I got in!!!!! [Archive] - Canadian Premed and Medical Schools

fox

03-21-2003, 08:52 PM

i was surprised to hear so early... usually they contact 30 people at the end of april and offer early admission, then do more interviews and then offer the rest of the places at the end of june. they told me that anyone who was geting early admission would have gotten a call by the end of today....

as for stats, i just finished a Master's at U of A (so extra points) and did an honours degree at Guelph. My overall GPA (converted) was 8.48 (lowest year dropped, overall OMSAS GPA was 3.78) and pre-reqs were 8.6 (which are more important at U of A than your overall). My MCAT was 30R.

Anyway, good luck to everyone else!

chemgirl

03-21-2003, 09:40 PM

Wow, congratulations everybody!:hat

I hope they still have some calls to make on monday... my stats are similar to yours, fox, unless, blast it, I didn't make the first cut.

Oh well... that will just mean more waiting |I

fox

03-21-2003, 10:37 PM

i think the interview was a huge factor in making the first cut... that and the essay comprise a big portion of the application mark (almost half), so a good interview mark would make all the difference between everyone who had similar marks. good luck

summervirus

03-22-2003, 03:09 AM

I think that they were able to process applications a lot faster this year because everything is electronic and they cut down on the number of interviews substantially. One of my closest friends also got a phone call Friday afternoon. Yahoo! :D

forrest

03-22-2003, 11:08 AM

Like Petra, Andrea called me but I was not able to return the call before 4pm - this is going to be one long weekend, waiting for Monday morning to come around..... :smokin

Petra

03-22-2003, 03:06 PM

does anybody know, are they notifying everyone, or are these just select early admissions offers? It doesnt make sense that they would stagger them now, because there are not going to be anymore interviews for the 4th+ year pool, but at the same time, why would they say June/july in the letter??

Megs

03-24-2003, 11:30 AM

You guys! They are still calling today....I just got my offer this morning! I am so excited! So don't give up...they are still calling. The letters are going in the mail today! Thanks to Ian for setting up this site and to summervirus for answering so many of my questions!

Meghan

iamsmilingbear

03-24-2003, 12:36 PM

Meghan,

Congratulations!!! :)
Are you an in-province applicant?

Megs

03-24-2003, 12:44 PM

yes, I am in province

wannabedoc

03-24-2003, 12:56 PM

Have there been any out-of-province acceptance offers at all???:\

westcoastgrrl

03-24-2003, 02:40 PM

Hi! I'm out of province and I got accepted!!! I'm so happy! Good luck to everyone who is waiting to hear! :)

drews97

03-24-2003, 04:03 PM

Hey congrats to everyone that's heard!!!!! Does anyone know if this is ALL the 4th year + admissions or only the so called early acceptances.

gojukai kid

03-24-2003, 04:17 PM

Was stressed all weekend but heard this morning. Congrats everyone.
In province, 32S, 8.4, 8.5, Second choice, was hoping for McMaster.
:rollin

tugg

03-24-2003, 04:42 PM

After years of struggling I finally have been accepted into the U of A! I had applied 3 other times prior to this year and received an interview each time but was never accepted. It was so hard to keep going at times but it was absolutely worth it!!! Please, don't give up if this is your dream. I finally did it!! Wahoo!!!! :rollin

chemgirl

03-24-2003, 04:54 PM

Congratulations everybody!!!!

It is nice to hear the encouraging words! I am still hoping that I may get a call... the day is not over yet!

Once again, congratulations!!! All your hard work has paid off!

Ian Wong

03-24-2003, 05:57 PM

Sweet! :)

Ian

Jas001

03-25-2003, 06:51 PM

I got in as well, should have checked my messages on Friday because thats when they called. But, UofA is not my first choice. Hopefully UBC and Western work out. Anybody else going to western (and other schools in ontario) this weekend?

jas

fox

03-25-2003, 07:41 PM

i have an interview sunday at western at 10 am. i'm leaving edmonton saturday....

blacko

03-27-2003, 05:34 PM

tugg! I'm in the same position. I applied to UofA and had 4 interviews (4th time lucky!!) and finally got accepted. Unfortunately, I have to take a 1 year deferral so I can't start until 2004. But who cares if your in your in!!!

Tell me something. Is Canada one of the hardest places in the world to get into medical school? The US seems much easier.

summervirus

03-30-2003, 12:36 AM

I asked around. It turns out that only 64 offers for admission were made. There are still 36 seats left for fourth year (+) applicants that are unfilled. :) (I'm guessing that those candidates are the ones that find out in June/July after your final transcripts for this semester are received).

drews97

03-30-2003, 01:31 AM

Hey Summervirus,
Thanks for the info, there is still hope of getting accepted!! Do you think that if they are indeed waiting for our transcripts for this semester and we are in fourth year, they will use our 4th year as a full year in determining GPA and drop our lowest year as they would do if we had already completed our 4th year?? Thanks.

summervirus

03-30-2003, 10:38 AM

I don't think they drop your worst year.

aguinar

03-30-2003, 12:31 PM

Summervirus, I was wondering if you knew if our current year's GPA counts towards this year's application, even if they don't get rid of our lowest year. ie: do I have to keep studying so much??! Also, did all of the 64 people offered early admission accept??

wannabedoc

03-30-2003, 01:41 PM

summervirus,

do you know if all the OOP seats were offered? (I think there were 15)

summervirus

03-30-2003, 03:45 PM

aguinar: I don't really know. I think EB has a better idea. I'm guessing that if you've been accepted, you still have to maintain an overall GPA of 7 (i.e. 3.0 on a 4.0 scale). BUT, please check with the admissions office if you want the most accurate information!

I don't know if everyone that got an offer accepted. But, I think that some people are going to be holding on to their spots for now as a backup... at least until some of the other schools (like the Eastern ones) release their admission results. It's pretty unlikely to have everyone accept the admission offer though...

wannabedoc: I'm actually not sure if any OOP seats were offered yet. But, don't forget that the 15 OOP quota also includes the 2nd/3rd year students, who haven't even been interviewed yet! :)

forrest

03-30-2003, 07:46 PM

I can personally say that I accepted my spot for now, but if I get into U of C, I will be giving up my spot (but U of C acceptances don't go out until mid-May, so there is just more waiting - sorry).

Cheers

fox

03-30-2003, 07:47 PM

i also accepted, but am not sure what will happen if i get into dal or western.... almost hope i don't have to make such a big decision because i am very torn at this point.

aimshigh

03-30-2003, 11:25 PM

Hey Summervirus,

Do you happen to know if any of the remaining spots will be filled by applicants who have already completed their fourth year? Or are the final 36 spots reserved specifically for those set to complete their degree in April?

Thanks for the info!:)

summervirus

03-31-2003, 01:30 AM

Hewwo,

I think the remaining 36 seats or just generally for the applicant-pool that was interviewed during Reading Week...

drews97

03-31-2003, 02:23 AM

Hi Summer,
I'm a little confused by your last post. Weren't we all interviewed during reading break (with the exception of the people yet to be interviewed)?

snoopychan

03-31-2003, 02:36 AM

Would anyone who is OOP and accepted please let us know? Still waiting anxiously in Ottawa. Thanx.

blacko

03-31-2003, 03:43 AM

summervirus:

I have a question: you mentioned that only 64 positions were filled do you know how many they interviewed during reading week? I'm curious because when I went for my interview one of the med students said that they were only interviewing 200 or so at that time so the chances of getting in were pretty good.
I did get in so I guess he was right about the chances!

thanks

summervirus

03-31-2003, 09:22 AM

drews97: Yeah, what I meant was that the people interviewed during reading week includes people who are completing their degrees this year, master degree students, and PhD students. It was in response to aimshigh's question.

blacko: Yeah, I actually wrote about it in the FAQ (http://pub125.ezboard.com/fpremed101frm15.showMessage?topicID=83.topic). Around 200 people were interviewed.

kooty

04-01-2003, 02:13 AM

Hi Jas,

why do you chose western/UBC over uofa? I'm just wondering because i applied to those places as well, and it's just nice to have another person's opinion. Is it because of cost? And how did your interviews go for all of the schools?

Kooty>:

kellyl20

04-01-2003, 05:45 PM

UA is the cheapest, Western is the most expensive, UBC can be cheaper than UA if it is your home town and you are living at home. Western is in the snow belt so it would be on par with UA although the cold would be a damp cold instead. Western is closer to Toronto. Best weather in Vancouver. Health services in BC seems to be in decline. So Jas, what are your reasons?

fox

04-01-2003, 06:22 PM

i would disagree with the weather in london (western) being on par with edmonton. i have lived in edmonton for four years and grew up in southern ontario and therefore know both types of winters. with the exception of this year, the weather is MUCH better in ontario, less sun, but MUCH warmer and an equivalent amount of snow falls in both places. western is a beautiful university, but a lot more expensive..... although i have no idea why jas would prefer ubc or western, but for me, it's just a feeling of where you feel you fit in best. i don't know if anyone can really explain that feeling or why they feel that way.

kellyl20

04-01-2003, 11:08 PM

Sorry I shouldn't generalize the weather. Ontario winter was very bad two years ago and was very bad this past winter with damp cold while Edmonton is a dry cold but also very very cold this winter.
You probably do not know where you will fit in best till you are actually there. Class dynamics differ from year to year depending on the makeup of the student population. Probably some grain of truth to the school reputations floating around.

Jas001

04-03-2003, 02:15 PM

Hey kooty,

Personally, class dynamic matters alot to me. After interviewing at UBC after 3rd year and again this year, I really got the feeling that the class sticks together. At their wine and cheese info session, they had almost half their class show up to answer questions (totally voluntary). Their program is alot more hands on as well. More PBL, family practice everyweek and less lecture. Kinda fits my learning style. Western is much the same. Most of the students who go to western are not from london. The class is very close because almost everybody's away from home. You can't say that about the UofA. After going to the UofA for almost 4 years now, and seeing alot of my friends in med at UofA, you tend to hear the negative stuff. There is negative stuff at every school, but I really didn't like what I heard. Nobody at the UofA can deny that the admissions process is based almost entirely on marks. If you have high enough marks all you really have to do is pass the interview and you'll get in. Typically, you get a different kinda student at a UofA med school than at UBC, for example.

anyways, thats my two cents.

jas

fox

04-03-2003, 03:00 PM

hey jas001
i have the same concerns about u of a as you do, which makes it really hard to decide where i will go if i get in somewhere else too. i have also been at u of a for four years and have noticed the same thing ( people tend to stick to their groups), even outside of med school. but i think the dynamics of the class may vary depending on who is in the class.... i guess you never know.

Jas001

04-03-2003, 03:22 PM

sorry kooty,

I didn't answer all your questions. My interviews went really well (thats what i thought, which really means nothing). I just flew back from Ontario yesterday thats why i didn't reply for awhile. Some schools suprised me with how good they were (like UBC, Western, UofT which I didn't hear good things about) and others were a bit disappointing (UofO even though they place number one for carms every year, Queen's clincally at least). But all in all, you're gonna get the same education anywhere. But, the opportunities you have in med school is different everywhere.

There are other factors in my decision, don't get me wrong. Like i said, the class and the program are number one for me. Also living in Van would be awesome (i grew up in BC, but no where close to Van). So there is some stuff like that. London is really close to Toronto, and even london's a great place to party. The city's got a small university town feel to it and thats really nice.

I could sit here for days listing all my reason, but in the end its where I would enjoy going to med school.

jas

fox

04-03-2003, 03:39 PM

maybe the moderators would comment on how close the class at u of a is and what their experiences are like....

04-03-2003, 06:37 PM

Jas001

I have no idea to what extent that statment about marks is true, but Im really hoping that it is, my marks are very high for a 4th year student, my MCAT was not bad, and i thought my interview went quite well I thought.......and yet no call.

I have no idea what's going on. I interviewed at UA last year and I when i walked out of the interview the second time I was convinced that it went much better than last year.........

Take it easy,

HA

fox

04-03-2003, 07:06 PM

marks do count for a lot at u of a... but everyone that had an interview this year had high marks (since they only interviewed 200 people). and don't forget about the essay and the letters of reference. last year i had an interview (i have the exact same marks with this application because i was in a master's program) and i didn't get in (very close though), but then this year i got in, so it REALLY depends on everything in your file. when i spoke to marlene about why i didn't get in, she said sometimes .1% separates those who get in and are waitlisted and those who aren't. anyway, hang in there, i am sure it will all work out.

kooty

04-04-2003, 02:03 AM

Hi Jas, (and everyone else)

You're right about UBC, that's the great thing about it. Family practice and doctor shadowing is implemented right away.....I really look forward to it. UA really does seem bias to marks, particularly if you are out of province. I know UBC is strict on out of province applicants too, but at least it's the whole package (ref letters, extracurrics, etc) that they judge.

I really didn't know that much about UA med school, so I appreciate all of your comments on class dynamics-it's important to me as well. The sense of unity a class shares is really special and it can totally make your time in school that much better. I've heard only good things about UBC.

My only question is....you LIKE PBL? I'm in pharmacy at UBC and we also do PBL. Have you done it before? I find it very tedious and an inefficient way of learning material. The only thing I really like about PBL is the group discussions...I like hearing what others have to say and working with them to develop a solution. It's a trade off, I guess. I'd rather learn the basics first, then problem solve, not do research blindly and problem solve at the same time. Maybe it's different in med school.......................

kellyl20

04-04-2003, 02:15 AM

Jas001: when you say that

"admissions proccess is based almost entirely on marks. If you have high enough marks all you really have to do is pass the interview and you'll get in. Typically, you get a different kinda student at a U of A med school than at UBC...."

do you mean to say that at UBC marks do not count for much in admissions since one had to pass the interview at both UA and UBC to be accepted into their med program.
Could you also expand a little on "Queen's clinically at least".
Thank you for answering. I also heard that London is a great place to party.:)
Kelly.

kellyl20

04-04-2003, 02:22 AM

UA is biased towards applicants with excellent academics? Wonder if this is the reason their Med2002 ranked 2nd overall in the LMCC.;)
Class dynamics...perhaps Summervirus can tell us a bit more about this at UA.

kooty

04-04-2003, 03:40 AM

Hi Kelly,

UBC does look at your grades. They are worth 50% of your pre-interview score. 12.5 points for overall averag, 12.5 points for last 60 credits average. the other 25 points comes from a variety of qualities that they look at (high level of achievement, diversity of experience, and such) I dont' know what the breakdown is for UA. There are some really great discussions in the UBC forum about the breakdown for UBC. Oh, and the minimum to apply to UBC is 70% average, whereas UA is quite a bit higher (8.0 for oop, and I don't know what for UA) Hope that helps!

Jas001

04-04-2003, 12:59 PM

If you look at the stats published by both UofA and UBC you can see a big difference in GPA. Students accepted at UBC are older (average age of 24) and their mean GPA tends to be in the 80% range (A- average, about 8) whereas at UofA the prereq and cumulative GPA mean is 8.5. Thats a huge difference. UofA didn't publish age stats but you can tell that the large majority are 4th years (around 21 or 22). The big thing for me is that UBC looks at who you are alot more than UofA. Extracuriculars are just as important as your marks and thats why I think you get such a good class. I also think an older class makes a huge difference (i'm 21, but i wanna be in that environment)

Kooty, I've never done PBL so it will be a new experience. But, I learn nothing in lecture style classes. All i do i just copy notes and then learn them later so thats why i think i'd learn a little bit more from PBL.

Kelly, as for the marks thing at the UofA, the difference is huge. The next statement I make doesn't apply for 2/3 year applicants, but mainly for 4th years. If you have high marks (like 8.75 and above + good mcat, and HA i have a good feeling you'll get in) getting in is very easy. At UBC, if you don't meet a cutoff for extracuriculars, you don't get an interview. No matter how high your marks are you still need a solid life outside of school (and its extremely tough to score well on the extracuricular stuff).

To give you a little perspective (i applied as a 3rd year last year at UBC), i scored in the 99% percentile for last 60 credits, overall average and prereq gpa and didn't even come close to getting in (but they only accept 3 third years). I had a really good extracuricular score too. This year i'm just as scared. Its soooooo tough to get in there (if only i could magically become 24, maybe that would help, but then i woudln't like clubbing either;) )

The last thing about getting into UBC is that you just don't get a score for each part of your application (ie. marks, interview etc) which is added up to determine whether you get in. All the interviewers sit around a table at the same time with all the interviewee's applications and then they do a file review to determine whether you get in. They look at you as a complete person, not the sum of parts. When comparing this to the UofA, your grades, essay and references are in your hands (and for some people who are really smart they can get maximum scores on these parts of their application). They'll be soooo far ahead of the average applicant, all they have to do is pass the interview and they'll get in. Thats what I meant.

Oh yeah, as for Queens clincally. Since Queens is a tiny town (and boring, compared to London...heh, i've got friends there) they don't have lots of hospitals and a huge patient base. That didn't appeal to me. At western they have a number of hospitals and they serve all of southwestern ontario (they have three different hospitals and the children's hospital of western ontario) But, the class and program are really good at Queens.

Anyways, that took me almost 50 minutes to write (along with the research i did).

Thats my 37 cents.

peace

jas

04-05-2003, 02:27 AM

Hi everyone,

I find it kinda frustrating that everyone who knows me (and my marks) keeps telling me Im going to get in at UA.......but somehow Im not entirely convinced. Having people ask if you've been accepted all the time is almost more stressful than waiting for the results!! >: >: Here's my stats: Prereq: 9.0, Overall: 8.9, MCAT: 34R. Im a 4th year applicant, and a student at UA in an Honors program.
Like I said before, I thought my interview went quite well......but go figure. I guess the interviewee is probably one of the worst judges of how the interview actually turned out. Near the end of my interview the physician who was on the panel left the room to take a call she had been putting off during the interview.....her beeper had gone off and she left as it was my turn to ask questions.
Anyway, the bit about UA not having such a dynamic class, I can definitely see that just from attending class with many of these people for 4 years. But I gotta admit that if I get in this year it will be because of my marks and not because of my extracurriculars......I hope Im not jinxing myself. :(

drews97

04-05-2003, 03:17 AM

Well, people have been telling me the same thing. With your stats I'm really surprised you didn't get in earlier...there may not be much hope for me!!! Just keep the faith, don't get overconfident and hope for the best, I'm sure it will all work out. If you're like me I'm sure you have other interviews as well so we still have a chance at the U of A and we won't here from any of the other schools for a while. Even if we don't get in to U of A right away we still stand a good chance of getting on the waiting list since they didn't interview too many people!! Good luck!

04-05-2003, 03:41 AM

Believe me Im not overconfident!
Im starting to worry that I wrote a horrible essay, or that one of my references didnt fill out their forms properly or didnt write the letter in an appropriate format.........this happened to me when I applied for summer research funding for this year.

Anyways, keep your fingers crossed I guess!

Good luck

Petra

04-05-2003, 01:39 PM

I thought u of a was all about marks, but then I got in!! I had OK marks by u of a standards but nothing great (8.1,8.1,33). I'd say my EC were good, but not great (UBC KILLED me on them). I did honors, but I guess that doesnt matter yet. I did feel the interview was my stong point (although by the end too I kind of felt like that guy on trainspotting who took speed before his interview - - i felt as if i might have been talking a million miles an hour). Anyways, it seems really hard to predict who will get in, but anyways, remember that they still have to give out quite a few spot, and I know great candidates (with EXCELLENT marks) who didnt find out until the summer as well from previous years.

Good Luck!!

kellyl20

04-05-2003, 03:06 PM

HA: Class dynamics in my faculty at UBC undergraduate is not so great either. In fact, that person I know who got into UBC med2006 is a not so nice person at all. But you are going to get that, including cliques, probably no matter where you go. I perfer to think of that being due to people's comfort level rather than exclusion.:D

kooty

04-05-2003, 04:20 PM

Just to Elaborate on what Jas said, it really isn't easy getting into UBC, praticularly where extracurrics are concerned. For your enlightenment, I've pasted a post below from the UBC forum....this person got 24/25 on extracurriculars, a very very very rare score.....and STILL did not get into UBC....

EzCode Parsing Error: face=courier color=blue]Hi guys,

Here is the layout of what I had 2 years ago.
I scored 5/5 on everything but the high performance, and diversity where I scored 4/5. Had and extra .5 for hardship and extra mark for outstanding reference letter.
Swam nationals not Olympics when I was younger. Competed at national level for lifeguard stuff although those were both 15 years ago.
Paramedic X15 years and equal number of years doing volunteer stuff at daycares/schools etc with the ambulance. Mother of 2, Run my own business, Masters student
10 years of collecting used jackets which paramedics keep in the ambulance for the homeless.
Involved in policy committee's at the university. Traveled around the world twice by the time I was 11. Many other trips since.
Coordinator(one of three) of the Advanced Trauma Life Support course all docs must take.
TA first and second year med class
sports - rec leagues, city leagues, co-ed leagues
Basically I had to write my form out on the computer in 9pt then cut and paste it into the form as I had so much stuff. All of it from a variety of areas.

Ok, so that does seem to be a rare exceptional individual...so why didn't they get in? Only adcom will know that. But looking at this person...how the hell are normal people like us going to get in?

fox

04-05-2003, 04:41 PM

this person's resume is very impressive.... however, even though ubc looks at ECs as being very important, i imagine there is a lot more to the process of getting in. ECs only count for a total of 25% of your overall ranking, and since the interview is worth 50%, someone who does not have good people skills or doesn't click with their interview panel may not get in.... same for u of a. i do think marks play a strong role in actually getting an interview, BUT 45% of the overall total is based on essay, ref letters, and the interview, which are all evaluated very subjectively. so, in the end i think getting into ANY canadian med school takes a lot of hard work, but even more importantly, a lot of luck. that's just my opinion, however.

summervirus

04-10-2003, 06:07 PM

I just want to make a comment about class dynamics.

Class dynamics change year to year, depending on the population. Some classes are more energetic, some less. (The second year class is nicknamed the "Fun but Dumb Class" by the Faculty). Nevertheless, from my own personal experiences and impressions of others, I think that the med students from all four years here get along very well. Everyone is nice. There are plenty of times when we do things as a class outside of school. :)

Besides, a class's GPA is not a measure of its dynamics. Regardless of how the admissions committee of a school prefers to evaluate its applicants--whether it be based heavily on marks, extracurriculars, interview, etc.--in the end, they're specifically concerned about choosing applicants that they think are (1) willing to complete the program and (2) able to complete the program. I think that every school in Canada is successful at doing that.

It's kind of hard for me to describe my class. But, you're welcome to take a look at our class homepage (http://www.msa.ualberta.ca/med2006/). There's a link at the top to "photos." There are lots of pictures of us partying and having fun. :D

kellyl20

04-10-2003, 08:48 PM

Summervirus: I beg to differ. I really do not believe that med school is so different from other faculties eg Pharmacy which I am familiar with; people is people. I frankly do not think that people become all so wonderful and inclusive once they are in med school. People would not be outwardly rude to one another but there will always be groups that tend to stick together and do things together with usually no one else but themselves and there will always be people who are excluded. Universities are just an extension of high school with more mature students. I am thinking that this happens in every group of people, including your class.

summervirus

04-10-2003, 09:15 PM

kellyl20: Well, I suppose you have to have realistic expectations of med school. I'm not trying to paint a picture of us prancing around the meadow-side, holding hands, and singing songs. You're right, in every population, there are people that tend to hang out more within their own circle of friends. But, I think it's important to recognize that here, at least in my class, the students are friendly, welcoming, and, for the most part, don't foster a competitive environment. No one is really overtly exluded. Anyone that wants to just hang-out together is always welcome... and we have lots of class activities (like going to the West Ed Mall Leisure Centre, laser tagging, parties, potlucks, etc.) that are all-inclusive and fun! :)

Personally, I don't think there's anything wrong with spending more time with those you feel comfortable with, your friends, and your own personal support network. However, we're very professional about treating each other with respect too. And, we also recognize the importance of fostering relationships with each other because we'll all be colleagues one day.

kellyl20

04-10-2003, 09:34 PM

summervirus: So with the exception of a few people which you can count on one hand (I am being realistic as I am guessing that there is a couple of not so pleasant classmates in everyclass; these are the people you are hoping not to be doing your hospital rotations with) your class is inclusive of everyone that wanted to be a part of the group ie no one is excluded. Good for your class, and I hope it is true.

fox

04-10-2003, 10:06 PM

kellyl20- you sound VERY skeptical about summervirus's and mirrille's opinions of their classmates. i, too, was a little worried about things i have heard about the u of a class, but people who have said these things may be those who are not that prone to making friends and fitting in.... it may not necessarily be a function of the class. i am a little relieved to hear that this year's med class seems to have a lot of activities going on and seem to interact with one another a lot. i am not originally from edmonton and will not know a single person in this year's coming class, but i am looking forward to meeting everyone and making friends and am planning to be involved with intramurals/social functions etc. although i would never expect the moderators to trash talk their class, if they weren't happy with their current situation i doubt they would be overly enthusiastic.....

kellyl20 were you accepted to u of a med school? are you going to be attending? these are just my thoughts.

kellyl20

04-11-2003, 01:33 AM

Fox: Congrats to you; not my turn yet as I am in the 2/3 yr category.
Edmonton weather is a deterrent, however the academic excellence and the reputation of being a very good med school should override it. Also, the tuition seems to be much cheaper than the Ontario schools'. The reason I was a bit skeptic is b/c my GP's daughter is attending there now and her experience with her classmates so far as reported by her parent has not been as positive as Summervirus's had been. Wonder if this is gender related or perhaps he is just more gregarious.:D

mirrille

04-11-2003, 10:51 PM

I'm sorry your friend is having some problems.
But remember that the med class has about 120-something students. You'll be taking most classes with another 30-something dental students. That's about 160 people to interact with. So what if you don't get along with a handful of them (like maybe...about 5)? That still leaves roughly 150-ish people to be friends with. So don't worry about those 5 people. In the big picture, it's not really a big deal. Or if it turns out to be, for some bizarre reason, the school does have resources and advisors for students who may be experiencing personal problems of any kind.
The other thing is that with such a big class, of course there's going to be some clumping of people into cliques. This does not have to be a negative thing. I do happen to have a group of roughly 20-30 friends that I tend to hang out with more than others and I love them to pieces :) . That doesn't mean that I ignore everyone else. Some friends are going to be closer than others. You are going to build your own social network and not all 160 people can have exactly the same spot in it. But I tend to see the whole class as a network where some people are more closely connected than others.(Or maybe intersecting circles is more accurate...) It's not like a bunch of islands that don't touch and you can't go from one to the other. I have not yet personally had an experience where I approached people that I didn't usually sit with in class or at lunch and was cruelly repulsed or frozen out or in any way made to feel like I wasn't welcome. I think as long as you are a decent human being and make at least some effort to be friendly, you should be able to fit in somewhere. Even, if it's not smooth sailing, which would be odd, at the end of the day you should have at least some friends.

fox

04-12-2003, 07:42 PM

The comments from the moderators have changed my opinion about U of A a little (in a good way). However, I still worry that the majority of the class will know each other and will have come from U of A. Is this true? Besides the oop students, how many people were either new to U of A (say, from Calgary or wherever) or just didn't know anyone when they started?

kooty

04-12-2003, 08:05 PM

Hi Fox,

I don't mean to be insulting or anything, but why are you so worried about joining a new school? Wherever you go people are already going to know other people...... When I first started University I didn't know anyone because I came from another province. Everyone around me (or so it seemed) knew other people at school because they went to high school with them and came from the same city, so everyone what somewhat connected. I didn't know a soul.....but I met people and made friends. Being new to U of A shouldn't be a deterrent to you, it should be a great opportunity to get to know new people. I bet you'll be singing a different tune once you get into a group of your own :) Unless you don't plan to talk to anyone once you get there, I'm sure you'll meet people............

fox

04-12-2003, 09:14 PM

kooty
i am one of the most outgoing, friendly people you can ever meet. i grew up out east (you didn't say where you were from) and moved away when i was 17 to work and to go to school (two different places where i didn't know anyone). in my undergrad i met tons of people (and didn't know one person when i started) and made many great, lifelong friends.... but, back east most people go away to university (it's like a rite of passage). i had friends that enrolled in programs that their hometown university didn't offer just so they could get away from living at home. and there is something to be said about living in a university town. in my four undergrad years i only met one person at my university who was from that city! then i moved to edmonton to do a master's at u of a. it has been so hard to meet people at u of a. i haven't changed my personality, I talk to everyone and anyone, but have only made one real friend at the school. the rest of the people i am friends with i have met from extracurricular activities i joined or from the jobs i have worked in edmonton. maybe things change after undergrad and this may be the reason it has been hard to meet people here. my experience at u of a has shown me that it is hard to break into people's groups that formed way back when. so, this is the reason it is very important to me to be in an atmosphere where everyone gets along and is open to meeting new people. i have a big decision to make, and i am happiest when i have a lot going on in my life socially, and obvisouly this is partly my responsibility, but i want to be somewhere where i will be happiest. so i am just trying to find out what life is really like here in the med school setting. i am certainly not the kind of person who won't talk to people or try and make friends, and am not slamming u of a in the least. so i hope this answers why i am so interested in life at u of a!

lslo

04-13-2003, 02:18 AM

hi.

it was asked a number of posts back if anyone OOP had been accepted yet. i'm from BC and have been accepted. i'll be letting it go, however, if i'm accepted at UBC or Toronto. i didnt realise there was such a small quota for OOP at UA.

anyway,
best of luck.

kooty

04-13-2003, 02:34 AM

Hi Fox,

I totally get what you're saying now :) While I did tell you that I have met tons of wonderful people here, I realized as I was reading your post that they are exactly the type of friends you have made..... friends from classes, and extracurriculars. These are people you hang out with mostly in school, but no one you would actually call if you were just bored or even if something really bad happened. I also just have one really great friend since I've moved here. You're right, everyone seems to have "old friends" that they're still really involved with and it just seems weird pushing into their circles..........but try not to worry about that. You got into MED! If nothing else, you'll be happy studying it. Plus, the comments from the moderators are really positive. I guess you'll always just meeet "surface" friends, but even if you have one really good friend, that's still something to be thankful for :)

iamnuts

04-15-2003, 07:35 PM

I am surprised that this thread has "somewhat" turned into UBC admissions is better than U of A admissions and UBC students appear to be more well-rounded and more cohesive. If I remember correctly, there were a couple threads last year where UBC admissions was being criticized for being too subjective and biased. If one person does not like you for whatever reason, he or she might be able to take you out right at the UBC admissions meeting. you cannot fall back on your GPA or LOR's to back you up.

pub125.ezboard.com/fpreme...=212.topic (http://pub125.ezboard.com/fpremed101frm14.showMessage?topicID=212.topic)

pub125.ezboard.com/fpreme...=183.topic (http://pub125.ezboard.com/fpremed101frm14.showMessage?topicID=183.topic)

Maybe there is no right way to do admissions after all. You do it too objectively, people call your entering class "boring" and "based on numbers." You do it subjective, people call you "playing favors" and "intentionally keeping a group of applicants out of your door."

why can't people just get along?

shkelo

04-23-2003, 12:29 PM

Fox: First of all, congrats on getting into med!! (It's been awhile since I've posted something on the forum). Secondly, I wouldn't worry about making friends in med school. I, too, did a graduate degree at U of A before I entered med. Socially, it was very different from my days in undergrad. It seems that most graduate students like to keep to themselves for much of the time. (I guess it is all the bloody time in the lab that gets to you. :) ) I have a lot of friends from grad school, but I am not especially close with any of them. Med school, fortunately, is like a social firecracker. I don't think I've ever been around people who were so involved and motivated. I can't count how many class e-mails were sent for invitations to a number of fun outings. If you're hip to "hanging out", then there won't be a shortage of people from class to do it with.

As far as KellyI20's comments about some of the negative experiences she has heard about our class, I could probably pick them out quite easily...although I don't think I need to discuss them in this forum. Our classmate's comments are certainly fair and probably a valid observation of the class dynamic over the year. And yes, we have a few individuals in our class that are a little "over the top" at times. It doesn't matter. The irony is that the things that you'll remember most from med school isn't going to be the lectures, it'll be the people you did it with. I enjoy med school for what it is, not for what it isn't. Everyone, in my opinion, has had an equal opportunity to interact with each other in the class. I don't feel anyone has been purposely excluded from any group unless they themselves chose to be.

Praeludium

04-24-2003, 02:22 AM

I think that hit the nail completely shkelo. Med school is whatever you make it to be. If you intend on coming in and not interacting with a soul, but study your butt off, then that is what you'll get. If you want to get involved, go out to the numerous potlucks or events (again, see photos page), then you will meet people. What effort you put into socializing and building relationships will be what you reap. I don't feel grad school at U of A is fair comparison so say, med. The educational structure and class dynamics are so different.

I was one of those students who came to U of A without know anyone and I'm having a blast. I'm really sad to see the year go by so quickly actually, and scared for 3rd year to come when we all disperse! I believe if I (and others) can have this experience, then anyone can if they choose to.

Another comment I'd like to make is, shkelo, I think when I get together with buddies, you know, some 40 years down the road, we'll be reminiscing about how REALLY over the top those guys were in our class. It's true, I'll remember the people.