Mature Student Applying - No Pre-requisites

[bb9900]

Hi everyone,

 

I'm thinking of applying to NOSM. Here are my stats:

 

1. Mature student.

2. No sciences.

3. Working since 2002.

4. Born and raised in the north.

5. GPA I believe is somewhere around the cutoff.

 

My questions are, does NOSM take into consideration "soft" factors such as mine with applicants, or is this a biology students game, and has anyone else been successfully admitted to the program with a background similar to mine?

 

I imagine the largest barriers to admission will be my lack of science courses (NOSM says none are required for pre-requisites) and general lack of any "pre-med" type courses.

 

Any comments are appreciated.

[thehumanmacbook]

It doesn't matter. They'll teach you the necessary science if you get in. For NOSM, it's three things:

 

1) GPA

2) Context (address)

3) "biographical" questions about you

[bb9900]

It doesn't matter. They'll teach you the necessary science if you get in. For NOSM, it's three things:

 

1) GPA

2) Context (address)

3) "biographical" questions about you

 

When you say "context / address" - what weight is given (if any) to the fact that you were raised in the north, but are now living in Southern Ontario for work. Does that disqualify the applicant as "northern" ?

[thehumanmacbook]

The context score is based on where you have lived and are living in Canada. Please be advised that the GPA is calculated on completed undergraduate degree course work only.

 

We are looking for a concrete, demonstrated interest in living and working in Northern Ontario, and/or other rural, remote or northern urban communities. Volunteer experience, work experience, extracurricular activities and research are all areas one can endeavour to demonstrate this interest.

 

I think a lot of your questions are answered here: http://www.nosm.ca/education/ume/general.aspx?id=1260

[Wayward son]

1. Mature age (30+)

2. No sciences. My degrees are in business and law.

3. Working as a corporate lawyer.

4. Born and raised in the north.

5. GPA I believe is somewhere around the cutoff.

 

1. No problem.

2. No problem.

3. No problem.

4. No problem.

5. Problem.

 

My questions are, does NOSM take into consideration "soft" factors such as mine with applicants, or is this a biology students game, and has anyone else been successfully admitted to the program with a background similar to mine?

 

NOSM is not a biology student's game. They are looking for a diverse student body.

 

I imagine the largest barriers to admission will be my lack of science courses (NOSM says none are required for pre-requisites) and general lack of any "pre-med" type courses.

 

That will not be a barrier. But you do have three potential barriers.

 

1) The average NOSM GPA has been rising and I think was around 3.71 last year. Certainly being around a 3.0 is a major barrier to overcome (and certainly if it is below 3.0 there are bigger issues because you don't meet the cutoffs).

 

2) You are from the North, but have lived in Southern Ontario as an adult. I understand, and I am sure they will as well that people have to go where the jobs are.

 

3) ECs - NOSM likes longterm, and northern/rural related ones.

 

I would say if you meet the cutoff you might as well apply. However, if you want an interview your essays will need to shine, and there is not a whole lot of space available to explain why medicine, why now, why you haven't lived in the north as an adult, but plan to again etc (luckily as a mature student you will get a little more space to get your point across).

 

Is it doable? I would say that with your unique background you will get some attention.

[Real Beef]

I agree with Wayward that if your GPA is only near 3.0 it will be an upward battle. You should probably look at what your actual GPA calculation as there is a big difference between a 3.0 and a 3.3-3.4. If you look at the interview stats thread you will see that there are some people granted interviews with a GPA 3.3-3.4. No one self-reported lower grades than this although there very well may be.

[benhc911]

Hi everyone,

My questions are, does NOSM take into consideration "soft" factors such as mine with applicants, or is this a biology students game, and has anyone else been successfully admitted to the program with a background similar to mine?

 

As a NOSM student, I don't mind addressing this anecdotally... On the west campus alone I can think of ~3 students in the same year as me that fit part if not all of your description. Of course realizing that like rural practice, in small class sizes minimal info is needed to identify people, I would be somewhat hesitant to go into specifics... except for that fact that everyone is very open with the whole NOSM family, and you'd know as soon as you got here anyways (and its no big deal). Sooo... to be a bit more specific I can think of about 3+ older students (30+), of which at least 2 had no science background... I wont lie, there are more young and science than non... but NOSM definitely has more mature, and more non-science students than most other schools in ontario (can't speak for outside, but I'd imagine its similar). If you do get in, be prepared for a hard first unit as they try to cram a reasonable foundation of bio in the first month... there are talks of maybe adding additional help for non-science background students... but at the end of the day everyone has made it through.

 

Will not having science hurt your chance of getting in? I can't say for sure... it wont help... but your life experience will

 

Will not having science hurt your chance of doing well? not as much as a poor work ethic would... not as much as being socially inept would...

 

Will working in the south hurt your chance of getting in? not as much as not being raised in the north... not as much as not wanting to work in the north...

 

Will your age hurt your chance of getting in? definitely not, unless an applicant has an extremely short work life future (ie. applying at 60), NOSM cares far more about your willingness to settle down rural/northern than your age, and they believe (and perhaps studies show) that more attached, more mature students are more likely to settle down and stay rural.

 

the TLDR of it is that you should definitely go for it if you are passionate about it... if you get in, the school and your peers will make sure you survive the science.

 

that said I'm the youngest student in the school right now, so what do I know

[NWOsw]

Ben, stop talking about me in public Just joking.

 

Anyhow, what BenHC said is truth.

 

Age and science does not seem to matter in terms of admission. However, NOSM is recommending people entering have at least 2 science credits to their name - and with reason. Having a basic knowledge of sciences will put you at an advantage for the first 2 years.

 

A 3.0 GPA will be difficult to overcome, if not impossible. However, given your age you can still apply do complete a 3 year undergrad degree and transfer over (likely) 2 years, leaving you only 5 credits. To be a strong applicant, you should aim for those 5 credits to have a GPA around ~3.7+ (the higher the better). While doing those 5 credits, try and take a

couple science courses: basic biochem, anatomy, physiology are the ones that come to mind.

 

Anyhow, if there are mature students that have any questions for a mature student currently in NOSM, just message me.

 

Goodluck everyone!

[eoosen]

I got an interview with a cGPA of 3.3 -- I hope this doesn't hugely affect my chances because I am ambivalent about the prospect of returning to complete another undergrad to bump it up a few points, seems too expensive/time-consuming ...

[Real Beef]

I got an interview with a cGPA of 3.3 -- I hope this doesn't hugely affect my chances because I am ambivalent about the prospect of returning to complete another undergrad to bump it up a few points, seems too expensive/time-consuming ...

 

I think you mentioned before that you completed an MA so that you are actually heading in with a NOSM adjusted GPA of 3.5 (+0.2 from grad) .... yes? So a 3.5 is a very different animal than a 3.0-3.1 as I am sensing the OP GPA may be.

 

Beef

[eoosen]

I think you mentioned before that you completed an MA so that you are actually heading in with a NOSM adjusted GPA of 3.5 (+0.2 from grad)

 

I actually don't think my completed MA was counted towards my NOSM adjusted GPA because I didn't actually graduate until December (convocation is June) ...

[bb9900]

Thanks for all your comments.

[Lesort_qui_nous_étaitjeté]

I first applied to NOSM for the 2006 entry. My GPA was 3.25 and I got an interview. However, I was born and raised in the North, and I am francophone. I imagine that helped quite a bit.

 

And here I am, 7 years later, with the same GPA, making another attempt. Foolish, probably. I'm thinking of it as a trial run for later years (also applying to several MSW programs, accelerated nursing programs, etc as backup).