drtrumpet Posted January 9, 2013 Report Share Posted January 9, 2013 So I finally broke down and registered to premed101...the wait has been killing me and I find that I'm checking these forums pretty much everyday... First, in terms of Calgary med, I'm OOP. My cGPA for them is a 3.81 and my VR is a 13. What do you think the chances are of my file going to review? Also, I was a little puzzled with the way Calgary selects files to be reviewed. I listened to Dr. Walker's presentation, where he mentioned a few times how they are looking for the 'next generation' of doctors; people who were not purely of a scientific background. If this is the case, aren't they already limiting themselves to only the students with the best academics? By only reviewing files that make the cutoffs, they are likely missing out on students who have rich extracurriculars, or worldly experience. And how do they control for people who take 2-3 bird courses every year? Won't these people take the place of someone who for example, might not meet the cutoff, but clearly make a better doctor if only their full file had been reviewed? Anyways, it was something that I'm not sure they would have an answer for... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thehumanmacbook Posted January 9, 2013 Report Share Posted January 9, 2013 It's because when you have so many OOP for limited spots, then they need to set the cutoff higher and higher - even though they are looking for ppl with certain "characteristics" they still need to use something to set the cutoff . This cycle there were >950 OOP applicants, and there was a post here (http://mdadmissions.ucalgaryblogs.ca/2012/09/13/interesting-numbers-of-oop-applicants) for minimum GPA and VR combination for full file review from last cycle. If it is the same for this year, then you probably will get a full file review with your stats. Hope that somewhat helps. I'm sure students from Calgary can help elaborate more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trojjanhorse Posted January 9, 2013 Report Share Posted January 9, 2013 So I finally broke down and registered to premed101...the wait has been killing me and I find that I'm checking these forums pretty much everyday... First, in terms of Calgary med, I'm OOP. My cGPA for them is a 3.81 and my VR is a 13. What do you think the chances are of my file going to review? Also, I was a little puzzled with the way Calgary selects files to be reviewed. I listened to Dr. Walker's presentation, where he mentioned a few times how they are looking for the 'next generation' of doctors; people who were not purely of a scientific background. If this is the case, aren't they already limiting themselves to only the students with the best academics? By only reviewing files that make the cutoffs, they are likely missing out on students who have rich extracurriculars, or worldly experience. And how do they control for people who take 2-3 bird courses every year? Won't these people take the place of someone who for example, might not meet the cutoff, but clearly make a better doctor if only their full file had been reviewed? Anyways, it was something that I'm not sure they would have an answer for... Based on last year's stats, you wouldn't be getting the full file review unless you have 3.84GPA (Calgary Scale). Not sure how it will be this year. Good luck though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aaronjw Posted January 9, 2013 Report Share Posted January 9, 2013 The issue of med school in Canada and I suppose in the US, as well, is that it's a game and there are rules. Fail to meet these rules and you're chances become much more difficult. For the most part, we ALL know what the rules are going in and the first rules starts with a HIGH GPA. We can debate whether these rules are just and whether they're leaving qualified candidates on that table but we knew the rules from the beginning and I'd argue that in Canada, very few students selected turn out to be poor doctors regardless of their GPA or this "wordly" experience so the reality is that all candidates ARE qualified. When you have as many qualified candidates as these schools do, they can afford to be picky about what and who they want. Life isn't fair Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shady Posted January 9, 2013 Report Share Posted January 9, 2013 Nothing in life is perfect. In fact the problem stretches both ways: some uber high GPA holders would make amazing doctors even though they never had the chance to do much ECs during undergrad, and other low GPA people might make exceptional doctors but instead up being eliminated by cut-offs. We ought to accept this fact, and our best bet is to play by the rules set by the adcoms, as the posters above suggest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apache Posted January 13, 2013 Report Share Posted January 13, 2013 lol, oh calgary... id be heading to res if you accepted me a few weeks earlier, then again, i have a feeling i'd be a liberal schools dream, considering a 25:1 or 2 ratio of similar wow, you're awesome faculty ratio at a conservative school... honestly, you'll find a way, i wanted to change psych going into medicine, and going to calg, i would have, but being pushed to the edge ( i love our mirror gpa's and vr scores), well, wanting has become will, because now it's not a passion and whim, it's expedient, because calgaries praise would have never pushed me to the point where... honestly, i'm tired of psych... i won't even ***** anymore, it's not even embarassing having a discussion anymore, it's a you pretend the one of a hundred things i can talk about for 15 minutes to your 10 seconds, is just a single topic you need a refresher on, because believe me, if you push the traditional biopsych paradigm on me... i don't even use the word argue, it's more, i hope we're in private, because if you aren't up to date, aren't willing to learn, entitled, and think your an authority... i dont even need a minute to humiliate you to such an extent well... the i focus on the biological won't matter, cause i know dbt pretty well, autism, adhd, personality disorders, cbt, im getting better at immunopsychomulation, but well, not knowing everything doesn't matter if you know nothing... so in a way, you're totally right... but once you realize beyond procedures... it's not hard to outread profs 2-10 fold, it stops mattering... and well, believe me, if you care enough, it's hard to stop you, no matter where you go... reputation means something until it becomes an embarassing disparity, and while i sound hostile... i guess it's because my interest has shifted to health systems, outcomes, physician efficiency, quality of care... in a sense i love clinical medicine but could care less about physician interests unless the mutually serve patient interests... and personality tests show what you say... the five factor model... risk averse, average openess to experience... not all, but i was honestly impressed with about 5 of near 200 students... many clinicians were great though... but well, when someone on cbc brags to you that they *****ed out your entitled class, and that you and my co-student friend not in attendance actually could change things, well... i could care less what an adcom, single person of 20, etc. thinks... i'm sorry i was offered a top research spot in the us after a month, was the top of like a dozen invited to a top res program in a specific specialty in the country and offered a spot after first year... believe me, if you want something, those cutoff students will graduate a year earlier and doing late night colonoscopies while you balance clinical work, publishing books, politics... which they'll find out when you're on cbc... because well, med students are a dime a dozen, and radical ones are rare... reminds me of terell owens... he's a real outlier, but well, when you're that good, cause vicariously feel what people go thrugh instead of give fake smiles... comes from personal experience... you push yourself to a point where your too good for someone not to take on... the fun part is when ppl thing ur egotistical, if u were, you'd be stupid and a money hungry optho who cares little about what they do... i'm a narcissist, but honestly... being a doctor doesn't make you special, smart, elite... seriously... it's a ****ing acronym, and you work in non meritocratic system for the most part... i guess if a license was my meal ticket i'd be ignorant or well, complacent too... it's a nice luxury to surpass that point, as in those other 195, being a derm isn't impressive, it's clever if you like money, tommy douglas, jfk, people who take risk, that's impressive... and who knows, maybe someone with a 3.80 will be that next person... that's why canadian schools suck... believe me, i'm not incorrigable, i can charm anyone... and so can the idiot who get's by a pass fail system, matches to something competitive.... yeah no... that's bs... but im crazy right, i remember me and that british dean, what's his name, just another important person that loved a pair of balls, think he was a dean, shared my sentiments over coffee... so yeah... i can literally go on a while... medicine is a self-protective discipline, they want good, compliant, people who serve professions goals, not original, brilliant, untirable, passionate... especially canada... at least in the states dissodance can land a major grant and a job at an ivey if your good... here... it's more yes sir, ok sir, this is how it's done... and the only way around the hierarchy is to be stratospherically intimidating to an extent where title becomes futile, welcome to canadian health care... So I finally broke down and registered to premed101...the wait has been killing me and I find that I'm checking these forums pretty much everyday... First, in terms of Calgary med, I'm OOP. My cGPA for them is a 3.81 and my VR is a 13. What do you think the chances are of my file going to review? Also, I was a little puzzled with the way Calgary selects files to be reviewed. I listened to Dr. Walker's presentation, where he mentioned a few times how they are looking for the 'next generation' of doctors; people who were not purely of a scientific background. If this is the case, aren't they already limiting themselves to only the students with the best academics? By only reviewing files that make the cutoffs, they are likely missing out on students who have rich extracurriculars, or worldly experience. And how do they control for people who take 2-3 bird courses every year? Won't these people take the place of someone who for example, might not meet the cutoff, but clearly make a better doctor if only their full file had been reviewed? Anyways, it was something that I'm not sure they would have an answer for... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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