What's On Your Mind?

[bakercyclist]

As someone with an uncommon last name, FirstinitialLastname@email.com worked just fine for me. I just found someone with the same first initial as me and his twitter is just @lastname. My sister married into a family with an even less common last name and also got lastname@gmail.com. I used to have firstname@lastname.com but it's now defunct - kinda sad that my dad doesn't maintain that site anymore!

 

Also, with gmail first.last and firstlast are the same thing.

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[武田信玄]

Just confirmed, lowest MCAT (that I've heard) to get an American MD acceptance (for an American) is 24, also not a URM.

[JohnGrisham]

Just confirmed, lowest MCAT (that I've heard) to get an American MD acceptance is 24, also not a URM.

Hmm interesting. What school? Oakland? Meharry? Some schools you dont necessarily need to be URM buy have experience with at risk groups. I say this as a very Caucasian friend from rural BC got into meharry a few years ago.

[武田信玄]

Hmm interesting. What school? Oakland? Meharry? Some schools you dont necessarily need to be URM buy have experience with at risk groups. I say this as a very Caucasian friend from rural BC got into meharry a few years ago.

Guy is asian, went to a not-very-prestigious state med school (forgot which one it is but definitely not oakland or meharry). What's interesting is that he scored 240 on step 1 and is on his way to do fellowship in a top-5 hospital. Just to show that MCAT score doesn't necessarily correlate with the rest of your career.

[JohnGrisham]

Guy is asian, went to a not-very-prestigious state med school (forgot which one it is but definitely not oakland or meharry). What's interesting is that he scored 240 on step 1 and is on his way to do fellowship in a top-5 hospital. Just to show that MCAT score doesn't necessarily correlate with the rest of your career.

Definitely, but is he Canadian? Interesting to get into a state school with a 24

[武田信玄]

Definitely, but is he Canadian? Interesting to get into a state school with a 24

Oh no, he is American. I was making a point that it's definitely easier for Americans to get into a med school. I already know it's easier but I would never imagine one can get a MD offer with a 24 MCAT score.

[Falling]

id he have a super high GPA to counter balance the MCAT?

[JohnGrisham]

Oh no, he is American. I was making a point that it's definitely easier for Americans to get into a med school. I already know it's easier but I would never imagine one can get a MD offer with a 24 MCAT score.

Oh, yah of course lol. Americans get into USMD schools with those stats all the time. Especially if you have strong gpa or ecs. Supply and demand, way more schools in the US, and many different mission statements.

 

The exception is California, they're like Ontario haha.

[Organomegaly]

Oh no, he is American. I was making a point that it's definitely easier for Americans to get into a med school. I already know it's easier but I would never imagine one can get a MD offer with a 24 MCAT score.

 

We have some schools that don't even request the MCAT and people with pretty low scores can get into them.

 

In some respects American MD admissions are easier because of the tiered system, but there's tons of variety in what schools people can pursue here in Canada so that there is typically an option for every decently capable candidates. 

[rmorelan]

Oh, yah of course lol. Americans get into USMD schools with those stats all the time. Especially if you have strong gpa or ecs. Supply and demand, way more schools in the US, and many different mission statements.

 

The exception is California, they're like Ontario haha.

 

quite true - not all the same level of quality mind you but yeah easier for sure.

[bruhh]

It's really just dependent on the school in the U.S. it is definitely undeniably easier to get into DO schools than canadian schools. It is also easier to get into the low tier MD schools. On the other hand, it's definitely more complicated to get into the ivy leage top tier ones.

 

Although getting into ontario schools is pretty damn close to the competitiveness of top tier US schools, maybe in different aspects though (US favours roundedness, Ontario likes cut offs/admission formulae)

[武田信玄]

Although getting into ontario schools is pretty damn close to the competitiveness of top tier US schools, maybe in different aspects though (US favours roundedness, Ontario likes cut offs/admission formulae)

Speaking of that, when I was in Montreal early this year, my landlord told me that her friend got an acceptance from Harvard last year, didn't accept it due to financial reasons, and unfortunately didn't get a single interview from Ontario during the same cycle.

[Falling]

http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/kalief-browder-1993-2015

 

This one hit me right in the feels.

[MD2015]

Speaking of that, when I was in Montreal early this year, my landlord told me that her friend got an acceptance from Harvard last year, didn't accept it due to financial reasons, and unfortunately didn't get a single interview from Ontario during the same cycle.

The randomness of it all!

[rmorelan]

The randomness of it all!

 

at the sharp end of the curve - with soooo many extremely qualified, smart hard working applicants some amount of randomness is just going to happen.

[Emojis4Life]

at the sharp end of the curve - with soooo many extremely qualified, smart hard working applicants some amount of randomness is just going to happen.

 

I feel like pursuing med has majorly warped what I consider an accomplishment. When you're constantly surrounded by MDs-to-be, it's hard to know if you should be proud of something or not 

[bruhh]

I feel like pursuing med has majorly warped what I consider an accomplishment. When you're constantly surrounded by MDs-to-be, it's hard to know if you should be proud of something or not

Lol yea. I feel like I've been pretty involved, but a part of me thinks when it comes to applications, everything is just gonna look average compared to the other applicants.

I had an interview for a volunteer position recently at the university and in the interview they explicitly said that they were "hugely impressed" by my extra curricular activities. I was just thinking at that moment "hah, I bet if you were a med adcom you would think I'm just average, nothing more"

[Birdy]

I feel like pursuing med has majorly warped what I consider an accomplishment. When you're constantly surrounded by MDs-to-be, it's hard to know if you should be proud of something or not

I found it helpful that there were so few premeds at my undergrad school. Still a little intimidated by the fact that so many of my classmates to be are like 5+ years younger than me and so much more accomplished.

[Emojis4Life]

Lol yea. I feel like I've been pretty involved, but a part of me thinks when it comes to applications, everything is just gonna look average compared to the other applicants.

I had an interview for a volunteer position recently at the university and in the interview they explicitly said that they were "hugely impressed" by my extra curricular activities. I was just thinking at that moment "hah, I bet if you were a med adcom you would think I'm just average, nothing more"

I can completely relate to this. My ECs are probably one of the strongest parts of my application so I've had people say "wow you've done so much." But this site does a very good job of keeping me humble, constantly reminding me that I'm in the middle of the pack at best

[Depression]

I can completely relate to this. My ECs are probably one of the strongest parts of my application so I've had people say "wow you've done so much." But this site does a very good job of keeping me humble, constantly reminding me that I'm in the middle of the pack at best

 

Man, I feel ya. I'm always amazed that people are so persistent and motivated to become MD's or whatever it is that they want to do. I'm still trying to figure it out  

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[thatonekid]

I found it helpful that there were so few premeds at my undergrad school. Still a little intimidated by the fact that so many of my classmates to be are like 5+ years younger than me and so much more accomplished.

 

It's all relative though. I was constantly amazed by my classmates who balanced med school and their families/had kids in med school!

[Falling]

Do you guys know any sites that publish a similar volume of freely available quality pieces as the New Yorker?

 

I can't get enough of this kind of stuff recently.

 

Nope. Have a look around twitter. 

 

 

 

 

 

I can't decide if I dislike the Biology section or the Psych section of the MCAT more. The psych stuff is nauseatingly boring. Biology is pretty bad. I don't care at all about the circulatory system or any of that stuff. 

[canucks_14]

I can completely relate to this. My ECs are probably one of the strongest parts of my application so I've had people say "wow you've done so much." But this site does a very good job of keeping me humble, constantly reminding me that I'm in the middle of the pack at best

Something similar happened to me the other day, except it was for GPA. I was talking to a close family friend who is about 10 years older than me, and I mentioned that I get 'mostly Bs' in my undergrad courses, and he said "oh ok that is pretty good then". And I just kind of laughed to myself because that isn't even competitive for medicine and the fact that I'm so concerned with getting more As in order to even have a shot at medicine, but I bet a lot of people outside of university actually think that a B is a good mark.