Guest Skywyy Posted September 2, 2003 Report Share Posted September 2, 2003 Hi everyone Okay, Starting my first pre-med year. What should I do regarding volunteer work or activities. Should I do a lot of extra stuff so my profile looks better or should I just forcus on school and my MCAT exam. Thanks for your input. Any personal experience would be great. Oh what does UBC and UOT want in extra activities and marks. I really interested in applying to med school at UBC and UOT. Thank!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Lactic Folly Posted September 3, 2003 Report Share Posted September 3, 2003 Mmm.. both, I think But it's been said elsewhere on this site, and I agree, that it is easier to add more activities than to pull up a GPA, so make sure you are handling schoolwork well before overcommitting yourself with other stuff. Also, it is not just the quantity of activities, but their quality, that counts, although having participated in something for many years can serve as a positive sign of commitment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LIPOSUCTIONATOR Posted September 4, 2003 Report Share Posted September 4, 2003 Marks are definitely more important, but it's very feasible to jump from a 3.0 to 4.0 GPA within one year. On the other hand, it's very difficult to improve from a "so so" resume to a "dirty" resume in one year. Here's some concrete examples for ECs (extra-currics) so-so = member of student club dirty = vice-president of student club disgustingly sick = president of student club that has over 200 members so-so = member of intercollegiate sport team dirty = member of varsity sport team disgustingly sick = captain of varsity sport team which won national championship If you're so-so, a 4.0 would suffice. If you're dirty, 3.8 is okay. If you're disgustingly sick, you just might be able to get acceptance with a 3.6. Of course, I'm slightly exagerrating, I'm sure many have gotten into meds with lower GPAs without having been "disgustingly sick". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LIPOSUCTIONATOR Posted September 4, 2003 Report Share Posted September 4, 2003 Sorry, forgot to answer your question. UBC I'm not too sure about. For U of T, you should have some research experience upon applying (it's not essential, but it will surely help). Also, U of T has a reputation for being a "GPA school." Their stated minimum GPA to apply is 3.6 (this is down from 3.78 three years ago I believe). I've read elsewhere on this board, that given U of T's affinity for high GPAs, 3.6 is merely a "hoax" and the unofficial GPA for your application to be evaluated is 3.7 (don't know how true that is). But remember to have any hopes of getting into U of T meds with a 3.6 GPA you want to be "disgustingly sick". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Lactic Folly Posted September 4, 2003 Report Share Posted September 4, 2003 hehe, that's the spirit About the "pull up your GPA" part there: I wasn't referring to having 3.0 one year and 4.0 the next (which I agree is perfectly possible) but rather to the cumulative GPA which is not so elastic, unfortunately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest UWOMED2005 Posted September 4, 2003 Report Share Posted September 4, 2003 Actually, I have classmates who had 3.6s but weren't 'disgustingly sick.' They were just human, were willing to show it in the interviews, and as a package (GPA + MCATs + interview/experiences) seemed good enough to fit into the top 118. Top 118 - that's a lot of spots to fill. Yes there are a lot of applicants, but you don't have to be the greatest premed ever to get in. Only the 118th best that year. If you're in first year university and worried about the perfect course to med school, the first thing I think you should focus on is relaxing and enjoying Frosh week. It's great you're doing this kind of research now - it will help you in the future. But don't forget the here and now either. Other than that, try to do as well as you can in university (3.7 and above are definitely acceptable,) get involved in lots of out of class stuff, keep yourself human and personable so you won't come off like a dink in an interview, and hopefully it will all fall in place. Or you'll realize you want to do something entirely different before the competitive aspects of medicine apps are even an issue. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bj Posted September 5, 2003 Report Share Posted September 5, 2003 Hi, I totally second UWOMED2005's comments. It's your first week of your first year, with many more ahead of you. I know it may seem like you have to start now, but I can tell you that as part of that double cohort year (I would assume) you have probably already been exposed to more competition than exists in university. In short, relax. Find out about the school, your classes, your classmates and learn ways you would like to get involved. Some people really want to focus on school to boost their GPA while others do tons of volunteer/extracurriculars and minimal studying. Both get into med school. Really. If your concern is about getting into UBC or U of T (I think) then realize that both have really diverse classes. My class at U of T is way more diverse than I would have ever imagined. You don't have to have the right "profile" to get into med school, just meet the cut-offs and make a good impression. Now is the time to have fun and gain those experiences that you will talk about in 3 or 4 years at your interviews. Best of luck. bj Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LIPOSUCTIONATOR Posted September 7, 2003 Report Share Posted September 7, 2003 BTW, all of you out there with 3.9+ GPAs and 35+ MCATs are "disgustingly sick". And I mean that as a compliment. FYI, I learned that lingo from an announcer who used it to describe one of Vince Carter dunks during the year in which he won the slam dunk competition (when he still had hops). You can get into Queens and Western with a 3.6 GPA without being "disgustingly sick" EC wise, but I don't think the same holds for U of T. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ian Wong Posted September 7, 2003 Report Share Posted September 7, 2003 I'd just focus on handling university at this point. For many people, that first year of university is a big adjustment from the environment they were familiar with in high school. You can always add in extra-curriculars as you meet people in university and your interests develop. Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 0T6 Posted September 8, 2003 Report Share Posted September 8, 2003 Gotta agree with him here, I'm going into second year. Last year, I started off focusing strictly on the academics, and by november I wrote a few tests and I was more than satisfied with the results so I set aside more time for EC's and sports and all of that fun stuff. So see how it goes, meet new people, get to know profs, and opportunities should come right to you Best of Luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DrSahsi Posted September 8, 2003 Report Share Posted September 8, 2003 I always think it's a bad idea to designate one's undergraduate program as being "pre-med." Concentrate on your first degree for its own sake, not strictly as a springboard for medicine. Throw yourself into your university experience. If you concentrate strictly on doing things on the basis of how they will affect your chances of getting into medical school, you'll only hurt yourself in the process. It's reasonable to keep the goal of medical school in one's mind... but not to make it the be all and end all of your existence. - Rupinder "I have never let my schooling interfere with my education" - Mark Twain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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