The Most Unfair Undergraduate Program

[Savac 150]

I find it funny that this thread got revived just shortly after the QuARMS interviews that occurred a few days ago

[helloworldqwerty 4]

Woah, so much hate towards QuARMS and Mac Health Sci on here...

 

I'm actually headed to Queen's this Fall for QuARMS but I can understand where some of the viewpoints and frustration is coming from. Premed competition nowadays is so cut-throat and intense... it's really unbelievable. A few people pointed out that all the high school students chosen for QuARMS probably come from wealthy families, connections, etc. I can't speak for the other people that are in the program, both current and future, but I certainly don't fit into this "stereotype". My family gets by, but we're by no means well-off (that 1-bedroom apartment rental life... yay), nor do we have any insane connections (no doctors in the family or anything, so...) I guess what I'm trying to say is don't be so quick to judge.   I will admit though, that there seemed to be many more private school kids at the interview than public. And a lot more females than males.

 

The 10 of us are still human-beings, and no, we might not have gotten into med school in 3-4 years time after we face the pressures of undergrad, but I also don't think it's fair to assume that we relaxed in high school. (What is sleep... ) Bottom line, sure we might have gotten lucky with essentially a "guarantee" of med school right out of high school, but if we slack off now, we'll pay for it sooner or later. Life doesn't just stop after you get into med school; the goal is to be practicing doctors, which requires lifelong learning and commitment, and regardless if someone has an easier path into med school, we're all headed in the same direction and are all going to have to learn the same lessons at one point or another.

[Ya broda66 0]

What happens if someone gets into such a program. Is it pretty hard or something? 

[Psych 163]

On 4/22/2020 at 9:07 PM, Ya broda66 said:

What happens if someone gets into such a program. Is it pretty hard or something? 

I can't speak to Mac Health Sci (although many in this thread have already discussed it) but in QuARMs, you do your first two years of undergrad normally and take the same classes as any other Queen's student. All you have to do is maintain a 3.5 out of 4.3 GPA (Queen's uses a 4.3 not a 4.0 scale) and you enter med school after these two years

[SoftTings 77]

31 minutes ago, Psych said:

I can't speak to Mac Health Sci (although many in this thread have already discussed it) but in QuARMs, you do your first two years of undergrad normally and take the same classes as any other Queen's student. All you have to do is maintain a 3.5 out of 4.3 GPA (Queen's uses a 4.3 not a 4.0 scale) and you enter med school after these two years. Whether or not that's easy is subjective, but I am a normal third-year Queen's undergrad with a 4.3 so take from that what you will

Subtle flex

[stressedbunny 1]

I applied for QUARMS last year, unfortunately I didn't get in at the end, but I know some people who did. I honestly don't understand why there's so much hate towards those kids since the students admitted to this program are absolutely exceptional students. Judging by the students that were accepted in my year, their averages for the most part were around the 99-100% range  which indicates an incredible amount of hard work throughout high school (trust me I know, I was one of them) and from the kids that I knew, they were really impressive (i.e.athletes, a champion of some sort, lots of awards, research experience, or even lots of community work). As someone who got rejected in the end, and trust me it hurt a lot (I probably took the rejection like someone who had gone through their first breakup), I honestly admire the people who got in, they were granted an opportunity of a lifetime, and rightfully so, through lots of hardworking and commitment. I just think that everyone has a different path to medicine, some are different than others, but getting into quarms is definitely no easy task, so I don't understand why so many people are hating on them because they have an advantage. Yes, they don't have to take the MCATs or worry about getting a 3.9-4.0 gpa, but they still have to face their own trials during their time in undergrad. The reason medical schools have such hard to meet requirements is because they want to make sure their students are prepared of the rigours of medical school and weed out the people who just want to be doctors for the money from those who truly have the passion to be a physican (because let's be honest if you don't, then I genuinely don't understand why you're putting yourself through this process).  

All in all, I just finished my first year at UofT and I honestly loved it. I ended with a pretty strong GPA and have been offered so many oppertunities to do research, volunteer, and I might even be going to an expedition to Egypt next summer with my anthropology professor! So, what I'm trying to say is, don't hate on them, each person just has a different path and sometimes that's what is meant for us, and it can be life's way of allowing us to experience new things, teach us lessons that we needed to learn, strengthen our character, or bring new people in our lives. At the end of the day, those 10 students who took up the spots from the other "deserving" undergrads, deserve it as well because if it wasn't going to be for this year then they would've (most likely) gotten in 3-4 years down the road. So, don't hate on other people's blessings and remember to count your own! If you are meant to be a doctor, and you truly are dedicated, then you will become one, just keep your head in the game!!

P.s. @helloworldqwerty Congrats on your acceptance btw!! Maybe we'll be classmates one day, if I apply and get in during third year, lol