U of T Frequently Asked Questions

[ArchEnemy]

Ahoy everybody! Greetings from Leon and ArchEnemy, two medical students from the University of Toronto's Class of 2017. We have spent the last few weeks going through all existing FAQs and have combined them all into one thread along with updated information about Admissions. We hope this thread serves as a hub for all Admissions related info for the University of Toronto. If you find any errors, please let us know and we will do our best to verify and correct them right away. Please note that everything here is compiled by student input, and the Admissions Office itself is NOT directly involved in anyway.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 - Where can I find the latest and most accurate information?
2 - UofT Medicine Admissions- Selection Criteria
3 - The Grade Point Average (GPA)
4 - The Medical College Admissions Test & Prerequisite Courses
5 - Extra Curriculars and the Auto Biographic Sketch
6 - Admission Statistics
7 - Information for Unsuccessful Applicants
8 - Campus and Academy Assignment
 

Credit to nemesis for his original FAQ thread.

(Leon:) 2017 Update: We started this thread 4 years ago and cannot comment on how valid this information is for current students at this present time.

Edited June 27, 2017 by Leon
2017 update

[ArchEnemy]

Where can I find the latest and most accurate information?

 

1) WordPress Blog

2) Facebook Account

3) Twitter Account

4) MD Admissions Website

 

Undergraduate Medical Education Admissions and Student Finance- Contact Information

 

Medical Sciences Building, Rm 2135

1 King's College Circle

Toronto, Ontario, M5S 1A8

 

Tel: 416-978-7928

Fax: 416-971-2163

Email: medicine.admiss@utoronto.ca

 

Dr. Mark Hanson, Associate Dean, UME, Admissions and Student Finance

Tel: 416-978-7928

Email: mark.hanson@utoronto.ca

 

Leslie Taylor, Admissions Officer

Tel: 416-978-2729

Email: ld.taylor@utoronto.ca

 

Bill Gregg, Associate Registrar, Student Financial Services

Tel: 416.946.0739

Email: bill.gregg@utoronto.ca

[ArchEnemy]

UofT Medicine Admissions- Selection Criteria

 

UofT evaluates each applicant based on academic and non academic criteria. From their website:

 

• For Undergraduate applicants, a minimum of 3 years (or in the process of completing their third year) of undergrad
  
• For Graduate applicants, they must be finishing up their graduate degree.
  
• Candidates are also encouraged to show evidence of outstanding achievement in the non-academic areas, which are judged from the applicant's essays, autobiographical sketch, reference letters and interview.

 

Additional Info:

• University students from any discipline are eligible to apply, as long as prerequisite courses are completed.
  
• Candidates are encouraged to pursue a program of study that will offer a backup to medicine in the event that they are not accepted.
  
• Candidates are encouraged to complete a rigorous and coherent course of study, which will exhibit a self-directed, mature and independent learning style.
  
• Candidates are also encouraged to show evidence of outstanding achievement in the non-academic areas, which are judged from the applicant's essays, autobiographical sketch, reference letters and interview.

 

L

[Leon]

The Grade Point Average (GPA)

The minimum required GPA is 3.6/4.0 for undergraduate applicants and an undergraduate GPA of 3.0/4.0 for graduate applicants.

Note: Fulfilling only the minimum requirement will likely not result in a successful application. A GPA of at least ≥3.8/4.0 is needed to be considered "competitive", considering the average accepted GPA was 3.92.

UofT's Weighted GPA (wGPA)

 

To qualify for the weighing, stay enrolled in 5 courses per term during your undergrad. Dropping below this 100% load will jeapordize having the weighing applied to your GPA.

 

 

GPA is calculated using grades from all courses taken at an undergraduate level on a full-time basis.  All course grades are included in a single GPA, including grades from multiple degree programs, multiple universities, and/or from full-time non-degree study (e.g. a fifth year of courses taken following a four-year degree).  We do not weight grades differently based on year of study.

Application after completing two years of university:
GPA will be calculated using grades from all courses completed on a full-time basis during the two completed years of university

If you are applying after completing three years of university and have taken a full course load in all academic years:
A GPA weighting formula may be used for students who have taken a full course load (i.e. five full credits) during the regular academic session, in each year of study. This weighting is designed to encourage students to take demanding courses which advance their education during their undergraduate years. A weighted GPA will be calculated eliminating one full-course equivalent grade per full year of study.

• Students applying after completion of three years of study will have their lowest 3 full-course equivalent grades removed from the GPA calculation; and
• Students applying after completion of four years of study will have their lowest 4 full-course equivalent grades removed from the GPA calculation
  • Note: We remove lowest overall grades, not lowest grades in each year of study

If you are applying after completing at least three years of university and have not taken a full course load in all academic years:
GPA will be considered on the average of all courses taken during the regular academic sessions on a full-time basis. The weighting formula will not be applied. Applicants who wish special consideration for weighting due to unusual circumstances should submit their request, supported by reasons using the Academic Explanations Essay. All requests for special consideration will be reviewed by the Admissions Committee and are assessed on a case-by-case basis.  No decision will be released.

Part-Time Courses:
Courses taken on a part-time basis, including summer courses, are not included in the applicant's GPA calculation. However, these courses are counted, if successfully completed, in counting the total number of credits and for fulfillment of prerequisites.

Edited September 16, 2014 by Leon

[Leon]

The Medical College Admissions Test

All applicants require the MCAT.
The MCAT has to be written within the past 5 years, and prior to the application deadline (written before 1 October of each cycle, the deadline for OMSAS Submission)
The most recent MCAT score will be considered.

Minimum scores of 9 in each of the three sections are required of all applicants (writing sample is no longer considered in this cycle).
Any section below 9 will result in the application getting flagged.

Note: the MCAT is used only as a flag, hence any marks higher than the minimums will not improve the application.

For further information and to register to write the MCAT, please visit: http://www.aamc.org/mcat
 

MCAT 2015

Please note our minimum requirements for the new MCAT 2015 (effective April 2015) will be available in the spring of 2015.

During the 2015-2016 admissions cycle, we will accept scores from the both the old MCAT and from the new MCAT 2015.  Keep in mind, regardless the test you are taking the most recent MCAT scores will be considered.

 

Prerequisite Courses:

Applicants are required to have completed at least:

• two full-course equivalents in Life Sciences
• one full-course equivalent in the Humanities or Social Sciences or Languages

Note: Always check with the admissions committee if you are unsure whether or not a particular course is acceptable as a prerequisite. Organic chemistry is NOT considered a Life Sciences subject.
They do not pay any special attention to the grades obtained in pre-requisite courses; they only want to see that this is in-progress or completed.

Edited September 16, 2014 by Leon

[Leon]

Extra Curriculars and the Auto Biographic Sketch

The ABS looks like this:

 

Date
Description
Geographic Location
Verifier #
Level of Education
Hours
Full/Part-time - Summer or Academic Year
Responsibilities

 

This is your opportunity to show how you are more than your GPA. The ABS is a list of your volunteer activities, extra curricular activities, formal education, research, employment and awards. There are a total of 48 spots and it is up to your discretion to decide what activity fits there, though the OMSAS booklet provides some guidance. 

 

Each activity will require a verifier (someone the school can contact to ensure that you are not lying about the activity). 

Edited September 19, 2014 by Leon

[Leon]

Admission Statistics

 

1 - From the Official Website:

 

 

2 - PM101 Acceptance/Rejected/Waitlisted thread (containing posts from 2005-2014) - treat this thread with caution as the pool of applicants who choose to post here may not necessarily be representative of the entire applicant pool. It is also the internet, where anyone can get 45T and 4.00..

[ArchEnemy]

Information for Unsuccessful Applicants

 

Note that all decisions made by the Admissions Committee are final and not appealable.

 

Points to consider:

• Competitive GPA?
  
• Met MCAT cutoffs?
  
• Autobiographical sketch demonstrates breath and depth of experiences?
  
• Essays?
  
• Strong reference Letters?
  

[ArchEnemy]

Campus and Academy Assignment

 

Faculty of Medicine at U of T operates on 2 campuses - St. George & Mississauga.

 

St. George campus comprises of 3 Academies - Fitzgerald (FG), Peters-Boyd (PB) and Wightman-Berris (WB).

Mississauga campus comprises of only 1 Academy - Mississauga Academy of Medicine (MAM)

 

Points to note:

• Campus & Academy assignments are fixed for the entire 4 years of medical school.
  
• Offer of Admission is tied to campus; no negotiating or mutual exchange allowed.
  
• Students will receive a survey during the interview weekends to state their campus preference
  
• Students who receive St. George campus will be further assigned to 1 of 3 academy sites (students will be allowed to rank their preference, but 1st choice placement is not guaranteed).
  
• Regardless of Academy, students will be able to participate in clinical learning opportunities.
  

[Vick]

Hi,

 

Does a 3.595 count as a 3.6?

Or is this minimum a 3.600

[Leon]

Hi,

 

Does a 3.595 count as a 3.6?

Or is this minimum a 3.600

 

OMSAS rounds up in cases like this so that should be a 3.6

[JWR]

Extra Curriculars and the Auto Biographic Sketch

The ABS looks like this:

 

DateDescriptionGeographic LocationVerifier #Level of EducationHoursFull/Part-time - Summer or Academic YearResponsibilities

 

This is your opportunity to show how you are more than your GPA. The ABS is a list of your volunteer activities, extra curricular activities, formal education, research, employment and awards. There are a total of 48 spots and it is up to your discretion to decide what activity fits there, though the OMSAS booklet provides some guidance. 

 

Each activity will require a verifier (someone the school can contact to ensure that you are not lying about the activity).

 

If you have been a member of executive team of a club at your uni, do you say full time or part time? And who are you supposed to write as a verifier for those kind of activities? And what about for lab volunteering (full time or part time? And whom for verifier)?

[Leon]

If you have been a member of executive team of a club at your uni, do you say full time or part time? And who are you supposed to write as a verifier for those kind of activities? And what about for lab volunteering (full time or part time? And whom for verifier)?

I'm probably uselessly late in replying but will do it anyway in case it helps others. I would say part time since full time suggests 40 hours per week. As a student the vast majority of your activities will be part time unless it's something like a summer job. Verifiers are anyone not related to you who can attest to the activity so other members of the team, lab supervisor etc.

[mcgillpsyc]

I have a question. McGill’s website says that they give out admission decisions in March but then give us 2 weeks to respond. I’ve also applied to Ontario and they don’t give out admission decisions until May.

If I accept my offer at McGill to secure my spot, will that affect my position as an applicant at Ontario? My first choice is UofT and McGill is my second. 

[m_jacob_45]

3 hours ago, mcgillpsyc said:

I have a question. McGill’s website says that they give out admission decisions in March but then give us 2 weeks to respond. I’ve also applied to Ontario and they don’t give out admission decisions until May.

If I accept my offer at McGill to secure my spot, will that affect my position as an applicant at Ontario? My first choice is UofT and McGill is my second. 

If you accept McGill, you are still able to get accept an Ontario school. You will however lose your deposit, but that's the only negative effect. 

[His_Love]

Hey Everyone,

When does the UFT med supplementary questions come out this year? 

[annhertz]

Where can we check our wGPA on OMSAS? Or do we just check our eligibility and calculate by ourselves?

[poorpremed]

23 minutes ago, annhertz said:

Where can we check our wGPA on OMSAS? Or do we just check our eligibility and calculate by ourselves?

OMSAS will give you your CGPA. You have to calculate your own WGPA