Canadian re-applicant seeking advice/feedback (3.81/517)

[beatthesystem]

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[impureblood]

US medical schools value non-medical volunteering and clinical exposure. Aside from being considered as an international applicant at most schools, your low non-clinical (specifically service to the underserved), clinical (high school activities may not have a significant impact if they are not continuous), and shadowing experiences did not help. Research-intensive schools may give you a bit of leeway on clinical participation provided you have an excellent research background. But in general you still need to demonstrate that you want to be a physician through clinical experience and direct patient contact. You may want to accumulate more non-clinical hours via volunteering at food bank or crisis hotline, shadowing hours, and clinical experiences through activities such as scribing before reapplying. Due to COVID, there are some e-shadowing opportunities that you might want to investigate.

Your GPA and MCAT are good. Although not a problem for Canadian schools and knowing you retook the MCAT because your previous score expired, the lower recent score may raise some concerns for the US schools. Perhaps someone else could chime in how this will affect your application and if you need to include an explanation should you apply again.

Since this is your third cycle, at how many schools were you considered a reapplicant? Where have you received interviews? Did your application improved significantly across reapplications? Did you have multiple eyes on your essays? I can't help but also notice you didn't submit the secondary at many schools, why is that?

When were you complete at the schools you applied? Schools like Tulane accepts many international students including Canadians but you need to apply very early to some specific schools like Tulane. See school specific threads for details.

I am suprised you didn't apply to schools like SLU and Wayne as they accept many international and Canadian students every year. You also shouldn't have applied to schools like Northwestern and USC which matriculated 1 and 0 international students last year, respectively. Do you have MSAR? Maybe you want to review the MSAR and compile a better list.

I also think with the new score of 128 in CARS, you might just have a better shot at Canadian schools than US schools with your current profile. Apply for more OOP schools. The in-province school had already told you that you are qualified by interviewing you 3 times. You likely have to work on your interview skills.

You should consider DO as well if your intention is to practice in the US. DO schools seem to be very receptive to Canadian applicants. It may not too late to apply to DO schools this cycle unless you are dead set on US MD, although you might want to consult with others regarding specific DO timelines.

P.S. saw your post on premed101.

 

[beatthesystem]

Really appreciate the feedback, definitely gives me more to think about.

Due to COVID, there are some e-shadowing opportunities that you might want to investigate

I actually just came across some e-shadowing resources, so I'm looking to start there, and hopefully that can make up for some shadowing hours.

Although not a problem for Canadian schools and knowing you retook the MCAT because your previous score expired, the lower recent score may raise some concerns for the US schools.

I was quite thrilled with the 128 in CARS, but wasn't sure how a 519->517 would come across. Does the drop come across as a red flag? I retook it during a really hectic time, but had to make a deadline for Australian schools, so I ended up only studying for 2 weeks straight. In that context, I was shocked that I still scored a 517, but I didn't think those circumstances were worth mentioning.

Since this is your third cycle, at how many schools were you considered a reapplicant? Where have you received interviews?

There were 12 schools that I applied to for the first time. I recognize that in the past, I made some classic pre-med mistakes and applied too top heavy, so this time around I tried to apply more broadly, but maybe not broad enough. I've never had an interview in the US, just in Canada.

Did your application improved significantly across reapplications? Did you have multiple eyes on your essays?

This time around I had multiple eyes take a look at my PS and activities section. My experiences didn't change much aside from more hours, but also change was limited due to citywide lockdowns. I would say the biggest improvement was how I wrote my application and while it can still be improved, it's definitely a big change from my past apps.

I can't help but also notice you didn't submit the secondary at many schools, why is that?

I simply got a bit burnt out in the end from juggling Canadian apps and writing my thesis.

When were you complete at the schools you applied?

It really ranged from late sept-early nov. I do recognize that I didn't apply early enough, but it was the earliest that I could manage. I was in a really bad living situation when the lockdown happened, so it really took a toll on my mental wellbeing/productivity earlier this summer.

I am suprised you didn't apply to schools like SLU and Wayne as they accept many international and Canadian students every year. You also shouldn't have applied to schools like Northwestern and USC which matriculated 1 and 0 international students last year, respectively. Do you have MSAR? Maybe you want to review the MSAR and compile a better list.

SLU-I didn't think I fit with their mission. Wayne state-to be really honest, I wasn't comfortable with the possibility of living in Detroit on my own, but I should bite the bullet here. Northwestern & USC were last minute decisions and "why nots", but that was me being hopeful.

I did have MSAR & cross referenced with the "Canadian friendly" school lists, but maybe I didn't know what I should've been looking for. Do you have any suggestions on how I can improve my list?

I also think with the new score of 128 in CARS, you might just have a better shot at Canadian schools than US schools with your current profile. Apply for more OOP schools. The in-province school had already told you that you are qualified by interviewing you 3 times. You likely have to work on your interview skills.

I'm really hoping this 128 does some wonders for me. I haven't had much luck in the past with OOP schools, might be my GPA? or how I phrased things on OMSAS? It really seems to boil down to how I'm writing my apps, because from the feedback I've received post-II, I passed my interview BUT always had a low score for my activity section. The score has been improving every year because I try to follow the CANMED roles more closely, but clearly not improving enough.

You should consider DO as well if your intention is to practice in the US. DO schools seem to be very receptive to Canadian applicants. It may not too late to apply to DO schools this cycle unless you are dead set on US MD, although you might want to consult with others regarding specific DO timelines.

I never really considered DO until now, and I'm sitting on an offer from Australia, so I'm curious about how they compare to each other in terms of matching in Canada. I know if I want to practice in the US, which is something I am considering, DO would definitely be the way to go, but how does an Australian MD compare in CaRMS? I've heard that IMG seeking electives in Canada go through a lottery system first to determine which apps are even considered, does that include DOs too?

 

[impureblood]

SLU's mission statement is very similar to most medical schools so I don't think there is a specific barrier there for you. If you are worried about the Creator aspect, I know of many students who were not particularly religious were accepted, you just have to demonstrate respect to the different values and beliefs. A few of my friends went to Wayne and they are having a blast there right now. The campus is fairly safe. Wayne is possibly the most Canadian-friendly schools I know of as they consider you an OOS for the purpose of admission. For school list, look for schools that matriculated over 1 international student. 1 student may be an internal candidate. As a Canadian, you likely still have an advantage over other international applicants at US schools. Review the school specific threads regarding timelines and apply early.

On a side note, I think your research is good for most schools as long as you can articulate them well. But for research-intensive schools like Stanford and Yale, it may be borderline.

For the MCAT, 517 is technically still within the confidence interval of 519 so I don't necessarily think it is a big red flag and that is the risk of retaking a high MCAT. Although I think it will be viewed neutrally, I am not sure exactly how this will be viewed by adcoms since a drop is a drop. Ideally, they consider you to be consistent.

I don't have the statistics on hand of USDO matching back to Canada so I can't comment but there are quite a few discussions on premed101 about this, you should go over them if you are considering this route. The consensus seems to be that if your goal is to practice in NA, Canada or not, USDO is leagues ahead of other IMGs.

With regards to CaRMS, IMGs from Australia have one the highest match rates that range from 40 to 60% for the past few years. So it is definitely better than if you were from Caribbean's. But although the number seems high, this rate is similar to Caribbean students matching to US residency and the general recommendation is to avoid Caribbean schools. I am certain there are many Canadian students who matched back successfully. But as a personal anecdote, I have a close friend who was accepted to an Australian school without needing an interview a few years back and is now kind of stuck in limbo because he doesn't have an Australian citizenship to practice there and didn't match back. If I were to choose, I wouldn't go to Australian schools myself but if it is the last resort, having an MD from Australia is better than having it from Caribbean's when matching back to Canada.

I feel your pain for Canadian schools, it is heavily competitive, stats heavy, and the process is a black box. But regardless of US or Canadian schools, more clinical and non-medical volunteer or activities will be tremendously valuable to improve your ECs and direct your narratives. I sincerely wish you the best of luck.

 

[HouseJC]

Fellow Canadian applicant here, although I'm a bit more non-trad than you, as I'm doing a neuroimmunology Ph.D. at the University of Toronto. This is my first application cycle. I'm also waiting to hear back from Canadian schools, but fortunate and eternally grateful to have secured 1 acceptance in a US MD school. I feel your pain in terms of juggling the US, Canadian apps, and thesis writing.

For stats, I wrote my MCAT 4 times, but even then, my highest was a 512. I agree with the above that your experiences seem impressive, but while they are strong on paper, it is unknown how you convey your experiences to the adcoms. Do you simply state your experiences as a CV manner or do you tell a story? Perhaps your PS statement needs improving, as the old saying goes that stats get you through the initial screen, but the rest of your application will determine whether or not you get an II and then A. Furthermore, I don't mean to sound picky, but even though you said you stuck closer to a narrative, I still do not see a unified theme in your application. When I read what you described as content in your PS and adversity essays, I would not have guessed that would be your narrative. I think the disconnect might be harming you, as if the reader can't understand who you are on paper, why would they invite you for an interview? For me, when I crafted my primary application, wrote my PS, secondaries and then interviews, I really stuck to one ongoing narrative (as I felt that really communicated who I am more sincerely and clearly to the reader). This means that I selectively chose experiences that might seem less worthy on a medical school application, but it reflected who I was (and why I wanted to be a doctor) better.

As for your school list, I agree with the above. Get MSAR. While schools may say that they are Canadian friendly, they actually very little to no international students. You also have schools that are very low yield (i.e. Tulane, Jeff, George Washington), so that also further dampens your chances. Also, I'd be wary of e-shadowing, as I know some Adcoms on SDN views those experiences as "not real clinical experience".

But heck, I'm not an Adcoms, so my advice might be straight trash. Just my .02. Good luck!