Thought: Will The Faculty Of Medicine (Mcat) Follow The Faculty Of Law (Lsat)

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[Elle_MD]

I would argue all French stream applicants are bilingual- we have to be able to communicate in English, and our English proficiency is tested during the interview. Also, the classes are in French, but you can write your exams in English or in French if you choose. I agree that an English exam can cause francophones some trouble, especially if French is their first language, however, I foresee there being different minimums for the MCAT for this stream rather than not having it altogether. It has more to do with the need to further differentiate applicants than anything else. Not sure what to say about the LSAT for Common Law; maybe they do not need it as a screening tool?

 

Best advice I can give is to take the MCAT; give it your best, and see what happens. No point in contemplating whether or not it will be used, as you will likely need the MCAT if you're applying to other medical schools. As of now, if you want uOttawa, you'll eventually need the MCAT. Pretty sure they have no plans of abolishing the French stream, that would be a sad day.

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[Elle_MD]

Good questions! I'm not 100% sure about the English part, but the people I've spoken to in my class said they were asked questions in English. I don't remember if I put in my app that I was bilingual... but it would make sense to double-check for French applicants because even though we learn our clinical skills in French, oftentimes our patients are anglophone. 

 

I'll see if I can find some more info about this, don't want to spread any false information.  

[indefatigable]

Good questions! I'm not 100% sure about the English part, but the people I've spoken to in my class said they were asked questions in English. I don't remember if I put in my app that I was bilingual... but it would make sense to double-check for French applicants because even though we learn our clinical skills in French, oftentimes our patients are anglophone.

 

I'll see if I can find some more info about this, don't want to spread any false information.

if Ottawa implements the Mcat for the French stream, I think the reasons for the stream will diminish. Since exams and possibly other work can be done in English, the selection process will favour applicants with conversational French proficiency (enough for an interview), but relatively strong English skills (for the Mcat). Medical French classes could be added to the English stream instead, and the costs of an additional separate French stream could be brought down. Imho mastering written French is more difficult than conversational.

 

edit: I suppose with Casper though, only francophones would apply (English exams wouldn't be necessary) which means that the Mcat could really be a big hurdle.  I think it's asking a lot for a linguistic minority which hasn't always had the greatest support.