Hopeful but depressed and growing frustrated...advice???

[Gizmo]

Hi Everyone,

 

So I am currently finishing up my master's at UofT and my dream is still to go to med but I'm beginning to lose hope not because I'm necessarily not competitive but simply because there is so much competition and I don't know if my application is good enough. My stats are generally pretty good (listed below) but after being waitlisted at 2 ontario schools and my mcat scores only good for another 2 years I'm getting worried. I'm applying to the states right now but since my mcat is about 3 years old and I wrote 3 times I'm really limited in my chances there. I am considering DO as well however along with other healthcare careers but my true dream is to get in here in ontario/canada since this is where I would like to live in the future. I will apply all over Canada this year as well but again competition in Ontario is stiff and as an OOP student everywhere else I'm limited. I really don't want to go Carribean or overseas since I personally know many people who have struggled to come back and now have mountains of debt and no jobs/residency (even in the US residency is becoming tougher since med seats keep increasing but residency numbers remain the same). This year I will continue working in my lab and hopefully get a few manuscripts published. I've read about success stories here and its inspirational but again there is no guarantee of success at the end and you have to ask yourself how long will you keep trying. Do people have any suggestions on ways I can improve my application or even words of advice?

 

OMSAS GPA: ~3.75

GPA by year: 1st - 3.52, 2nd - 3.94, 3rd - 3.79, 4th - 3.96

MCAT: 30Q (10,10,10)

EC's: rez don, club exec 4 yrs, tutoring 6+ years (work and volunteer), hospital + nursing home volunteer, a few other clubs, OGS, millennium scholarship, 1 5th author pub, 2 2nd author manuscrips, multiple posters (1 first author at inter. conference), undergrad thesis + poster, a few intramural sports,

[ondansetron]

have you ever applied to schools outside of ontario? because I have a few friends, one of them kept getting waitlisted at mcgill/ottawa and the other at Queens for 3 years in a row. They both got very desperate and applied all over Canada finally and one of them got into Alberta and the other into Calgary. Their stats especially MCAT was very similar to yours.

[Legion]

There is a good chance you'll get in if you apply once or twice more, considering you were waitlisted at 2 Ontario schools. You've had experience with interview and that puts you at advantage over people interviewing for the first time. Another (partial) advantage is your Masters degree that you are finishing up. So don't give up.

[paloma22]

If I were you, I would not give up ! I think a lot of traditional premeds think its the end of the road once they graduate from undergrad, then from grad school without that letter. In reality, its not.

 

My advice: Get a job in a relevant field. Get some solid work experience out of a lab and build your resume and life experience. Keep applying!!

 

As others have said, you are so close. If you were not getting interviews after several applications I would say look at your options. But you were wait listed twice! That is a positive step IMO. It would be silly to get discouraged at this point. You can taste it, so don't give up !

[Gizmo]

Thanks everyone, I know that being waitlisted is a good sign, its just really hard to stay positive and keep going sometimes. But yes I do plan to apply OOP as well. I did to a few schools in my 4th year but nothing then, although my application is much better so your right in that something may work out. Lets hope it works out this year, good luck to everyone else as well!

[future_doc]

Persistence is essential in this game. Stay the course!

[mmmkay?]

If you think about it, when you DO get into medical school and graduate. You can practice medicine for the rest of your working life. I hope you're not looking at the clock too much. Do not give up.

[RiceWine]

Hi Everyone,

 

So I am currently finishing up my master's at UofT and my dream is still to go to med but I'm beginning to lose hope not because I'm necessarily not competitive but simply because there is so much competition and I don't know if my application is good enough. My stats are generally pretty good (listed below) but after being waitlisted at 2 ontario schools and my mcat scores only good for another 2 years I'm getting worried. I'm applying to the states right now but since my mcat is about 3 years old and I wrote 3 times I'm really limited in my chances there. I am considering DO as well however along with other healthcare careers but my true dream is to get in here in ontario/canada since this is where I would like to live in the future. I will apply all over Canada this year as well but again competition in Ontario is stiff and as an OOP student everywhere else I'm limited. I really don't want to go Carribean or overseas since I personally know many people who have struggled to come back and now have mountains of debt and no jobs/residency (even in the US residency is becoming tougher since med seats keep increasing but residency numbers remain the same). This year I will continue working in my lab and hopefully get a few manuscripts published. I've read about success stories here and its inspirational but again there is no guarantee of success at the end and you have to ask yourself how long will you keep trying. Do people have any suggestions on ways I can improve my application or even words of advice?

 

OMSAS GPA: ~3.75

GPA by year: 1st - 3.52, 2nd - 3.94, 3rd - 3.79, 4th - 3.96

MCAT: 30Q (10,10,10)

EC's: rez don, club exec 4 yrs, tutoring 6+ years (work and volunteer), hospital + nursing home volunteer, a few other clubs, OGS, millennium scholarship, 1 5th author pub, 2 2nd author manuscrips, multiple posters (1 first author at inter. conference), undergrad thesis + poster, a few intramural sports,

 

 

okay. look. you were really close to getting in! it's a matter of time you will get in. I have been there!

[Dr Marchant]

Only 30% of first time applicants are accepted to Canadian Medical Schools. If you were wait listed at two schools maybe you need some help to improve your interviewing skills.

 

By and large you are only competing against students from your own province because all Canadian medical schools are required to almost exclusively accept residents from their province. It has always been that way. The ratio of applicants to places was the same more than 30 years ago. What has changed is grade inflation - there are so many people with great GPAs. You have to distinguish yourself in other ways.

 

Hang in, the valedictorian in my medical class of 1977 had applied 7 times before he got in.

 

Cheers! Dr Marchant

author of The Art of Applying to Canadian Medical Schools

[Dr Marchant]

Dear Gizmo:

Now that I have stated the facts about getting into medical school in Canada, I am sorry that you are losing hope. The fact that you were wait listed at two schools in Ontario suggests that you are competitive. Since we cannot change the past, try to review what you did last year that you could do differently this year. Many schools want a guarantee that you will be finished your graduate degree before they will accept you – they do not want to be seen as stealing candidates leaving behind unfinished research projects. Do you think that could have been a concern with your application last year?

 

Cheers! Dr Marchant

author of The Art of Applying to Canadian Medical Schools

[filter105]

Gizmo,

 

you have a very impressive CV, so.. Don't give up your hope yet.

If you wrote MCAT that many times and have been applying that long, why not hold up on giving up until MCAT expires?

 

Since you had a close call, that is another reason to not give up.

 

Many graduate students would kill to have a ECs like yours, solid scholarships (OGS and millenium) and publication. I know so many MSc without ANY publication. So that gives you distinct advantage especially with U of T I think.

 

 

Although I would not want to compete with you for the same spot, I want to say don't give up.