Calgary Applicants

[amichel]

OMG! I have been dreading starting my Top 10 because when I saw the application I noticed the "1000" and a big text box, my brain immediately assumed it said 1000 words.

 

Just went and checked, its definitely 1000 characters. You have no idea how happy that makes me.

 

...and yes, i realize I'm not very smart.

It's a blessing and curse, you'll see.

[MSWschnoodle]

OMG! I have been dreading starting my Top 10 because when I saw the application I noticed the "1000" and a big text box, my brain immediately assumed it said 1000 words. 

 

Just went and checked, its definitely 1000 characters. You have no idea how happy that makes me.

 

...and yes, i realize I'm not very smart.

 

I have the opposite problem. I am heartbroken about the 1000 character limit because I am WAY TOO WORDY :-)

[MLMSCalgary]

Hi Calgary applicants - a repost from a guy who needs/wants a study/accountability buddy in Calgary for the Class of 2020 application:

 

Hi, I'm a UofC student taking the MCAT next year. I'm looking for an MCAT study buddy in SE Calgary or at UofC.

 

I have a background in the health/social sciences (BA in the humanities, MA in the humanistic social sciences and a PhD in social science and post-doc in global health policy) but I am just beginning to take the basic sciences this year and intend to write the MCAT by June next year. I just moved back here in Calgary after working in Geneva, Switzerland last year and spending a 6-month break to volunteer, teach, practice jiujitsu and surfing as well learn Portuguese in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

 

I have a beginner's mind attitude towards this process. I need/want to look for a study buddy who's willing to commit to sit down and study with me on campus or at the Shawnessy Public Library in SE Calgary, or at my home in the SE. I'm doing this for the first time and it's good to know some other soul doing it with me and maybe we can compliment each other by keeping each other accountable and focused. I can also cook for you (or invite you for dinner and you eat my Mom's delicious food) if you can help me out in the sciences section and I can help you out in the CARS and Psych/Soc sections. It's like exchange private tutorials - we can also simulate full length MCAT practice tests together.

 

PM me for details. Cheers.

[Friendly Magpie]

Is anyone else having trouble accessing the application on UCAN this evening?

 

Edit: Nevermind. It's up now. ????

[PM333]

Quick question about top 10! Do you guys recommend writing in complete sentences or are sentence fragments fine? I'm asking for both the description of the activity and experience impact. Thanks!

[Borborygmi]

Quick question about top 10! Do you guys recommend writing in complete sentences or are sentence fragments fine? I'm asking for both the description of the activity and experience impact. Thanks!

 

http://forums.premed101.com/index.php?/topic/86553-top-10/

 

Do whichever works better for you.

[PM333]

http://forums.premed101.com/index.php?/topic/86553-top-10/

 

Do whichever works better for you.

Thanks!

[narwhale]

How are people's top 10's coming along? For those who have applied before, are you recycling your Top 10 or are you giving yourself a fresh start? I had one friend who applied twice and the first time she got in the low 30 percentile range and was rejected, but then submitted the same application the next year and got in the 80th percentile range and got accepted. So it's tough to tell what is the best choice.

 

This is my 3rd time applying so I'm not sure if I'll have to really write up a whole lot that is different, but then again... it's also my 3rd time applying so maybe I should?

 

Edited to add: after re-reading my post, I realize how much of a curse and a gift it can be to have such a huge portion of an application be subjective. It's a bit frustrating! haha

[Friendly Magpie]

How are people's top 10's coming along? For those who have applied before, are you recycling your Top 10 or are you giving yourself a fresh start? I had one friend who applied twice and the first time she got in the low 30 percentile range and was rejected, but then submitted the same application the next year and got in the 80th percentile range and got accepted. So it's tough to tell what is the best choice.

 

This is my 3rd time applying so I'm not sure if I'll have to really write up a whole lot that is different, but then again... it's also my 3rd time applying so maybe I should?

 

Edited to add: after re-reading my post, I realize how much of a curse and a gift it can be to have such a huge portion of an application be subjective. It's a bit frustrating! haha

 

That bolded part is that part that scares me. It's not the first time I've heard that either. 

[MSWschnoodle]

That bolded part is that part that scares me. It's not the first time I've heard that either. 

 

It's an ongoing joke with my grad school cohort that we really only learned 2 useful skills in grad school - distress tolerance and radical acceptance, both of which are being put to the test in preparing my application! I've had to go the radical acceptance route when it comes to this application process because I've heard the same thing. I've decided to put "Que Sera Sera" on repeat, write the best application I can and let the chips fall where they may. Unfortunately I'm a control freak by nature so perhaps this also explains why I've started biting my nails as of late   

 

At the end of the day unless you go straight GPA you'll never get away from the subjective piece... and in my experience all of the doctors I've met have been exceptionally clever people who I am sure all had excellent GPAs... but even I have to admit that the difference between a "good" doctor ('good' as in a doctor I like) and a doctor I can't stand unfortunately does come down to more subjective 'soft skill' qualities. I totally 'get' why U of C is giving themselves lots of leeway to try and capture the people who have those really good subjective qualities, but DANG does it ever make the application process nerve-wracking. 

 

All I can keep thinking is that UCAN should spit out a coupon for a complimentary glass of wine when you finally submit your application, because we are all going to need one!    If that coupon can include free refills until final admission decisions are made that would be even better! 

[narwhale]

I could use some advice on a potential top 10... I've used it the last few applications but thought that I would change it up a bit. In the past, I've always tried to paint this experience as a positive learning experience where I worked through a tough situation and everything was peachy keen in the end.. Kumbaya and sunsets and shit...

 

The more I think about this experience, I realize that I regret some of my actions and would do them different. I learned a lot about myself and the kind of person I don't want to be. 

 

Would you think it would be ok to look at past bad behaviours, experiences and actions but talk about how I learned from them, and thus became a better person? I feel like it paints me in a bad light that I was potentially not always a great person. I don't want it to reflect that in different situations that I made bad choices, but in reality, it was 7 years ago and I've learned a lot since then. 

 

I just don't know if painting your past self in a bad light, then having some revelation about yourself and making changes for a better future self is something they'd really appreciate, or what. I guess it's like that interview question where they ask you to name something negative about yourself or something, and you're really only supposed to put a positive spin on it. 

 

Now I'm rambling... Advice would be appreciated. 

[MSWschnoodle]

I could use some advice on a potential top 10... I've used it the last few applications but thought that I would change it up a bit. In the past, I've always tried to paint this experience as a positive learning experience where I worked through a tough situation and everything was peachy keen in the end.. Kumbaya and sunsets and shit...

 

The more I think about this experience, I realize that I regret some of my actions and would do them different. I learned a lot about myself and the kind of person I don't want to be. 

 

Would you think it would be ok to look at past bad behaviours, experiences and actions but talk about how I learned from them, and thus became a better person? I feel like it paints me in a bad light that I was potentially not always a great person. I don't want it to reflect that in different situations that I made bad choices, but in reality, it was 7 years ago and I've learned a lot since then. 

 

I just don't know if painting your past self in a bad light, then having some revelation about yourself and making changes for a better future self is something they'd really appreciate, or what. I guess it's like that interview question where they ask you to name something negative about yourself or something, and you're really only supposed to put a positive spin on it. 

 

Now I'm rambling... Advice would be appreciated. 

 

I think there is a HUGE difference between painting yourself in a 'bad' light and painting yourself as a human being who has learned, grown and developed over the years. I also think that a 'positive spin' is different from ending in rainbows and unicorns... not everything has to be a happily ever after for something to be positive. Positive can mean that you grew as a person and took steps to ensure you didn't make the same mistakes in future. I am absolutely putting in my top 10 a few situations where I would act differently today ​because those situations are fundamental to who I am as a person today. If you zapped them out of my history I would absolutely be a different person (and probably a shittier person). I think the two bolded statements are the key to what you want to highlight in your Top 10.

 

I have a similar situation in my top 10 (one that taught me who I didn't want to be). Now, the choice I made in the situation was reflective of what my (then career) industry standard and professional ethics indicate as correct (it was in a workplace context) but these were in absolute opposition to my ethics as a human being. That being said, I still went with the decision that was against my own personal inclination at the time. So in my top 10 I am outlining the situation briefly then talking about how this conflict of values showed me that despite being reasonably successful in the career path I was in, it was making me into a person I didn't want to be and how the lessons I learned led me to make decisions more in line with my personal ethics in the future, even when my professional life was in opposition (and I give an example of an event where I did this). 

 

The purpose of the top 10 is to give the committee an idea of who you are as a person and how you became that person... life rarely ends in rainbows and kumbayas. Throughout this application process my decisions keep coming back to the idea of producing an application that is authentic to who I am. I fully acknowledge that, in some cases, this could bite me squarely in the butt and I'm taking that risk because I think that I can produce a far better application by being authentic to who I am (even if that means revealing a few flaws) than I ever could trying to produce an application full of happily ever afters (because frankly some life events that made me who I am will never have happily ever afters). That being said, there are MANY MANY MANY people who will disagree with my approach and they probably know much more than I do!

 

As I preface all things: this is my first year applying and I obviously haven't unearthed some secret key to Narnia... your mileage may vary, so please don't take my advice as gospel. Do what will make you feel best about the application you are handing in. That's all you can do!

 

Good luck with the Top 10! :-) 

[capillary]

Anyone either use the top 10 or some other separate part of the application to talk about mitigating circumstnaces? ex. really bad situations in life that impeded in your process of getting good greades or something?

 

I ask because I do have these circumstances but am not sure whether or not to speak of them. Anydoby have advice on this?

[capillary]

I read about this earlier but now am not sure - so, how important is the top 10 (what you put in there and how you describe it), in terms of the overall application? My understanding is that the MCAT is factored very little in your overall ranking, is that correct?

 

If you're IP, then MCAT counts even less, correct right?

[amichel]

I think there is a HUGE difference between painting yourself in a 'bad' light and painting yourself as a human being who has learned, grown and developed over the years. I also think that a 'positive spin' is different from ending in rainbows and unicorns... not everything has to be a happily ever after for something to be positive. Positive can mean that you grew as a person and took steps to ensure you didn't make the same mistakes in future. I am absolutely putting in my top 10 a few situations where I would act differently today ​because those situations are fundamental to who I am as a person today. If you zapped them out of my history I would absolutely be a different person (and probably a shittier person). I think the two bolded statements are the key to what you want to highlight in your Top 10.

 

I have a similar situation in my top 10 (one that taught me who I didn't want to be). Now, the choice I made in the situation was reflective of what my (then career) industry standard and professional ethics indicate as correct (it was in a workplace context) but these were in absolute opposition to my ethics as a human being. That being said, I still went with the decision that was against my own personal inclination at the time. So in my top 10 I am outlining the situation briefly then talking about how this conflict of values showed me that despite being reasonably successful in the career path I was in, it was making me into a person I didn't want to be and how the lessons I learned led me to make decisions more in line with my personal ethics in the future, even when my professional life was in opposition (and I give an example of an event where I did this).

 

The purpose of the top 10 is to give the committee an idea of who you are as a person and how you became that person... life rarely ends in rainbows and kumbayas. Throughout this application process my decisions keep coming back to the idea of producing an application that is authentic to who I am. I fully acknowledge that, in some cases, this could bite me squarely in the butt and I'm taking that risk because I think that I can produce a far better application by being authentic to who I am (even if that means revealing a few flaws) than I ever could trying to produce an application full of happily ever afters (because frankly some life events that made me who I am will never have happily ever afters). That being said, there are MANY MANY MANY people who will disagree with my approach and they probably know much more than I do!

 

As I preface all things: this is my first year applying and I obviously haven't unearthed some secret key to Narnia... your mileage may vary, so please don't take my advice as gospel. Do what will make you feel best about the application you are handing in. That's all you can do!

 

Good luck with the Top 10! :-)

I'd be careful about the one about going with your personal ethics over professional. That could be construed as letting your personal feelings override your professional obligations. As in, doctors who won't prescribe birth control pills. You can argue all you want about whether that's okay or not, but it's not something I'd advertise in my application. Obviously this is not your situation but just be careful.

[tropomyosin]

I read about this earlier but now am not sure - so, how important is the top 10 (what you put in there and how you describe it), in terms of the overall application? My understanding is that the MCAT is factored very little in your overall ranking, is that correct?

 

If you're IP, then MCAT counts even less, correct right?

 

From how I interpreted the admissions podcast, the top 10 appears to be worth 60% of your score prior to the interview. From there, I think it's 10% CARS, 20% GPA, and the other 10% is where they look at your courses, program, and other sections of the MCAT as a whole. Someone correct me if I am wrong!

[MSWschnoodle]

I'd be careful about the one about going with your personal ethics over professional. That could be construed as letting your personal feelings override your professional obligations. As in, doctors who won't prescribe birth control pills. You can argue all you want about whether that's okay or not, but it's not something I'd advertise in my application. Obviously this is not your situation but just be careful.

Thank you for pointing this out... I don't *think* the example I give in my application would be interpreted that way but now I am going to revisit it to ensure it doesn't read like that... very very good point. I figured it was safe to use because it already appears in my thesis (my research methodology is a type of interpretative phenomenology so you have to provide a statement of your own personal context) but now I'm questioning it.

 

Le sigh. This top 10 is harder to write than my wedding vows :-S

[amichel]

Thank you for pointing this out... I don't *think* the example I give in my application would be interpreted that way but now I am going to revisit it to ensure it doesn't read like that... very very good point. I figured it was safe to use because it already appears in my thesis (my research methodology is a type of interpretative phenomenology so you have to provide a statement of your own personal context) but now I'm questioning it.

 

Le sigh. This top 10 is harder to write than my wedding vows :-S

Ha no problem. PM me if you'd like an opinion.

[capillary]

From how I interpreted the admissions podcast, the top 10 appears to be worth 60% of your score prior to the interview. From there, I think it's 10% CARS, 20% GPA, and the other 10% is where they look at your courses, program, and other sections of the MCAT as a whole. Someone correct me if I am wrong!

 

Thank you! Does the 10% CARS score apply if youre IP for Calgary?

[doc123]

Thank you! Does the 10% CARS score apply if youre IP for Calgary?

 

It applies to both IP and OOP, but there is a minimum score required to apply for OOP (128 in CARS I believe)

[chronicconic]

It applies to both IP and OOP, but there is a minimum score required to apply for OOP (128 in CARS I believe)

 

127 for OoP ;-)

[capillary]

OH yes right! What is the "new average" for the CARS score that is gonna give you 100/100 of a CARS score now, anyone know?

 

Am I getting it right? U of C sets some average CARS score as being 100 and then lower than that means you're scored less than 100 and higher means of course a higher score than 100!

[chronicconic]

OH yes right! What is the "new average" for the CARS score that is gonna give you 100/100 of a CARS score now, anyone know?

 

Am I getting it right? U of C sets some average CARS score as being 100 and then lower than that means you're scored less than 100 and higher means of course a higher score than 100!

I believe this depends entirely on the applicant pool in any given year. Essentially, your CARS score is the z-score compared to the mean/ std. dev. of the applicant pool.

 

Last year, my VR10 scored a 55th percentile.

[TheApiarist]

Hey guys, I just need a little clarification. We cannot separate our impact statements for top 10 in paragraphs?

[sea-monkey-cecil]

Hey guys, I just need a little clarification. We cannot separate our impact statements for top 10 in paragraphs?

 

I'm not entirely sure I know what you mean. As far as I know, you can separate using paragraphs or page breaks (as in, press enter once, or twice to create a visible space) but it will "cost" you one of the 1000 characters, similar to a space between words. If you really think it will help your readability, then go for it, but with so little space, I would try to make this as focussed as you can, so it reads like a single paragraph.