10 upper year courses...

[Guest hringrose]

I read that Mac requires 10 of your courses to be above the first year level. I had to take a first year course during second year, meaning I have only taken 4 upper year courses so far. I will have nine after next year. If accepted to Mac, would they allow me to take the tenth during the summer before Med school starts?

 

Thanks,

 

HR

[Guest jmh2005]

You had better check with the office directly...I have a feeling you have to have 10 at MINIMUM, above level 1. Please call the office, they may have a clause up to June 30th (meaning this may be possible to do a summer course?). I had two degrees when I applied, so I honestly can't tell you. Good luck!

[Guest Biochem10]

It's better to get that course in RIGHT now before even submitting your application. I had a friend who was disqualified last year and when he tried to contact Mac about doing the course in summer school they said NO, so lesson learned: have 10 upper year courses by April.

[Guest grandmellon]

I agreee with biochem.. but also keep in mind that the 10 courses above second year does not apply to courses that are course requirements below the second year level as long as you take them in the year that they are required... (Does that make sense?)... who knows ... I should stop talking to myself... this is alll rhetorical... :rollin

[Guest lsmed]

jhm2005,

 

I have a question for you. I am applying this year only to mac. My 1st year GPA is 3.2 and second year GPA 3.65. I have research experience for 2 years, scholarships, 2 references from doctors who know me for four years, and a reference from a professor. I am president and founder of a club at UofT, in the Governing council, and UofT CSS, volunteering etc. I am going into my 3rd year and will be applying. I am really nervous because I notice that MAC either takes really smart people with high GPA's or exceptional life experienced people. I don't know where I stand. Could you please advise me of some things I could do to better prepare myself as a canditate for mac and also is my GPA too low to apply this year? I have an overall non-science GPA of 3.7. Thanks in advance.

[Guest gucio93]

In terms of your GPA, Mac looks at ALL the postsecondary courses you have taken, so you need to take that into account. Read the requirements on the omsas site carefully to make sure you qualify to apply this year . . .

[Guest jmh2005]

Ismed,

 

Please read the following which is taken directly from Mac's MD admissions website (sorry about the formatting...):

 

ACADEMIC ELIGIBILITY

 

Applicants must report on the OMSAS Academic Record Form all

grades received in the undergraduate credit courses in which

they have ever registered. Failure to report courses, programmes

or grades on the OMSAS Academic Record Form will result in the

disqualification of the application. All grades are converted by the

applicant on the Academic Record Form to a 4.0 scale according

to the OMSAS Undergraduate Grading System Conversion Table.

(The Conversion Table is provided with the OMSAS Application.)

 

There are two absolute requirements for eligibility to apply to

the programme:

 

By June 30, 2004 applicants must have completed a

minimum of 3 full academic years of university

undergraduate degree level work;

By October 15, 2003 applicants must have achieved an

overall OMSAS converted average of 3.00 on the 4.00 point

scale. If an applicant has not achieved the overall 3.0

standing in the OMSAS converted average, but has

completed a graduate degree, the graduate degree will be

taken into account to assess eligibility.

 

No other aspects of the application will be considered if these

requirements are not met.

 

Two of the three years must be above level/year one. A "year" is

the full block of work specified for a year or level of the

programme as indicated on the university transcript and in the

appropriate university calendar. Only degree courses taken at an

accredited university will be considered.

 

An applicant who has completed a diploma at a CEGEP must have

completed by June 30, 2004 at least two additional years of

degree credit work at an accredited university. One of those

years must be a full programme of courses above level/year one.

Applicants who have satisfactorily completed the requirements for

a baccalaureate degree in less than three years by the time of

application deadline, and who meet the "3.0" average

requirement, are also eligible.

 

An overall simple average will be calculated using all the degree

level courses ever taken. Work of different years is treated

equally. This average is calculated by the applicant on the

OMSAS Academic Record Form and verified on the OMSAS

Verification Report which is sent to applicants. McMaster

University may also review and revise this average.

Supplementary courses will be considered within the context of

the whole Academic Record. All pass/fail courses are discounted

for purposes of calculating the OMSAS converted GPA.

 

 

So, assuming that you have the full 15 courses required, at the right levels (as above...) you are eligible to apply and your GPA MUST be above 3.00 which from what you have said, 3.2 and 3.65, it will be.

 

As Gucio said, ALL the university work ever done is taken into consideration...there is NO weighted average (science/non-science, etc..)..so if you did 5 courses in 1st and 5 courses in 2nd year (full-year courses) your GPA will be around 3.43 (they look at your marks that are complete only PRIOR to your application).

 

It is a myth that you either need to have a 4.00 GPA or be someone who has "saved the world"...this is NOT true whatsoever!! Definately there are people in my class and the class of 2004 and 2003 who have PhDs, Master's degrees, professional degrees (health and non-health science related) and there are those who have their undergrad but worked for 5, 10+ years doing a variety of things...BUT, this is NOT the majority.

 

The majority of the class has come from 3, 4 and 5 years of undergraduate work (science mainly, but also we have those from Social sciences and arts as well!).

 

The key to the McMaster application is the AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH!!! In order to interview (the top 400 scores get an interview approx. 385) they look at your GPA and your autobiographical sketch, they are evenly weighted 50/50...YOU MUST WRITE AN WELL-WRITTEN, ARTICULATE SKETCH...it is not necessarily WHAT you have done, but what DID YOU LEARN FROM WHAT YOU HAVE DONE and HOW WILL IT HELP YOU STUDY AT MAC? Even if you have 'saved the world', have a 4.00 but write a terrible, shotty sketch, you will not get an interview.

 

If you are going to apply this year, my advice to you is to start organizing your thoughts NOW for the answers to the 15 questions on the sketch. You must ANSWER the question...so many people do not answer the question, they truly do not!

 

OMSAS will be on-line in the beginning of the July, but the 15 questions should be on the McMaster website so you can start now. You sound like you have great experiences and have just completed 2nd year...why do you want medicine (the 1st question...)???

 

The other piece of advice I would give you is to do as well as you possibly can in your next year, GPA-wise. Should you not be successful, the grades you get this year will count towards your next application...always strive to do your best academically, because the higher your GPA, technically, the lower the auto-biographical score you require to get to interview. Once you get an interview, you pretty much have a 50/50 of getting in...it's getting the interview that is really the difficult part!!! Going from 3700 applicants to 400...now the numbers are more in your favour!

 

Edit addition: unfortunately, the reference letters ARE NOT read (or even opened...) UNLESS you get an interview (simply the GPA and sketch determine if you get an interview or not)...and exactly how much weight they (the letters of reference) carry is somewhat of a mystery. It sounds like you have good referees however who can attest to your character and your work...

 

I hope this information has been of some value. I also encourage you to look in the Mac archives on this website (there are about 14 or 15 pages of threads)...much of what I have said has been said before by a variety of people.

 

I wish you the best of luck, take care.

[Guest lsmed]

jhm2005,

 

thank you so much. Your advice has really helped and I really look forward to applying. I am going to look at the questions right away, and start on the essay. Do you have any advice of whom I could or should give it to for correcting? Like who are the best people to comment on a "mac" sketch? Thanks again!

[Guest jmh2005]

After you have a good rough draft I would ask a few people to look it over at minimum.

 

Definately ask someone who is good in English (I had my old roommate who is now finishing up her PhD in English Writing look at mine)...half the battle is writing well and sounding clear and articulate!

 

As well, if you can find anyone who is associated with Mac Meds...a doc you know who went to Mac, a current student, someone doing their residency at Mac.

 

Also as a person or two who you know well, to give you HONEST feedback...you don't want to give your sketch to someone and have them say, 'its great'...there is always something to improve on...make sure you ask those you give your sketch to, for detailed, honest and critical written feedback (give them several days to look it over...it's the only way you can improve (see why starting now is a good idea...I wish I had the first time around, would have saved me an application!!)

 

One other thing...you need to know the program well...what is PBL and how will that help you study medicine? Mac is a different way of learning medicine (I think the best way, but I'm biased!)...make sure you understand what self-directed learning is and understand the skills you need to work in small groups and be succesful, show them that you have these skills!!

 

I hope that helps. Take care.