justletmein Posted August 10, 2013 Report Share Posted August 10, 2013 http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/changing+face+McGill+medical+students/8770876/story.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slipstream Posted August 10, 2013 Report Share Posted August 10, 2013 http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/changing+face+McGill+medical+students/8770876/story.html My friend and I juuuust had a discussion about this. Here's my take: I agree with many of the points, but the story of the disgruntled parents is always ridiculous. McGill seems to have a talent for attracting a lot of applicants who complain and get very angry if they aren't accepted. Most people on these forums are very understanding and mature, we think if we don't get in, we simply weren't able to make the cut that year. But not the people I'm thinking of, funnily enough they tend to be affluent Anglo Montréalers and they just don't understand "what they didn't do right". But that's just the thing, there is no magic formula for success, or for passion for medicine. If you're doing it because your parents do it, and you're doing your ECs to fill up your CV then you're not really the optimal med applicant. I think McGill is doing the right thing. Our language of instruction is English, 60% of students are anglophone, 25% are francophone, and 15% are allophone. So while I don't agree with quotas, McGill is on the right track. Rather than putting a negative spin like the gazette did with the angry parents, it looks to me like McGill is leading. They recruited the former Dean of admissions for law at McGill, who is herself a lawyer, when McGill changed from office of admissions to admissions, equity, and diversity. So this is a huge push, but it only makes sense to take the most excellent applicants regardless of socioeconomic status. To do that properly, you've got to account for the difficulties people from lower socioeconomic status and of minorities may have experienced in their lives. Which is why McGill places so much stress on the personal statement, and asked us to tell them about how we had overcome adversity in our lives. More anecdotes, but I also think I represent the applicant they're saying would have trouble getting in. High stats, affluent, and anglophone. And yet I got in! A 4.0 GPA is in no way a guarantee of admission, and McGill makes that very clear by rejecting students whose essays are subpar. I mean the admissions committee didn't just sit down, accept me, but reject these other people based on their affluence or anglophone status - their essays must have been lacking. The problem is the article isn't written in response to dwindling anglophones (which is largely overblown since most of the class is bilingual anyways), but to the anglophone "elite" who typically went to McGill. People used to complain that if your parents were doctors at the MUHC, you'd get in. But I think many of these people assume that they have a chance, but they really don't without those connections. And McGill seems to be picking solely based on merit, not affiliation. There's a similar article about UBC in a Vancouver newspaper, again doubting their admissions process because some angry parents got very vocal. What were your thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
penguin92 Posted August 10, 2013 Report Share Posted August 10, 2013 “The assistant dean of admissions told her she just didn’t stand out. But she went to Ghana, worked with kids with special needs, worked in a lab, volunteered in a hospital,” she recounted. “I told her she needs to join the circus.” hahaha. This parent seems really misinformed. So your daughter did those things, geuss what, so did 500 other applicants Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slipstream Posted August 10, 2013 Report Share Posted August 10, 2013 hahaha. This parent seems really misinformed. So your daughter did those things, guess what, so did 500 other applicants I love the "went to Ghana" part. OK, so you payed thousands of $$ for her to go to Africa. Did she actually make a difference there? The mom seems to think it's a checklist of things, and since her daughter had them all down... Sidenote, but pretty sure my mother doesn't know my CV in her head. I do what I enjoy as an adult, why would my mother be able to recite it all? It makes it seem like there's just pressure from the mom to apply to med... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markov79 Posted August 10, 2013 Report Share Posted August 10, 2013 hahaha. This parent seems really misinformed. So your daughter did those things, geuss what, so did 500 other applicants funny enough, joinig the circus might actually have made her a better applicant; she could have learned quite a bit, and found a new passion! LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
futurepediatric Posted August 10, 2013 Report Share Posted August 10, 2013 I love the "went to Ghana" part. OK, so you payed thousands of $$ for her to go to Africa. Did she actually make a difference there? The mom seems to think it's a checklist of things, and since her daughter had them all down... Sidenote, but pretty sure my mother doesn't know my CV in her head. I do what I enjoy as an adult, why would my mother be able to recite it all? It makes it seem like there's just pressure from the mom to apply to med... Lol it wasn't really that surprising. It'd be surprising if her mom did not know her daughter went to Ghana. Other than that, she listed like 3 other things, wouldn't be surprised if a parent knew those things, especially if the daughter lived at home Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slipstream Posted August 10, 2013 Report Share Posted August 10, 2013 Lol it wasn't really that surprising. It'd be surprising if her mom did not know her daughter went to Ghana. Other than that, she listed like 3 other things, wouldn't be surprised if a parent knew those things, especially if the daughter lived at home LOL, that's actually a very good point . I guess overall what I disagree with is the parent whining about their child not getting in, but it is fairly reasonable for the mother to list her daughter's achievements. Let's just say that if this ever happened to me I would not let my mother rant about it to the newspapers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
futurefamilydoc Posted August 10, 2013 Report Share Posted August 10, 2013 I'll be honest that I was a bit upset, albeit for selfish reasons, when I heard McGill was removing the MCAT requirement a few years back, since I knew it would likely lead to much higher numbers of applicants. But in the end the process is the same, I'll still have to put in my best effort to show the admissions committee why I should be chosen, so its not really the end of the world. But regardless of all the complaints people have brought up, as a Quebec student applying to McGill you still have a much higher chance of being accepted than students from others province do at their schools. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
futurepediatric Posted August 10, 2013 Report Share Posted August 10, 2013 LOL, that's actually a very good point . I guess overall what I disagree with is the parent whining about their child not getting in, but it is fairly reasonable for the mother to list her daughter's achievements. Let's just say that if this ever happened to me I would not let my mother rant about it to the newspapers Haha this I can agree with! I would be really embarrassed if this happened to me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dinosaur Posted August 11, 2013 Report Share Posted August 11, 2013 It was a very interesting article. It is weird for me to see this entire story from a different angle, because I am a francophone and I had to apply three times at McGill to finally get accepted. Bottom line is: Med school is competitive for everyone regardless of language, race or origin. I believe that McGill is at the forefront of medical schools admissions in Quebec, they leveled the playing field for everyone and they look for complete individuals. Thereby, diversity is simply a side-effect of the widened applicant pool. However, one thing the author of the article has omitted is the fact that reference letters are not required anymore at McGill. I personally believe that this adds another level of transparency when it comes to admissions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebouque Posted August 11, 2013 Report Share Posted August 11, 2013 What a waste of an article, this is the least of the problems we have in our society.... Getting into med school is very hard, people need to realize that and get over it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
future_doc Posted August 11, 2013 Report Share Posted August 11, 2013 The elitism of the past where connections played a role is gone forever and this is a good thing. More and more, the trend is for Anglophone children to settle and establish their roots outside of Quebec as not only do they feel unwelcome but their opportunities are greater elsewhere. In today's world in Quebec, you need to be fully bilingual if you are Anglophone. And if you don't adapt, you won't be practicing a profession in Quebec. As for those from lower socio-economic circumstances, they have a more even playing field, which is a good thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dinosaur Posted August 18, 2013 Report Share Posted August 18, 2013 http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Opinion+McGill+seeks+best+medical+school/8798256/story.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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