nelsojc Posted June 19, 2013 Report Share Posted June 19, 2013 I am an Ontario applicant (outside of Ottawa). I would like to get some opinions on how good my ECs are. I just finished undergrad and my wGPA for Ottawa is 3.97 so I think I am competitive in that regard. But after reading on here what some people have for ECs I am not sure how good mine really are anymore. Any opinions/advice would be helpful, here is a summary of my ECs: - 3 month clinical research position in 2nd year (very basic, no pubs). - currently part of a 3 month summer research program, lab-based (more intense stuff, but likely won't get my name on a paper here either). - 5 years camp counselor and 1 year camp director (canoe tripping stuff) - about 1.5 years volunteering in a nursing home (only about 40 hrs total) - volunteer teaching assistant for 1 term in a 2nd yr neuroscience course - small accomplishments: bronze cross, white water paddling, Wilderness first aid course certificate, several different intramural and high school sports - university entrance scholarship/scholarships for marks - ontario graduate scholarship - will begin TAing a course in september at school - shadowed an emergency physician a few times Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
penguin92 Posted June 19, 2013 Report Share Posted June 19, 2013 Generally, I find that people with high 3.9's (3.97,3.98 etc) are pretty much guaranteed an interview at UOttawa if you're ec's are just decent. From the looks of it, you have pretty decent ec's and they're very forgiving if your GPA is really high (which it is) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
future_doc Posted June 19, 2013 Report Share Posted June 19, 2013 I am an Ontario applicant (outside of Ottawa). I would like to get some opinions on how good my ECs are. I just finished undergrad and my wGPA for Ottawa is 3.97 so I think I am competitive in that regard. But after reading on here what some people have for ECs I am not sure how good mine really are anymore. Any opinions/advice would be helpful, here is a summary of my ECs: - 3 month clinical research position in 2nd year (very basic, no pubs). - currently part of a 3 month summer research program, lab-based (more intense stuff, but likely won't get my name on a paper here either). - 5 years camp counselor and 1 year camp director (canoe tripping stuff) - about 1.5 years volunteering in a nursing home (only about 40 hrs total) - volunteer teaching assistant for 1 term in a 2nd yr neuroscience course - small accomplishments: bronze cross, white water paddling, Wilderness first aid course certificate, several different intramural and high school sports - university entrance scholarship/scholarships for marks - ontario graduate scholarship - will begin TAing a course in september at school - shadowed an emergency physician a few times One of our members with the same GPA as yours and way more ECs, applied in 3rd year and did not get an interview. However, on reapplying in 4th year, was accepted at U/O. Here are the past comments of Tesla: Here is what is true for OMSAS. Remember that there are 5 categories....Work/Volunteer/EC/Awards/Research. You want to have a balanced sketch by trying to have entries in all of these categories. Next, the way you describe your entry is VERY important. For instance...Ottawa really likes it when you are able to mention something about what you LEARNED from your activities...it is even stated on their website. Additionally, you want to describe your activities using CANMEDS roles. This is key. Your GPA also plays a very important role. At Ottawa for example...simply meeting the cut-off allows your file to be LOOKED at, however, the higher your GPA the better shot you have since there is a 50%/50% weighting of wGPA and sketch for invites. So, market yourself well in the ABS to get that interview! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nelsojc Posted June 19, 2013 Author Report Share Posted June 19, 2013 what do you mean by that CANMEDS stuff? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
future_doc Posted June 20, 2013 Report Share Posted June 20, 2013 CanMEDS: http://www.royalcollege.ca/portal/pa...ork_full_e.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lost&Found Posted July 26, 2013 Report Share Posted July 26, 2013 Hey f_d, I can't access the CanMEDS PDF. Do you know where else I can get it? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
futurefamilydoc Posted July 27, 2013 Report Share Posted July 27, 2013 Hey f_d, I can't access the CanMEDS PDF. Do you know where else I can get it? Thanks Just look for "CANMEDS roles" on google, lots of sites describe them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tuffy1 Posted August 1, 2013 Report Share Posted August 1, 2013 Are we better off showing diversity in our volunteer activities or am I ok listing 3 "hospitals" (i.e. Rogers House, Civic, Royal Ottawa)? I have other activities but they are totally unrelated to medicine. All about the same amount of hours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hs1 Posted August 2, 2013 Report Share Posted August 2, 2013 Are we better off showing diversity in our volunteer activities or am I ok listing 3 "hospitals" (i.e. Rogers House, Civic, Royal Ottawa)? I have other activities but they are totally unrelated to medicine. All about the same amount of hours. I think diversity of experience is more important; it gives you a chance to highlight the unique aspects of your personality to catch the eye of the adcom. You could also emphasize different skills/knowledge gained more easily with a variety of activities. What I would recommend is lump all three hospital volunteering items into one listing on your ABS, especially if you have other activities of equal commitment level to fill the remaining spots with. Clinical volunteering has become kind of a standard thing on applications nowadays, so take this as your chance to stand out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meaningful_life Posted August 2, 2013 Report Share Posted August 2, 2013 I think diversity of experience is more important; it gives you a chance to highlight the unique aspects of your personality to catch the eye of the adcom. You could also emphasize different skills/knowledge gained more easily with a variety of activities. What I would recommend is lump all three hospital volunteering items into one listing on your ABS, especially if you have other activities of equal commitment level to fill the remaining spots with. Clinical volunteering has become kind of a standard thing on applications nowadays, so take this as your chance to stand out! On this note, what are your takes on leaving out clinical hospital-based volunteer programs all together? Like I have 300+ hours from high school and one summer during university but it seems too standard, like you say. When you only have 3 entries to show commitment to the community, as important as my time at the hospital was, I wonder whether something more unique is a better choice. To be more exact, I would be choosing between hospitals vs. leading/organizing a one-time carnival for disadvantaged youth in my neighbourhood. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
future_doc Posted August 2, 2013 Report Share Posted August 2, 2013 Are we better off showing diversity in our volunteer activities or am I ok listing 3 "hospitals" (i.e. Rogers House, Civic, Royal Ottawa)? I have other activities but they are totally unrelated to medicine. All about the same amount of hours. I agree with hs1. It does not matter that these other activities are unrelated to medicine or health care. What is important is that you are demonstrating CanMeds competences, letting the reader know the impact upon the population/person served and upon yourself in terms of growth and development. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
future_doc Posted August 2, 2013 Report Share Posted August 2, 2013 I am an Ontario applicant (outside of Ottawa). I would like to get some opinions on how good my ECs are. I just finished undergrad and my wGPA for Ottawa is 3.97 so I think I am competitive in that regard. But after reading on here what some people have for ECs I am not sure how good mine really are anymore. Any opinions/advice would be helpful, here is a summary of my ECs: - 3 month clinical research position in 2nd year (very basic, no pubs). - currently part of a 3 month summer research program, lab-based (more intense stuff, but likely won't get my name on a paper here either). - 5 years camp counselor and 1 year camp director (canoe tripping stuff) - about 1.5 years volunteering in a nursing home (only about 40 hrs total) - volunteer teaching assistant for 1 term in a 2nd yr neuroscience course - small accomplishments: bronze cross, white water paddling, Wilderness first aid course certificate, several different intramural and high school sports - university entrance scholarship/scholarships for marks - ontario graduate scholarship - will begin TAing a course in september at school - shadowed an emergency physician a few times You demonstrate management, leadership, collaboration, critical thinking, scholarship, etc. it is about how you write your application to best market yourself. Show your draft to Tesla. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nelsojc Posted August 4, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 4, 2013 what is tesla?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
future_doc Posted August 4, 2013 Report Share Posted August 4, 2013 Tesla was accepted this year into med at U/O. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tuffy1 Posted August 6, 2013 Report Share Posted August 6, 2013 Oh- good idea! I did not realize we were allowed to lumps things. Would I just call it hospital volunteer and then in the description, list where I did this? I think I'm having a hard time seeing how we can really "sell" ourselves and relate it to Can-med roles with so few words. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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