Questions regarding UW and UofT

[liburni]

Hi

 

I will be going into my third year at Western. My Cumulative Avg so far is 74.048%. I did pretty bad in my first year and that has come back to haunt me. I had to do really well on my second year to bring the avg to where it is right now.

 

My first question is, what does that translate into GPA, and what are my chances of getting accepted into either University? I am aware that the minimum required for waterloo is 75%. For Toronto the minimum required is 70%. Do you think my low avg can be compensated by the fact that I have been working as a Pharmacy Technician for the past 5 years and have a college diploma for the Pharmacy Tech?

 

I plan to work even harder during third year, but I feel that once you start off with a low avg, it is so difficult to bring it up.

 

Thank you!

[JesterTheJoke]

As far as I know, the cutoffs for the interview are pretty strict for both schools. If you have less than 75% average you will not get an interview at UW (70% for UofT). However, if you do get an interview it is pretty much an even playing field according to the mini-orientation we had at the UofT interview and UW website.

 

You should have no problems getting an interview for UofT provided that you meet all the cutoffs for the PCAT (which is fairly easy). Even though they say that your grades and PCAT are taken into consideration for final decisions, I'm fairly certain that the interview is heavily weighed.

 

As for UW, getting the interview is the tough part. There have been some people with 90%+ averages that don't get interviews, while there are others who graze the 75% mark and get accepted post interview. Like the poster above me said there is a subjective portion in determining who gets in, so just market yourself well and you should be fine.

 

Once you get your interview your chances are 1/2 for both schools.

[liburni]

Thanks to both of you. If I can get an interview, I feel like I am pretty good at marketing my self.

 

This coming year has to be do or die for me. I ve got to put in everything I have and bring that avg up even higher.

[JesterTheJoke]

Thanks to both of you. If I can get an interview, I feel like I am pretty good at marketing my self.

 

This coming year has to be do or die for me. I ve got to put in everything I have and bring that avg up even higher.

 

I have no doubt that you can do it. My average is as close to 75 as it gets and I was accepted into both UW and UofT. The interview really is the deal breaker. Good luck!