Madz25 Posted November 9, 2009 Report Share Posted November 9, 2009 Hey Madz, do you know what Dal determines to be full-course loads? Many schools will claim 3, some 4, and others will state 5. I just checked the calendar, and full time is considered 3 courses/semester. http://registrar.dal.ca/calendar/calendarpdfs/PR20092010Calendar.pdf oldtrout - 4 courses/semester will be fine! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cnussey Posted November 9, 2009 Report Share Posted November 9, 2009 I just checked the calendar, and full time is considered 3 courses/semester. http://registrar.dal.ca/calendar/calendarpdfs/PR20092010Calendar.pdf oldtrout - 4 courses/semester will be fine! Yea--good for the oldtrout Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldtrout Posted November 9, 2009 Report Share Posted November 9, 2009 Ha! Thanks guys, much appreciated stress relief if that is the case. Obviously 5 per semester is preferred but as long as I don't get canned without being looked at. Thanks for the help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cnussey Posted November 9, 2009 Report Share Posted November 9, 2009 Ha! Thanks guys, much appreciated stress relief if that is the case. Obviously 5 per semester is preferred but as long as I don't get canned without being looked at. Thanks for the help. Yes, being canned without a second thought is definitely the worst way to get cut. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
w8kg6 Posted November 10, 2009 Report Share Posted November 10, 2009 I just checked the calendar, and full time is considered 3 courses/semester. http://registrar.dal.ca/calendar/calendarpdfs/PR20092010Calendar.pdf oldtrout - 4 courses/semester will be fine! Jesus, are you serious? I can't imagine how 3 qualifies as full time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cnussey Posted November 10, 2009 Report Share Posted November 10, 2009 Jesus, are you serious? I can't imagine how 3 qualifies as full time. Yes. It's because many people work, have kids, etc. 3 is full-time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beng Posted November 10, 2009 Report Share Posted November 10, 2009 3 only qualifies as fulltime for Dalhousie. Dal medicine considers 5 courses/semester fulltime, as per their FAQ: "14. I did not take a full course load (5 credits) in my final year. Does that make me ineligible? The Admissions Committee requests applicants to have a full course load in the two most recent years prior to application to demonstrate their academic abilities. A full course load is expected because it most closely reflects what will be required in medicine should you be accepted. If you have a legitimate reason for not having a full course load in any one year, we request the applicant to outline these and include with information you send to the office with your supplementary form." I think dal seems very open to reasoning though, so hopefully your explanation is well-received! P.S. I agree with w8; unless they are graduate courses, the commitment required to do well in 3 courses is not significant. I don't think the fact that it allows someone to maintain a job concurrently should be relevant. That's just my opinion though, I don't make the rules! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cnussey Posted November 10, 2009 Report Share Posted November 10, 2009 3 only qualifies as fulltime for Dalhousie. Dal medicine considers 5 courses/semester fulltime, as per their FAQ: "14. I did not take a full course load (5 credits) in my final year. Does that make me ineligible? The Admissions Committee requests applicants to have a full course load in the two most recent years prior to application to demonstrate their academic abilities. A full course load is expected because it most closely reflects what will be required in medicine should you be accepted. If you have a legitimate reason for not having a full course load in any one year, we request the applicant to outline these and include with information you send to the office with your supplementary form." I think dal seems very open to reasoning though, so hopefully your explanation is well-received! P.S. I agree with w8; unless they are graduate courses, the commitment required to do well in 3 courses is not significant. I don't think the fact that it allows someone to maintain a job concurrently should be relevant. That's just my opinion though, I don't make the rules! Not only Dal. It is the same for MUN and many other schools (it is also the same for student loans!). The committment required to perform well in 3 courses is difficult when you work full-time and have children, etc. That's why many schools consider your extra-life as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beng Posted November 10, 2009 Report Share Posted November 10, 2009 I understand, but doesn't it make sense that you can't be doing two things "full-time", at the same time? I'm sure the schools will continue to work that way, but I won't be convinced! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cnussey Posted November 10, 2009 Report Share Posted November 10, 2009 I understand, but doesn't it make sense that you can't be doing two things "full-time", at the same time? I'm sure the schools will continue to work that way, but I won't be convinced! That's the point: full-time employment can be consider from Xhrs up and so they have chosen to do the same with course-loads. 3 is on the edge (and quite lenient), but I am grateful. I can assure you that giving birth while taking 3 courses is NOT easy to maintain high grades (ever write an exam while burping a baby?). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
w8kg6 Posted November 10, 2009 Report Share Posted November 10, 2009 Yes. It's because many people work, have kids, etc. 3 is full-time. I work 40 hours a week and I'm in 19 credit hours right now. It's not impossible. Also, how would having kids qualify you academically? Not calling you out, I know you're a mom, but I'm just not sure on why outside commitments should give people a double standard for med. I'm having a hard time understanding how raising a kid counts as 4 courses per year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beng Posted November 10, 2009 Report Share Posted November 10, 2009 I work 40 hours a week and I'm in 19 credit hours right now. It's not impossible. Also, how would having kids qualify you academically? Not calling you out, I know you're a mom, but I'm just not sure on why outside commitments should give people a double standard for med. +1 -- That's what I wanted to say. If you have a thousand outside commitments, it doesn't demonstrate, to me anyway, that you can maintain a high level of *academics*. It just demonstrates that you can maintain your outside commitments. Again, as w8 mentioned, I don't mean you at all. I've always thought 5 courses made more sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madz25 Posted November 10, 2009 Report Share Posted November 10, 2009 3 only qualifies as fulltime for Dalhousie. Dal medicine considers 5 courses/semester fulltime, as per their FAQ: "14. I did not take a full course load (5 credits) in my final year. Does that make me ineligible? The Admissions Committee requests applicants to have a full course load in the two most recent years prior to application to demonstrate their academic abilities. A full course load is expected because it most closely reflects what will be required in medicine should you be accepted. If you have a legitimate reason for not having a full course load in any one year, we request the applicant to outline these and include with information you send to the office with your supplementary form." I think dal seems very open to reasoning though, so hopefully your explanation is well-received! P.S. I agree with w8; unless they are graduate courses, the commitment required to do well in 3 courses is not significant. I don't think the fact that it allows someone to maintain a job concurrently should be relevant. That's just my opinion though, I don't make the rules! That's surprising considering in the intro to the "law - medicine - dentistry" calendar (not generic undergrad calendar) they define "full time studies" as 3 courses/semester. perhaps they should clearly state what they mean by a full course load. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beng Posted November 10, 2009 Report Share Posted November 10, 2009 That's surprising considering in the intro to the "law - medicine - dentistry" calendar (not generic undergrad calendar) they define "full time studies" as 3 courses/semester. perhaps they should clearly state what they mean by a full course load. Agreed. Also, it's restated: "A minimum GPA of 3.3 (on a 4.0 scale) based on a full class load of 5 full classes each year in the two most..." here: http://dlm.cal.dal.ca/_MEDI.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
w8kg6 Posted November 10, 2009 Report Share Posted November 10, 2009 Agreed. Also, it's restated: "A minimum GPA of 3.3 (on a 4.0 scale) based on a full class load of 5 full classes each year in the two most..." here: http://dlm.cal.dal.ca/_MEDI.htm More specifically, http://dlm.cal.dal.ca/_MEDI.htm#3 section 5. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cnussey Posted November 10, 2009 Report Share Posted November 10, 2009 I work 40 hours a week and I'm in 19 credit hours right now. It's not impossible. Also, how would having kids qualify you academically? Not calling you out, I know you're a mom, but I'm just not sure on why outside commitments should give people a double standard for med. I'm having a hard time understanding how raising a kid counts as 4 courses per year. +1 -- That's what I wanted to say. If you have a thousand outside commitments, it doesn't demonstrate, to me anyway, that you can maintain a high level of *academics*. It just demonstrates that you can maintain your outside commitments. Again, as w8 mentioned, I don't mean you at all. I've always thought 5 courses made more sense. I gave you an example for their reasoning. They determine full-work load based on your specific life. So if you are a 5-course-load student with a 4.0 with no ECs, fine. But that situation is not common across the board--they are attempting to define a common ground. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supafield Posted November 10, 2009 Report Share Posted November 10, 2009 lol... I'm not a parent... but I've dealt with babies. If you can raise an infant, and succeed at 3 full time courses, regardless of medical school considerations, you should get a medal. My mom did her Nurse Practitioner masters with 6 fairly young children, a feat I don't think I could have ever managed myself. A policy like this promotes diversity among applicants. While raising a baby alone, or working full time says nothing about one's ability to succeed academically, if an applicant can take on a major time commitment and still succeed at 3 full time courses, they're not only showing their academic competence but also strong time-management skills. A resident on an overnight and a parent with a sleepless infant probably have more in common than one may think haha. While the policy stands to be abused, it also allows people in certain circumstances to have a shot at medicine despite not being in a position to attend class on a true full time basis during certain stages of life. I can agree with that... but to each their own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cnussey Posted November 10, 2009 Report Share Posted November 10, 2009 lol... I'm not a parent... but I've dealt with babies. If you can raise an infant, and succeed at 3 full time courses, regardless of medical school considerations, you should get a medal. My mom did her Nurse Practitioner masters with 6 fairly young children, a feat I don't think I could have ever managed myself. A policy like this promotes diversity among applicants. While raising a baby alone, or working full time says nothing about one's ability to succeed academically, if an applicant can take on a major time commitment and still succeed at 3 full time courses, they're not only showing their academic competence but also strong time-management skills. A resident on an overnight and a parent with a sleepless infant probably have more in common than one may think haha. While the policy stands to be abused, it also allows people in certain circumstances to have a shot at medicine despite not being in a position to attend class on a true full time basis during certain stages of life. I can agree with that... but to each their own. Thank you--wonderfully put. I understand these two's concerns, but that's why the applications are so "personal". The schools will determine who is a lazy ass taking 2 and 3 courses at a time and who is a diligent, busy worker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
w8kg6 Posted November 10, 2009 Report Share Posted November 10, 2009 While the policy stands to be abused, it also allows people in certain circumstances to have a shot at medicine despite not being in a position to attend class on a true full time basis during certain stages of life. I dunno. I guess I can't shake the thought that, given that there are no freebies in medicine (ie, even if you have infant octuplets, you still have to do the same workload as an average med student), there shouldn't be such large allowances in the app process. Maybe I'm the only person with this opinion, but I think it holds some water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cnussey Posted November 10, 2009 Report Share Posted November 10, 2009 I dunno. I guess I can't shake the thought that, given that there are no freebies in medicine (ie, even if you have infant octuplets, you still have to do the same workload as an average med student), there shouldn't be such large allowances in the app process. Maybe I'm the only person with this opinion, but I think it holds some water. That's why they have a limit and that's why the limit isn't a national standard--they are attempting to determine what they deem as appropriate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beng Posted November 10, 2009 Report Share Posted November 10, 2009 I don't have any concerns, I'm merely expressing my opinion on whether 3 courses should be considered fulltime. Clearly, dal med expects 5 courses to be taken, but I know they make allowances in certain cases just as cnussey illustrated. In fact, I'm pretty thankful that dal is so lenient in its requirements, because otherwise I would not be applying this year. I think a lot of this difference of opinion may stem from the fact that w8 and I have both (i think?) been scorned by the degree of academic commitment required in engineering. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cnussey Posted November 10, 2009 Report Share Posted November 10, 2009 I don't have any concerns, I'm merely expressing my opinion on whether 3 courses should be considered fulltime. Clearly, dal med expects 5 courses to be taken, but I know they make allowances in certain cases just as cnussey illustrated. I think a lot of this difference of opinion may stem from the fact that w8 and I have both (i think?) been scorned by the degree of academic commitment required in engineering. Same requirement in a few other degrees too--I recall being told to take 6 courses (all science and calc) one semester at SMU for my program. It was frowned upon to take any less because of the design of the program. It's really too bad--that's one of the biggest drivers that made me quit my program. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
w8kg6 Posted November 10, 2009 Report Share Posted November 10, 2009 I don't have any concerns, I'm merely expressing my opinion on whether 3 courses should be considered fulltime. Clearly, dal med expects 5 courses to be taken, but I know they make allowances in certain cases just as cnussey illustrated. In fact, I'm pretty thankful that dal is so lenient in its requirements, because otherwise I would not be applying this year. I think a lot of this difference of opinion may stem from the fact that w8 and I have both (i think?) been scorned by the degree of academic commitment required in engineering. LOL, yup. Even in kinesiology, I have only rarely taken less than 6 courses per semester, and at times I've taken as many as 9. By the end of this semester, I'll have 205 credit hours under my belt, and I've only taken 11 semesters (I'm on my second degree), so I average more than 6 three credit hour courses per sem. Also, I was a varsity athlete in my first 2 years (23 hours/week commitment) and since I've stopped that, I've worked at least 25 hours per week either at jobs or other commitments. I'm not bragging, but I'm just saying that... I dunno to tell you the truth. I'm just saying that I'm jaded with the admissions process, and that I'm still kind of sour about not getting in last year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beng Posted November 10, 2009 Report Share Posted November 10, 2009 LOL, yup. Even in kinesiology, I have only rarely taken less than 6 courses per semester, and at times I've taken as many as 9. By the end of this semester, I'll have 205 credit hours under my belt, and I've only taken 11 semesters (I'm on my second degree), so I average more than 6 three credit hour courses per sem. Also, I was a varsity athlete in my first 2 years (23 hours/week commitment) and since I've stopped that, I've worked at least 25 hours per week either at jobs or other commitments. I'm not bragging, but I'm just saying that... I dunno to tell you the truth. I'm just saying that I'm jaded with the admissions process, and that I'm still kind of sour about not getting in last year. It's funny how after applying to dal med you can readily break everything you do or have done into hrs/week. I can certainly empathize though - I've had a similar experience, minus the kinesiology and I've completed my degree. It wouldn't have been frowned upon if I didn't take 6 courses, it simply would have meant me taking another year to graduate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madz25 Posted November 10, 2009 Report Share Posted November 10, 2009 Agreed. Also, it's restated: "A minimum GPA of 3.3 (on a 4.0 scale) based on a full class load of 5 full classes each year in the two most..." here: http://dlm.cal.dal.ca/_MEDI.htm ahhh...ok. sorry old trout!!! guess you need 5 courses/semester! perhaps they should state this on the admissions FAQ lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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