Should I even bother?

[drfixit]

My Average is roughly: 3.3

 

If I do good on the MCATs, Ie 36-40ish...and have enough extracurricular, is there any hope for me?

[I Heart Rural Med]

We need more information. What year are you in?

 

It's not just about marks, doing great on the MCAT and having excellent extracurriculars are important. It will be difficult to get into med school with a 3.3 though. If you're in first or second year you can pull up your GPA by rocking the next 2-3 years; if you're later on in your degree there are ways around poor marks, such as pursuing graduate studies or starting a 2nd undergrad degree to pull up your GPA. Don't lose hope yet.

[HBP]

Maybe with a 13 or 14 VR.

[nemesis]

...not with a VR score=15, that would be suspicious!

 

Maybe with a 13 or 14 VR.

[drfixit]

I am done 4th year but I have one more year left still to improve marks. But I am considering US and Carribean med schools now. I have two options really:

 

1. I can improve my marks and try and apply again next year in October 2011 for the August 2012 start.

 

2. I can try for an American Med school or Caribbean ones and just start in August 2011 because they have lower requirements, i know a lot of people who got in some Caribbean schools with lower GPAs than mine.

 

I don't know if its worth trying to get into an Ontario medical school if I have to wait 2 years. As much as I would like to get in somewhere here, I have to be realistic at this point with my options.

 

Also do you guys know my chances of getting residency back in Ontario if I were to go to Caribbean for medicine?

 

Sidenote: Yes I have extracurricullars, I am just hoping for a good MCAT score, I am writing in August this summer. I am going to apply anyway just to give it a shot because I saw on the McMaster website that there were some ppl who did manage to get in with scores less than 3.6. I am just wondering what got them that spot (ie, what where their VR scores, and what kind of extracurriculars they had).

[shannn]

Sidenote: Yes I have extracurricullars, I am just hoping for a good MCAT score, I am writing in August this summer. I am going to apply anyway just to give it a shot because I saw on the McMaster website that there were some ppl who did manage to get in with scores less than 3.6. I am just wondering what got them that spot (ie, what where their VR scores, and what kind of extracurriculars they had).

 

Not to burst your bubble, but those could have been MSc.'s and PhD's who got bonuses because of their extra education.

 

Have you thought about doing a new degree and giving other (more GPA forgiving schools) a shot?

[drfixit]

Not to burst your bubble, but those could have been MSc.'s and PhD's who got bonuses because of their extra education.

 

Have you thought about doing a new degree and giving other (more GPA forgiving schools) a shot?

 

Hmm, Yea i am actually looking around right now if you have any suggestions let me know though. That's why I was looking into Caribbean as an option cause GPA cutoffs are significantly lower I heard in some of the schools there. I was reading through OMSAS today though and pretty much all the schools in Ontario seem to mainly admit the students with higher GPAs.

 

I am going to calculate my GPA for my Last two years cause I think one of the schools looks at last two only. But my estimate would be around 3.5 GPA for that. My Last 2 years were better than my first 2.

[Nobodycirclesthewagons]

What was your GPA in 4th year? If you do well in 5th year (ie. around a 3.7 or 3.75 or better), and your 4th year was comparable, you could have a shot, GPA-wise, at Western and Queens.

[drfixit]

What was your GPA in 4th year? If you do well in 5th year (ie. around a 3.7 or 3.75 or better), and your 4th year was comparable, you could have a shot, GPA-wise, at Western and Queens.

 

I considered that the only problem is that my 5th year marks will not be considered if I apply in October 2010 (upcoming) for the admission in August 2011.

 

I would have to finish 5th year and then apply to medical school in October 2011 for Admission in August 2012. So that is 2 years down the road basically. Where as I could easily get into a Caribbean school for August 2011 and save one year. I feel like I am falling behind or wasting time in a sense, I don't know if its worth waiting for that since there arn't any guarantees I'll even get in here.

[Nobodycirclesthewagons]

In regard to applying for Queens, yeah, your 5th year marks would not be considered.

 

However, Western allows you to apply and potentially receive a conditional acceptance if you meet their GPA cutoff in the current (ie. your 5th year). So you can keep Western as an option for the upcoming cycle

[JClimacus]

I am done 4th year but I have one more year left still to improve marks. But I am considering US and Carribean med schools now. I have two options really:

 

1. I can improve my marks and try and apply again next year in October 2011 for the August 2012 start.

 

2. I can try for an American Med school or Caribbean ones and just start in August 2011 because they have lower requirements, i know a lot of people who got in some Caribbean schools with lower GPAs than mine.

 

I don't know if its worth trying to get into an Ontario medical school if I have to wait 2 years. As much as I would like to get in somewhere here, I have to be realistic at this point with my options.

 

Also do you guys know my chances of getting residency back in Ontario if I were to go to Caribbean for medicine?

 

Sidenote: Yes I have extracurricullars, I am just hoping for a good MCAT score, I am writing in August this summer. I am going to apply anyway just to give it a shot because I saw on the McMaster website that there were some ppl who did manage to get in with scores less than 3.6. I am just wondering what got them that spot (ie, what where their VR scores, and what kind of extracurriculars they had).

 

Hi drfixit,

 

I am one of those people who got into Mac with <3.6 gpa. I`ll try to answer some of your questions below:

 

To Q.1: Yes, do the fifth year (and even a sixth year, if you can take it) to boost your gpa. 3.3 is a bit low, but I saw on this forum that at least two people with 3.50-3.59 gpa got interviews this year.

 

To Q. 2: Definitely consider American schools, if you know you can somehow borrow USD 200-250k. Because the same body regulates MD granting institutions in both US and Canada (the LCME), US med school grads have a decent shot at landing a residency in Canada.

 

Go to the Caribbean at your own risk. It is EXTREMELY difficult to come back to practice in Ontario with a Caribbean MD. There are other posts on this forum which discuss this in detail.

 

To Q. 3 (Regarding people who got in despite lowish GPA): My VR score was decent (11), but not extraordinary. Also I don`t have PhD. So I think my acceptance was due to a combination of the decent VR score + strong scores on the autobiographical sketch and the interview. Mac does not look at your ECs, so there are no bonus points for any particular type of volunteering. Do the ECs that will make you more mature and give you exposure to a healthcare setting. This will show in your ABS and interview. (Note: I use the term "healthcare" broadly. Volunteering abroad, working with special needs people, hospitals, telephone support lines, private medical clinics, etc. all counts, I think.)

 

Most importantly, focus on your MCAT for now. Once you know your MCAT score, the picture will become much clearer for both you and for those wanting to advise you.

 

Hope this helps. Best of luck!

[drfixit]

Thanks for the advice guys I have a bit more motivation now I guess.

[Femto]

Hi drfixit,

 

I am one of those people who got into Mac with <3.6 gpa. I`ll try to answer some of your questions below:

 

To Q.1: Yes, do the fifth year (and even a sixth year, if you can take it) to boost your gpa. 3.3 is a bit low, but I saw on this forum that at least two people with 3.50-3.59 gpa got interviews this year.

 

To Q. 2: Definitely consider American schools, if you know you can somehow borrow USD 200-250k. Because the same body regulates MD granting institutions in both US and Canada (the LCME), US med school grads have a decent shot at landing a residency in Canada.

 

Go to the Caribbean at your own risk. It is EXTREMELY difficult to come back to practice in Ontario with a Caribbean MD. There are other posts on this forum which discuss this in detail.

 

To Q. 3 (Regarding people who got in despite lowish GPA): My VR score was decent (11), but not extraordinary. Also I don`t have PhD. So I think my acceptance was due to a combination of the decent VR score + strong scores on the autobiographical sketch and the interview. Mac does not look at your ECs, so there are no bonus points for any particular type of volunteering. Do the ECs that will make you more mature and give you exposure to a healthcare setting. This will show in your ABS and interview. (Note: I use the term "healthcare" broadly. Volunteering abroad, working with special needs people, hospitals, telephone support lines, private medical clinics, etc. all counts, I think.)

 

Most importantly, focus on your MCAT for now. Once you know your MCAT score, the picture will become much clearer for both you and for those wanting to advise you.

 

Hope this helps. Best of luck!

 

What do you mean by "Mac does not look at your ECs"? Are you refering to the list of 48 activities?

 

So, what do they look at when evaluating your non-academic attributes?

[nemesis]

What do you mean by "Mac does not look at your ECs"? Are you refering to the list of 48 activities?

 

So, what do they look at when evaluating your non-academic attributes?

 

The autobiographic sketch is a generic part of the OMSAS application - it is part of your McMaster file, but it is not ranked or scored, (unlike some schools). The sketch simply takes on the role of a one-page CV in your file at Mac.

 

The only thing that determined your eligibility for a McMaster interview (MMI) for 2010 entry, was your Undergraduate GPA, your MCAT VR Score, and your Autobiographical Submission (ABS) Score. The ABS can be considered as the pre-interview non-academic component of the selection process at Mac. Each of the three selection criteria are equally weighted, pre-MMI.

 

Post-interview, the weighted sum of your MMI Score, uGPA and MCAT VR Score is what advances your application to full file review (aka Collation). Note that your ABS Score is not used in the post-MMI formula. Collation is where the reference letters are reviewed (as red flags - they are not scored numerically and added to the formula), along with the entire file (including your autobiographic sketch, etc).

[Femto]

Thanks nemesis!

 

I am not really sure on what is included in the ABS, but i guess I will find out in July whem OMSAS gets updated.

 

Is the ABS simply your answers to the five questions?

[nemesis]

Thanks nemesis!

 

I am not really sure on what is included in the ABS, but i guess I will find out in July whem OMSAS gets updated.

 

Is the ABS simply your answers to the five questions?

 

If you are considering applying to the MD Program at Mac next cycle, then you should be aware of the following:

 

IMPORTANT NOTICE TO POTENTIAL APPLICANTS

 

All potential applicants may be required to write a 75 minute supplemental web-based submission in October 2010, on dates to be specified. The McMaster MD Program website at http://www.fhs.mcmaster.ca/mdprog will be updated by June 15, 2010 and the OMSAS website at http://www.ouac.on.ca/omsas will be updated in early July (opening of the application cycle), stating whether the supplemental submission will be required, and if it is required, specific details on its format will be provided on the website at that time. No further information on the supplemental submission will be made available prior to that date.

 

 

What this means for future applicants is that, if the admissions committee decides to implement the computer-based screening test (known as CASPer or Computer-based Assessment Sampling Personal characteristics), then this will replace the current Autobiographical Submission (ABS).

 

So you may not even have to worry about the ABS for 2011. But to answer your question, yes, the ABS is composed of five questions which are related to your "preparedness for medicine and suitability for the McMaster Undergraduate Medical Program".

 

[Femto]

Okay, cool! Thanks!

 

This seems like a great idea, in theory. Who knows how it will actually work out? I think I like it!

 

I am trying to keep some perspective (I realize that's important), but there are very few things that I would not do to make sure that I am in your position next year! Congrats on the acceptance!