Interview Invitations Are OUT!!!! Accepted/Rejected

[thatonekid]

3 posts saying basically that same thing at the same time. lol

 

 

Hope everyone still waiting gets some great news tomorrow.

 

And for those who didn't make it to the interview stage, keep your head up and try not to let this get you down too much. Most people on the boards have gone through the same thing. Persistence is key.

[sfuguy]

My take is that they sent regrets and today they ate dealing with problems ie miscalcs etc.... Tomorrow, early like just after 9am the invites will flow is my guess!!! Officially my bet is 905am!!

[carolynH]

Can someone link me to last years thread for some reason I cant find it. I want to see if anyone got regrets on Friday last year.

 

Here's the link: http://www.premed101.com/forums/showthread.php?t=47152&page=70&highlight=invites

 

First invite posted was by Claire13 at 11:23am PST. I don't know why the time stamps keep changing. Last time I looked at it, it said 3:23pm (first it was 4:23pm, then 11:23am, and now 3:23pm).

[kylamonkey]

As far as regrets going out on friday last year, no, no-one got regrets last year on Friday.

 

One person contested their GPA and received an interview after initially getting a rejection because their GPA was miscalculated.

 

murphy- I have 34.x and I'm "well-rounded" but by no means outstanding. I'm just older than most of the other applicants. A 36 NAQ is definitely possible depending on your wording and your activities and the powers of luck.

 

So if someone has pretty good NAQ (30's), but low AQ (20's) then can they go to school as an unclassified student and take "easy" courses, ideally get 90+ on them and possibly raise 1 or 2 %. then they can get a higher Aq, and hence an interview, but without doing good in their undergrad degree.

 

Hypothetical situation. but does that work?

 

Of course it can. It's just that for someone like me I need 20+ more courses with A+ to "dilute" my old bad marks from 1997-2001! My brother-in-law compared it to the idea that a criminal can't be rehabilitated. LOL!

 

There's no subjective component to the AQ, so yes, if you want to improve your AQ, this is the ONLY thing you can do. There's nothing else. You can't rewrite the MCAT or anything. I had always read that sentence as doing new courses, but maybe it does have to do with redoing courses. Interesting.

 

Most of us who have brought our GPAs up to the point that we are eligible to apply (I think when I started back at school a couple of years ago I had a 60-something overall GPA, and about 30 courses) have had to first prove to ourselves that we are academically capable. If you're in this boat, you know what I"m talking about. You prove it to yourself by getting better grades, and getting yourself to the point that you are competitive with the others in your cohort. You get a good MCAT, stuff like that. But now that you've convinced yourself, you have to convince them.

[youshallnotnotpass]

As far as regrets going out on friday last year, no, no-one got regrets last year on Friday.

 

One person contested their GPA and received an interview after initially getting a rejection because their GPA was miscalculated.

 

murphy- I have 34.x and I'm "well-rounded" but by no means outstanding. I'm just older than most of the other applicants. A 36 NAQ is definitely possible depending on your wording and your activities and the powers of luck.

 

 

 

Of course it can. It's just that for someone like me I need 20+ more courses with A+ to "dilute" my old bad marks from 1997-2001! My brother-in-law compared it to the idea that a criminal can't be rehabilitated. LOL!

 

There's no subjective component to the AQ, so yes, if you want to improve your AQ, this is the ONLY thing you can do. There's nothing else. You can't rewrite the MCAT or anything. I had always read that sentence as doing new courses, but maybe it does have to do with redoing courses. Interesting.

 

Most of us who have brought our GPAs up to the point that we are eligible to apply (I think when I started back at school a couple of years ago I had a 60-something overall GPA, and about 30 courses) have had to first prove to ourselves that we are academically capable. If you're in this boat, you know what I"m talking about. You prove it to yourself by getting better grades, and getting yourself to the point that you are competitive with the others in your cohort. You get a good MCAT, stuff like that. But now that you've convinced yourself, you have to convince them.

 

Couldn't you also do another Bachelor's and ace it to the same effect?

[Mithril]

Good luck to all applicants tomorrow. Maybe I'll see some of you around during interview weekend.

[kylamonkey]

Couldn't you also do another Bachelor's and ace it to the same effect?

 

Yes.

 

AQ is entirely objective, so there's really no problem. I'll repeat- the only way a person with a <80% GPA is going to get in, realistically, is by doing more undergrad courses. Of course there will be the exceptions that prove the rule, but I really have been working my butt off (usually 7+ courses per term, straight through summers, all that) to get up to that 13.5 AQ or whatever. Am I going to go from a 35 NAQ to 46.5? No. Not a single rejected applicant posted a score above about 40 NAQ aside from eternalkeener (one got 40, if I recall). I'm still pleased that I score above the average NAQ of all the interviewed applicants, including OOP.

 

Again, I'd argue that my 33R MCAT (not included pre-interview) is far more reflective of my academic ability than my 70.7% from 1997 (which is included in my AQ calculation). That's not something that will be considered, so all I have left now, if all I was aiming for was UBC, would be more undergrad courses. I'd much rather do grad work, but it really won't help. So another undergrad it is.

 

The only issue is that post-interview there will be a subjective academic review. Maybe they'll look at that 92% in a psych degree as being less than a 81% in a pharmacology degree, I don't know. But the fact is, it's mathematically the only way, unless they start using r-scores or something to standardize the NAQ and statistically make it of equal importance as the AQ.

 

Time for me to go to bed. Anyone interested in talkging to me feel free to PM- and PM especially if you want to know how Plan Polar Bear (my move to Yukon- thanks to Mithril for the name of this plan) is helping boost both my AQ and NAQ, getting me better chances at 5+ more schools, and allowing me to enjoy life while I'm at it.

 

If you feel like today's -22 before wind chill is attractive to you, you may be just the candidate for PPB.

[monty]

Good luck to all applicants tomorrow. Maybe I'll see some of you around during interview weekend.

 

Thanks Mithril, I hoping to hear some good news.

[yugerry]

I had a weird dream - received an email from UBC stating that the decisions are gonna be sent by snail mail which might take until next week!!!

That's worse than being rejected .

 

Good luck everyone. I can't wait to start buying prep stuff and practising MMI .

[Larrivee]

All the best everyone and to all not invited, there are people in here that have applied 5 times before getting in, don't give up!

[phear8]

Another day where efficiency = 0.

[plastic]

Just out of curiosity, how are people notified of rejections/invites...e-mail and/or the online application system?

 

Thanks.

 

 

Plastic

[yugerry]

OAS followed by email.

[eternalkeener]

I did an a second undergrad in science and i still have an agpa of 76%. That is after getting 84, 80 and 87% in my second undergrad while doing loooots of naq. so for all those with a distant past of bad marks, you have to apply NOT to ubc or do the easiest undegrad possible for yourself in order to get an interview at ubc. take me as living proof! :-D

[Demanda]

Hello all,

 

I'm a long time reader, but posting now for the first time. Waiting to hear from UBC has kept me on my toes all week. They torture us by saying they'll inform us this week....but to drag it on till the last day is comical. I'm OOP, so I don't expect an interview given the tougher competition we face. But I haven't heard anything from them yet. Worst part is I'm in Europe, and it's getting close to bedtime for me.....good luck to everyone!

[Prince Medward]

I did an a second undergrad in science and i still have an agpa of 76%. That is after getting 84, 80 and 87% in my second undergrad while doing loooots of naq. so for all those with a distant past of bad marks, you have to apply NOT to ubc or do the easiest undegrad possible for yourself in order to get an interview at ubc. take me as living proof! :-D

 

Raising your GPA after 120 no-so-great credits is extremely difficult. You really only get one chance at GPA.

 

I would advise anyone contemplating an investment of 4 more years to raise a GPA to do the math first. In many cases, as eternal keener example's illustrates, the impact will be insufficient. Even if eternal keener got an 87% average in the second undergrad, it may not make enough of a difference.

[sirnoodleton]

Raising your GPA after 120 no-so-great credits is extremely difficult. You really only get one chance at GPA.

 

I would advise anyone contemplating an investment of 4 more years to raise a GPA to do the math first. In many cases, as eternal keener example's illustrates, the impact will be insufficient. Even if eternal keener got an 87% average in the second undergrad, it may not make enough of a difference.

 

He could always do a third... or do an M.Sc. and then apply for an MD PHD. They are a separate applicant pool.

[Genemo]

He could always do a third... or do an M.Sc. and then apply for an MD PHD. They are a separate applicant pool.

 

I dont think its a separate pool.

If you read the website, they say you have to be admitted by MD and phd separately and then you can do MD/phd, which means if you cant get in MD you cant get in MD/phd

[yugerry]

That's correct. There is only one applicant pool. Basically, when you get accepted to the undergraduate medicine you have the option of finding a PI to apply for an MD/PhD (7 years). I have heard of friends transferring to the MD/PhD in the second year as well.

[bebelnj]

Goooooooddddddddddddd time so slowwwwwwwwws

[keepontrying]

He could always do a third... or do an M.Sc. and then apply for an MD PHD. They are a separate applicant pool.

 

The second undergrad only helps for US schools (post-bacc) and certain schools in Canada. A graduate degree means little unless you're applying to UofT. So, for UBC, those of us with mediocre GPA are basically finished.

[yugerry]

I did an a second undergrad in science and i still have an agpa of 76%. That is after getting 84, 80 and 87% in my second undergrad while doing loooots of naq. so for all those with a distant past of bad marks, you have to apply NOT to ubc or do the easiest undegrad possible for yourself in order to get an interview at ubc. take me as living proof! :-D

 

I totally agree with you. Despite stating that the value NAQ and AQ equally, they DON'T.

[Genemo]

That's correct. There is only one applicant pool. Basically, when you get accepted to the undergraduate medicine you have the option of finding a PI to apply for an MD/PhD (7 years). I have heard of friends transferring to the MD/PhD in the second year as well.

 

Yes they can do that if they want to. But I guess most people dont want to lol

 

So unfortunately if one cant get into med then he/she cant get into med.

[eternalkeener]

Yes, I don't think the Master's students are in a separate pool. And doing a 3rd undergrad I think will look pretty bad. Plus, doing another 3 years of school on top of my seven already plus other courses is not appealing to me.

 

I do agree that gpa is a one-shot deal. I also appreciate the advice offered! However, I just don't feel that another 3 years before med school is going to work for me! I will try my hand at getting into other Canadian med schools. I am just still in shock that UBC has changed their philosophy 180 degrees from even 2 years ago. What was once a school who valued NAQ and who gave a chance for interview to people from different gpa ranges, it is now AQ heavy... and a half! lol The removal of the ten-year rule, the new scaling of the AQ and mark out of 50, their unwillingness to consider letters of extenuating circumstance even in the Aboriginal pool all arrived at the same time this year. It's a big blow to the stomach for someone in-province and who had totally done the math in advance. What I am now advising is that you should do the math in advance like me, but realize that things may change dramatically while you are trying to get into the school you want, and so you just have to vastly overshoot their current criteria. For every other discipline, this would be paranoid behaviour, but for Medicine, i believe this is totally necessary given the current application climate.

[Genemo]

Yes, I don't think the Master's students are in a separate pool. And doing a 3rd undergrad I think will look pretty bad. Plus, doing another 3 years of school on top of my seven already plus other courses is not appealing to me.

 

I do agree that gpa is a one-shot deal. I also appreciate the advice offered! However, I just don't feel that another 3 years before med school is going to work for me! I will try my hand at getting into other Canadian med schools. I am just still in shock that UBC has changed their philosophy 180 degrees from even 2 years ago. What was once a school who valued NAQ and who gave a chance for interview to people from different gpa ranges, it is now AQ heavy... and a half! lol The removal of the ten-year rule, the new scaling of the AQ and mark out of 50, their unwillingness to consider letters of extenuating circumstance even in the Aboriginal pool all arrived at the same time this year. It's a big blow to the stomach for someone in-province and who had totally done the math in advance. What I am now advising is that you should do the math in advance like me, but realize that things may change dramatically while you are trying to get into the school you want, and so you just have to vastly overshoot their current criteria. For every other discipline, this would be paranoid behaviour, but for Medicine, i believe this is totally necessary given the current application climate.

 

I agree. The change is shocking. And the GPA increases every year for at least 0.5%...when I first got in UBC as an undergrad it didnt seem this hard to get in, now its totally crazy.