<abstract> Posted August 11, 2011 Report Share Posted August 11, 2011 Hey guys I had a quick question about whether I should apply to UOttawa or not. Using their formula I have a gpa of 3.84. I know the gpa cut off is usually 3.85 but I'm not sure if it's a soft or a hard cut off. Should I even bother applying? I'm a resident of Northern Ontario btw If it is 3.84 it never hurts to try. Who knows, they could drop it this year and you can get lucky. It has happened in the past at other schools so you never know. It is a hard cutoff - so there is no leeway, but like I said, you could get lucky. Goodluck, Cheers, ABS:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nikki dale Posted August 11, 2011 Report Share Posted August 11, 2011 Hey guys I had a quick question about whether I should apply to UOttawa or not. Using their formula I have a gpa of 3.84. I know the gpa cut off is usually 3.85 but I'm not sure if it's a soft or a hard cut off. Should I even bother applying? I'm a resident of Northern Ontario btw Since it is only usually 3.85 and you are extremely close...I would take the chance and apply...I would apply even if I had a 3.7..I think I would make my own cut-off of a 3.5. I'm not applying to uOttawa, hence my speaking in hypothetical terms. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardParker Posted August 11, 2011 Report Share Posted August 11, 2011 Ye, You should def apply. You are so close to the magic 3.85. I am little further off the mark with 3.82 (using their formula) so I am not sure what I'll do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kylamonkey Posted August 11, 2011 Report Share Posted August 11, 2011 Can anyone confirm: UWO is the ONLY school that looks at "courses corresponding to grade level" Other than the subjective reviews done by Calgary etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medhopeful64 Posted August 11, 2011 Report Share Posted August 11, 2011 Can anyone confirm: UWO is the ONLY school that looks at "courses corresponding to grade level" Other than the subjective reviews done by Calgary etc. They are the only school, I believe, that has a "Rule" for this. U of T does look at your courses (ie padding with 0 level or 100 level in 4th year won't bode so well), but its not a strict rule per se. That's what they told me when I emailed them asking something similar. Hope that helps! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medhopeful64 Posted August 11, 2011 Report Share Posted August 11, 2011 Question - Are there any books I should be reading to give me pointers/ideas on how to effectively write that Personal Statement (essay) for U of T? I think we should have a sticky for "Useful Books and Links for a premed" haha. People are always asking about "Doing Right" and "So you want to be a doctor, eh?" Just a thought Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vanillabear Posted August 11, 2011 Report Share Posted August 11, 2011 They are the only school, I believe, that has a "Rule" for this. U of T does look at your courses (ie padding with 0 level or 100 level in 4th year won't bode so well), but its not a strict rule per se. That's what they told me when I emailed them asking something similar. Hope that helps! Regarding U of T, this is directly from their admissions website: Applicants are expected to have taken courses at a level corresponding with the year of their program. For example, a student who applies for admission while registered in the third year of undergraduate work should have at least three third-year or higher courses in his/her program. Applicants in the fourth year of their program should be enrolled in a majority of courses at the third- and fourth-year levels. Sounds exactly like what UWO wants, but less explicitly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thatonekid Posted August 11, 2011 Report Share Posted August 11, 2011 Regarding U of T, this is directly from their admissions website: Applicants are expected to have taken courses at a level corresponding with the year of their program. For example, a student who applies for admission while registered in the third year of undergraduate work should have at least three third-year or higher courses in his/her program. Applicants in the fourth year of their program should be enrolled in a majority of courses at the third- and fourth-year levels. Sounds exactly like what UWO wants, but less explicitly. Yeah, for UofT, I would say that they "strongly suggest" taking 60% courses at your year level rather than making it an absolute rule. It makes it so that they can be flexible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
future_doc Posted August 11, 2011 Report Share Posted August 11, 2011 Question - Are there any books I should be reading to give me pointers/ideas on how to effectively write that Personal Statement (essay) for U of T? It is like preparing a delicious meal for important guests without a recipe. We are on our own and need to use our gut and best judgment. BTW, it is best if your P.S. has a theme and your stories will continue with the thread until your summary and conclusion. Better to give fewer experiences with more depth showing who you are than more experiences with less depth. Tell stories with individuals that make your essay come alive. Don't make a generic and dry essay which will work against you. You story should capture the attention of the reader so that he/she will want to meet you. It will normall take many drafts. Don't use any of the laundry list of self-serving attributes they are looking for. These should just jump off the pages from your desricption of your personal experiences. And don't be so tight with words so that it does not read well, better to leave out a sentence and have the essay flow. Structure, organization and flow are very important. So, I start with my theme and brief intro. I tell of as a young teen, I regularly visited a wheelchair bound junior diabetic middle aged kindly lady, failed double organ transplant, always saved by EMS, who ultimately dies of diabetic coma all alone at age 58, all she needed was orange juice to save her life. First funeral I ever attended and her courage, dignity and joie de vivre changed my life forever. This lady of blessed memory is my inspiration that I have put into action. I tell of my personal experiences in volunteering. I link my interests and passions to my studies, to my clinical internships attending to chronic elderly patients suffering from MS, stroke, Parkinson's etc. I discuss what I learned from these practical experience, especially in communication skills with elderly patients with neurological and phyiscial problems. So, there is a thread in all I do. All my activities are clean cut, require devotion, focus, expertise....ooops, I never used this laundry list of words as it comes out in my stories. I bring it all together in a summary and then I conclude as to my future. Every sentence is effectively structured for part of the para. and each para is linked to the other. I also discuss my role model so they understand where I am coming from. Just think about your like, the guidelines and start writing w/o worrying about word count. Try to get what you can on paper before you organize your thoughts or essay. Make it alive with moving experiences you relate to, be they in research, volunteering or ECs. You want the reader to understand you from the inside. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kylamonkey Posted August 11, 2011 Report Share Posted August 11, 2011 I have a book called "Perfect Phrases for Medical School Acceptance". I only got it becauase it was free. It is worth about as much as I paid for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kylamonkey Posted August 11, 2011 Report Share Posted August 11, 2011 They are the only school, I believe, that has a "Rule" for this. U of T does look at your courses (ie padding with 0 level or 100 level in 4th year won't bode so well), but its not a strict rule per se. That's what they told me when I emailed them asking something similar. Hope that helps! That's great. The program I am starting in the fall will not be assigning me a grade level that will show up on my transcript, so I'm not sure if it will work or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lekarza Posted August 11, 2011 Report Share Posted August 11, 2011 Thanks abstract, Nikki and Richard! I have another question regarding the autobiographical sketch. I am trying to fill out an extracurricular activity that I have completed in both high school and university but under the level of education there isn't enough characters to fit in that I have done it in both high school and university. Does anyone know how to get around this? This application is soo fustrating! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nikki dale Posted August 11, 2011 Report Share Posted August 11, 2011 That's great. The program I am starting in the fall will not be assigning me a grade level that will show up on my transcript, so I'm not sure if it will work or not. Hi. At UofT we are not assigned a grade level (I think in the way that you are thinking we don't). The courses are like this: BIO130H1 - Molecular and Cell Biology BIO260H1 - Concepts in Genetics PSY397H1 - Biological Rhythms PSY494H1 - Physiology and Psychology of Emotion If you notice the pattern in the course 'coding', you will see the first one is a 100 course, second is 200, third is 300, fourth is 400, each corresponding to a particular "Year" (1st year of uni, 2nd year, etc.) So they expect you to have a progression towards higher level courses when you are in your upper years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nikki dale Posted August 11, 2011 Report Share Posted August 11, 2011 Thanks abstract, Nikki and Richard! I have another question regarding the autobiographical sketch. I am trying to fill out an extracurricular activity that I have completed in both high school and university but under the level of education there isn't enough characters to fit in that I have done it in both high school and university. Does anyone know how to get around this? This application is soo fustrating! be creative what did you try to write, then I can help you shorten it I did like, Gr.9-4th year of university for duration Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lekarza Posted August 11, 2011 Report Share Posted August 11, 2011 be creativewhat did you try to write, then I can help you shorten it I did like, Gr.9-4th year of university for duration Thank you that worked for me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miss_q Posted August 12, 2011 Report Share Posted August 12, 2011 I am applying this year too!! Writing my MCAT on 23rd this month..Finger crossed!!! Haven't done anything for the application except for creating an account though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howdypartner Posted August 12, 2011 Report Share Posted August 12, 2011 For your activity descriptions are you just describing the activity or explaining what you got out of the activity/what you learned? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taiga gal Posted August 12, 2011 Report Share Posted August 12, 2011 if i had more characters i would reflect on what i learned...so i am trying to pull things together in the answers to my school questions, and i hope i get the chance to do that in an interview! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lekarza Posted August 14, 2011 Report Share Posted August 14, 2011 I have some questions about the research section of the autobiographical sketch. I have three projects that I am currently working on but have not published anything yet. One of my experiments I started in June and I can collect the results early next year (and hopefully finish the paper by June). The second paper I have almost completed and should be able to submit it before September though it started out as a lab project in my ecology class (my professor asked me to continue working on it after the class ended so we can submit it for publication). The last one is my thesis. I will be presenting my thesis at the British Ecological Conference in Sheffield England this September (I'm going on exchange to England so I thought it would be a good experience- it's something I'm doing independent of my thesis course). My question is whether any of these things can be put under the research section or not. I have a lot of experience with research its just that I haven't published anything yet and I'm really scared that none of the research I've done is going to count on the application! My top school choice is University of Toronto and I know how important research is there so any advice on this issue would be much appreciated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
future_doc Posted August 14, 2011 Report Share Posted August 14, 2011 I see research as research regardless of publications. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nikki dale Posted August 14, 2011 Report Share Posted August 14, 2011 I have some questions about the research section of the autobiographical sketch. I have three projects that I am currently working on but have not published anything yet. One of my experiments I started in June and I can collect the results early next year (and hopefully finish the paper by June). The second paper I have almost completed and should be able to submit it before September though it started out as a lab project in my ecology class (my professor asked me to continue working on it after the class ended so we can submit it for publication). The last one is my thesis. I will be presenting my thesis at the British Ecological Conference in Sheffield England this September (I'm going on exchange to England so I thought it would be a good experience- it's something I'm doing independent of my thesis course). My question is whether any of these things can be put under the research section or not. I have a lot of experience with research its just that I haven't published anything yet and I'm really scared that none of the research I've done is going to count on the application! My top school choice is University of Toronto and I know how important research is there so any advice on this issue would be much appreciated! Try entering it as research. Then read the details section when you click to fill in details...that should help you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OIC Posted August 14, 2011 Report Share Posted August 14, 2011 I have some questions about the research section of the autobiographical sketch. I have three projects that I am currently working on but have not published anything yet. One of my experiments I started in June and I can collect the results early next year (and hopefully finish the paper by June). The second paper I have almost completed and should be able to submit it before September though it started out as a lab project in my ecology class (my professor asked me to continue working on it after the class ended so we can submit it for publication). The last one is my thesis. I will be presenting my thesis at the British Ecological Conference in Sheffield England this September (I'm going on exchange to England so I thought it would be a good experience- it's something I'm doing independent of my thesis course). My question is whether any of these things can be put under the research section or not. I have a lot of experience with research its just that I haven't published anything yet and I'm really scared that none of the research I've done is going to count on the application! My top school choice is University of Toronto and I know how important research is there so any advice on this issue would be much appreciated! Published or not I would most definitely include it. For my honours thesis I listed the Type of Publication as "Honours thesis" and for unpublished work I just listed it as "study examining xxxxxx -unpublished" and if the intention was to publish I mentioned that too. I had some others that were in the writing stage and I named the journal we were going to submit to. Don't get caught up in the small details. Do what makes sense to you and trust that the adcoms will be able to navigate your application. Feel free to message me if you have more questions about this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thatonekid Posted August 14, 2011 Report Share Posted August 14, 2011 Published or not I would most definitely include it. For my honours thesis I listed the Type of Publication as "Honours thesis" and for unpublished work I just listed it as "study examining xxxxxx -unpublished" and if the intention was to publish I mentioned that too. I had some others that were in the writing stage and I named the journal we were going to submit to. Don't get caught up in the small details. Do what makes sense to you and trust that the adcoms will be able to navigate your application. Feel free to message me if you have more questions about this.+1. Well said. I thought we weren't allowed to list publications that are in prep or submitted (but not yet accepted) though? It says right at the top of the research section that you can only list publications that have already been accepted.Psh. People do things all the time that OMSAS says not to. If schools don't like it, they'll just ignore that entry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cerena Posted August 14, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 14, 2011 Psh. People do things all the time that OMSAS says not to. If schools don't like it, they'll just ignore that entry. Agreed. And if they do like it, awesome Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lekarza Posted August 14, 2011 Report Share Posted August 14, 2011 Thanks everyone for your advice! I was really worried about the research portion since most of my spare time in university has been spent on research! It would be a shame not to be able to include it in the sketch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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