Question about full course load

[MedP111]

I've been reading about how many Canadian med schools consider a "full course load semester" to be one in which 5 courses are taken. It's my understanding that, in Canada, taking 5 courses per semester is the standard rate of progress at which one can complete graduation requirements within the allotted time. However, I'm currently doing my undergraduate studies in an American university where the graduation requirements are 36 courses over 4 years, meaning an average of 9 courses per year. As such, I have had a semester with 4 courses every year. This is the norm at my school and I'm fully on track to completing my degree in time. Does this disqualify me from applying to some schools, or disadvantage me in some way? I am a little worried, as I hadn't considered the possibility that progressing through my degree naturally full-time could mean that I don't meet basic course load requirements.

Thanks!

Edit: I know this isn't an issue for McGill, and am mostly asking regarding the Ontario med schools.

[Anon-e-mous]

Overall: you're fine at most schools, just ineligible at Western and may not get weighting of your GPA at other schools. You might also want to find out if you have completed the equivalent of 30 Canadian credits to apply to some schools. You should email each school you are interested in.

Toronto - you can still apply with less than 5 courses a semester as long as you are full-time not part-time (which you are), but you will not be eligible for their weighted GPA 

http://md.utoronto.ca/gpa-and-gpa-weighting

Western - not eligible, need two years with 5 courses a semester and most of those courses must be at your year level or above

https://www.schulich.uwo.ca/medicine/undergraduate/future_students/admission/requirements.html

University of Ottawa - You might want to email them ... your situation is different because you only graduate with 36 courses - "three years of full-time studies (five full-year course/year) in any undergraduate program leading to a bachelor’s degree, including specific prerequisite courses. A full-time academic year where the equivalent of four (4) full-year courses is taken is accepted and counted in the WGPA calculation only if the missing course/credit is completed either as an additional course within another academic year or as a summer course." 

https://med.uottawa.ca/undergraduate/admissions/application-process/eligibility-requirements

Queen's - you have to have at least 30 credits to apply and full-time study is defined as a minimum of three courses per semester, so you still meet the weighting requirements

http://meds.queensu.ca/education/undergraduate/prospective_students/application_process/gpas

McMaster -  must have 30 credits to apply, there is no requirement for a full-time course load

http://mdprogram.mcmaster.ca/md-program-admissions/who-should-apply/additional-notes-on-academic-requirements

NOSM - must have a 4 year degree at entry, no requirement for full-time

http://www.nosm.ca/education/ume/general.aspx?id=1230

 

[rmorelan]

I would agree with above - but would reinforce the idea that you should check to see if your courses are simply worth more - it actually isn't 5 courses per term it is 5.0 credits per year that they are looking for. Some courses over here are worth more or less than a full credit (one credit is usually a full year course - standard 3 hours of lecture a week etc). I had courses worth 1.25 credits, and ones worth only 0.25 credits for instance. It is a simply short cut to say 5 courses a term is what you need but that isn't technically the entire story. 

[MedP111]

Thank you both for your really informative insights!

I reached out to my school's registrar about this and was informed that every course at my place is considered the equivalent of 4 semester hours, which I believe are the same as 4 credits. It's a little weird since while most of my courses are 4 hours/week, some have been 5 hours, and some have been 3, yet they all kind of just count the same. I'm still worried whether Western, UoT and Ottawa would accept that instead of labelling me as lazy, but I'll make sure to contact them to know.

[Olle]

On 11/10/2017 at 6:32 AM, caramilk said:

Overall: you're fine at most schools, just ineligible at Western and may not get weighting of your GPA at other schools. You might also want to find out if you have completed the equivalent of 30 Canadian credits to apply to some schools. You should email each school you are interested in.

Toronto - you can still apply with less than 5 courses a semester as long as you are full-time not part-time (which you are), but you will not be eligible for their weighted GPA 

http://md.utoronto.ca/gpa-and-gpa-weighting

Western - not eligible, need two years with 5 courses a semester and most of those courses must be at your year level or above

https://www.schulich.uwo.ca/medicine/undergraduate/future_students/admission/requirements.html

University of Ottawa - You might want to email them ... your situation is different because you only graduate with 36 courses - "three years of full-time studies (five full-year course/year) in any undergraduate program leading to a bachelor’s degree, including specific prerequisite courses. A full-time academic year where the equivalent of four (4) full-year courses is taken is accepted and counted in the WGPA calculation only if the missing course/credit is completed either as an additional course within another academic year or as a summer course." 

https://med.uottawa.ca/undergraduate/admissions/application-process/eligibility-requirements

Queen's - you have to have at least 30 credits to apply and full-time study is defined as a minimum of three courses per semester, so you still meet the weighting requirements

http://meds.queensu.ca/education/undergraduate/prospective_students/application_process/gpas

McMaster -  must have 30 credits to apply, there is no requirement for a full-time course load

http://mdprogram.mcmaster.ca/md-program-admissions/who-should-apply/additional-notes-on-academic-requirements

NOSM - must have a 4 year degree at entry, no requirement for full-time

http://www.nosm.ca/education/ume/general.aspx?id=1230

 

I would like to add a few schools to caramilk's awesome summary 

 

UBC - You are eligible as you are not required to take a full course load. But you might have to explain why you didn't take a full course-load (eg. 10 courses/year). 

U of A - You are not eligible to apply although you could send them an email explaining your situation.

" We require that our applicants be registered in or have completed one academic year (September 1 through April 30) with a full course load; a normal full course load is 30 units of course weight (ucw), equivalent to 10 half-year courses." 

https://www.ualberta.ca/medicine/programs/md/applying/academic-requirements

U of C - " Students must have completed a minimum of two full-time years of university-level courses at the time of application. A full-time year is defined for the purposes of application as a minimum of 24 units (credits), completed between September 1st and April 30th of the following year. " 

http://www.ucalgary.ca/pubs/calendar/current/md-5-3.html

tldr; you are eligible to apply.