mattg Posted June 23, 2009 Report Share Posted June 23, 2009 When is the new omsas info scheduled to come out? does it change much year to year? also, ive never applied before, so im not sure exactly how it works... what do you do on OMSAS (autobio sketch---the thing with 48 activities, submit transcripts, fill out info, what else?)... then to each school (through OMSAS?) you submit the requirements for each school (ie. essays, what else in general?... and then letter of req... i assume you can send the same ones to each school obviously?)... anyway, any help would be appreciated thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamP Posted June 23, 2009 Report Share Posted June 23, 2009 Mid july usually... You can check out all the requirements on the 2009 OMSAS pdf. It usually doesn't change that dramatically from year to year. I think you pretty much have got it right as for what's required. And yeah you only need to send everything once and they distribute it too all the schools. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattg Posted June 23, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 23, 2009 but you need to submit certain separate components to each individual school right? you do this through OMSAS? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamP Posted June 23, 2009 Report Share Posted June 23, 2009 correct, basically near the start you check the schools you want to apply to and a separate page will open which allows you to enter the school specific components (sometimes it's just a matter of putting the high school you went to...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattg Posted June 23, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 23, 2009 really, that's amazing hah! which schools don't require any specific components? and in general, what kind of things do the schools even specifically require... the 48-activity autobio goes out to everyone... aside from that, do any schools require more than just an essay? thanks guys Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamP Posted June 23, 2009 Report Share Posted June 23, 2009 yeye, just quickly because i have time uwo/queens - no sup uoft- essay 1000 words mac - 5 questions (250 characters each) nosm - a couple questions (3ish??) uottawa - dunno... this link might help http://premed101.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34525 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Microbiodude Posted June 23, 2009 Report Share Posted June 23, 2009 U of T (one page personal statement) McMaster (has 5 questions; changes from year to year) Queen's (not really sure, last year they had 5 questions, this year nothing) Western (last year they had one question, this year simply put which high school you went to) NOSM (has a few questions as well) Ottawa (I'm not sure) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattg Posted June 23, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 23, 2009 thanks boys Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattg Posted June 23, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 23, 2009 this might sound ignorant hah, but so what is it that takes so long wrt applying? i obviously understand that you need to put a lot of thought into what you say, but it seems like there is actually not that much to actually write? or am i wrong? let me know what you guys think from your experience... how long does it take in general? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Microbiodude Posted June 23, 2009 Report Share Posted June 23, 2009 Summarizing an experience in 700 characters (not words, spaces count) while making it impactful...good luck As for the 48 experiences, you have a 150 characters. There's always ways you can make a sketch better. So after your first draft, you edit...then edit...then edit...take a break...get inspired and edit again. Before you know it, a few weeks will have passed. As for U of T, summarize all your experiences with what you learned and why medicine in one page. Also, you have to make it entertaining because you don't want your readers to fall asleep. It takes longer than you think, especially if you get writer's block. good luck! As one of my prof's once said, your work will take as long as the time you give it. So make a plan, set a deadline for yourself to finish your first draft, second, third, etc. You can send it to people to edit it, this make take longer than you expect since it'll be Dependant on their availabilities. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LitGal Posted June 23, 2009 Report Share Posted June 23, 2009 How long does it take? Honestly - tons and tons of hours. I'm a highly organized non-slacker, but to get all the contact info, the dates, the addresses, etc, collected and checked - lots of time! Think of the the awards and scholarships you (hopefully) won through undergrad and maybe grad school. All the places you volunteered or committees you were on. Gathering the info took time. Then - to compose the essays/questions: you always have word limits, and you need to edit and revise to cover all of the information you want, and to convey a sense of yourself and purpose with clarity. You also want to make sure the application is flawless - I know people on admissions committees who admit to simply chucking applications with poor spelling or grammar. Don't forget that you have to enter every course you ever took at EVERY university by name, course code, dates and mark! Once you've gathered the info, the inputting isn't too bad, but you still need to be careful that you're completing everything properly. While, of course, making sure that the specific info each school might require is done in the right spot in the right format. Definitely print your application when you're done, so that if you have to apply a second time, it will be 100 times easier. No complaints. I thought the process was great at making me aware of what I already HAVE accomplished and why I want to do this. But this is for med school! Don't expect an application you can complete over a beer one afternoon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
future_doc Posted June 23, 2009 Report Share Posted June 23, 2009 How long does it take? Honestly - tons and tons of hours. Then - to compose the essays/questions: you always have word limits, and you need to edit and revise to cover all of the information you want, and to convey a sense of yourself and purpose with clarity. You also want to make sure the application is flawless - I know people on admissions committees who admit to simply chucking applications with poor spelling or grammar. Definitely print your application when you're done, so that if you have to apply a second time, it will be 100 times easier. No complaints. I thought the process was great at making me aware of what I already HAVE accomplished and why I want to do this. But this is for med school! Don't expect an application you can complete over a beer one afternoon. There are no shortcuts and absolutely no guarantees. And you need to find referees who know you and will give you "strong" references, otherwise you are wasting their time and your chances in this lottery. If you are an A+ student but the professors really don't know anything about you other than that you are very bright, even if you give them your CV, can they really be strong advocates for you to gain admission to med school? I am still considering this issue for the upcoming cycle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamP Posted June 23, 2009 Report Share Posted June 23, 2009 yeah the referees were way more of a pain then say the 5 mac questions, but once you have them you have them, like the nice thing is I can recycle my sketch edit it some more, but the refs will be the same Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
future_doc Posted June 23, 2009 Report Share Posted June 23, 2009 (10 characters) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NWOsw Posted June 24, 2009 Report Share Posted June 24, 2009 Yeah, doing OMSAS submission took a ridiculously long time… I definitely needed the whole time period between July 15 – October 1! This year (2nd application cycle) will be wonderful as I have already done most the of the work. All I need to do now is update and tweak! FYI, NOSM had 7 school submission questions… all with too short of character limits. Really, 300 characters is barely a paragraph and what you need to say in that needs to be incredible! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
future_doc Posted June 24, 2009 Report Share Posted June 24, 2009 I have devoted 120 hours of neuromuscular and physical impairment rehabilitiation of senior stroke, Parkinson's and M.S. patients under a supervised setting at a wellness centre, attended weekly seminars and led some classes. This is in fulfillment of internship requirements of a for credit course. I am thinking of putting the unpaid internship under the heading "Volunteer Activities" and disclosing it was a credit university course, giving name/no. of course. In theory, it might fit under "Formal Education" but this does not appear to be the best fit. I am thinking of putting "Presentations/Lectures given to students at wellness centre" under "Formal Education" to show that I led classes. During the summer, I am performing the same functions as my internship as paid part time employee and this will be under "Employment". Your thoughts would be appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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