Help prevent a derailment

[in_hindsight]

Hey guys, I am here for some advice and I apologize for the cheesy title. So here's where I am right now. I am a 4th year student with an OMSAS GPA of ~3.84. I won't bore you with why I want to be a doctor and yada, yada. I just want some hard facts. So here's a little back story:

 

So let me begin with saying that I have no EC in the past 4 years. I am not involved with any school clubs, sports, volunteering etc.

 

When I first entered university I decided that I would be paying my entire tuition without the help of my parents or OSAP. So for summer of 12th grade I worked full time as a sales representative and for the first summer of my undergrad I was working full time as a grocer. During second year I secured a work-term at a small biotech company. The term was scheduled to be from September - April 2010 but I was laid off somewhere around November 2009 (the company went bust). During this period I enrolled late for the winter semester and this forced me to take a bunch of electives. In the summer of third year (2010) I secured another full-time work-term as a clinical research assistant at a mental health institute.

 

So fast forward about 10 months and here I am now.

 

 

The plus side:

 

1. I have zero debt and a bit of savings.

 

The down side:

 

1. I had to make up for all those pre-reqs that I couldn't take last winter and make up for them this year. As a result, I only have 50% of my course load corresponding to my year of study.

 

2. I still have no EC

 

I will not use my "working to pay off tuition" thing as an excuse as to why I don't have any EC. It is mainly due to my lack of interest in regards to group activities and laziness. I am not an extroverted individual but I wouldn't describe myself as introverted either. I find patient interaction intrinsically rewarding but I prefer working alone without co-workers.

 

So what would be a good path to get started on? What EC would you recommend? I have yet to write the MCAT but I plan on doing so this summer. How long of a time line should I give myself before I apply to med school? 1 year?

 

Thanks in advance

[larva]

Hey Hindsight,

 

Congrats on the zero debt! That's no small accomplishment.

 

As for EC's, your employment/work terms definitely count. Med school apps are all about how you present yourself, so take everything you learned and did while working, and incorporate that into your application.

 

Your grades are good, so why not write the MCAT and just apply? You never know what will happen

 

I can't give any suggestions for additional EC's, because it's really up to you to figure out what your interests are.

 

good luck.

[The Ace of Spades]

I don't think you're in a bad position at all. A solid GPA is much more important than meaningful ECs, because those can always be added after you finish your degree. That might mean delaying your application by one or two years, though.

[OIC]

You would likely be out of the running for Ottawa since they are so heavy on the ABS, and perhaps Toronto as well if you have absolutely no research, clinical or any other non-remunerated work experience. This year Queens started caring about the ABS pre-interview so that may be difficult as well.

 

On the bright side, McMaster and Western don't incorporate extracurricular activities into their assessment. McMaster is based on a personality test, GPA and MCAT. Western is based on GPA and MCAT (mind you this is all pre-interview). The benefit of your extracurriculars for these two schools is in providing content during the interview, but you can just frame things in the context of your work experiences or something else, at that point it would be about how you carry yourself.

 

I am not saying that you have zero shot at the first three schools I mentioned, but I think your EC disadvantage would be negligible at the latter two.

 

Good luck.

[in_hindsight]

I have some research experiences from my work terms. I was involved with patient recruitment, administered neuropsychological tests, sat in on psychiatric interviews etc... However, I was also wondering if only having 50% of my course load corresponding to my current year of study would affect my chances at these schools

[thatonekid]

I have some research experiences from my work terms. I was involved with patient recruitment, administered neuropsychological tests, sat in on psychiatric interviews etc... However, I was also wondering if only having 50% of my course load corresponding to my current year of study would affect my chances at these schools

The only school that I can think of that has a strict 60% course load must correspond to year of study rule is Western. Toronto also says that courses should correspond to your year of study, but their rule is not well defined.