januarytwenty Posted September 17, 2008 Report Share Posted September 17, 2008 Okay, so I just got my MCAT scores: 37P (PS: 15, VR: 11, BS: 11, WS:P). I was blown away by my numerical score, but not so happy with the WS. Two medical schools which I really wanted to apply to were Western and Queen's, and a WS of P is unlikely to meet the cutoffs. So, from here, I guess I have 3 options: 1) Get a rescore- Okay, its not likely to change much (I'm afraid of my score going down too ). Plus, at a P, is it really likely to go up? I've heard people going up from lower scores, but it seems questionable at a P. 2) Retake- Oh this is so not an attractive option I'm not confident I could repeat my performance (I greatly exceeded my practice avg scores), and I'm not even sure I would get the desired Q (its so tough to know how you're doing with WS - I submitted practice ones to Kaplan markers but who really knows). Also, how do they figure out you're highest score? Is it highest numerical? Because while I might increase my WS letter grade I'm pretty sure my numerical would drop. So what happens then...? 3) Be happy with the 37P (okay, I already am). Just give up on the schools that this score will preclude me from (I really wanted to go to Queen's though ). Maybe hope one of them will drop down to a P (wishful thinking). Anyways, I'll probably wait and see what happens with my apps this year and then see if will need to retake next summer. But I'm curious what you all think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vip_138 Posted September 17, 2008 Report Share Posted September 17, 2008 depends on your gpa. Did you do well throughout ugrad or or only lately. If your gpa makes you only competitive for queens and western, then retake, if your gpa is around 3.8 or higher i'ld say leave it alone, you'll get in somewhere with those stats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
januarytwenty Posted September 17, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 17, 2008 Yeah, I'm in 3rd year right now. My OMSAS GPA is 3.8, but I should be able to increase that this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zuckman Posted September 17, 2008 Report Share Posted September 17, 2008 Queen's?! Go to an Ivy League in the States with those stats! Queen's is not even in the same league as those schools! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supafield Posted September 17, 2008 Report Share Posted September 17, 2008 Queen's?! Go to an Ivy League in the States with those stats! Queen's is not even in the same league as those schools! Unless you want to practice in Canada.... in which case a residency position is guaranteed to you upon graduating. Queen's had been a P prior to this whole R business last year.... you never know... and Western doesn't look at 3rd years.... Toronto would look highly at that score... If it were me I would give Queens and Toronto (OOP or the US depending on preference) a chance this year if your GPA is good.... and if that doesn't pan out maybe think about a re-write next year... but a 37P is an amazing score.... so I would give it a go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
januarytwenty Posted September 17, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 17, 2008 Queen's?! Go to an Ivy League in the States with those stats! Queen's is not even in the same league as those schools! I've been thinking about it (American schools, anyway, maybe not Ivy League) For me, it would be a very, very last resort though. Mainly due to $$$...even with loans I honestly can't see how I could secure enough funding (and even if I somehow magically found some equity to borrow against, how I would make the regular payments). I've heard of the RBC 150k loan, but if I went to the US that wouldn't even nearly cover it all. EDIT (Just saw that next msg): Yes, I will see how my apps go this year (UofT, Mac, Ottawa, Queen's). Thanks for all the input so far guys...its really nice to get other opinions (its easy to go a little crazy/single-minded with the whole med school thing). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Law Posted September 17, 2008 Report Share Posted September 17, 2008 Unless you want to practice in Canada.... in which case a residency position is guaranteed to you upon graduating. Queen's had been a P prior to this whole R business last year.... you never know... and Western doesn't look at 3rd years.... Toronto would look highly at that score... If it were me I would give Queens and Toronto (OOP or the US depending on preference) a chance this year if your GPA is good.... and if that doesn't pan out maybe think about a re-write next year... but a 37P is an amazing score.... so I would give it a go. Actually, for Toronto, the MCAT holds little water past making the not-firm cutoffs (9/9/9 N) at Toronto. The MCAT is only used as to flag your application if you have a mark below those numbers. Queen's WS could easily go back down to P. Anything is possible. Same with UWO. You simply cannot predict based on the previous year's cutoff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rogerroger Posted September 17, 2008 Report Share Posted September 17, 2008 Beyond a point high MCATs are pretty trivial in their influence on your application. Heck in Ontario the majority of med schools seem to care little for the MCAT... At this point it is all about GPA. If you have a 3.8 your in good shape. The P is unfortunate as your right it will probably get you eliminated from Western and Queens. Nevertheless, you have a shot at all the schools theoretically. You never know how cuttoffs change and a cut of Q could become a P. If your GPA is in the 3.85 range it really will come down to what you have done outside of class and how you interview. If your applying out of third year, you might have a rough ride with a 3.8. Yet, you are in good shape as a fourth year applicant with that type of GPA. PS: American med school < Canadian med school in terms of getting a Canadian residency. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In_Valid Posted September 18, 2008 Report Share Posted September 18, 2008 Queen's?! Go to an Ivy League in the States with those stats! Queen's is not even in the same league as those schools! I applied to some Ivey league schools with the same numerical score 37P. No luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1234 Posted September 22, 2008 Report Share Posted September 22, 2008 Queen's?! Go to an Ivy League in the States with those stats! Queen's is not even in the same league as those schools! what a rediculously trivia and unfounded statement. Canadian schools are at the same level, if not better than, most Ivy League schools in the US. The only legitimate difference is their focus on research. And Toronto can be considered at least comparable to many Ivy League schools, although private support from pharmaceutical institutions make it difficult to compare Canada vs the US. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
futuredoc Posted September 22, 2008 Report Share Posted September 22, 2008 what a rediculously trivia and unfounded statement. Canadian schools are at the same level, if not better than, most Ivy League schools in the US. The only legitimate difference is their focus on research. And Toronto can be considered at least comparable to many Ivy League schools, although private support from pharmaceutical institutions make it difficult to compare Canada vs the US. Agreed. The only thing that makes those schools look so good is that they receive so much money (who doesn't want a degree from a "prestigious" school?) and are made for kids with money. Our schools do just as well in an underfunded public system, so there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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