Guest Ian Wong Posted March 25, 2001 Report Share Posted March 25, 2001 Author:*Jen Date:***1/31/2001 10:49 am*PST * Hi Everyone, I'm deciding whether I want to apply to Medical school. What Canadian schools do not need MCAT? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ian Wong Posted March 25, 2001 Report Share Posted March 25, 2001 Author:*Melissa Date:***1/31/2001 12:16 am*PST * McMaster Ottawa Good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ian Wong Posted March 25, 2001 Report Share Posted March 25, 2001 Author:*Ian Wong, MS2 Date:***2/1/2001 10:55 am*PST * McMaster hasn't had the MCAT as a requirement for a long time, if ever. However, as a result, they receive a TON of applications each year. My brain is extremely fogged with neuroanatomy at this moment, but I remember something in the order of 2000+ applicants for under 100 spots as a result. McMaster is also a 3 year program, and graduates a large proportion of their class into primary care, such as family medicine, or perhaps pediatrics/internal medicine. They also make extensive use of PBL (problem-based learning), likely moreso than any other medical school in Canada. I've also heard that since you only have three years in the program, McMaster looks for people who already have some idea of what they'd like to pursue once they enter the program; you simply don't have that much time to decide once you enter the program. Therefore, they tend to look for mature applicants who may have extensive past working, travel, or volunteer experiences. Contrast this to other Ontario schools like U of Toronto, where research and prestige is a bit more important, and where numbers play a HUGE role in whether or not you get accepted. If you like the McMaster philosophy, I'd definitely look into their program more. I've got a link to their website under my Med Schools link on my site. Personally, I'm having a ridiculous time trying to decide what I'd like to specialise in (I've changed my mind 7 times in the first 1.5 years). As a result, I wouldn't touch a 3-year curriculum with a 10 foot pole, as that's an additional year less to decide what I want to work in for the rest of my life. I don't know anything about U of Ottawa, but I believe they just very recently (either this year or last), dropped the MCAT from their list of requirements. If you want further information, you should visit their website (also accessible from my page), and get in touch with Debbie Leung, a first year med student at U of Ottawa. Tell her Ian from UBC meds says hi! You can find her website at: www.debbieleung.com Finally, I realise that the MCAT is a fairly intimidating test to take, and that demands that devote several months to its preparation (particularly if you've been out of school for a while). However, if you are an Ontario resident, it gives you the option to apply to the other 3 Ontario med schools (U of T, UWO, and Queens). If you are not an Ontario resident, you now have the chance to apply to your in-province med school, and to the US as well. Ian Can, MS2 PS: To everyone out there reading this message board, JOIN IN! Using your real name and e-mail address is optional! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest grace Posted May 25, 2001 Report Share Posted May 25, 2001 I wrote the MCAT back in 1993. I did not get into medicine when I applied. I then went on to do my Masters and my teaching. I have been teaching for the past few years and am now thinking once again of a career change. ACan I use my past MCAT scores or do I need to redo the test? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest A Posted May 26, 2001 Report Share Posted May 26, 2001 I believe the MCAT is valid for 5 years, so you might have to retake it. Also, to answer the earlier questions- the French schools in Quebec don't require MCATs either (Laval,Montreal and Sherbrooke). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest EB Posted May 27, 2001 Report Share Posted May 27, 2001 The U of A has a policy that the MCAT is valid for 3 years after writing it... So I think each school sets their own standard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ian Wong Posted June 4, 2001 Report Share Posted June 4, 2001 Hi A and EB, Thank you for contributing your knowledge and background. U of A, and the Quebec schools aren't areas that I know much about, and I really appreciate your posts. Just to round things out, at UBC, the MCAT is valid only for 5 years, so you would have to retake it before you could apply here. I think the rationale for the expiration of the MCAT is that the material itself changes over the years, and the cohort of students taking it also evolves over time. An MCAT mark from 8 years ago might not be representative of what's being taught in universities today, especially in the biology/genetics side of things, and a mark from 8 years ago probably isn't directly comparable to one from this year. I think it unlikely that any Canadian medical school would accept an MCAT score from that time, although you could definitely check by going to their web-sites. You can now find links to those website via each discussion forum on this bulletin board. In either event, it would limit the number of schools that you could apply to, which would decrease your overall chances of being accepted to a medical school. Ian UBC, Med 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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