technicity Posted November 17, 2011 Report Share Posted November 17, 2011 Everyone, I know this is an anxiety-ridden and difficult time for both those who are waiting and those who have received regrets, but let's try to remain calm... emotions make it easy to post things we might not have posted otherwise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1337 Posted November 17, 2011 Report Share Posted November 17, 2011 Tell me about it....I have 89! Urgh. The formula seems pretty solid, but at the highest levels the difference is SO HARSH. 89% vs 90% has a almost 3-4 points difference in AQ score, that is VERY harsh. 1% gpa difference for a third year student translates to a few marks on a final.... Although I agree with this statement, I also want to point out the fact that it takes much more work to go from 95%-->96% than 90%-->91% than 80%-->81%. Would you agree? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murphy303 Posted November 17, 2011 Report Share Posted November 17, 2011 Although I agree with this statement, I also want to point out the fact that it takes much more work to go from 95%-->96% than 90%-->91% than 80%-->81%. Would you agree? depends on the program i easily got 95% on my second degree... broke my back to get a 3.5 on my first degree it's all about program difficulty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubcMDhopeful Posted November 17, 2011 Report Share Posted November 17, 2011 Although I agree with this statement, I also want to point out the fact that it takes much more work to go from 95%-->96% than 90%-->91% than 80%-->81%. Would you agree? I see your point, I agree that once you are in the 90s there is a ceiling effect making it very hard to move up from 92-93 . But 89-90 is not that much of a difference. I have been in both of the above scenarios (had a lower grade in first year) and can say this from personal experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
technicity Posted November 17, 2011 Report Share Posted November 17, 2011 Although I agree with this statement, I also want to point out the fact that it takes much more work to go from 95%-->96% than 90%-->91% than 80%-->81%. Would you agree? I'd agree... it's the law of diminishing returns. I'm magicking up these numbers, but, for example, I'd say if it takes me 1 hour of studying to earn 82%, then it would take 4 to get 87% and 12 to get 95%. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al-Doctora Posted November 17, 2011 Report Share Posted November 17, 2011 Regrets: OOP Adjusted Grade Point Average 87.09 NAQ Score 26.67 AQ Score 40.31 TFR Score 66.98 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keepontrying Posted November 17, 2011 Report Share Posted November 17, 2011 I just lost an incredible amount of respect for you. I'm not going to go into my parents' or my own hardships, but realise that such a comment will not go well with those who were accepted or granted interviews. +1. I got rejected too and I am not too fond of the over emphasis of GPA either, but then definitely kudos to those who can maintain good grades plus work, volunteering, and hardships in particular. I've been through some minor hardships but that's nothing compared to many of the applicants. I have no one to blame but myself for getting crappy grades early in undergrad. In a way, the new system does favour those who are privileged SOMEWHAT, assuming the privileged will have better grades, but to make such a bold statement is uncalled for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubcMDhopeful Posted November 17, 2011 Report Share Posted November 17, 2011 I also want to say that it sucks that they have the max at 90. There are many students who have 90+ averages. To them it is unfair as there is no differentiation between a 90 vs 95. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
animo_acid Posted November 17, 2011 Report Share Posted November 17, 2011 I honestly think the use of the MCAT even in some minor way pre-interview would help level the playing field for a lot of people. I know the MCAT isn't the best evaluation tool, but it can help a lot of people make up for low gpas or ECs. And I agree, capping at 90% isn't really fair, but I guess you have to draw the line somewhere. I agree- MCAT is standardized whereas difficulties of getting high GPA really depends on your school and program Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keepontrying Posted November 17, 2011 Report Share Posted November 17, 2011 I also want to say that it sucks that they have the max at 90. There are many students who have 90+ averages. To them it is unfair as there is no differentiation between a 90 vs 95. Because person A with 90% versus person B with 95% really doesn't tell much? If there's no ceiling, there'll be a bunch of high gpa folks with a blank resume being invited to the interviews, and that's not what medical schools want. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
songofdovely Posted November 17, 2011 Report Share Posted November 17, 2011 I also want to say that it sucks that they have the max at 90. There are many students who have 90+ averages. To them it is unfair as there is no differentiation between a 90 vs 95. Hah. Believe it or not two years ago the AQ system capped out at 85%. Those were the good ol' days Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gourmet Posted November 17, 2011 Report Share Posted November 17, 2011 my feeling is that there will be more regrets tomorrow, there are some people i know who should be rejected based on the interim stats and have not yet received anything Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phear8 Posted November 17, 2011 Report Share Posted November 17, 2011 Everyone is strong in different ways. Every med school also looks at different things. That's why no one ever makes it to all the schools they apply to - because their strengths will be looked at for some schools, and overlooked at in some schools. Keep working, never give up on your dreams, and don't whine - everyone's situation is different. You learn something from failure. Take that with you for the rest of your life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jojef Posted November 17, 2011 Report Share Posted November 17, 2011 my feeling is that there will be more regrets tomorrow, there are some people i know who should be rejected based on the interim stats and have not yet received anything +1. Not looking forward to my steaming hot plate of rejection pie tomorrow morning! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lloyder34 Posted November 17, 2011 Report Share Posted November 17, 2011 Dr. Walker (the director of admissions at the UofC) stated in his podcast that one of the recent studies has shown that the average income of families that the admitted students come from...is about $160K (or something close to that). If my mommy and daddy were making that kind of dough I would be travelling the world like there is no tomorrow, playing hockey, building shelters in Jamaica during summer instead of working ... and getting 45/50 on my NAQ. I respect the fact that the UofC at least acknowledged this and stated that they are changing their evaluation system to select applicants based on merit, rather than financial privileges. My heart goes out to all of you guys who work so hard and maintain good grades at the same time. I wish it was a level playing field for all of us. But I strongly feel that UBC is one of those "elitist" schools. So you feel that if your family is not making good money that means you can't get out into your own community and make a difference? My family had an income of much less than what you stated and I've always made a point to get out and volunteer at a local level, as I'm sure many others have. I didn't volunteer (let alone really travel) internationally until university. Stop stereotyping / making excuses Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meds400 Posted November 17, 2011 Report Share Posted November 17, 2011 I'm sorry to all of you who received regrets today - this is not a fun process, but keep your head up and try again (it took me four times before I was finally accepted!). Of interest, I was actually offered (declined) last year at UBC and this year, I highly doubt I would have even received an interview with my GPA the way it is (75-80 range oGPA) – take that for what it is. Good luck to everyone who still have onging applications - hope to see some of you in Calgary for our interview day Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chaplin Posted November 17, 2011 Report Share Posted November 17, 2011 Well, all I have to say is that studying medicine takes significantly more time than undergraduate studies. So if people don't even have enough time to study during undergraduate due to "family responsibilities, had to keep jobs to support their household income, take care of sick parents and younger siblings", I don't see how they can possibly manage with the increased workload in medicine. Sorry to say this, but your reply just sounds like an excuse for bad grades to me... Are you suggesting that people who can atleast keep a low 80s average with all that crap are not suitable to study medicine. Or is insufficient time an excuse if you have to work for your survival. Ive seen many people on this forum who have had to raise kids during undergrad and are in med school now without 90ish averages. You cant comment on my excuse for bad and good grades unless you put yourself in my shoes, live the same life I had to and do better than me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Apixaban85 Posted November 17, 2011 Report Share Posted November 17, 2011 Some of you guys in here today are acting unbelievably. It's amazing what competition can do to people Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubcMDhopeful Posted November 17, 2011 Report Share Posted November 17, 2011 Just to add my 2 cents to the effects of family and socioeconomic backgrounds, I have heard both sides of the argument. I had one "rich" kid telling me how her mom saw an article in the news that med schools are looking to diversify their base and she was pissed as she thought she was being discriminated against. I personally do not believe with the argument above, I think that if you are from a wealthy family you are at an advantage but I think it is a very slight one. As we have discovered grades is the most important factor, and I think everyone registered in a class has equal opportunity. Also I do not see how people say you cant work and get good grades. I have 2 jobs to pay for my expenses and I can still get grades that I consider to be good. It is harder to do so but that shows character and the jobs can be put in the NAQ section so I do not see why people complain about that. The $4,000 Africa trips can only be afforded by wealthier families but those are not valued much in the grand scheme of things in my opinon. Also you cant just say that med schools are SELECTING for wealthier families because their students are from families with better incomes. I think that every kid has a desire to have a better job than their parents; as a result, kids from wealthier families would be more likely consider med school in the first place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaVen777 Posted November 17, 2011 Report Share Posted November 17, 2011 Wow, UBC seems even harder to get into now. I somehow managed to get in off the waitlist last year (after 2 unsuccessful interviews), but I'm not sure I would have even received an interview this year. I feel for all of the unsuccessful applicants.... Don't give up if it's what you want, but also be realistic. If there is something you can improve, do it. Make sure you have that plan B. Seriously. If you are going to do a masters degree just to get in at least make sure it is in a field you might enjoy working in! My biggest hurdle was getting past the MMI. Some people would rock the interview if they could just get one. What a difficult and nasty process. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
repede Posted November 17, 2011 Report Share Posted November 17, 2011 Some of you guys in here today are acting unbelievably. It's amazing what competition can do to people No kidding. Though I gotta admit, I'm pretty horrified at the AQ scale. Though some shots at UBC are unjustified, I don't know whether you can say they're not being cruel by giving false hope. "They had no way to anticipate the strength of this year's applicant pool" is totally untrue. Plug in the applicant data from the past 5 years and it's obvious that people with averages below 80 stand almost no chance. Giving false hope is so much worse than telling people they have no chance at all. I can't believe anyone would say otherwise. Several schools out there pretty openly recommend that you do not apply if your marks are below a certain range. I think UBC should do the same. Unless, of course, it's one of the ways they fund the admissions process... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HBH Posted November 17, 2011 Report Share Posted November 17, 2011 Hey guys, just putting up my stats too. Overall Grade Point Average 75.89 Adjusted Grade Point Average 78.29 NAQ Score 28.40 AQ Score 10.97 TFR Score 39.37 Cheers =) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1337 Posted November 17, 2011 Report Share Posted November 17, 2011 No kidding. Though I gotta admit, I'm pretty horrified at the AQ scale. Though some shots at UBC are unjustified, I don't know whether you can say they're not being cruel by giving false hope. "They had no way to anticipate the strength of this year's applicant pool" is totally untrue. Plug in the applicant data from the past 5 years and it's obvious that people with averages below 80 stand almost no chance. Giving false hope is so much worse than telling people they have no chance at all. I can't believe anyone would say otherwise. Several schools out there pretty openly recommend that you do not apply if your marks are below a certain range. I think UBC should do the same. Unless, of course, it's one of the ways they fund the admissions process... Stop blaming UBC. Any applicant could have just as easily plugged in the applicant data from the past 5 years and logically came to the conclusion that they stood almost no chance. No one was forcing anyone's hand to apply. It was each and every applicant's own choice to do it. Would you rather have the freedom to at least try? All UBC did was leave the door open, we were the ones who walked through it. Your own 'shot' at UBC is unjustified as well. To add insult to injury, now you imply that they are scamming applicants to fund the admissions process? Seriously? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubcMDhopeful Posted November 17, 2011 Report Share Posted November 17, 2011 Ok looking at the formula I posted earlier I think it makes sense cause it gives 50(almost) for 90 and 0 for 75. So I think what they did was just set 90 to 50 and 75 to 0 and did a linear line. Doing that would give AQ= 3.333(10/3) * GPA (%) -250.0 Which is almost exactly the same formula as the one derived from the scores reported here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kylamonkey Posted November 17, 2011 Report Share Posted November 17, 2011 Hey guys, got my regrets today. Score Adjusted Grade Point Average 79.09 AQ Score 13.64 Overall Grade Point Average 74.51 NAQ Score 34.84 TFR Score 48.48 The only strange thing is that I calculate my oGPA as about 72.8 and my aGPA as 79.26, but that's still not getting an interview. GPA is king, guys. I'm not bitter at all, and I"m very pleased with my decision to move to Whitehorse and broaden my IP status to include AB and SK (in a few years if need be). UBC let me know very clearly last year with the removal of the 10-yr rule and the new AQ system that my kind was not wanted (I kid!) and that I should try my hand elsewhere. So that's what I've done, and I look forward to UofC's interview schedule in January. I'll even grad with Mithril et al if I get into UofC this yr, since they have a 3-yr program. For the record, and to be "holistic": Worst year (was dropped): 42% average while homeless and in school MCAT: 33R Started own business, grew to $600K+ over 4 years and to 7 employees, while in school FT. Personal trainer, running coach, sports retail management St John Ambulance for 4.5yrs, Officer Ironman, ultramarathons, adventure races (6-day, 500km+ wilderness extreme sports race) All these were thousands of hours Much more as well, I'm about as well-rounded as you can get. I believe my NAQ last year was 16.88? My AQ was about half (and my GPA is about the same) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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