drtrumpet Posted January 24, 2013 Report Share Posted January 24, 2013 Hey everyone, I took my mac rejection pretty hard, thinking that my VR score (11/13/Q/12) was something that would put me ahead at a being invited to an interview. I guess I've learned the hard way that when it comes to med school, you can take nothing for granted. My OMSAS cGPA (incl. summer courses and transfer credits) is a 3.72, but adjusted, it's a 3.88 at UofT, 3.8 at Western, 3.75/3.74 at Queen's, 3.73 at UOttawa (if I've calculated correctly). I'm beginning to doubt that I'll even see a single interview this year at all (and here I was hoping that I would multiple, so I could get some practice at it). Are these numbers competitive? In addition, I think I have some pretty great reference letters, a lot of EC's (though not necessarily all associated with medicine, so like clubs, sports, jobs, only a few shadowing opportunities, and a humanitarian trip to central america), and I'm a music student graduating from McGill in April. I know you all cannot provide a definite answer, but I'm sure that many of you have some experience to share. Any help is appreciated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markov79 Posted January 24, 2013 Report Share Posted January 24, 2013 how many schools declined to give you an interview? your numbers look fine to me, but the eff do i know? plus... casper plays a big role in the mac admissions. so it doesn't really speak to your numbers. broken record here: if you meet uwo's cut offs, you should get an interview if you meet their other requirements. also (assuming your an ON applicant), OOP invites are pretty hard to come by for the avg applicant....i wouldn't get discouraged by those. and i don't think ON schools have sent out invites (other than mac) yet, have they? what's the worry? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trojjanhorse Posted January 24, 2013 Report Share Posted January 24, 2013 don't make this your test. You can't do anything at the present moment to change your odds. Just leave everything in the hands of whomever you believe as it will eat you inside if you keep this up. I hope this statistic reference won't freak you out but the average number of years students apply before admission is 2.7 in Canada. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ralk Posted January 24, 2013 Report Share Posted January 24, 2013 Those numbers seems quite competitive at most Ontario universities. McMaster's invites are a very poor judge for invites to other schools; between the low number of invites and the wild card that is the CASPer, there's very little comparison. People with better stats have been denied, many with worse stats have received invites. I would say you've got a good-to-great chance of getting an invite at the other schools you've mentioned, particularly if your ECs and references are as strong as you imply. Nothing is guaranteed of course - like the CASPer, other supplementary admissions data will play a role - but I wouldn't get too worried just yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluechowchowmix Posted January 25, 2013 Report Share Posted January 25, 2013 I agree. McMaster University's process is very different from other universities. It is just a lottery with your VR, GPA and CASPER score (subjective marking and everyone gets different questions). VR score varies... there are cases where people get 6-8s in VR but luckily ended up with 10-11 on the actual MCAT. They do not look at your E/Cs and references letters, which I believe sets people apart, so your rejection from mac does not mean anything about your competitiveness. I know a number people who get interviews everywhere but Mac, and people who only get interviews from mac but not anywhere else. Basically at McMaster, VR (something you would spend several months studying for)=CASPER (one hour test)=GPA (three-four years you work hard for). It's a numbers game + subjective marking on CASPER since people are getting invites with GPAs between 3.0 and 3.5... I probably would have had a better chance winning the actual lottery or using that $105 fee I paid to mac med at a casino It seems like McMaster does not care about how hard you work or how dedicated and passionate you are about medicine and caring for people or what motivates you to do medicine-- its all if you have the right numbers and teh right questions (verbal and communications- and typing) (I might be a bit extreme about this point but I am just stating my opinion). A lot of things (ie. family trouble, work and etc.) can affect these components, which I really hope they start assessing someone at a more personal level (other than CASPER - the questions vary per person and is marked by different people). Last year CASPER (50%) > than VR and GPA (25% each)... so an hour test was worth more than something you work on for three months and three/four years. Anyways! Keep having hope! You have a great GPA and you seem like a hard worker ! It will work out eventually for all of us! We just have to stay positive, work hard and remain persistent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robinre Posted January 25, 2013 Report Share Posted January 25, 2013 you will get one at western, relax Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
premedzc Posted January 25, 2013 Report Share Posted January 25, 2013 Not that many schools have given out invites so far. Well, Mac is hard to predict because of CASPer, Manitoba and Dal are all about the local students. Well, I admit I don't know much about UBC. But there are still tons of invites to wait for, so I wouldn't lose hope yet. Plus, even if this year ends up not working out for you, there is always next year for you to improve your application and try again. Someone I know got rejected at EVERY school he applied to pre-interview last year. He applied again this year with basically similar stats (with a few more ECs), and he has gotten every invite that has been released except Manitoba (again, hard to get unless you're rural, even with a 4.00 GPA). It's very much a crapshoot, and you should never judge your value based on the number of your interview invites. If you want to become a doctor, then you will become one if you keep trying! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IamIDP Posted January 25, 2013 Report Share Posted January 25, 2013 You have a chance at everywhere except Ottawa. UofT & Western you def. have a chance but queens is a maybe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
futureGP Posted January 25, 2013 Report Share Posted January 25, 2013 Hey everyone, I took my mac rejection pretty hard, thinking that my VR score (11/13/Q/12) was something that would put me ahead at a being invited to an interview. I guess I've learned the hard way that when it comes to med school, you can take nothing for granted. My OMSAS cGPA (incl. summer courses and transfer credits) is a 3.72, but adjusted, it's a 3.88 at UofT, 3.8 at Western, 3.75/3.74 at Queen's, 3.73 at UOttawa (if I've calculated correctly). I'm beginning to doubt that I'll even see a single interview this year at all (and here I was hoping that I would multiple, so I could get some practice at it). Are these numbers competitive? In addition, I think I have some pretty great reference letters, a lot of EC's (though not necessarily all associated with medicine, so like clubs, sports, jobs, only a few shadowing opportunities, and a humanitarian trip to central america), and I'm a music student graduating from McGill in April. I know you all cannot provide a definite answer, but I'm sure that many of you have some experience to share. Any help is appreciated! nil nothing none blah **** doesn't say anything Your #s are competitive. You just had a bad interview Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
future_doc Posted January 25, 2013 Report Share Posted January 25, 2013 Rejection is part of the game toward success and is not to be taken personally so as to shake your confidence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alastriss Posted January 25, 2013 Report Share Posted January 25, 2013 I'd almost consider a compliment. Don't sweat it, many stellar applicants get rejected from there, and many stellar applicants get in and don't go there. Part of the game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmorelan Posted January 26, 2013 Report Share Posted January 26, 2013 I'd almost consider a compliment. Don't sweat it, many stellar applicants get rejected from there, and many stellar applicants get in and don't go there. Part of the game. True - there is luck in this game. The only counter is persistence and hard work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Comeon Posted January 29, 2013 Report Share Posted January 29, 2013 I wrote a similar post about 2 years ago (I think I switched usernames in the meantime). A lot of schools still have to send interview invites - and as far as I can tell, you are guaranteed an interview at Western. I took my initial rejection fairly hard and it just added a lot of stress during the interviews I got later in the season...so please do not stress out and see through your opportunities to the best of your ability. The process is so competitive and subjective that there is no value to reason and to try and decipher what left you out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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