Official 2012/2013 Applicant Thread

[Jaybird]

For western you need each individual year to be 3.7+.

 

Holy f- what? sonofa...

 

I'm only starting to apply next year either way, but holy crap! My cGPA's 3.75 on the dot, but 2nd year was bad - 3.5ish. That is...rough.

[Savac]

Holy f- what? sonofa...

 

I'm only starting to apply next year either way, but holy crap! My cGPA's 3.75 on the dot, but 2nd year was bad - 3.5ish. That is...rough.

 

2 years 3.7+

[Jaybird]

2 years 3.7+

 

Last 2 years (like Queen's) or just best 2 years? Thanks!

[Savac]

Last 2 years (like Queen's) or just best 2 years? Thanks!

 

You just need to have two years that are 3.7+ (therefore best 2)

[FrenchToast]

Say I have a bunch of certifications in fitness (Personal training, group fitness certifications), do I list them under "Other" or formal education?

 

Is anyone else having trouble filling 48 items on their list? I feel like i've exhausted everything, and I only have roughly 30 things

 

Me too.. exactly. Except that mine don't even have quality! Lol, oopsies.

[Jaybird]

You just need to have two years that are 3.7+ (therefore best 2)

 

Oh thank god. Okay, hope renewed for Western

[future_doc]

Don't take this the wrong way, but how are you in medical school and still find as much time to post on a website for med hopefuls as you do? It seems like you're on every thread.

 

........

[Field87ven]

Me too.. exactly. Except that mine don't even have quality! Lol, oopsies.

 

Haha I'm sure you have many great experiences. As long as you've put in the time and write a meaningful explanations/titles your application will look good.

 

Most of my items are 1-2 year things...don't know whether that is crap or decent, I guess we will see when they send out invites .

[Grey's Anatomy]

In the autobiographical sketch, how do you differentiate between "volunteer activities" and "extra-curricular activities"? And what would be an example of something that would fall under the "Other" category? Thank you

[future_doc]

Volunteering is when you are performing a service of benefit to others without remuneration. An EC is an activity you do for your own development and/or pleasure.

 

An example of "Other" might be learning a language although that can be also under Formal Education. I cannot think of another example at the moment.

[Dream_Bigger]

Hi everyone,

 

I'm applying to NOSM only this year. Fingers crossed:o , because it's where my heart is! My stats (mature applicant, northern and rural residency X21 yrs, arts degree completed pt time w 3.85 OMSAS gpa) also make it the most realistic choice.

 

If I am not successful than next year I'll apply to Mac as well, although my dream is to move back up North. (Residing in Ottawa now X 6yrs.)

 

It's been very interesting to read the stories of the 2013 applicants. Pre med 101 is so helpful!

 

One question: for your Confidential Assessment Form for OMSAS, are you supplying your referee with a priority post envelope or regular mail? I've read previously to use priority post to ensure it gets there, but on the CAF it strongly encourages regular mail. (I just want to be strongly encouraged that my CAFs are not lost! )

 

Thanks!

[Dream_Bigger]

FYI for those applicants who have college education in their post secondary history:

 

OMSAS informed me that their transcript request "link" with the college transcript request system is closed until Sept 30th, thus your request would not be rec'd by the college until Oct 1st, 2012 and fwd'd late to schools you are applying to. They advised me to call the college directly and request the hard copy transcript vs using their service to ensure that it is received in time.

 

Not sure if that helps anyone else, but hope it saves someone the trouble.

 

---

 

EDIT: Please note the above ^^ applies for college transcript requests sent after Sept 14th, 2012. If your OMSAS app is submitted prior to Sept 14th, then requesting the trancript through their service is OK.

[ArchEnemy]

Volunteering is when you are performing a service of benefit to others without remuneration. An EC is an activity you do for your own development and/or pleasure.

 

An example of "Other" might be learning a language although that can be also under Formal Education. I cannot think of another example at the moment.

 

So I guess that learning a language from a roommate be considered under "Others"? Since it is not a "Formal" Education per se. But unless it is French, I'm not sure how significant this will be though.

[future_doc]

Yes. And if you are able to speak at beginner or intermediate level, say so.

Another language exposes you to an increased patient population base.

[Grey's Anatomy]

Volunteering is when you are performing a service of benefit to others without remuneration. An EC is an activity you do for your own development and/or pleasure.

 

An example of "Other" might be learning a language although that can be also under Formal Education. I cannot think of another example at the moment.

 

My confusion is that there are many ECs that can also be considered volunteer activities. Is it okay to say that ECs are activities done at university (e.g. a club) while volunteering is out in the community?

[Field87ven]

Well another dumb question from me:

 

I attend the University of Guelph-Humber which is an offshore campus by Pearson Airport. When listing my university for OMSAS post-secondary education my university doesn't show up.

 

Should I just use "University of Guelph" as my university, even though technically that is not what my university is called? I ask this because if I request transcripts from Guelph University they will assume I mean from the real Guelph location and not my own.

 

Would have just called OMSAS to ask but they won't be open till Tuesday, any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

[Dream_Bigger]

 

Should I just use "University of Guelph" as my university, even though technically that is not what my university is called? I ask this because if I request transcripts from Guelph University they will assume I mean from the real Guelph location and not my own.

 

Would have just called OMSAS to ask but they won't be open till Tuesday, any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

I would wait and call OMSAS to be sure seeing as it involves a transcript, and entering in all the grade and course info. If Humber is involved in the sending of your transcript your OMSAS app has to be in by Sept 14th, unless you call and request the transcript before then.

[Field87ven]

I would wait and call OMSAS to be sure seeing as it involves a transcript, and entering in all the grade and course info. If Humber is involved in the sending of your transcript your OMSAS app has to be in by Sept 14th, unless you call and request the transcript before then.

 

Ok thanks a lot for the advice. I will wait until Tues to follow up. I've got 2 different colleges and 2 university transcripts to send, its a pain to say the least .

[FacelessMage]

For the OMSAS references, can you change a reference once you've entered it? I haven't asked any of my potential referees yet, and want to be able to give them the confidential assessment forms in case I can't see them before the application is due.

[Strategy99]

I just need to clear something up:

 

According to OMSAS, our confidential assessment forms are due Oct 1. However, one of my referees (who has written ref letters before for meds) says that ref letters for referees are actually due in on Dec 1st...

 

Can someone clarify this for me? I'm thinking she is right, but I can't find that anywhere on OMSAS

 

edit: 100th post

[ArchEnemy]

I just need to clear something up:

 

According to OMSAS, our confidential assessment forms are due Oct 1. However, one of my referees (who has written ref letters before for meds) says that ref letters for referees are actually due in on Dec 1st...

 

Can someone clarify this for me? I'm thinking she is right, but I can't find that anywhere on OMSAS

 

edit: 100th post

 

It's mentioned on the UofT admission's website. Not sure if that applies only to UofT or all Ontario schools though.

[aniline.nh2]

It's different for every school, you'll have to consult the published applicant handbook. Oct 1st is the date you'll want to aim for to get your referee forms and letters in, however most schools grant leniency but the amount of leniency they allow for depends on the individual school. For example, UofT will continue to accept letters until Dec.1st, Queens is Nov 1st and Mac wasn't specific, they just said they will continue to accept them after Oct 1st. I called Western earlier because they didn't mention anything about accepting letters after Oct1st in the handbook and they said for them, Oct1st is the absolute deadline. The earlier you get them in, the better but they understand that things happen so most schools are pretty chill in giving extensions for referee letters

[aniline.nh2]

I did have a question about choosing referees. I know that ultimately you'll want the 3 letters in your application to adequately cover all areas (eg. academics, leadership, communication/interpersonal skills and social advocacy etc). But I ended up choosing 3 professors because I didn't think any of my referees for my extra-curricular activities would be considered legit and could write me strong reference letters. So I don't know, what do you guys think? 3 professors? good/bad? I did do a decent amount of volunteer work for one of the professors I asked (he was the supervisor for the extra-curricular club that I was part of) so hopefully that will be able to cover social advocacy and community service.

 

I don't know, just wondering what you guys thought.

[Hyperalgesia]

Hey everyone, new, first time applicant here! I've been browsing the forums for the last couple of days, and I'm really excited to have stumbled upon this place.. looks like it's going to be a lot of help!

 

I'm applying for the first time this year, to almost all Canadian schools (minus UBC & Memorial due to decreased likelihood of acceptance and lack of exceptional GPA). Super nervous about applications, but hopefully everything will work out. If anyone has any tips about writing personal statements (working on the Dalhousie essay as we speak, and finding it a little difficult to talk about myself this much!) I would really appreciate it!

 

Hope to get to know some folks around these parts through the course of this process. Good luck to everyone!

[future_doc]

I did have a question about choosing referees. I know that ultimately you'll want the 3 letters in your application to adequately cover all areas (eg. academics, leadership, communication/interpersonal skills and social advocacy etc). But I ended up choosing 3 professors because I didn't think any of my referees for my extra-curricular activities would be considered legit and could write me strong reference letters. So I don't know, what do you guys think? 3 professors? good/bad? I did do a decent amount of volunteer work for one of the professors I asked (he was the supervisor for the extra-curricular club that I was part of) so hopefully that will be able to cover social advocacy and community service.

 

I don't know, just wondering what you guys thought.

 

Give them each a CV & motivationalcluding transcript). letter so they know all that is important (including a transcript).