for 2 years - Clinical research, 1 pub - Work experience as a waitress (1 year), in a pharmacy (2 years), TA (1 year) Awards: - Scholarships - Hospital volunteer awards - Music awards - Academic awards (few) Chances for UT and Western (non-SWOMEN)? Also for mcmaster, queen's, ottawa, and dal if you have time? Thanks! As said above, unless you screw something up on your application and/or interviews, you should have no problem getting in somewhere. Apply broadly and it'll happen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lebreh Posted July 1, 2013 Report Share Posted July 1, 2013 2 year gpa ~ 3.85 EC's = hospital volunteering, working, tutoring mcat - didn't write yet but shooting for 33-35, 11 VR my ec's are horrible and gpa is very mediocre... mcat score is made-up and obviously 11vr is easier said than done... what chance do you guys think i have applying as a third year applicant? do you guys think i will get any interviews ANYWHERE assuming i apply to every med school in ontario + dal? what about as a fourth year applicant? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ralk Posted July 1, 2013 Report Share Posted July 1, 2013 2 year gpa ~ 3.85EC's = hospital volunteering, working, tutoring mcat - didn't write yet but shooting for 33-35, 11 VR my ec's are horrible and gpa is very mediocre... mcat score is made-up and obviously 11vr is easier said than done... what chance do you guys think i have applying as a third year applicant? do you guys think i will get any interviews ANYWHERE assuming i apply to every med school in ontario + dal? what about as a fourth year applicant? You're in decent shape, but it's too soon to tell for certain. Your GPA is ok, but could be better. For a second year student, your ECs are also ok, but could be better. Your MCAT score will restrict which schools will give you a decent look. You'd have a shot at McMaster and Queen's, depending on your MCAT score, potentially U of T as well. Might not get an interview, but worth applying at least, if you have the time/money. Though uncommon, people have gotten interviews and acceptances with less. Shoot for a GPA of 3.9+ this coming year and next, improve your ECs by doing whatever you find interesting or valuable, and focus on getting a decent MCAT score. Do those things, and if you apply in your fourth year, you'll have a fairly good chance. EDIT: You should go into nursing or PA school. Some people are not smart enough to be doctors. Also, ignore the trolls. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lebreh Posted July 1, 2013 Report Share Posted July 1, 2013 You're in decent shape, but it's too soon to tell for certain. Your GPA is ok, but could be better. For a second year student, your ECs are also ok, but could be better. Your MCAT score will restrict which schools will give you a decent look. You'd have a shot at McMaster and Queen's, depending on your MCAT score, potentially U of T as well. Might not get an interview, but worth applying at least, if you have the time/money. Though uncommon, people have gotten interviews and acceptances with less. Shoot for a GPA of 3.9+ this coming year and next, improve your ECs by doing whatever you find interesting or valuable, and focus on getting a decent MCAT score. Do those things, and if you apply in your fourth year, you'll have a fairly good chance. EDIT: Also, ignore the trolls. Interesting. I'm actually only in first year (going to second) and finished with around 3.87 GPA. I was assuming I would do a bit worse in second year hence 3.85, but I guess I'll have to shoot for 3.9 (which means i'll need 3.93+ in second year... damn...). I thought 3.85 would be good enough for most schools, guess not. I'm also having mixed feelings about U of T. I had a course below 80% in first year which pretty much ruined everything, so if I apply in 4th year my wGPA would be very close to (if not) 4.0. However, I have heard U of T is very research focused and very hard to get into in general. Definitely my dream school, hopefully all goes well Also, if you didn't quote brock's post, I wouldn't have even seen it, lol. He's been on my ignore list for 3 weeks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lonney Posted July 1, 2013 Report Share Posted July 1, 2013 Fourth-year pharmacy student cGPA (OMSAS): 3.89 (Screwed up my first year... 3.67) wGPA (U of T): 3.96 Best/most recent 2 years: 3.96 MCAT: 35 (P 12 V 11 B 12) EC: - Piano 17+ years (RCM10) - preparing for ARCT but I just suck at theory! - 7 years hospital volunteering - 6 weeks volunteering in a foreign leprosy hospital - 2 weeks assisting in clinics in Africa - 2 weeks working as an interpreter in a foreign country for an international event - 2 years assisting a blind person (2 hours/week) (volunteering) - Other pharmacy-related volunteer stuff - exec in 3 societies + founded 2 of the 3 (2 are medically related; one is a human rights society) - Peer mentor for 2 years - Clinical research, 1 pub - Work experience as a waitress (1 year), in a pharmacy (2 years), TA (1 year) Awards: - Scholarships - Hospital volunteer awards - Music awards - Academic awards (few) Chances for UT and Western (non-SWOMEN)? Also for mcmaster, queen's, ottawa, and dal if you have time? Thanks! If you get IP for quebec and learn french, you have high chances to get accepted. In french med school, they weight program strength, pharmacy is one of the hardest and 3.89 is worth a ****ing lot ( and marks count for 50-60% of the application) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ralk Posted July 2, 2013 Report Share Posted July 2, 2013 Interesting. I'm actually only in first year (going to second) and finished with around 3.87 GPA. I was assuming I would do a bit worse in second year hence 3.85, but I guess I'll have to shoot for 3.9 (which means i'll need 3.93+ in second year... damn...). I thought 3.85 would be good enough for most schools, guess not. I'm also having mixed feelings about U of T. I had a course below 80% in first year which pretty much ruined everything, so if I apply in 4th year my wGPA would be very close to (if not) 4.0. However, I have heard U of T is very research focused and very hard to get into in general. Definitely my dream school, hopefully all goes well First year? Then definitely too early to tell. 3.87 is a good GPA, and 3.85 shouldn't keep you out of anywhere - I say 3.9 as a goal, not a requirement (and not necessarily overall; a few years with a 3.9 is solid). A single bad course in first year won't keep you out of any school, however, don't let that one bother you. U of T has a ton of applicants but also a ton of spots - hard to say it's easier/harder to get into than other schools. Its entry requirements are more GPA focused than other schools, and they seem to care a fair bit about ECs, but their MCAT requirements are fairly light. U of T does like to be big about the research, but most med schools produce high-quality research as well (the focus of that research changes from school to school, of course). Also, if you didn't quote brock's post, I wouldn't have even seen it, lol. He's been on my ignore list for 3 weeks. Good move. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mc88 Posted July 2, 2013 Report Share Posted July 2, 2013 Master's Candidate GPA - 3.88 wGPA ottawa - 3.92 wGPA queens - 3.77 wGPA uoft MCAT - 33S (12 Phys 11 Bio 10 Verb) RESEARCH - 4 Research Publications (2 in Undergraduate journal, 1 in Canadian Journal of Cardiology, 1 in an education journal) - 2 Poster Awards - 4 Conference Oral Presentations - OGS EXTRACURRICULARS - Lots of Sports teams (high school / university / awards for sports ) and sports clubs started - Long term care centre volunteering, hospital volunteering, genetics clinic volunteering and clinical geneticist shadowing (kind of sparse hours) - Teacher's Assistant for 4 different courses at university - Substitute Teacher for a learning centre and volunteer tutor - Started a couple of science clubs What are my chances at UofT, ottawa, and queens? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ralk Posted July 2, 2013 Report Share Posted July 2, 2013 Master's CandidateGPA - 3.88 wGPA ottawa - 3.92 wGPA queens - 3.77 wGPA uoft MCAT - 33S (12 Phys 11 Bio 10 Verb) RESEARCH - 4 Research Publications (2 in Undergraduate journal, 1 in Canadian Journal of Cardiology, 1 in an education journal) - 2 Poster Awards - 4 Conference Oral Presentations - OGS EXTRACURRICULARS - Lots of Sports teams (high school / university / awards for sports ) and sports clubs started - Long term care centre volunteering, hospital volunteering, genetics clinic volunteering and clinical geneticist shadowing (kind of sparse hours) - Teacher's Assistant for 4 different courses at university - Substitute Teacher for a learning centre and volunteer tutor - Started a couple of science clubs What are my chances at UofT, ottawa, and queens? In a word, good. Marks are a little low for U of T, but having a Master's should keep you competitive. Otherwise, your ECs are good and that's what really makes a difference at each of those three schools. Provided Queen's doesn't suddenly raise its required VR score, and without guaranteeing anything, I'd say you'd have a high likelihood of getting an interview at all three schools. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Economist Posted July 2, 2013 Report Share Posted July 2, 2013 4th year applicant IP at BC Year 1: 3.43 (37 credits) Year 2: 3.93 (30 credits) Year 3: 3.97 (27 credits) cGPA: 3.71 MCAT 9PS / 10 VR / 12 BS / Q -Re-writing this summer to aim for 11 VR (hopefully....) EC: 4 Club activity (president + co-president + etc) 2~3 years each 2 Research experience (no pub, running GC-MS/PCR/mass spec) 1 full year + summer held job since 14 years old (managerial level) volunteer at 3 different places for 2 years (with homeless/disabled/middle-aged women) lots of recreational sport TA at the university for 1 year (paid work) My NAQ for last cycle at UBC was 34/50 (which was above average). Schools I've looked into are: UBC Queens (my MCAT may be borderline...) UWO (if I get 11+ VR) Calgary (if I get 11+ VR) Alberta (zero chance I think...) Ottawa (wGPA is 3.82 which is below cutoff) McMaster (I'm not sure what OOP GPA cutoff is) UofT (not eligible for wGPA so no...) Where should I apply for next cycle.. ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hamham Posted July 3, 2013 Report Share Posted July 3, 2013 4th year applicant IP at BC Year 1: 3.43 (37 credits) Year 2: 3.89 (30 credits) Year 3: 3.93 (27 credits) cGPA: 3.71 MCAT 9PS / 10 VR / 12 BS / Q -Re-writing this summer to aim for 11 VR (hopefully....) EC: 4 Club activity (president + co-president + etc) 2~3 years each 2 Research experience (no pub, running GC-MS/PCR/mass spec) 1 full year + summer held job since 14 years old (managerial level) volunteer at 3 different places for 2 years (with homeless/disabled/middle-aged women) lots of recreational sport TA at the university for 1 year (paid work) My NAQ for last cycle at UBC was 34/50 (which was above average). Schools I've looked into are: UBC Queens (my MCAT may be borderline...) UWO (if I get 11+ VR) Calgary (if I get 11+ VR) Alberta (zero chance I think...) Ottawa (wGPA is 3.82 which is below cutoff) McMaster (I'm not sure what OOP GPA cutoff is) UofT (not eligible for wGPA so no...) Where should I apply for next cycle.. ? McMaster has no fixed cut-off for OOP, but only 10% of the interview slots are available for OOP (the same way UBC frees up seats for OOPs, with which I'm sure you are familiar). Source: http://www.fhs.mcmaster.ca/mdprog/geographical_status.html I think you alrdy know where you should apply for next cycle. And it depends a lot on your MCAT. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
future_doc Posted July 5, 2013 Report Share Posted July 5, 2013 Keep up the good work, ace Casper, do any activity you enjoy that willl demonstrate one or more CanMEDS attributes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
penguin92 Posted July 5, 2013 Report Share Posted July 5, 2013 GPA: 3.95wGPA UofT: 3.98 ECs since finishing high school: clinical and wet-lab research, taught french to children, worked with a child with special needs, volunteered at a pharmacy/walk-in clinic for 5 years, school emergency response team Haven't written the MCAT yet but based on my practice I've consistently gotten the following scores: 14 bio, 12 physical science, 12 VR I've just finished second year. I hope to get a TA position and win an election for my program's student council. Also if all goes well, I'll likely have a publication by the time I apply. Given that these three are not currently set in stone, I'd like opinions ignoring them. I feel like my ECs are a bit on the weak side while my GPA is strong and my MCAT is reasonable. Do any of you have suggestions on what I should do to improve my chances in the upcoming year(s)? My top choice is Mac. If all goes as planned, you could apply to any school you want. Are you planning on applying 3rd year? In that case, youd have a legit shot at any of the 7 faculties that consider 3rd year Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MCATMountain Posted July 7, 2013 Report Share Posted July 7, 2013 ....................... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ygella Posted July 7, 2013 Report Share Posted July 7, 2013 OMSAS GPA: 3.86 Best two years: 3.95 U of T GPA: 3.95 Ottawa GPA: 3.90 MCAT: PS:10 VR:12 BS:13 WS:S Research: - Summer work study research, did my own project, now writing it up (as first author) to be published <-- summer of 1st year - AMBI Undergrad Research Award from CAMBR (UWO) <-- summer of 2nd year - research assistant at St. Joseph's hospital <-- summer of 3rd year - 3 poster presentation at conferences, 2 national and 1 local EC's: VP of Taekwondo club. Co-president of UWO chapter of SOS. A few other exec positions here and there -tutored organic chem for SOS - 2 years volunteering at north york general hospital - a whole bunch of academic awards in highschool - 2 scholarships Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
penguin92 Posted July 7, 2013 Report Share Posted July 7, 2013 OMSAS GPA: 3.86Best two years: 3.95 U of T GPA: 3.95 Ottawa GPA: 3.90 MCAT: PS:10 VR:12 BS:13 WS:S Research: - Summer work study research, did my own project, now writing it up (as first author) to be published <-- summer of 1st year - AMBI Undergrad Research Award from CAMBR (UWO) <-- summer of 2nd year - research assistant at St. Joseph's hospital <-- summer of 3rd year - 3 poster presentation at conferences, 2 national and 1 local EC's: VP of Taekwondo club. Co-president of UWO chapter of SOS. A few other exec positions here and there -tutored organic chem for SOS - 2 years volunteering at north york general hospital - a whole bunch of academic awards in highschool - 2 scholarships You're guaranteed western. If you have an above average CASPER you'll likely get Mac (maybe even average). You have a good research background which will make you competitive for Uoft. I would think you also have a very good shot at Queens. You're 3.9 might be on the lower end for Ottawa though. If you have rural connections, you could also apply to Northern. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schmitty Posted July 7, 2013 Report Share Posted July 7, 2013 You're guaranteed western. If you have an above average CASPER you'll likely get Mac (maybe even average). You have a good research background which will make you competitive for Uoft. I would think you also have a very good shot at Queens. You're 3.9 might be on the lower end for Ottawa though. If you have rural connections, you could also apply to Northern. And by guaranteed, you mean interview, of course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
penguin92 Posted July 7, 2013 Report Share Posted July 7, 2013 And by guaranteed, you mean interview, of course. Yes lolll. All of it was in terms of interviews Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
future_doc Posted July 8, 2013 Report Share Posted July 8, 2013 And give McGill a shot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ygella Posted July 8, 2013 Report Share Posted July 8, 2013 Thanks for your input guys, I really appreciate it. I was starting to feel inadequate after reading everyone else's amazing stats here... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
House,M.D Posted July 9, 2013 Report Share Posted July 9, 2013 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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