Will premed school choice affect my admission?

[Maor36]

Hi,

I am a high school student in Toronto going to 12th grade this year. My question is whether there is any difference what university I choose for my B.Sc.? That is, if I go to a more prestigious school, i have more chances to get into med school? (I was particularly interested in McGill) or the other way around, if I go to a less prestigious school, I have less chances? Will it be considered, or are my marks (GPA, MCAT scores) the only thing considered regarding school?

 

Thanks a lot

[future_doc]

Welcome and good questions!

 

Truth is stranger than fiction. With a less prestigious, smaller university, you enhance your chances of obtaining a better GPA, getting to know your profs., having an overall better undergrad experience and the competition diminishes. If you know any physiicians who have university age kids, ask them. More prestigious universities are harder to get in, the competition is fierce and assuming that they accept students with top marks, half will be at the bottom of the class. You enhance your chances for a higher, more competitive GPA my going to a so-called no name university!

 

GPA is king, the most important element that is essential for candidacy, before adding other factors. So, my advice for what it is worth is: stay away from our so-called Ivy Leagues (and the prestige does not come from the undergrad departments), go to a smaller university, take courses that interest you, have a strong work ethic, prioritize your activities with academics being at the top, stay away from ECs during the first semester and until you do well academically.

 

There are many factors involved for acceptance to med school: you need to be competitive academically, well rounded in terms of activities that show excellence and/or dedication, compassion, leadership, initiative and if you try to string along a bunch of acgtivities to impress adcoms you are on the wrong track. It is about wat you have learned, how you have fgrown and developed from your activities. Yes, MCAT is important and you need to meet cut offs at least for each med school and be competitive. MCAT is not required for Ottawa, relatively unimportant for U/T, etc. I believe MCAT is no longer a requirement for a Canadian student applying to McGill med school. Med schools don't care what university you went to for UG, they look at your GPA and you, the individual.

 

Good luck and you have lots of time to think about it and receive other viewpoints! This year, work hard in h.s., as a strong work ethic will be a major advantage entering undergrad.

[Maor36]

Thank you very much, first of all, I really appreciate your answer

I did hear a lot about choosing a smaller school to be the best option, just wanted to be sure. Any suggestions what is a school that falls well under that definition?

And yes I do know that much of the factors are not pure academic work, but gaining as much experience in the field as possible, etc.

btw, it might be a bit of a stupid question, but what is ECs? I don't know that much about universities yet, unfortunately.

Another question, what will be a good avergae for me to strive for this year, approximately?

Again, thanks a lot, it really helped me :]

[future_doc]

EC=Extra Curricular Activity. It can be anything really, e.g., a sport, music, dance, woodworking, politics, student govt, on the university newspaper

 

Med school wants well rounded individuals, not book worms, they want to know that you are able to handle a fullcourse load and yet, have a life, be an active citizen. My ECs are dance, ballet and piano, for well over 10 years now and horse riding for over 6/7 years. Dance and ballet require expertise, dedication, focus, collaboration or team work and I have won awards which shows I am in it long enough to develop a degree of expertise and I perform in public and for old age homes etc.

 

Volunteering in activities you enjoy is also important, it need not be within an organization, e.g., for a couple of years, I helped out a neighbour who was in a wheelchair and simple tasks like throwing out the garbage, picking up the mail, grocery shopping and taking her for wheeled walks to the park were so meaningful.

 

Check with guidance for the full range of universities. McGill is an excellent university as is U of Toronot, but I would not recommend either.

 

This year, just do the best you can, wsork hard and don't take it easy, it won't help you even if you do well. I did not work in h.s. (high school), so when I went to College, my grades were mediocre and this was my wake up call. I realize late in the game, but when I entered university tyhat I had to change. And except for my first semester, I became a straight A student. This is because I decided to work hard, study smart, keep up with my studies and assignment and always strive for excellence.

 

The transition to ug (undergrad) can be brutal. Some students are distracted and do horribly despite their high ointelligence and h.s. grades. High school grades are meaningless in undergrad, other than getting you in university.

 

So, in h.s. take your courses seriously and work hard. It is the work ethic that is important. And dont apply to so-called top universities in the hope to get in for bragging rights on the part of your parents or yourself. University is meant to be a special and wonderful experience. If going aeay from home, there are small universities in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Take your time, do your homework, make an independent decision without being sucked into irrelevant considerations that persuade others. Become an independent thinker.

 

By the way, you would have been better off creating this thread under the General Premed Forum and not under McGill.

[123coco]

Thank you very much, first of all, I really appreciate your answer

I did hear a lot about choosing a smaller school to be the best option, just wanted to be sure. Any suggestions what is a school that falls well under that definition?

And yes I do know that much of the factors are not pure academic work, but gaining as much experience in the field as possible, etc.

btw, it might be a bit of a stupid question, but what is ECs? I don't know that much about universities yet, unfortunately.

Another question, what will be a good avergae for me to strive for this year, approximately?

Again, thanks a lot, it really helped me :]

 

In Ontario, schools like Trent, Brock, Nippissing, Laurentien, Lakehead are considered small universities because their population is around 12K and less. Pretty much, schools that were built after WWII and are located in small cities tend to be small.

________

ALASKA DISPENSARY

[Maor36]

Thanks a lot for the comments guys, sorry about the delay :S

I know that they want students who actually do something except for studying. I've been playing the guitar for 5 years now, also been to some martial arts. Other than that i now volunteer in a geriatric hospital. My life is far from being the life of a book worm

yes, i know that 12 grd is the year im supposed to work hard in. 11 grd i did almost nothing, the material was ridiculously simple. but i still have some study habits i need to work on, and i will this year.

As for the list of universities, arent those REALLY small though? i know there shouldnt be a university with a great name, but it should still be a relatively known one, shouldnt it? i was thinking more into the direction of Ryerson.

and yes, it does fit more to the general forum now. in the beginning i thought that some universities will consider the premed school while some won't, and that's why I asked it here.

Thanks again :]

[future_doc]

Ryerson is fine. It is necessary to improve your work ethic considerably.

[scissortail]

Future doc is completely right regarding what med schools look for. However i would also like to point out that it is not impossible to do well at a university like McGill or U of T. I know there have been many horror stories regarding these two universities, but there are still people who get 3.8+ at these institutions.

 

When i was going into university, I almost didn't consider U of T (where i'm attending now) because everyone told me not to; however i chose it anyways. It's true that U of T is very tough and you need to have an amazing work ethic; however I didn't find it nearly as bad as people made it out to be. As long as you truly love learning and have a drive to succeed, you'll be fine. Furthermore, there is nothing more satisfying than going to a good school AND doing well in it. I enjoyed the content of almost every one of my courses. I'm glad that I was pushed to a higher level than students at other universities, and the feeling of intellectual enlightenment at the end of the day is the most fulfilling. Looking back, i'm glad i went against all advices people gave me and came to U of T.

 

On a more practical side, another thing about big schools is that they do offer way more opportunity than a small school like Trent would. One is the research faculty, which is very important if you want to gain research experience as an undergrad. I'm sure McGill is great in this area, however I've known people at schools like Queen's (which is not even small, more like mediocre sized) who have had tremendous trouble even securing a fourth year project, let alone paid summer positions. Furthermore, large cities like Montreal/Toronto have many more hospitals and other social institute that gives you a chance to volunteer.

 

I'm giving you a side that you most likely won't hear from many people (most people will still tell you to choose an easier school). I guess in the end it all depend on you. How confident are you in your abilities? Do you think you can go to a prestigious school AND excel? or do you think you are only capable of achieving one or the other? I guess from my personal experience, I've learned to never let other people tell you what you can or cannot do, only you know.