do people with an okay GPA have a chance??? at all??

[Guest dogeatdog12]

Hi

 

I am talking about people with a 3.5 GPA

[Guest Kirsteen]

Hi there,

 

According to the published admissions statistics of a few medical schools there seem to be cohorts of students accepted each year with averages around 3.5, and to a smaller extent, even lower. So yes, there is hope.

 

Your best bet would be aiming for schools which do not use specific GPA cut-offs to reduce the size of the applicant pool, or at least those that select cut-offs which could possibly bracket your GPA! Thereafter, most medical schools devise a selection formula that incorporates a number of variables, GPA being only one of them. Therefore, if you're scoring less than perfect in the GPA sector you can make your application stronger (points-wise) by buffing up other areas of your application that are in a little more of your control, e.g., MCAT scores (if used by that school), extracurriculars, research, or if you'd like to be a little more outre, moving to a specific province or region for a few years in order to take advantage of lower GPA cut-offs for local applicants!

 

In short, each Canadian medical school uses a different jigsaw of pieces to assess their pool of applicants, and these factors can change each year. Grab a cup of your favourite libation and spend some time in front of the computer to see how each school approaches the process. You may be suprised.

 

Cheers,

Kirsteen

[Guest Biochem10]

In regards to U of T, I think (but don't quote me) that 3.6 is a cut-off. If you have a 3.5 and use the weighting formula (take away your worst 3 full-year courses if you're in 4th year), you may be above 3.6 which will qualify. I'm not 100% sure about this, so I would contact the admissions office if I were you.

[Guest PhantomPhoenix]

Does anything basically count as extra-curriculars....

[Guest kylle345]

U of T's cutoff is 3.6?

 

wasnt it high 3.7 last year?

[Guest Kirsteen]

Hi kylle345,

 

UofT's published undergraduate cut-off is 3.60, but as their website states, that ain't necessarily the GPA that's going to guarantee you success in their admissions process.

 

For undergraduate applicants, the unofficial GPA cut-off for UofT in previous years has seemed to have been a bit higher, and more along the lines of what you mentioned. Mind you, it seems that UofT have revamped their process for this year so what may have applied in years past may not apply this year or beyond.

 

Cheers,

Kirsteen

[Guest kylle345]

Thanks

 

Kylle345

[Guest Lisa88]

i thought it might be helpful if people who've already received interview invites at UofT to post their gpas.

 

Mine is above the supposed 3.6 cut-off (3.77, after OMSAS, i believe) but I haven't heard from them (yet). I do, however, have an interview elsewhere.

I was wondering if UT might've increased it some how due to the vast number of people applying this year... This would be much appreciated, thanks

[Guest Biochem10]

Hi Lisa, honestly I wouldn't worry about not having an interview yet, it has nothing to do with GPA. My friend who goes to U of T had an interview last May and had an excellent GPA. I have an interview at U of T on March 1st and I have an OMSAS GPA of 3.65 and with weighting it goes up to 3.75. No need to worry, believe me!

[Guest Lisa88]

thank u Biochem10, that I feel a little more relieved. Although, I'm not fortunate enough to receive the special weighting b/c i made the mistake of dropping a course one semester & making up for it in summer school.

Anyhow, thanks again & Congrats on your invite! Good luck at the interview!

[Guest UWOMED2005]

Just wanted to also point out that there's more people applying this year to OTTAWA and MAC. I think applications at U of T, Queen's, and Western have all gone DOWN this year.

[Guest batman]

another thing to ease your mind is that U of T raised their MCAT "flag" cuttoff to 9's across the board. That eliminates a good chunk of people with 7's and 8's who have applied, and will help them deal with an even smaller group of applicants during the weeding out process.

 

Right now, just sit back and relax. Think happy thoughts and don't worry too much. It's out of your hands now, and I'm finding that there's way too much needless anxiety on this ezboard...

 

:hat

[Guest DHP62]

UofT has always been willing to go down a point or two from their MCAT cutoffs, if a person's sketch and essay are really phenomenal.

 

I have a friend with an 8 V who has an interview on UofT's first interview weekend.