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Could use some help on application!


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Hi guys, I could really use some help :confused: Not sure if this is the right section to post this...

 

I was never really interested in Med and came to UBC hoping to do research, but having to work in a medical lab last summer and talking to a ton of doctors, I realized being a MD-researcher allows you much more potential to do research on human diseases, and also gives you more freedom in your work! I'm about to graduate this year, and didn't gear up my application at all for med :( So I'm not entirely sure which parts I need to improve on. So if anyone can look at what I have and let me know which areas I need to work on please let me kno! Thx in advance

 

Honours Biology at UBC

GPA: prereq 80, Last 60: 82, Overall 81

As you can see GPA isn't my strong component

 

Extracurriculars:

Work stuff: Co-op UBC virology lab, and a medical research center (minor publications), won undergrad research scholarship, worked as a math/science tutor for over 15 students in the past 5 years.

School stuff: Intermural soccer team, Various club activities (no execs positions held though), UBC orientations volunteer

Other: Homeless shelter, Elementary school teacher's assistant, Psychology research assistant, Senior home, working with autistic children, and recently started to volunteer at a hospital.

 

As you can see, my extracurriculars are all over the place, and I didn't really find a theme or whatever for it... just did what interested me. So I really am not sure if its enough, or if there are areas I should work on.

 

Do you guys think I can at least make it to the interview stage? :confused: thanks for any help

 

Ps: Does getting a honors degree help at all? Also does paid jobs like tutoring count as anything?

Pss: I know you have to put contacts so they can confirm your ECs, but does it require for every single one? If I said I've tutored over 15 students, would I need to provide a contact for everyone :eek: Also for volunteer stuff, does the contact has to be a head organizer or say an exec of a club?

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Sounds like you'd have a strong application already. In terms of your marks, they look competitive enough. As for ECs, don't worry if they're all over the place. Mine are and I got an interview on my first try. They're looking for applicants that are well-rounded; but, make sure that you do focus on health care volunteer activities. For your questions:

1) Paid activities do count. There's a section in the application where you'd list down your employment history.

2) Yes, you have to provide contacts for every single activity. I believe that UBC's way of verifying your activity is randomised. As for the verifier him/herself, I guess it would help if the contact is a head organiser. I got either my old volunteer coordinators or head exec of clubs to be my contact persons.

 

Hope this helps.

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...I've tutored over 15 students, would I need to provide a contact for everyone :eek: Also for volunteer stuff, does the contact has to be a head organizer or say an exec of a club?

 

No, you could provide one verifier for your tutoring as a whole, listing it as one activity (and elaborating in your description of it on the application).

 

Your verifier should be someone who is knowledgeable of your involvement, mostly that is a 'head organizer' type person, but i also used club execs. in some cases, for informal activities, i used whoever I could that was able to honestly verify my involvement.

 

It looks like you would have a competitive application, go for it!

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Sounds like you'd have a strong application already. In terms of your marks, they look competitive enough. As for ECs, don't worry if they're all over the place. Mine are and I got an interview on my first try. They're looking for applicants that are well-rounded; but, make sure that you do focus on health care volunteer activities. For your questions:

1) Paid activities do count. There's a section in the application where you'd list down your employment history.

2) Yes, you have to provide contacts for every single activity. I believe that UBC's way of verifying your activity is randomised. As for the verifier him/herself, I guess it would help if the contact is a head organiser. I got either my old volunteer coordinators or head exec of clubs to be my contact persons.

 

Hope this helps.

 

UBC med specifically says not to do this. They emphasize not to volunteer fishing for what you think they're interested in. My application had very (almost no) healthcare related volunteer experience and I got an interview. My grades were about the same as yours and I wouldn't say my volunteer experience was spectacular by any stretch. Just volunteer with somewhere that you are interested and think you might enjoy and learn from.

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Thanks for the help guys. Really glad/surprised to hear my application package is alright.

 

Are my extracurricular volunteer enough? Note above, I've only done 6 volunteer positions in the past 5 years.

 

Quality not quantity. I only really had 2 different volunteer positions my entire life (i'm a 29 year old non-trad). However, one of them was for almost 2000 hours and I got an interview my first try.

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  • 3 weeks later...
Well it seems quantity is important then

 

Well, the way I look at it # of volunteer positions = quantity

# if hours put into a particular position = quality

 

The more hours means the more quality time you put into something which I am positive (if my application means anything) means a lot more than how many different positions one has.

So I stand by my statement quality > quantity

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  • 3 weeks later...

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