Bum Posted July 2, 2014 Report Share Posted July 2, 2014 Hey guys, I'm going into my 4th year and I'll be applying this cycle and I just wanted to know where I could improve for the next cycle (who knows if I'll get accepted anywhere this time around?) GPA (OMSAS): 1st year: 3.73 2nd year: 3.89 3rd year: 3.95 Full course load each year; cGPA = 3.86 Best 2 years = 3.92 U of T weighting = 3.95 MCAT: 11PS 11VR 10BS ECs: I think this may be my weakest part given that my stats above are okay but not spectacular: 14 years piano Volunteering at church Hospital ER volunteering Tutoring & piano teaching 1 summer of research (no publications) Exec of 3 clubs Youth mentorship A couple of other hobbies/sports 1 scholarship other than entrance scholarship What are my chances for Ontario? (I'm IP for Ontario). I haven't taken English so unfortunately that cuts out a lot of the west coast schools Thanks for your help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sy3a Posted July 3, 2014 Report Share Posted July 3, 2014 I'm not sure where I would be considered competitive with my stats/where I make the cutoffs. Would someone be able to shed some light for me?GPA1st year: 3.45 (full time)2nd year: 3.77 (full time)3rd year: 3.83 (full time)4th year: 3.88 (part time with 6 courses taken, but apparently counts as full course load at Queen's)cGPA: 3.70Best 2 for Western: 3.80Recent 2 for Queen's: 3.85MCAT12PS 11VR 13BSECsDiverse Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ralk Posted July 4, 2014 Report Share Posted July 4, 2014 Hey guys, I'm going into my 4th year and I'll be applying this cycle and I just wanted to know where I could improve for the next cycle (who knows if I'll get accepted anywhere this time around?) GPA (OMSAS): 1st year: 3.73 2nd year: 3.89 3rd year: 3.95 Full course load each year; cGPA = 3.86 Best 2 years = 3.92 U of T weighting = 3.95 MCAT: 11PS 11VR 10BS ECs: I think this may be my weakest part given that my stats above are okay but not spectacular: 14 years piano Volunteering at church Hospital ER volunteering Tutoring & piano teaching 1 summer of research (no publications) Exec of 3 clubs Youth mentorship A couple of other hobbies/sports 1 scholarship other than entrance scholarship What are my chances for Ontario? (I'm IP for Ontario). I haven't taken English so unfortunately that cuts out a lot of the west coast schools Thanks for your help! You've got a decent GPA and an MCAT that'll only hold you back at Western, unless you're SWOMEN. Your ECs aren't weak, but they're not strong either, so it's tough to call one way or another for EC-heavy schools like Queen's or Ottawa. Your best chances are likely at Mac, and that'll still depend on your CASPer performance. Queen's, Toronto, and Ottawa will depend largely on how your ECs are evaluated. Your essays will big another factor for Toronto, so put a good effort into them. Ottawa will be a bit of a longer shot since your GPA, while headed in the exact right direction for their weighting scheme, is a bit on the low side for them (still worth an application there though). Western is only an option if you're SWOMEN, otherwise your BS score is likely too low. They might revise their cutoffs down from this year, but I'd be surprised to see it go down to a 10 from last year's 12. NOSM would also be an option if you're from a rural or northern community. On the plus side, if you don't get in next year, you're in a good position to improve for the next cycle. One more year with a GPA in the 3.95 range would significantly boost your GPA at Ottawa, while helping out a bit at Toronto and Mac. One extra year of ECs will give you a decent boost as well. Keep active, look for opportunities to stand out, and maintain your GPA - that should give you a good shot overall in Ontario. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ralk Posted July 4, 2014 Report Share Posted July 4, 2014 Hi all, I will be returning to school for a 5th year and will be applying this cycle, however I'm not sure where I would be considered competitive with my stats/where I make the cutoffs. Would someone be able to shed some light for me? GPA 1st year: 3.45 (full time) 2nd year: 3.77 (full time) 3rd year: 3.83 (full time) 4th year: 3.88 (part time with 6 courses taken, but apparently counts as full course load at Queen's) cGPA: 3.70 Best 2 for Western: 3.80 Recent 2 for Queen's: 3.85 MCAT 12PS 11VR 13BS ECs Diverse Apply to Western, Queen's, and McMaster. Western would probably be your best bet, should be a guaranteed interview if your second and third years had enough second and third year courses. Queen's will depend on your ECs. McMaster will depend upon you having a great CASPer. GPA's too low for both U of T and Ottawa. If you're from a rural or northern community, also apply to NOSM. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thethirdlaw Posted July 7, 2014 Report Share Posted July 7, 2014 Y1: 3.84 Y2: 3.94 Y3: 3.95 Y4: 3.99 OMSAS: 3.93 36 MCAT 12, 10, 14 (PS,VR,BS) Low-average EC's intramural sports 2-3 sports a yr in undergrad (4+ sports) 2+ varsity sports in high school volunteer as a mentor visiting elementary schools 2+ yrs random volunteer/misc things (community fairs etc.) clinical research assistant 2+ years executive committee United Way campaign shadowing doctor 1 yr (approx 25 hrs) 2 summers studentship in a skilled trade orientation leader member of 3+ clubs etc. Beginning Masters in September (MPH)... 0 invites to Ontario schools last cycle, hoping the grad school time will help me be more competitive... I don't know what else to do... Next summer I guess I'll have to blow up the wallet for OOP and American schools... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GT1 Posted July 7, 2014 Report Share Posted July 7, 2014 Y1: 3.84Y2: 3.94 Y3: 3.95 Y4: 3.99 OMSAS: 3.93 36 MCAT 12, 10, 14 (PS,VR,BS) Low-average EC's intramural sports 2-3 sports a yr in undergrad (4+ sports) 2+ varsity sports in high school volunteer as a mentor visiting elementary schools 2+ yrs random volunteer/misc things (community fairs etc.) clinical research assistant 2+ years executive committee United Way campaign shadowing doctor 1 yr (approx 25 hrs) 2 summers studentship in a skilled trade orientation leader member of 3+ clubs etc. Beginning Masters in September (MPH)... 0 invites to Ontario schools last cycle, hoping the grad school time will help me be more competitive... I don't know what else to do... Next summer I guess I'll have to blow up the wallet for OOP and American schools... Your stats are solid.....I would steer away from academics at this point and explore different EC's like travelling or a hobby that you truly enjoy.......which would give the adcoms insight into some sort of balance in your application. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thethirdlaw Posted July 7, 2014 Report Share Posted July 7, 2014 Your stats are solid.....I would steer away from academics at this point and explore different EC's like travelling or a hobby that you truly enjoy.......which would give the adcoms insight into some sort of balance in your application. That's what worries me, I know this master's will give me plenty of publishing opportunities, 2-3 papers 1st author hopefully, as many any author pubs as I find time to contribute to as well... but it is 2 yrs... I mean I have other hobbies, I play tennis 4-6 hrs a week. Read plenty, watch a lot of sports and go out regularly. I lift 3-4 times a week, which eats ~8 hrs of my time. But those are hard to just throw into an ABS. I'm lost. I was certain I'd get at the very least 1 interview, and I was confident that with an interview I'd find an acceptance... but damn Ontario, why you gotta do me like that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mmhs12345 Posted July 7, 2014 Report Share Posted July 7, 2014 Maan going on this site depresses me. Seeing all these people with amazing stats not get any interviews makes me feel so small.. Its a love/hate relationship with this website. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thethirdlaw Posted July 7, 2014 Report Share Posted July 7, 2014 Maan going on this site depresses me. Seeing all these people with amazing stats not get any interviews makes me feel so small..Its a love/hate relationship with this website. I've been told it's a lottery dude, depends on what they're looking for that particular cycle (+ CASPER, refs, UofT essays etc), but not gonna lie I feel like I did everything right so it was a punch in the gut... I have the 5 rejection emails saved and it still hurts to read them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
late_newbie Posted July 7, 2014 Report Share Posted July 7, 2014 That's what worries me, I know this master's will give me plenty of publishing opportunities, 2-3 papers 1st author hopefully, as many any author pubs as I find time to contribute to as well... but it is 2 yrs... I mean I have other hobbies, I play tennis 4-6 hrs a week. Read plenty, watch a lot of sports and go out regularly. I lift 3-4 times a week, which eats ~8 hrs of my time. But those are hard to just throw into an ABS. I'm lost. I was certain I'd get at the very least 1 interview, and I was confident that with an interview I'd find an acceptance... but damn Ontario, why you gotta do me like that? I am sorry that with all that an interview didn't come, it unfortunately is luck sometimes, i had mediocre to low ECs and mediocre gpa (nowhere near your 3.9s), and got an interview from Queens completely unexpectedly.. it just ends up being if the reviewer who saw your file - thought there was something interesting about you...(lol I am so uninteresting...Queen's invite still boggles my mind, and I was pretty unsurprised to have been waitlisted by them). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
futurefamilydoc Posted July 7, 2014 Report Share Posted July 7, 2014 That's what worries me, I know this master's will give me plenty of publishing opportunities, 2-3 papers 1st author hopefully, as many any author pubs as I find time to contribute to as well... but it is 2 yrs... I mean I have other hobbies, I play tennis 4-6 hrs a week. Read plenty, watch a lot of sports and go out regularly. I lift 3-4 times a week, which eats ~8 hrs of my time. But those are hard to just throw into an ABS. I'm lost. I was certain I'd get at the very least 1 interview, and I was confident that with an interview I'd find an acceptance... but damn Ontario, why you gotta do me like that? With no interviews and your stats, I would say the wording of activity descriptions in your ABS may have been a problem. Did you have other people read them over, and did you try to incorporate the CANMEDS roles into what you did? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thethirdlaw Posted July 8, 2014 Report Share Posted July 8, 2014 With no interviews and your stats, I would say the wording of activity descriptions in your ABS may have been a problem. Did you have other people read them over, and did you try to incorporate the CANMEDS roles into what you did? I will admit, I had no idea how to word/navigate the ABS, especially what to include and how to phrase achievements vs responsibilities in so few words. That and problems with understanding hours total vs per week vs summer vs year round. The ABS is poorly designed and ambiguous but I should have done better looking back at it now (I saved a PDF screenshot of my whole app). I'm just so frustrated, I feel like I'm doing this MPH for no reason, I'm sure it'll be fun and my project is shaping up to be exciting and noteworthy, but it sucks to work so hard for 4 years and feel stuck in another 2. And now I can't burn bridges with my supervisor anyway. Guess it was all true, you gotta be a neurotic sadist to choose the pre-med life. I'm just venting, I've had this account for almost 3 years, and this is all that frustration bursting out there. I'll get where I need to be in end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
late_newbie Posted July 14, 2014 Report Share Posted July 14, 2014 Maan going on this site depresses me. Seeing all these people with amazing stats not get any interviews makes me feel so small..Its a love/hate relationship with this website. I am trying to send you a PM, but your inbox is full. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
designed Posted July 14, 2014 Report Share Posted July 14, 2014 I will admit, I had no idea how to word/navigate the ABS, especially what to include and how to phrase achievements vs responsibilities in so few words. That and problems with understanding hours total vs per week vs summer vs year round. The ABS is poorly designed and ambiguous but I should have done better looking back at it now (I saved a PDF screenshot of my whole app). I'm just so frustrated, I feel like I'm doing this MPH for no reason, I'm sure it'll be fun and my project is shaping up to be exciting and noteworthy, but it sucks to work so hard for 4 years and feel stuck in another 2. And now I can't burn bridges with my supervisor anyway. Guess it was all true, you gotta be a neurotic sadist to choose the pre-med life. I'm just venting, I've had this account for almost 3 years, and this is all that frustration bursting out there. I'll get where I need to be in end. Yeah, I can understand the frustration. The thing is, getting into Ontario schools is really, really competitive, to the point that there is nothing you can do that can guarantee your getting an interview; you get competitive enough, and then it's all a lottery from there. That being said, you applied to five schools and didn't get a single interview. That suggests that there might be an aspect of your application that may be holding you back. You can try rewriting your MCAT for Western. Not sure if there's anything you can do for Mac; I know so many people with higher VR scores that didn't get an interview. Queen's is a black box, and for Ottawa, the people I know who usually get interviews have 3.95+ averages. I think doing your MPH is a good idea -- being a grad school applicant is definitely going to make you more competitive! The only school (that I know of) that doesn't look at grad school experience is Ottawa. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ni95 Posted July 16, 2014 Report Share Posted July 16, 2014 xxxx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Octavius Posted July 16, 2014 Report Share Posted July 16, 2014 I am pretty sure that Western only accepts applicants in their fourth year of study (or beyond) at the time of application. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ni95 Posted July 16, 2014 Report Share Posted July 16, 2014 I am pretty sure that Western only accepts applicants in their fourth year of study (or beyond) at the time of application. I have no idea why I wrote western haha, 4 schools is expensive enough. Yeah I'm doing Mac, queens, Ottawa and UofT. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thethirdlaw Posted July 16, 2014 Report Share Posted July 16, 2014 Yeah, I can understand the frustration. The thing is, getting into Ontario schools is really, really competitive, to the point that there is nothing you can do that can guarantee your getting an interview; you get competitive enough, and then it's all a lottery from there. That being said, you applied to five schools and didn't get a single interview. That suggests that there might be an aspect of your application that may be holding you back. You can try rewriting your MCAT for Western. Not sure if there's anything you can do for Mac; I know so many people with higher VR scores that didn't get an interview. Queen's is a black box, and for Ottawa, the people I know who usually get interviews have 3.95+ averages. I think doing your MPH is a good idea -- being a grad school applicant is definitely going to make you more competitive! The only school (that I know of) that doesn't look at grad school experience is Ottawa. Heya, thanks for the advice/reply, really helps with the whole medxistentialist crisis thing. The one thing pushing me toward the MPH is the fact that my CV hasn't changed much since applying last year, mean I'd have either 2 months to grow it, or 14 if I do the grad program. I just wish there were more MSc/MPH applicant stories on here to draw my experiences from. My supervisor knows of my ambitions and is dedicated to getting me done on time, with projects that are clinically relevant and publishable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Semitendinosus Posted July 16, 2014 Report Share Posted July 16, 2014 First post on here... Hi I'm a applying this cycle in my third year to Mac, Queens, Ottawa and UofT. My extracurriculars are extremely weak so I'm pretty much banking on my GPA and praying. First year: 3.98 Second year: 4.0 cGPA: 3.99 I know this doesn't mean much (if anything) but I'm majoring in Biochem with a intensive biomedical research specialization and it's considered to be the 'toughest' science program at my uni. I dunno, maybe that'll be relevant. I was scheduled to take the MCAT on august 15 but with research and fasting this summer I knew I wouldn't be ready so pushed my day to September 10. I'm scoring balanced ~32s now but I'm not done content review and I'm semi-confident I can pull off at least a 35 with two more months to study. Okay here's the bad news... ECs: One summer of Full time research ~2 years volunteering with kids in a homeless shelter running programs Exec for two social justice clubs One summer volunteering with an NGO in the Middle East That's pretty much it. I know it's awful... I really should have participated in more things. Is there any way I can improve this for this years app cycle? What schools do you guys think I have a decent shot at or where could I potentially get interviews? Thanks If you don't apply this year, you'll end up wondering "what if?" for the rest of your life (or maybe just until next cycle ). To give you some good news: Mac doesn't really care about EC's as they have CASPER; Ottawa only looks at your top 3 EC's for each category but is extremely GPA heavy (which you seem to be okay with); U of T is "hollistically" GPA heavy and they also place a heavy emphasis on essays, not just ABS; Queen's is a black box but if you score well on your MCAT, you should have a decent shot there. Give it a shot -- you might be pleasantly surprised! If not, it will be a valuable learning experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tacrolimus Posted July 16, 2014 Report Share Posted July 16, 2014 First post on here... Hi I'm a applying this cycle in my third year to Mac, Queens, Ottawa and UofT. My extracurriculars are extremely weak so I'm pretty much banking on my GPA and praying. First year: 3.98 Second year: 4.0 cGPA: 3.99 I know this doesn't mean much (if anything) but I'm majoring in Biochem with a intensive biomedical research specialization and it's considered to be the 'toughest' science program at my uni. I dunno, maybe that'll be relevant. I was scheduled to take the MCAT on august 15 but with research and fasting this summer I knew I wouldn't be ready so pushed my day to September 10. I'm scoring balanced ~32s now but I'm not done content review and I'm semi-confident I can pull off at least a 35 with two more months to study. Okay here's the bad news... ECs: One summer of Full time research ~2 years volunteering with kids in a homeless shelter running programs Exec for two social justice clubs One summer volunteering with an NGO in the Middle East That's pretty much it. I know it's awful... I really should have participated in more things. Is there any way I can improve this for this years app cycle? What schools do you guys think I have a decent shot at or where could I potentially get interviews? Thanks Apply, Apply, Apply! I applied last year with ZERO hope of getting an interview as a 3rd year applicant. Heck, I didn't even know (or think of) interview invitations were out until I got a text from a friend saying they got an interview...so I checked my email. Didn't get in, but it was nice to go through the interview experience. Definitely won't be a nervous train wreck at my first station this year, if things work out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrinterPaper Posted July 17, 2014 Report Share Posted July 17, 2014 Not trolling, want to know about top tier US schools (key determinant will be my ECs). Will be applying in Ontario as well. Going into 4th year, Ontario Applicant cGPA: 4.00 full course load MCAT #1: 14PS/9VR/15BS – 38 MCAT #2: 15PS/11VR/13BS – 39 ECs: 2 Summers research, paid, only have 2 small publications under review at the moment 1 Research scholarship $4000 Worked 1 summer part time, Costco; ran a small lawn care business on the side with a friend Extensive and diverse tutoring at university level (3 years, chem, physics, psych, stats etc.) Exec 2 clubs next year, but not prior (just involved in clubs in other ways) Student council 2 years Shadow surgeon ~50 hours Intramural sports in high school and university (soccer, water polo, squash etc.) Distance running and gym workouts as hobbies, if one should call them that About 10 scholarships, each valued in the $500 to $3000 range, mostly related to academic achievement So I’m under the impression that the major factor will be how cleverly I can write about myself on my application. I guess there is a bit of a hole in terms of clinical volunteering, but idk how much that will matter... So overall, how do the above ECs look for schools like Harvard, Yale and other Ivy Leaguers? Cheers guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaybird Posted July 17, 2014 Report Share Posted July 17, 2014 The major points of my application are in my post history here, but suffice it to say, they're worse than yours except for MCAT score. Even so, and even with a September secondary app completion date, I got an interview at NYU, which is reasonably up there. As long as your essays and references are decent and you apply to 10+ schools, you should be able to get two or three interviews. EDIT: also, getting your applications in by August is key, forgot to mention that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrinterPaper Posted July 17, 2014 Report Share Posted July 17, 2014 The major points of my application are in my post history here, but suffice it to say, they're worse than yours except for MCAT score. Even so, and even with a September secondary app completion date, I got an interview at NYU, which is reasonably up there. As long as your essays and references are decent and you apply to 10+ schools, you should be able to get two or three interviews. EDIT: also, getting your applications in by August is key, forgot to mention that. Jaybird that 42 is beast, I'm surprised you didn't get more interviews solely based on that. And I have more ECs listed than you did but yours were pretty decent and showed some commitment to your activities. To clarify, you are suggesting that everything, including secondaries, should be finished by August? If anyone else has experience, I'm still open to feedback. Thanks all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaybird Posted July 17, 2014 Report Share Posted July 17, 2014 Yes, get everything in by August. Keep in mind that American schools tend to run on a rolling admissions system, so the earlier the better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kivi Posted July 17, 2014 Report Share Posted July 17, 2014 Yes, get everything in by August. Keep in mind that American schools tend to run on a rolling admissions system, so the earlier the better. Does that apply solely to the U.S. or is it also a good to submit applications early for Canadian schools? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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