Dana1989 Posted July 9, 2011 Report Share Posted July 9, 2011 I was wondering if anyone knows if my MCAT will look bad if I just skip all the other sections and just write the Verbal? I really have no interest in any other med school except for McMaster. Will the admin frown upon it or is it alright? Has anyone ever done it and gotten in? I apologize if this question was posted before. Thanks, Dana Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmorelan Posted July 9, 2011 Report Share Posted July 9, 2011 I was wondering if anyone knows if my MCAT will look bad if I just skip all the other sections and just write the Verbal? I really have no interest in any other med school except for McMaster. Will the admin frown upon it or is it alright? Has anyone ever done it and gotten in? I apologize if this question was posted before. Thanks, Dana I have had one person I know do that strictly for MCAT. They really seem to only care about the VR section (as in the person basically only did that section on the test and then walked out). No official policy saying you can't do that either as far as I know. Still I should say that is a pretty limited set of schools you would be looking at, i.e. just one. Is there a reason you are putting all your eggs in one basket? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana1989 Posted July 9, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 9, 2011 I have had one person I know do that strictly for MCAT. They really seem to only care about the VR section (as in the person basically only did that section on the test and then walked out). No official policy saying you can't do that either as far as I know. Still I should say that is a pretty limited set of schools you would be looking at, i.e. just one. Is there a reason you are putting all your eggs in one basket? Hey, Thanks for your reply. Quite frankly, I don't think I stand a chance in other schools. I'm missing something or other for the rest of the Ontario schools. I don't have a full course load in all years. I don't have certain prereqs. I never took physics or orgo in undergrad as it was not required for my majors, although I did take physics in high school. I'm writing my MCAT on Sept. 2 and I don't have time to learn/re-learn all those subjects within a month. I'm taking summer courses so studying for the MCAT is not really an option. I have a part time job, too. I double majored in bio and psych. My cGPA is ~3.71 and by the end of next year I will probably bring it up to a 3.75. Although it's above the cutoff for many med schools, it seems pretty average and not competitive enough. My second year is bringing my marks down a bit because of extenuating circumstances. If I took that year out, my cGPA would be a 3.9 but no med school will do that because I did not have a full course load. After that year, I kind of lost all hope for med school and started looking for other alternatives (ex. Masters or PhD). Some close people in my life recently decided to convince me to at least give it a shot somewhere. This is all really fast for me and I'm going into it with a lot of skepticism but a sad and unfortunate part of me still really wants it. I did my research. McMaster is my best shot. I can pull off a good verbal score. I did my first test and got a 9 at my first attempt. With practice, I'm sure I can bring it up to an 11 or 12. I can probably do well on Casper and make it as far as the interview. The rest is fate. I do have plenty of long-term ECs, like volunteering in a hospital for several years, a crisis hotline, peer advising, but nothing special. I will also be doing some research in the upcoming year. I really don't know. I will give verbal a shot. I think it would be wiser at the moment to put all my eggs in one basket. If it doesn't work out, I can always rewrite the MCAT and do the full version. What do you think? Dana Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana1989 Posted July 9, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 9, 2011 I have had one person I know do that strictly for MCAT. They really seem to only care about the VR section (as in the person basically only did that section on the test and then walked out). No official policy saying you can't do that either as far as I know. Still I should say that is a pretty limited set of schools you would be looking at, i.e. just one. Is there a reason you are putting all your eggs in one basket? Also, did this individual get into McMaster or will he/she be applying to it this upcoming year? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MD2019_A Posted July 10, 2011 Report Share Posted July 10, 2011 Why don't you try UofA or UofC? If you can gain residency for Alberta, I think your GPA would be just slightly below average (if you kill the MCAT and the EC section) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
proton Posted July 10, 2011 Report Share Posted July 10, 2011 I got in with a bad GPA. I guess there's no harm in doing what you're saying, but in the meantime if you take physics and orgo you'll have a good chance at most places. Also, doing verbal 24/7 might make you crazy, and some schools in the US use an average of all mcat scores or a weighted average or whatever. You don't know that they won't change the policies here in Canada - as we pm vets can tell you, they change whatever they want whenever they feel like it. You don't want to shoot yourself in the foot before you've even begun! you have two months until your MCAT date...if you can get the books to help you study I'd say you stand a chance. Best of luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana1989 Posted July 10, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 10, 2011 Hey, Thanks for your suggestions. Out of province is really not an option for me due to financial and family reasons. Also, I don't have 2 months - I only have 1. In the meantime, I'm taking other courses and working. I know it's not wise in case I ever want to go down to the U.S but I have no such intentions (waaay too expensive). Hopefully Canada doesn't adopt the same policy of averaging MCAT scores any time soon! Dana Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anxious_101 Posted July 10, 2011 Report Share Posted July 10, 2011 I was wondering if anyone knows if my MCAT will look bad if I just skip all the other sections and just write the Verbal? I really have no interest in any other med school except for McMaster. Will the admin frown upon it or is it alright? Has anyone ever done it and gotten in? I apologize if this question was posted before. Thanks, Dana I'll be blunt: you chances of success with this strategy are incredibly low. Mac is probably the most subjective school to get into in Canada. Betting solely on Mac is pretty futile. You have to remember that Mac weights the CASPer and MMI quite heavily, both of which are very hard to ace and gauge. I thought I had bombed CASPer only to be invited for an interview. I thought I bombed the MMI - only to be offered admission. I had friends for whom it was vice-verse. Mac's admissions process is strange, IMO. My advise to you is to apply to Mac and focus on the MCAT VR if that is all you have time for this year. But the odds of success are greatly against you. If medicine (in Canada) is something you really want to pursue, you should think about going back to take the prereq courses to be eligible to apply to other schools in the future. And study for the MCAT with the goal of doing well on all sections. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmorelan Posted July 10, 2011 Report Share Posted July 10, 2011 My advise to you is to apply to Mac and focus on the MCAT VR if that is all you have time for this year. But the odds of success are greatly against you. If medicine (in Canada) is something you really want to pursue, you should think about going back to take the prereq courses to be eligible to apply to other schools in the future. And study for the MCAT with the goal of doing well on all sections. This seems logical to me - plan for the worst, hope for the best etc. Best of luck though in this cycle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana1989 Posted July 12, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 12, 2011 I'll be blunt: you chances of success with this strategy are incredibly low. Mac is probably the most subjective school to get into in Canada. Betting solely on Mac is pretty futile. You have to remember that Mac weights the CASPer and MMI quite heavily, both of which are very hard to ace and gauge. I thought I had bombed CASPer only to be invited for an interview. I thought I bombed the MMI - only to be offered admission. I had friends for whom it was vice-verse. Mac's admissions process is strange, IMO. My advise to you is to apply to Mac and focus on the MCAT VR if that is all you have time for this year. But the odds of success are greatly against you. If medicine (in Canada) is something you really want to pursue, you should think about going back to take the prereq courses to be eligible to apply to other schools in the future. And study for the MCAT with the goal of doing well on all sections. Hey, Thanks for your suggestion. I am aware that my chances of success are slim which is why I am also applying to several graduate programs. If I do get into Mc. then I will be very happy; if I don't then I will have something to fall back on. If I decide to reapply to med school then I will consider writing the full MCAT. Thanks, Dana Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonGeo Posted July 13, 2011 Report Share Posted July 13, 2011 If it's of any help: I wrote strictly for VR last cycle and guessed on the other sections. I got in to Mac. I was studying to write the full MCAT this year had I not gotten in though. I think some American schools look at previous MCAT attempts, but Canadian schools do not. If you're pressed for time and if you come from a non-science background, I see no loss in writing an MCAT strictly for VR now and studying to write a 'full' MCAT when you're ready for it. Good Luck! DonGeo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harstur Posted July 13, 2011 Report Share Posted July 13, 2011 I was wondering if anyone knows if my MCAT will look bad if I just skip all the other sections and just write the Verbal? I really have no interest in any other med school except for McMaster. Will the admin frown upon it or is it alright? Has anyone ever done it and gotten in? I apologize if this question was posted before. Thanks, Dana Hey Dana, I think it's really worth a shot. If you've done your research and know that Mac is the only realistic option, then why not? I would have done the same thing as you if I were in your shoes. Your cGPA is pretty decent. Destroy the verbal section, prep for CASPER, and you have a good chance at an interview. After that it only gets easier (about 45-50% of the interviewees get accepted, including waitlisters). Keep your hopes up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EoE Posted July 13, 2011 Report Share Posted July 13, 2011 I would say go for it, for now and think about if you want to try again. That is really cool that people have used this strategy and got in. Impressive! I love when people strategize like this... work smart not hard and all that. OP, just so you know I think you could be very competitive at Queen's with a few tweaks and a solid MCAT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana1989 Posted July 14, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 14, 2011 Hey all! Thanks for your support! I really appreciate it. I feel like I really do have a chance now! I'm really looking forward to this now and getting excited. You're all awesome and I wish you all the best. Dana Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HopeToBeGreen Posted July 17, 2011 Report Share Posted July 17, 2011 At the Mac information night this week, your question was asked. According the Wendy Edge, Mac will get your entire MCAT score (physical, biological, verbal, etc) from OMSAS but they discard all the scores except the verbal reasoning. The other scores are never even included in your file at Mac and so they have no impact on the admission process. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Femto Posted July 17, 2011 Report Share Posted July 17, 2011 At the Mac information night this week, your question was asked. According the Wendy Edge, Mac will get your entire MCAT score (physical, biological, verbal, etc) from OMSAS but they discard all the scores except the verbal reasoning. The other scores are never even included in your file at Mac and so they have no impact on the admission process. How was the info session? Mind sharing some of the highlights? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana1989 Posted July 19, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 19, 2011 Thanks so much, HopeToBeGreen! Also, if anyone can recommend the best practice exams for the VR section, it will be much appreciated. I heard EK is good so I will be getting that. Does anyone have any other suggestions? Thanks, Dana Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harstur Posted July 19, 2011 Report Share Posted July 19, 2011 Thanks so much, HopeToBeGreen! Also, if anyone can recommend the best practice exams for the VR section, it will be much appreciated. I heard EK is good so I will be getting that. Does anyone have any other suggestions? Thanks, Dana I recommend Kaplan for VR. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HopeToBeGreen Posted July 20, 2011 Report Share Posted July 20, 2011 I used the Princeton Review "Verbal Reasoning and Writing Review". I liked the book because it contained a large number of practice passages and the passages were reasonably hard. There are about 20 passages in the book and you also get access to about 30 more online. The online passages are especially valuable because doing passages on the computer (as you will on the MCAT) is different from doing them on paper so I think it is best to do as many passages as possible on the computer. The strategies suggested in the book seemed very sensible but they didn't really help me. They might be very helpful for someone else. I ended up figuring out what worked for through lots of practice and trial and error. One good tip from the book was to try not to practice in a silent area. On the real MCAT it will be far from silent. You need to develop some strategies for dealing with distraction. I learned that a good pair of ear plugs is worth their weight in gold for the VR section. I also did the AAMC practice tests 3, 10 and 11. My impression was that the verbal reasoning section on practice test 11 was much easier than the others and my mark on it was not representative. I did make me feel good though. Not sure if anyone else had a similar experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HopeToBeGreen Posted July 20, 2011 Report Share Posted July 20, 2011 How was the info session? Mind sharing some of the highlights? I enjoyed the info session. There were only about 50 or 60 people there. Many of those at the session seemed to be mature students. It was my first visit to the Mac campus and I was very impressed. It is a lovely campus with lots of open green space and an attractive mix of old and new buildings. The MDCL building which houses the medical school is especially impressive. Much of the information at the info session was directly from the Mac web site but I'll try to share what wasn't. The info seemed to fall into 2 categories: admissions information and what it's like to be a med student at Mac. Here are the highlights in no obvious order: Admissions info: Reference letters are not looked at until the end of the admissions process (after the MMI). Wendy said that almost all reference letters are good and they do not try to rank the quality of the good letters. However she said that a bad letter could definitely derail your application. She also recommended having at least one of your reference letters 'different' from the rest (ie don't submit all academic references, or all personal references). 554 people are invited for the MMI CASPER will consist of 8 videos each followed by 3 questions and 4 questions that involve 'self-description'. Wendy said the 'self-description' questions are similar to what you would see in a traditional interview. A different marker marks your answer to each CASPER question. Your campus preference (hamilton/niagara/waterloo) is not considered by the admissions committee. However, in the past, they have not had enough demand for the satellite campuses and so people who preferred to study in Hamilton were 'forced' to attend one of the satellite campuses. I took this to mean that if you could get accepted and you wanted to attend a satellite campus you had a good chance of getting your wish. The mean GPA for students accepted this year will be 3.7 something. Life as a Med Student The program is 3 years long and there is VERY little time off during those 3 years. You'll likely get 1 or 2 weeks off at Christmas and 1 week off in the summer. During the first year and a bit (before clerkship begins) the number of hours of classes is quite small. People use the free time for many things: working out, taking elective courses, shadowing doctors, etc You will be interacting with patients in hospital on a regular basis starting from the first week of training. Anatomy is taught using pro-sections (cadavers that have been professionally dissected). You won't have the iconic experience of dissecting your own cadaver. Average students graduate with $100,000 to $150,000 in debt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Femto Posted July 20, 2011 Report Share Posted July 20, 2011 I enjoyed the info session. There were only about 50 or 60 people there. Many of those at the session seemed to be mature students. It was my first visit to the Mac campus and I was very impressed. It is a lovely campus with lots of open green space and an attractive mix of old and new buildings. The MDCL building which houses the medical school is especially impressive. Much of the information at the info session was directly from the Mac web site but I'll try to share what wasn't. The info seemed to fall into 2 categories: admissions information and what it's like to be a med student at Mac. Here are the highlights in no obvious order: Admissions info: Reference letters are not looked at until the end of the admissions process (after the MMI). Wendy said that almost all reference letters are good and they do not try to rank the quality of the good letters. However she said that a bad letter could definitely derail your application. She also recommended having at least one of your reference letters 'different' from the rest (ie don't submit all academic references, or all personal references). 554 people are invited for the MMI CASPER will consist of 8 videos each followed by 3 questions and 4 questions that involve 'self-description'. Wendy said the 'self-description' questions are similar to what you would see in a traditional interview. A different marker marks your answer to each CASPER question. Your campus preference (hamilton/niagara/waterloo) is not considered by the admissions committee. However, in the past, they have not had enough demand for the satellite campuses and so people who preferred to study in Hamilton were 'forced' to attend one of the satellite campuses. I took this to mean that if you could get accepted and you wanted to attend a satellite campus you had a good chance of getting your wish. The mean GPA for students accepted this year will be 3.7 something. Life as a Med Student The program is 3 years long and there is VERY little time off during those 3 years. You'll likely get 1 or 2 weeks off at Christmas and 1 week off in the summer. During the first year and a bit (before clerkship begins) the number of hours of classes is quite small. People use the free time for many things: working out, taking elective courses, shadowing doctors, etc You will be interacting with patients in hospital on a regular basis starting from the first week of training. Anatomy is taught using pro-sections (cadavers that have been professionally dissected). You won't have the iconic experience of dissecting your own cadaver. Average students graduate with $100,000 to $150,000 in debt. This is awesome! Thanks a lot HTBG!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psj Posted July 21, 2011 Report Share Posted July 21, 2011 Hi Dana, I am in the exactly same situation as you (don't have a science background). I will be writing the MCAT in late August - focusing strictly on the VR section and guessing the rest. Like you I simply don't have the time to take all the pre-reqs and study for the other sections. I am studying using the EK books right now. They seem great! Good Luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamboVipi Posted August 2, 2011 Report Share Posted August 2, 2011 hey, do you guys know what the last date you can write your MCAT to apply to Mac to start in 2012? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LupeFiasco Posted August 2, 2011 Report Share Posted August 2, 2011 hey, do you guys know what the last date you can write your MCAT to apply to Mac to start in 2012? Whatever the last possible date it is to write the MCAT this year Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medbat Posted August 9, 2011 Report Share Posted August 9, 2011 Hi Dana, I am in the exactly same situation as you (don't have a science background). I will be writing the MCAT in late August - focusing strictly on the VR section and guessing the rest. Like you I simply don't have the time to take all the pre-reqs and study for the other sections. I am studying using the EK books right now. They seem great! Good Luck! Same plan. Is this going to work against us? As in, is a 7/7/13VR going to haunt me someday in the future haha? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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