Volunteer or MCAT?

[tiel]

Quick summary about me:
- Canadian in Vancouver - 30 y.o.
- Undergrad in civil engineering 87%
- Masters in structural engineering 94%
- Designed high-rise buildings in a firm for 4 years
- Took MCAT 503 (all 126 except 125 cars) out of the blue
- returned to school to take biol, biochem, orgo requirements
- Applied to UBC and Ontario schools, no interview
- Applied to an Australian school on a whim and got into a school
- Currently volunteering at (pretty much only relevant volunteer work) started beginning of this year:
- Canadian blood services guiding donors
- spinal cord research center pig spinal operations - (just shadowing the operation for now..just started)

I am planning to apply to Canadian, American, and just Sydney medicine this year. I will be volunteering and preparing for MCAT this summer. Should I be focusing more towards my volunteer experience or focusing more towards a higher MCAT score? I will do both - but perhaps asking which to put more emphasis.

P.S For those curious why I switched, I enjoyed my job as a structural engineer but wanted to pursue something more meaningful. After few years of playing with the thought in my head, I decided to actually try it at least.

Thanks all.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Ad2b]

MCAT is deadly. Retake and put everything into getting a score 510+ ... not sure what the % are for degrees; we don't do that in US.

 

[tiel]

MCAT is deadly. Retake and put everything into getting a score 510+ ... not sure what the % are for degrees; we don't do that in US.

It seems like US schools are all about MCAT. Canadians schools focus a lot more on extra curricular. I'm a bit divided.

 

[tiel]

MCAT is deadly. Retake and put everything into getting a score 510+ ... not sure what the % are for degrees; we don't do that in US.

I'm not at all certain but according to GPA by OMSAS (I'm all too new at this) they sound like 3.7 and 3.9 GPA respectively?

 

[Ad2b]

It seems like US schools are all about MCAT. Canadians schools focus a lot more on extra curricular. I'm a bit divided.

No. They are all about complete picture.

Quick summary about me: I am planning to apply to Canadian, American...

Deadly GPA with deadly MCAT = no bueno and you DID state you want to apply to US. You will not get in with that GPA and that MCAT.

I'm not at all certain but according to GPA by OMSAS (I'm all too new at this) they sound like 3.7 and 3.9 GPA respectively?

87% = 3.3
94% = 4.0 (But this is a masters in an unrelated field and adcoms will see it but won't care)

Here's the thing:

1. you need a better MCAT for US (MD or DO)
2. your GPA is not good enough for either of those WITH THAT MCAT
3. Canadians I have read about getting into Canadian schools, have done so with much better MCAT score; but I don't pay attention to Canadian wanting to go to YOUR country's schools because well, there of no interest to me.
4. I am not trying to burst your bubble; this is a long, bumpy path IF one doesn't have the perfect cookie cutter profile... I'm the poster child along with a few others on here for having LOTS of EC/volunteering/charity start up/blahblahblahblahblabhlablah out the wazoo... and a really CRAPPY ugrad GPA... what we've done is correct it as best we could

A's in all pre-reqs, retaken if necessary
MCAT score > 510
Shadowing
Clinical

When I look at what you have against who has had similar and not gotten an interview, that is where I draw my thoughts.

IF you get a better MCAT, you might have a shot. Then I read you just started volunteering... just started clinical / shadowing...

RIGHT NOW, you're not competitive. GET competitive

 

[futuremdforme]

It seems like US schools are all about MCAT. Canadians schools focus a lot more on extra curricular. I'm a bit divided.

Not really, the ones that look at the MCAT have higher requirements than in the US. E.g. Western's minimums last year. GPA: 3.70 MCAT: BS 12 PS 9 VR 11 (Total 32). If you don't meet the basic criteria, you're going to get screened out, and that screening happens at a higher cut-off than it does at a lot of US schools. And Ottawa isn't an option for you since they don't even look at anything you've done since undergrad (so you'd probably get screened out based on uGPA + uECs.) The others will need a better MCAT.

 

[tiel]

No. They are all about complete picture.


Deadly GPA with deadly MCAT = no bueno and you DID state you want to apply to US. You will not get in with that GPA and that MCAT.



87% = 3.3
94% = 4.0 (But this is a masters in an unrelated field and adcoms will see it but won't care)

Here's the thing:

1. you need a better MCAT for US (MD or DO)
2. your GPA is not good enough for either of those WITH THAT MCAT
3. Canadians I have read about getting into Canadian schools, have done so with much better MCAT score; but I don't pay attention to Canadian wanting to go to YOUR country's schools because well, there of no interest to me.
4. I am not trying to burst your bubble; this is a long, bumpy path IF one doesn't have the perfect cookie cutter profile... I'm the poster child along with a few others on here for having LOTS of EC/volunteering/charity start up/blahblahblahblahblabhlablah out the wazoo... and a really CRAPPY ugrad GPA... what we've done is correct it as best we could

A's in all pre-reqs, retaken if necessary
MCAT score > 510
Shadowing
Clinical

When I look at what you have against who has had similar and not gotten an interview, that is where I draw my thoughts.

IF you get a better MCAT, you might have a shot. Then I read you just started volunteering... just started clinical / shadowing...

RIGHT NOW, you're not competitive. GET competitive

Take a look at attached OMSAS 2016 conversion sheet. I am from UBC so it seems like my percentages should convert to 3.9 and 4.0 on the scale if I am not mistaken. And I do have all A's (although some are A-).

One thing that is hard to find is shadowing as it seems in Canada shadowing a doctor is not a possibility? (I've asked around and in Vancouver at least it is not a commonality due to doctor-patient confidentiality?)

 

[tiel]

Not really, the ones that look at the MCAT have higher requirements than in the US. E.g. Western's minimums last year. GPA: 3.70 MCAT: BS 12 PS 9 VR 11 (Total 32). If you don't meet the basic criteria, you're going to get screened out, and that screening happens at a higher cut-off than it does at a lot of US schools. And Ottawa isn't an option for you since they don't even look at anything you've done since undergrad (so you'd probably get screened out based on uGPA + uECs.) The others will need a better MCAT.

I agree with you that Western has high MCAT requirements. I'm not convinced that Ottawa only looks at uEC? Could you direct me to this information? Also, when you generally say that others will need better MCAT, I am assuming applicants require higher than minimum stated MCAT scores (which I would agree).

 

[Dullhead]

Your stats would have been fine as-is for DO if you were a US citizen. I don't know if Canadians are expected to have X percentile higher than the average for DO. Definitely need a higher (above average) MCAT for MD though. And the minimum typical ECs, which looks like you have started this year but might not have enough hours by this June. If choosing the US, I have no idea if you could complete residency in Canada. Doing residency in the US would require a visa and that would limit you to a smaller set of programs. It's been done though, so not impossible.

 

[tabbycatdontcur]

MCAT!


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[futuremdforme]

I agree with you that Western has high MCAT requirements. I'm not convinced that Ottawa only looks at uEC? Could you direct me to this information? Also, when you generally say that others will need better MCAT, I am assuming applicants require higher than minimum stated MCAT scores (which I would agree).

On their website and OMSAS page.
http://www.ouac.on.ca/docs/omsas/b_omsas_e.pdf

You will need to provide more specific details for the Employment, Volunteer Activities, Extracurricular Activities, Awards and Accomplishments, and Research categories. These details are not required for McMaster or Western. If you are applying to Ottawa, you will be required to identify the top three (3) activities that are most important to your application in medicine, in each category, and that have been completed during your postsecondary (undergraduate university) studies.

http://www.ouac.on.ca/docs/omsas/ottawa.pdf
Only the activities that you identify as your top three most important in each category of your application in medicine, and that were completed during your postsecondary (undergraduate university) studies, will be used in the assessment of your detailed submission.

Also the GPA conversion is grade by grade, not overall average, so depending on individual marks it could change your GPA significantly. The same applies in the US and your GPA could end up pretty different than what you get in Canada.

 

[Ad2b]

@tiel - every class I have taken in a pretty highly ranked university, an 87% = B+ at best a 3.3. You're dreaming that it's an A- here in the States based upon what YOUR country does with their %s.

Good luck to you.

 

[futuremdforme]

@tiel - every class I have taken in a pretty highly ranked university, an 87% = B+ at best a 3.3. You're dreaming that it's an A- here in the States based upon what YOUR country does with their %s.

Good luck to you.

Actually it's by letter grade, so if UBC assigns letter grades in addition to %, it will be based on that. You can call AMCAS if you have questions, the supervisor is helpful!

 

[Dullhead]

@tiel - every class I have taken in a pretty highly ranked university, an 87% = B+ at best a 3.3. You're dreaming that it's an A- here in the States based upon what YOUR country does with their %s.

According to the AMCAS guide linked below, (s)he is eligible to claim that 87=4.0. Link below, last page, last section. 6 different grading schemes are presented, and in all of the 0-100 range scales, (s)he would place at 4.0

https://www.aamc.org/students/download/181676/data/amcas_grade_conversion_guide.pdf