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2016 Intake - Who's Applying At Nosm?


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Hey everyone!

 

I decided to start a new thread for those whom will be applying this fall for the 2016 intake at NOSM.  Figured we can include some information about ourselves.

 

Personal Stats: 28 years old, married with 2 kids

 

Degrees:   B.Sc. (Honours) in Environmental Earth Sciences – Laurentian University

                  Certificate in Environmental Practice – Royal Roads University

                  M.Sc.A in Occupational Health – McGill University

                  B.Sc. in General Sciences – Lakehead University

                 

GPA: 4.0 (3.91 on second B.Sc. + 0.2 from Masters)

 

Context: From Greater Sudbury my entire life.  Completed my certificate, masters and second bachelors all through distance education.  Bilingual (French & English).  Metis status.

 

ECs / Volunteer: 600+ hours with Ontario Special Olympics, Big Brother for Big Brother Big Sisters of Sudbury, several community clean-up blitz, Treasurer for a Sudbury Community committee, piano player all my life with grade 8 certification, Environmental Professional certification, active member at the local Italian club, and more.

 

I’m hoping that my dedication to staying in the north while working full time since 2008 and raising a family will show my true desire to stay and help people from Northern Ontario.  Hope to hear from others.

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Sounds like you're a pretty competitive NOSM applicant, crazyye. I wish you all the best. I myself am taking the 2015-2016 application cycle off to finish my physiotherapy degree. This is the first time since the 2011-2012 application cycle that I will not be applying to medical school. I started physio school in the fall as a backup after 3 unsuccessful attempts at applying to NOSM. I tried again this year, again with no success. I feel like I should take (at least) the next cycle off to gain the 0.2 GPA boost from the MSc(PT) and try to build up my application. However, I am not looking forward to NOSM adopting the CASPer as part of their admission process in future years. Gotta roll with the punches, I guess...

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Thanks MDwannabe02!  I also believe I have a pretty competitive application for this cycle.  I pretty much have doted all of my i's and crossed all my t's.  The rest will be up to NOSM to see if I am worth of an interview or not.

 

Have you interviewed in the past?

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Yeah, I've interviewed 4 times now. 3 times in Thunder Bay and this year's cycle in Sudbury. I was wait-listed at #26 for 2013 admission, but the list stopped moving at #19. I haven't made the wait-list again since that year. That is why I've decided to take next year off. I've been throwing essentially the same application at NOSM for the past 4 years with only minor tweaks every year. I think I need to continue to build on my application if I'm finally going to receive the mid-May email I've been waiting my entire adult life for. Best wishes, friend!

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  • 3 weeks later...

Personal Stats: 20 Year Old, just finished 3rd year of my undergrad

 

Degrees: Will have completed my 4 year undergrad at UoGuelph for Biomedical Sciences

 

Gpa: 3.62 

 

Context: Lived in Dryden since I was 8 years old. Come back every summer and work for NOSM assistant Profs doing student research involving aboriginals in their rural communities.

 

ECs/Volunteer: A massive list.... Some include:

-Board of Directors at Student Union (sat on hiring and various other committees) 

-VP of International Students Org. on campus

-100 ish hours at old folks home

-Coached soccer for several years

-Volunteered with Centre for students with disabilities on campus

 

I've been told because of my context and ECs etc I will have a good chance of getting in, with my only worry being my grades.

Gpa is on a strong upward trend with a 3.9 in 3rd year so worst case if I don't get in for 2016 I'll have closer to a 3.7 for 2017. 

Hoping my close to 100% context score will help my chances!

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Sounds like you have a pretty strong application for the most part. I don't think you need to stress too much about GPA though. You can always make it better with a graduate degree (or second undergrad that can be completed in 3 years) down the line if need be. Just keep trying your best and maintain all your extracurriculars and other activities for the autobiographical sketch. NOSM seems to like more well-rounded applicants.

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Hey originalname1025.  I agree with MDwannabe02 that you have a strong application. 

 

Remember that NOSM scores their application with 1/3 GPA, 1/3 autobiography and 1/3 context (each section x/10).  From what I've read on this forum, people assume that a 3.7 GPA would give you a 7 out of 10.  Based on your EC's and context you'll likely score fairly well, which may give you a chance for an interview.  I would do as MDwannabe02 suggested and continue/work on your autobiographical sketch.

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I'll be throwing my name in for the lottery again this year...

 

Personal Stats: 32 years old

 

Degrees:   HBA, History, Lakehead University

                   MA, History, Lakehead University

                 

GPA: 3.95 (3.75 HBA + 0.2 from Masters)

 

ECs / Volunteer:  Tons.  Lots of travel, varied work experience, outdoorsy things, organic farming, campus first response, wilderness first aid, hospital/community health/aboriginal health/family health volunteering.  This year shadowed a NOSM graduated family physician at a family health team in rural North Eastern Ontario, as well as worked on several community preventative medicine projects as a volunteer with the health team.  Also working with a local Aboriginal Organization on a community kitchen project.  Experience working in traditional healing settings with residential school survivors.

 

Context:  This is clearly my weakness after three attempts (although I have no proof of interview success, life experience and reading of body language, flow of conversation, etc. has led me to believe I interview well).  I have lived in Northern Ontario for most of my adult life (7 years).  Not sure how many more attempts I'll need to convince the ad com I'm here to stay....

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I'll be throwing my name in for the lottery again this year...

 

Personal Stats: 32 years old

 

Degrees:   HBA, History, Lakehead University

                   MA, History, Lakehead University

                 

GPA: 3.95 (3.75 HBA + 0.2 from Masters)

 

ECs / Volunteer:  Tons.  Lots of travel, varied work experience, outdoorsy things, organic farming, campus first response, wilderness first aid, hospital/community health/aboriginal health/family health volunteering.  This year shadowed a NOSM graduated family physician at a family health team in rural North Eastern Ontario, as well as worked on several community preventative medicine projects as a volunteer with the health team.  Also working with a local Aboriginal Organization on a community kitchen project.  Experience working in traditional healing settings with residential school survivors.

 

Context:  This is clearly my weakness after three attempts (although I have no proof of interview success, life experience and reading of body language, flow of conversation, etc. has led me to believe I interview well).  I have lived in Northern Ontario for most of my adult life (7 years).  Not sure how many more attempts I'll need to convince the ad com I'm here to stay....

 

I love the consistent progress in your waitlist rank each year. Maybe your MMI is getting a tad stronger each time? Hopefully you can make it next year right away  

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Personal Stats: 22 year old Female, recent graduate, and second time applying to NOSM. Was interviewed this past March in    Sudbury

 

Degrees:   BSc Kinesiology with Honours

                 

GPA: 3.97 on a 4.0 scale (we used 4.3 at UNB and I graduated with a 4.2) 

 

Context: From a small town on PEI. Moved to Fredericton for my undergraduate degree. Moving to Thunder Bay this spring as my boyfriend has just been accepted into NOSM for the fall!

 

ECs / Volunteer: 

  • Varsity Cross Country and Track and Field Athlete and co-captain
  • Physiotherapy assistant volunteer
  • Various volunteer activities through being an athlete such as foodbank, blood donor clinics, fundraisers, and reading to elementary school kids
  • Volunteer in the resource department at an elementary school
  • Past Hospital volunteer
  • Athletics council representative. 

Good Luck to everyone applying this year!!  :) 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi folks

I'm from BC but am going to apply for NOSM this fall. I'm not sure if I have any chance though as I am not an IP. Also my GPA is 3.01 + .2 (masters degree)= 3.21. Pretty low I know but I'm going to try this cycle, for the first time just to see what the process is like. I do have whole bunch of work/volunteer experience since I was 18. I'm 41 years old now. Do you guys think I may even have a chance?

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Best of luck on your applications everybody. Keep at it, work hard and don't get discouraged. People take 3 attempts on average before they're accepted. Lilli you don't have a shot if you don't apply! I'm sure your life experience, sketch and possibly interview could help though your GPA could stand to be improved. Ktmed7 enjoy the move! Tb is great, good luck in applying again. I think applications just opened.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Personal: 21 y/o male going into my last year at uOttawa for Human Kinetics

 

GPA: 3.78

 

Context: From a small, rural town in Northwestern Ontario where I come back every summer to work

 

ECs: Probably the weakest part of my application.  Includes a volunteer position at a physiotherapy office and tons of engagement with sports and fitness (as both a participant and as a referee).  Also part of a research team in uOttawa where I have a peer-reviewed article published, as a first name author, on Aboriginal health policies.

 

NOSM is the only med school I plan on applying to!

Good luck guys

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  • 2 weeks later...

Personal: 21 y/o, about to enter fourth year

 

Degrees: Will have HBSc Biology from lakehead

 

GPA: 3.85 (3.93 the last two years, and sadly 3.68 in first year)

 

Context: Born in southern ontario, but have been living in Thunder Bay since the age of 4

 

EC: Lots of volunteering on campus (various clubs and centers), teach a child swimming for free, was a volunteer skating instructor, note taking. Play hockey, run, horseback ride. Do a lot of outdoor activities such as fishing, hiking, camping, waterskiing. Play the flute. Summer student research (nserc).

 

I'm not very confident in my application this year, I think my ECs are weak,  but there's always the next application cycle!

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I just know that a lot of it isn't grades and don't want to get my hopes up! I'm just worried about my context with being born in a large city, and that I don't have quite enough volunteering. I'm still giving it my all, but I'm also making myself a good plan B to do as I keep applying if I don't get in this cycle. Thanks for the positivity though :)

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My perspective is that volunteering for the sake of volunteering is less important than using those volunteer positions to better understand medicine and your place in it (and of course, give back to your community). Focused depth of experience trumps incoherent breadth imo, but you still have to fill the (48? 54?) spots on OMSAS. Good luck with your application! 

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Personal Stats: 21 years old, one last year until I finish my Honours Specialization Degree in Biology from Nipissing University

                 

GPA: 3.99

 

ECs / Volunteer: I was student council president in high school and organized many fundraisers and events during grade 12 including a drug and alcohol abuse awareness campaign that was funded by the provincial government. I was a tutor and student ambassador in high school and won many major leadership and academic awards upon graduation. Also, I was involved in the band all four years of high school. Throughout university I have been a volunteer tutor and TA and have been VP and, this year, president of my program-affiliated club. I also volunteered with the local health unit this summer and I am hopefully doing an internship at the hospital this semester. I am also doing research on various theories of oxidative stress for my thesis this year. I have done a moderate amount of community volunteering and have worked summers at the same place for four years. Also, last summer I shadowed a local specialist and he had me create a teaching module for NOSM students that were doing an elective with him in the future. I was also trying to volunteer with a local native organization this summer, but unfortunately that fell through.

 

Context:  I have lived in North Bay my entire life. I know this is definitely a plus, but I'm so unsure what kind of context score I will receive as North Bay is definitely urban and not rural.

 

I believe my application is fairly strong, but I am unsure what to expect as this is my first time applying. Also, I'm applying only to NOSM because I really want to practice and live in the north, but I am still very unsure of this decision. I was going to apply to Ottawa as well, but I changed my mind...

 

Anyways, good luck to everyone! The competition is definitely tough!  

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  • 2 weeks later...

Should I include my general interests and hobbies in my sketch? I think this has been asked before, but I can't find where. I'm thinking of including reading, painting, photography, piano playing, coin collecting, and jogging. Do these seem silly or irrelevant?

 

 

Your interests are certainly not silly or irrelevant as they shed light on who you are as a person - which I think becomes more important the farther into a school's admissions process you go. 

 

As far as the sketch goes, if your interests show some kind of leadership or community involvement then I think it would be a good idea to include them.  For instance, did you organize any kind of photography/coin collecting event in your community?  That would be my litmus test for determining whether they should be included in a sketch for myself, anyway.

 

RR

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Your interests are certainly not silly or irrelevant as they shed light on who you are as a person - which I think becomes more important the farther into a school's admissions process you go. 

 

As far as the sketch goes, if your interests show some kind of leadership or community involvement then I think it would be a good idea to include them.  For instance, did you organize any kind of photography/coin collecting event in your community?  That would be my litmus test for determining whether they should be included in a sketch for myself, anyway.

 

RR

 Thanks RR! I'll definitely take that into consideration.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Your interests are certainly not silly or irrelevant as they shed light on who you are as a person - which I think becomes more important the farther into a school's admissions process you go. 

 

As far as the sketch goes, if your interests show some kind of leadership or community involvement then I think it would be a good idea to include them.  For instance, did you organize any kind of photography/coin collecting event in your community?  That would be my litmus test for determining whether they should be included in a sketch for myself, anyway.

 

RR

 

Rural_Roots, I am totally new to this forum and I have just been going through some of the content. I came across some of your posts and I just wanted to say you have so much perseverance! I really hope this is your year. As one other poster mentioned, maybe it's just a matter of practicing the MMI more? 7 years doesn't seem to me like it would be a bad context score- I'd say it would probably give you a pretty good, but perhaps not great, context score. With stellar GPA and EC's, I would be really surprised if any of that was holding you back. Anyway, I am applying this year too and if I get an interview, it will be cool to meet up. But I hate how long we have to wait to hear about interviews (of course, they have so many to sort through, it makes sense they need time) I don't know how the rest of you wait calmly and patiently until Feb. to hear about interview results-maybe I'm just more impatient than most! I was so focussed on getting the apps in until Thursday, now it's hard to think about much else even though I have other things that definitely need my attention! Anyway, keep your chin up, this could be your year, I have fingers crossed for both of us!

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It wouldn't be so sad if it meant less people applied this year so I have a better chance of getting in! This is my first time applying so that would be pretty awesome. But maybe it's just wishful thinking! It's been a crazy hectic time and for those who are in school I guess midterms are around the corner so they're more busy with that.

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