Canadian Applicants to Ontario Schools

[fever5]

I've applied to Queens, Ottawa and Western. I have an interview with Queens but Ottawa and Western have yet to respond.

Does anyone know if Ottawa and Western respond even to reject an interview?

I know this is largely an American forum, but from past polls, many Canadians (or applicants to Canadian schools) do visit.

To American applicants, do American schools typically send letters to deny interviews?

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[leaft]

Check out the Canadian SDN equivalent at

http://p084.ezboard.com/bpremed101

I have also gotten a Queens interview.

Ottawa's GPA cutoff is notoriously high, ie. 3.87, and they sent out most of their interview e-mails last week. It is a weighted GPA, check out their site for info. They do not consider your application if you do not meet the cutoff.

Western has not sent out interview invites yet, but they have posted their cutoffs GPA 3.6 and MCAT Biological Sciences (BS) - 10, Physical Sciences (PS) - 9, Verbal Reasoning (VR) - 10, Writing Sample (WS) - P

No other Ontario schools have sent out invites or posted cutoffs yet. They will come in the next couple of weeks.

Remember not to get too down when it comes to Ontario schools, only 14% of applicants get in, compared to 50% in the US. Canadian school admissions are also very GPA and MCAT based-- without certain scores they don't even look at your application.

Check out the link above. It will have all of the answers to your Canadian school questions, or people with the answers.

 

[mdsadler]

Check out the Canadian SDN equivalent at

http://p084.ezboard.com/bpremed101

I have also gotten a Queens interview.

Ottawa's GPA cutoff is notoriously high, ie. 3.87, and they sent out most of their interview e-mails last week. It is a weighted GPA, check out their site for info. They do not consider your application if you do not meet the cutoff.

Western has not sent out interview invites yet, but they have posted their cutoffs GPA 3.6 and MCAT Biological Sciences (BS) - 10, Physical Sciences (PS) - 9, Verbal Reasoning (VR) - 10, Writing Sample (WS) - P

No other Ontario schools have sent out invites or posted cutoffs yet. They will come in the next couple of weeks.

Remember not to get too down when it comes to Ontario schools, only 14% of applicants get in, compared to 50% in the US. Canadian school admissions are also very GPA and MCAT based-- without certain scores they don't even look at your application.

Check out the link above. It will have all of the answers to your Canadian school questions, or people with the answers.

Are you kidding me? I didn't apply to Western specifically because they said the cut off was a 3.7 (I have a 3.65)!! Now the new cut off is a 3.6??? And Ottawa's cut off seems a lot higher than I have heard. Damn this is frustrating. I am not too optimistic on any of the Canadian schools anymore.

 

[wends]

no western's cutoffs is still 3.7. i couldnt apply because I got an O for writng and their cutoff is P whatever, canadian schools are sooooooooo dumb!

 

[Prag]

no western's cutoffs is still 3.7. i couldnt apply because I got an O for writng and their cutoff is P whatever, canadian schools are sooooooooo dumb!

I was invited to interview at Ottawa last week (via e-mail)...if you haven't heard yet, don't give up as I do know they waistlist a small group for interviews (provided you meet their GPA cutoff)...

The only thing more ridiculous than Ottawa's 3.87 CUTOFF for out of province is Queen's MCAT CUTOFF of a 32...damn them! lol

 

[leaft]

my bad, Western's cutoff is a 3.7.
As for the 3.87 at Ottawa. That is the estimate of what it is right now from med students involved in the process. That is what it was last year. Their official literature always says 3.7 or 3.6, or something like that, but internally they always have an exact number that tends to be higher. It is also not a GPA, but rather a weighted GPA with more emphasis on your more recent years. They have different rules for OOP, underserviced area, aboriginal, and graduate students.

 

[Blake]

3.8 cutoff ? Is that out of a 4.3 scale ? Damn... Who said it was easier getting in a canadian med school ?

 

[fever5]

Check out the Canadian SDN equivalent at

http://p084.ezboard.com/bpremed101

I have also gotten a Queens interview.

Ottawa's GPA cutoff is notoriously high, ie. 3.87, and they sent out most of their interview e-mails last week. It is a weighted GPA, check out their site for info. They do not consider your application if you do not meet the cutoff.

Western has not sent out interview invites yet, but they have posted their cutoffs GPA 3.6 and MCAT Biological Sciences (BS) - 10, Physical Sciences (PS) - 9, Verbal Reasoning (VR) - 10, Writing Sample (WS) - P

No other Ontario schools have sent out invites or posted cutoffs yet. They will come in the next couple of weeks.

Remember not to get too down when it comes to Ontario schools, only 14% of applicants get in, compared to 50% in the US. Canadian school admissions are also very GPA and MCAT based-- without certain scores they don't even look at your application.

Check out the link above. It will have all of the answers to your Canadian school questions, or people with the answers.

Thanks for the link. I am from Manitoba so I wasn't really worried about Ottawa (depuis Je ne parle pas francais). I just wanted an interview from Queens and Western. Its nice to hear that Western hasn't sent yet, now I just have to figure out where that interview will go!

 

[mdsadler]

Applying to med school as a Canadian is extremely depressing. Who else feels completely inadequate?

 

[jaylily]

Applying to med school as a Canadian is extremely depressing. Who else feels completely inadequate?

Ooh!! Ooh! I do! I do!!!

 

[mdsadler]

Ooh!! Ooh! I do! I do!!!

hey jaylily--good to see another albertan! i'm in edmonton. how about you?

 

[Treg]

I have been blessed with a number of great acceptances in the US, and I would not be surprised at all if I get the shaft from U of A, as an in-province applicant. This process is frustrating, especially for Canadian schools! Ugh. Treg

 

[jaylily]

hey jaylily--good to see another albertan! i'm in edmonton. how about you?

I, too, am in the capital city.
Treg, forget about UofA, UofC is better anyway. Ok, maybe not by Maclean's standards, but it's my preference.

 

[osjx-82]

3.8 cutoff ? Is that out of a 4.3 scale ? Damn... Who said it was easier getting in a canadian med school ?

the OMSAS scale is a 4.0 scale buddy. Canadian schools are generally harder to get into than most american schools, I don't know where you got that information, because I'm Canadian and I probably don't have a chance at any Canadian schools.

 

[ThatGirl]

Information gleaned from the Canadian Premed Board that was linked above:

Ottawa will be sending out rejection letters by Feb 4. I'll be getting one - thank you, OMSAS-converted, weighted, out-of-province GPA.

Also, McMaster is sending out interview letters tomorrow (Feb 1).

 

[mdsadler]

Information gleaned from the Canadian Premed Board that was linked above:

Ottawa will be sending out rejection letters by Feb 4. I'll be getting one - thank you, OMSAS-converted, weighted, out-of-province GPA.

Also, McMaster is sending out interview letters tomorrow (Feb 1).

What?? You mean i still have a "chance" at McMaster??

 

[CanuckRazorback]

no western's cutoffs is still 3.7. i couldnt apply because I got an O for writng and their cutoff is P whatever, canadian schools are sooooooooo dumb!

Western actually cares about the writing sample. That's cute

 

[wends]

i called calgary yesturday and the woman was like, nope not this year, and hung up on me before i even had a chance to say oh ok thanks. the alberta ppl were like you'll here by the end of the week, if not tough.........i was in mssm when mcgill and ottawa came out.......i didnt receive nothing........ mcmaster is impossible, now im waiting for toronto. lol. this sucks! and i havent had a US acceptance either so im kinda freakin out.......

 

[mdsadler]

i called calgary yesturday and the woman was like, nope not this year, and hung up on me before i even had a chance to say oh ok thanks. the alberta ppl were like you'll here by the end of the week, if not tough.........i was in mssm when mcgill and ottawa came out.......i didnt receive nothing........ mcmaster is impossible, now im waiting for toronto. lol. this sucks! and i havent had a US acceptance either so im kinda freakin out.......

wends, do you mean that all of the calgary invites are out or did you ask specifically about your file? i have my first and only interview coming up (in the US) so it sounds like you have a little bit of advantage over me at least.

also, does anyone know if canadian schools send out a second batch of interview invites? i think uofa does this but i am not sure if this is just for 2nd/3rd year applicants or for sub-par 4th years as well. thanks.

 

[Treg]

Hey guys,

I got a U of A interview this week, so keep your eyes on the mailbox! The local people letters are going out today

Treg

 

[winstonm]

The only thing more ridiculous than Ottawa's 3.87 CUTOFF for out of province is Queen's MCAT CUTOFF of a 32...damn them! lol

I object: The most ridiculous thing is Ottawa's not-from-Ottawa-but-still-from-Ontario cutoff being higher than the from-Ottawa one

 

[wends]

i agree, the ottawa cut offs are insane and stupid, and i havent even heard anything to indicate that their med school is superior to that of toronto, mcgill queens or even UBC. i agree with treg, this is frustrating for canadians, although if i was treg i wouldnt find anything frustrating since you do have serveral acceptances. sorry girl, cant feel one once of sympathy for you. not being harsh, just being honest.

 

[Treg]

I agree wends, I don't want or deserve any sympathy. I wanted to point out that someone like me, who has been extremely fortunate with american schools, there are no guarantees with the canadian schools (I am a US citizen and Canadian perm. res.). Even though I was accepted right away at top schools like Wash U and Cornell, I wouldn't have been surprised to be rejected without interview at U of A because of my "low" GPA of 3.69 in prereq courses and 3.7 overall, which is at least 0.1 below their averages for acceptees (and GPA counts for 35% of your pre-interview score).

Good luck to you, I am sure that you will hear some good news soon (although I bet you are getting antsy waiting! )

Treg

 

[Prag]

I object: The most ridiculous thing is Ottawa's not-from-Ottawa-but-still-from-Ontario cutoff being higher than the from-Ottawa one

True...I guess we could have a whole site devoted to the flaws in the selection process within Ontario...your above suggestion definitely meets my list of top 5 ridiculous things about OMSAS, but probably my all time favorite is the "OMSAS GPA"...it is most enjoyable to see the GPAs from schools like UofT, Queen's and McGill be downgraded so that they are on equivalent levels to Lakehead and Nippissing...way to go OMSAS!

 

[mdsadler]

Hey guys,

I got a U of A interview this week, so keep your eyes on the mailbox! The local people letters are going out today

Treg

Congrats Treg!

I found out yesterday that I have an interview as well. I am now extremely nervous and trying to find any info about Canadian health policy/law and ethics. UofA interviews sound intimidating.

 

[mdsadler]

I agree wends, I don't want or deserve any sympathy. I wanted to point out that someone like me, who has been extremely fortunate with american schools, there are no guarantees with the canadian schools (I am a US citizen and Canadian perm. res.). Even though I was accepted right away at top schools like Wash U and Cornell, I wouldn't have been surprised to be rejected without interview at U of A because of my "low" GPA of 3.69 in prereq courses and 3.7 overall, which is at least 0.1 below their averages for acceptees (and GPA counts for 35% of your pre-interview score).

Good luck to you, I am sure that you will hear some good news soon (although I bet you are getting antsy waiting! )

Treg

Grades count for 35% of the PRE-interview decision??? WOW. I am VERY shocked now. Do you know the breakdown for the other requirements for pre-interview decisions? I am in the same position as you Treg (I think my prereq GPA is about 3.73) and for U of A this is extremely low. I was very shocked to get an interview with my marks.

 

[Treg]

It breaks down like this:

Prereq: 25%
Overall: 10%
MCAT: 15%
MCAT WS: 5%
Personal Attributes: 15%
Ref. letters (total): 5%

Interview: 25%

 

[wends]

i just got my ottawa rejection letter , but the oop cutoff for wgpa was 3.87 and in province was 3.83. yeah lol. crossing fingers, toes and eyes now for toronto

 

[derzornhistolog]

Had a bit of a shock this afternooon.

I had been expecting to find UofO and McMaster rejections in my mailbox today (based on the utterances of cognoscenti on a Canadian premed forum) but instead found a UofT interview invite. It was postmarked Nov. 2nd. I imagine if the 'batching' idea is true, others may expect interview invites shortly.

____________________________________________________
"I don't want to achieve immortality through my work. I want to achieve it through not dying." - Woody Allen

 

[mdsadler]

Had a bit of a shock this afternooon.

I had been expecting to find UofO and McMaster rejections in my mailbox today (based on the utterances of cognoscenti on a Canadian premed forum) but instead found a UofT interview invite. It was postmarked Nov. 2nd. I imagine if the 'batching' idea is true, others may expect interview invites shortly.

____________________________________________________
"I don't want to achieve immortality through my work. I want to achieve it through not dying." - Woody Allen

Congratulations!!

How soon is your interview? Good luck!

 

[mdsadler]

It breaks down like this:

Prereq: 25%
Overall: 10%
MCAT: 15%
MCAT WS: 5%
Personal Attributes: 15%
Ref. letters (total): 5%

Interview: 25%

Thanks Treg. Do they only look at reference letters once you get an interview? Also, do you find it strange how they could really calculate a "personal attributes" section with such little info (ie list your 3 top volunteer experiences)? Compared to AMCAS and the US schools they really know nothing about us yet mark it out of 15%. (sorry, just slightly bitter, but i guess now that i have an interview i shouldn't be)

 

[derzornhistolog]

Thanks! My interview's scheduled for Feb 27th.

 

[bravotwozero]

I got turned down from Mac. The bastards didn't even tell me why I was rejected. To hell with Canadian schools.

 

[DubZteR]

True...I guess we could have a whole site devoted to the flaws in the selection process within Ontario...your above suggestion definitely meets my list of top 5 ridiculous things about OMSAS, but probably my all time favorite is the "OMSAS GPA"...it is most enjoyable to see the GPAs from schools like UofT, Queen's and McGill be downgraded so that they are on equivalent levels to Lakehead and Nippissing...way to go OMSAS!

lol ... oh oh ... someone's bashing

 

[Prag]

lol ... oh oh ... someone's bashing

haha...Dubzter, as if you have never bashed OMSAS or any of the Ontario medical schools...lol...you are just cocky because you received an OOP interview invite at UBC...

 

[DubZteR]

haha...Dubzter, as if you have never bashed OMSAS or any of the Ontario medical schools...lol...you are just cocky because you received an OOP interview invite at UBC...

lol .. that's it. I'm not gonna ever be sharing my SPAHA fries with you again . mmmmmmmm cocky

 

[Prag]

lol .. that's it. I'm not gonna ever be sharing my SPAHA fries with you again . mmmmmmmm cocky

SPAHA fries?! what?! weirdo.... lol...

 

[DubZteR]

SPAHA fries?! what?! weirdo.... lol...

 

[derzornhistolog]

mac interview invite today. ottawa rejection.

big day for my mailbox.

 

[bravotwozero]

mac interview invite today. ottawa rejection.

big day for my mailbox.

Congratulations! What was your gpa, if you don't mind me asking?

 

[wends]

rejected from calgary and mac today, ottawa on friday

 

[derzornhistolog]

gpa = 4.0

ABS = mediocre at best

 

[mdsadler]

Today I was rejected from UBC, Calgary, Ottawa, and McMaster. I think I officially win the title of "Least wanted Canadian Med Applicant."

I also received my score breakdown from UBC and discovered that my non-academic qualities are actually the ones that held me back from an interview. I scored 21.80 on academic and 15.99 on non-academic and you needed a total of 40 for an interview. The puzzling thing is that my non-academic life is what I use to make up my "crappy" (in Canadian terms) gpa. Does anyone know if it is possible to appeal and get my non-academic reevaluated??? I am so frustrated.

 

[SMRT]

Hey mdsadler,

It's pretty common for people to score unexpectedly low on their non-academic section on their first application to UBC. They have a very particular way of scoring. They go to great lengths to be as objective as possible. I can say with near-certainty that they will not re-score your application. Even if they did, it's doubtful you'd make up the 2+ points you'd need for an interview. If it makes you feel any better, last year I missed the in-province cut-off by 0.01. Yes that's 0.01. When I called to say "what the hell!!??", I pretty much was told, "Sorry, too bad". You should definitely take advantage of their feedback sessions. I think they do them over the phone for OOP's. And make sure you file the Freedom of Information thing, and they will send you the breakdown of your score. Out of curiousity, do you know what the in-province cut-off was?

 

[mdsadler]

Hey mdsadler,

It's pretty common for people to score unexpectedly low on their non-academic section on their first application to UBC. They have a very particular way of scoring. They go to great lengths to be as objective as possible. I can say with near-certainty that they will not re-score your application. Even if they did, it's doubtful you'd make up the 2+ points you'd need for an interview. If it makes you feel any better, last year I missed the in-province cut-off by 0.01. Yes that's 0.01. When I called to say "what the hell!!??", I pretty much was told, "Sorry, too bad". You should definitely take advantage of their feedback sessions. I think they do them over the phone for OOP's. And make sure you file the Freedom of Information thing, and they will send you the breakdown of your score. Out of curiousity, do you know what the in-province cut-off was?

Thanks a lot SMRT. The in-province cut-off was a 35. Do you happen to know what they are giving these points for in the non-academic section of the application? What is granted more or less points according to them? This confuses me greatly.

 

[winstonm]

Hey mdsadler,
I got almost identical scores for the UBC app and I was shocked at the low non-acad. score. I just barely missed the Calgary cut-off too.

At least I'm getting some love from a few Ontario schools and Manitoba. I'm anxiously awaiting UofT but Toronto sends out invites between now and April.

SMRT, how do you go about filing the freedom of information request and can you give us some more info on how UBC does the non-acad. scoring if you have any? Thanks.

 

[wends]

hey winston, so toronto is sending out interview invites in batches? most of the ppl receiveing them had dates in late feb....im waiting for toronto as well, i have my fingers tightly crossed!

 

[winstonm]

From what I know, Toronto has been known to interview into late April/Early May. They started reviewing files pretty late this year and I think the time that you receive an invitation only reflects when they managed to get to your file.

Aside from an impending flood of US rejection letters, Toronto is the only one I'm waiting on now as I have the good or bad news from everywhere else.

Good luck!

 

[0T6]

Toronto's got interviews the weekends of Feb 25, Mar 14, and Apr 15.. still waiting for one from them, til then prepping for Ottawa and hoping it doesn't go as bad as some I've heard about.

 

[wends]

the admissions process is just soooooooo much much smoother in teh us, and the admissions people are more friendly and organized......like some schools have 4000 applicants and are still on top of each person's files, but i called toronto to make sure something i sent in was received and the lady was like, i cant look for your file specifically im busy and all that bull****..........

it seems like canadian schools have sticks up their asses, and honestly, some of them arent even that good.........adn they have such stupid gpa and mcat cuttoffs, like have a 32 mcat will automatically make you a better doctor than someone with 29, oh no, i dont have a P in writing sample, im obviously not a good candidate......these cuttoffs are just for lazy ass ppl who dont want to read all the applications.......and OTTAWA didnt state their cuttoffs before we applied, if i'd known the cuttoff was 3.83 i would have NEVER wasted my money.........christ sometimes i want to give a collective middle finger to all canadian schools, take that alberta! ottawa! mcmaster! calgary!LOL