Some data re. Dalmed class of 2006

[arcticaguy]

Hi all,
here are a few snippets on some class stats for your enjoyment! These are not all confirmed but if you have a specific question feel free to ask or to contact the admissions office:

There are 86 students in total
-74 maritimers (57 NS, 15 NB and 2 PEI)
-8 from ontario
-1 Quebec
-1 sask
-1 BC and
-1 from the United Arab Emirates!

The ages range from 21 to 37

MCAT scores accepted are between 24-38, with the average being 28 (down one point from the class of 2005). The applicant pool consisted of people with scores of 24-43!!

there were 205 maritime applicants and 90 non-maritimers (this is a drop from the usual 200)

We have an unusually high # of students with grad work
28 Master's and 2 PhDs, with a large number who've completed multiple undergrad degrees as well.

Btw. this is the first time in 5 yrs that we have a less than 50-50 (approx) split in m/f ratios. This class is 37% male!!!!

I think this is it...perhaps MD2006 and NBsmurf can correct me or add on to the numbers...

cheers and good luck!

[NBsmurf]

Wow, you've got a good memory. Were you taking notes during Dr. Hughes talk? :) I think there is also a dentist in our class too, isn't there?

[DHP62]

Any idea how many of those coming from undergrad were from 3rd vs 4th year?

I'm wondering cause I'm in 3rd year, and am considering not applying this year because:

a) I'm OOP
b) I'm in 3rd year - and the Dal app says they rarely admit 3rd year students

So I figure with those two qualities, I'm a shoe-out! :) I know, I know...never say never...but lets be realistic here! hehe Plus, I have school work to do, and don't want to waste my time.

DHP

[MD2006]

Wow articaguy....good memory! That all sounds correct to me!

DHP62 - I have yet to meet anyone in the class from 3rd year, I'm pretty sure all of my classmates have a minimum of an undergrad. I think they would have to be extraordinary circumstances to be admitted after third year, but you could always contact admissions for more info:

medicine.admissions@dal.ca

NBSmurf is right, we do have a dentist in our class!

[Ian Wong]

63% female? Sounds an awful lot like my class... :)

Ian
UBC, Med 4

[runner1]

Does anyone know what the average was GPA for the class of 2006?

[arcticaguy]

yeah, we do have a dentist in our class-completing an MD degree as part of a maxillofacial surgery requirement!
btw. I did take notes during the talk :)

runner1, I don't recall that we were given a number for the average GPA, howver, I will try to contact the admissions office for the numbers asap
cheers.

[BCgirl]

arcticaguy,

How do you like Dal so far? How's COPS (is that what it's called?)?

I just printed off my application yesterday (add that to the pile of essays to do...)

[eJaya]

Hi Guys and Gals.
I am so jealous of all of you and was wondering if any or all of you could give me some advice on my chances of getting into medical school at Dal. Here are my stats:
MCAT 8v, 9p, 10b, R (2nd time around- 9v, 10p, 8b, Q)
GPA A- third year undergrad and A fourth year undergrad
In second year of a chem MSc at UofT
second time applying to Dal
from NS
lots of volunteer and extracurricular involvement
So what do you think? Also, what MCAT scores should I send?I know you can't give a definitive answer but if you have any calming words or advice, I'd love to hear it.
Scared in Toronto! (but excited)

[MD2006]

Hey eJaya,

Your stats look great to me and you have good MCAT scores, the average of our class this year was a 28. I have no concrete evidence to back this next statement up, but I think as long as you have the minimum GPA and MCAT scores, the big determining factor is your interview. I think that the reason GPA and MCAT might play a roll after your interview is if candidates have the same interview scores, then they may look into academic factors. That being said I think extracirriculars are also a big influence, but I'm not sure on which they place more value, academic or extracirriculars. But you seem to have both areas covered well.

Another tid bit that I don't know if you noticed above, this year over 30% of our class has a graduate degree, they said they didn't chose based on that criteria but it is an interesting stat!

Oh yeah, you submit only one MCAT score, and you chose which one they get.

Good Luck! :)

[arcticaguy]

Hey BCgirl,
short answer:I LOVE dal.
Long answer: The atmosphere here is great. I especially love the tutorial part of the COPS learning method: that's where you get to be the 'detective' and try to get at the case from different angles, depending on the background of the different group members. I've found it small enough to allow you to get to know the people in the class, albeit I have yet to know them well and it's large enough that it accomodates a wide variety of really interesting people.
As for the smell in the dissection labs, there are the good days and the...well, stinky ones. We have exactly 3 weeks left before our first Exam (Human Body). It still seems daunting and intimidating...I have yet to cope with the fact that I can't know everything...but I'll be damned if I don't try ;)
Will you be applying to Dal? any other schools?
If you have any questions, etc. please don't hesitate to let myself or the moderators know.
All the best, arcticaguy.

[BCgirl]

Hey arcticaguy,

I'm glad to hear that you're liking Dal so much. Yes, I will be applying to Dal as well as Toronto, Western, Queen's and McGill.... that is, if I ever get my essays done! I procrastinated all summer and now it's really getting stressful since my school work is piling up AND I still need to work on my essays.

Good luck on your exam! :)

[Kirsteen]

Hey there BCgirl,

Does this mean that you've given up on UBC? If so, I'll miss your good company during applications last year.

Cheers,
Kirsteen

[BCgirl]

Hey Kirsteen,

Yeah, I decided not to apply to UBC this time around... I had a few changes over the summer and as a result there isn't much drawing me back to BC anymore.

What schools are you applying to this cycle? Are you applying to MD/PhD programs?

Best of luck!

[Kirsteen]

Hi again,

That's unfortunate! I hope the changes were all good ones. On this end, the "for sures" are: UBC, Calgary, Queen's, UT and Ottawa and there are a couple of "maybes" thrown into the pile too.

Cheers and best of luck this year--I'm sure you'll do brilliantly,

Kirsteen

[BCgirl]

Hey Kirsteen,

Yeah, the changes were all for the best. At least we're applying to a couple of the same schools.

I don't think I mentioned this before (I didn't read these boards for a few months in the summer), but it was my non-academic part side of my app that got be rejected from UBC (which, looking back now, was all for the best)... I didn't really agree with how they scored me in some sections -- I guess you really need to be very specific when describing things and trying to balance out those 5 categories (I think I might have scored higher if I had done a better job with that). I also found out that one of my interviewers commented that, "she could use another year", while the other one said, "she is ready". It's kind of funny that they gave exactly opposite comments. I wasn't totally surprised to hear the first comment because one of my interviewers seemed really negative about getting in after 3 years (plus I don't think I did very well in that interview - it was my first one and I felt much more relaxed and on the ball for the next).

Thanks for the vote of confidence - I'm sure that you will do great as well! ... maybe if I ever get my essays done then at least I'll have a chance at getting in :) I have to work on those this afternoon... I don't think I've ever procrastinated so much in my life!

:D

[arcticaguy]

a little procrastination every now and then never hurt anyone :)
from a model procrastinator.
Best of luck with everything!
arcticaguy

[UWOMED2005]

That's why you can't take med school applications (or at least the comments resulting from them) seriously. It really is hard to evaluate someone in the short time given, and evaluators have a wide range of opinions and perspectives. One evaluator's perceived genius is sometimes another's perceived dummy. All you can do is apply, try your best and hope you get evaluators who see your upside and miss your faults.

Hey Dal moderators - you guys made it to the 'Split Crow' for power hour yet? Also check out Lawrencetown beach. . . especially if you have any interest in surfing. My one regret from spending 4 years in Halifax was never making it out surfing at Lawrencetown. . . just tried surfing this summer and I'm hooked! Even thinking of trying to do an elective this summer in Halifax just to see if I can catch any waves. One more question. . . do you guys know if anyone in your class graduated from Dal biochem or micro the year before last? I know of at least one person who should be in your class!

[arcticaguy]

UWOMED2005
Haven't been surfin' yet...human anatomy kinda took over recently....
As to the splitcrow, I personally haven't been there yet, that's what the next couple of weekends after the final are about :) Pacifico's seems to be the preferred hangout of the health schools....
Yeah, I do know of two (maybe three) people in my class who would have finished around that time, but also hold or are in the process of wrapping up a master's-who did you have in mind?
cheers

[NBsmurf]

Hi UWOMED2005;
Just wondering where you tried surfing this summer. Around Halifax? It's something that I'd love to try next summer. Do you know of any good places that I could go to learn?
Funny how I really should be studying anatomy right now, but planning my activities for next summer and cleaning/reorganizing my apartment seem to have taken priority :\

[UWOMED2005]

One girl with the initials CM who did biochem is there for sure. I ran into her sister at the Stratford festival. . . apparently their father was hired by UWO faculty! I think a guy with the initials PO might be there as well. . . last I know he was doing an MSc but I think meds was in the picture for him. He was not only in my classes but I also played rugby with him. I'm sure there's others as well. Also another friend would have been in your class, but came to UWO instead.

Yeah - anatomy is killer. Ever have Bill Baldridge or Dr. Rafuse for Neuroanatomy? I met both of them working on my honours thesis in the Opthalmology lab on the 15th floor of the Tupper building. I also find that this forum is also an amazing resource :) for procrastination before exams.

Went surfing in Portugal. I had a number of friends who surfed Lawrencetown while I was there but I never got around to borrowing a board, wetsuit and hitching a ride. Now that I've tried it (it's amazing) I really regret not taking advantage of the opportunity while I had the chance.

Ahh. . . Pahcheefeeco's (sorry, King's slang for Pacifico's). Nice club. I was (and kind of still am) more of a bar guy but hit up Pacifico's on a fairly substantial number of pub crawls (usually IMPSS or DSS) as well as a number of nights myself and my friends decided paying triple what you did at the crow for drinks was worth being in a nice club.

Ahh. . . the memories.

[MD2006]

Hey everyone.....can you believe our exam is in FOUR days, where have the past two months gone? But here I am, procrastinating as well.....I'm really not a fan of the upper limb right now, but I can't wait until Friday night!

UWO - I think I know who CM is.

Now back to my Netter.....

[UWOMED2005]

Ahhh. . . Netter. . . Upper Limb. . . Brachial Plexus. The memories. Good Luck.

[Ian Wong]

Run To Drink Cold Beer.

:)

Ian
UBC, Med 4

[MD2006]

Thanks UWO :)

Hey Ian, what would we do without mneumonics? The problem is I have so many floating around my head right now I hope I can remember what they're supposed to mean ;)

[medicator007]

Mnemonic eh? I was wondering about that beer comment :)

Cheers!
Medicator

[UWOMED2005]

"Sexy Lovers Try Positions That They Can't Handle"

No, I'm not a pervert. . . that's just the mnemonic we learned for the bones in the hand "Scaphoid, Lunate, Triquetrium, Pisiform, Trapezium, Trapezoid because i before o, Capate, Hamate."

Doh. Might have the spelling wrong on some of those. . . it has been more than a year.

Check www.medicalmnemonics.com. Or www.perfectdoctors.com/mnemonics.htm. (http://www.perfectdoctors.com/mnemonics.htm.) There's actually about a gazllion sites out there if you search google.

There's some really useful mnemonic's. . . for just about everything. Only problem is finding the time to search for your mnemonic and then memorize the mnemonic ON TOP of all the other stuff you're trying to cram in your brain.

[Ian Wong]

Remember, trapeziUM is for the thUMb.

Ian
UBC, Med 4

[UWOMED2005]

I signed up two days ago. Definitely try to make it out. . . it was a blast last year. I was pretty disappointed last year that (as far as I knew) nobody from Dal made it out, or at least if they did, I didn't see them.

[medicator007]

UWOMED2005,

Glad to hear that you are signed up to be coming to our fair city for medgames 2003. Been looking forward to this event for quite some time as I have heard ONLY good things from you and other about it on this site. From what I can see from the McGill end things seem to be pretty well planned and some serious parties (4 FLOORS!) are in the works in addition to Sumo Wrestling as an event.... ETOH, parties, sports and thousands of med students in Montreal.. what more could one ask for?

Cheers,
Medicator

[UWOMED2005]

A trip to Schwarz's deli. 'nuff said.

[medicator007]

Schwartz's deli.... havent been there in a while.. we should get a moderators lunch going there or something like that!

MD2006, totally stoked to hear that dal is sending a contingent... montreal is a great city and it'll be really cool to have u guys here!

Cheers,
Medicator

[UWOMED2005]

Hey quick question Dal moderators about another friend of mine who might be in your classes. Initials NO, from Ontario but did his UG at Dal (with CM,) played rugby for Dal, and played in a band that played the Planet quite a bit. Any chance he's in your class?

[UWOMED2005]

Unfortunately, us 2005s don't really know the 2003s at all. . . they were in clerkship at the hospitals all of last year, while we were stuck in the medsci building. And - Doh! I ended up using the same costume for the annual Halloween party at Reflections last year when I was visiting friends. . . I had another costume but it got "destroyed" earlier in the day when I was running the 3-legged race at King's. Yeah, it was unoriginal, practically not a costume, but it was the best I could do on short notice. . . now that we own stethoscopes & scrubs, it's a pretty easy costume to do.

So NO is in the 2006 Dal class! Wicked. . . haven't seen the guy since the night we finished our last biochem exams. Make sure to tell him "Rader" (pronounced Raider) says hi. Any chance he and CM will be at FSS?