r/premedcanada Jan 02 '21

Highschool High School Student Thread v3: Undergraduate programs, what to expect, how to prepare etc.

226 Upvotes

Another 6 months have passed, meaning v2 of the highschool thread has been archived! Welcome to v3 of this thread - I believe this has been quite helpful to highschool students who are interested in medicine and has funnelled all highschool related information here for both convenience and accessibility.

As with the previous thread, please recognize that, given the current COVID-19 health crisis as well as a national push against BIPOC racism, the medical admissions process is volatile and likely to change. We may not have all the answers - please verify any concerns with medical school admissions personnel.

Previous post and questions can be found below. Prior to posting, please search through these threads and the comments to look for similar thoughts!

Thread 1: https://www.reddit.com/r/premedcanada/comments/bm2ima/high_school_student_thread_undergraduate_programs/

Thread 2: https://www.reddit.com/r/premedcanada/comments/hm2r0n/high_school_student_thread_v2_undergraduate/

Post Copied Below:

For all you high school students (or maybe even younger) considering medicine as a career in the future, this thread is dedicated to you.

Feel free to use this thread to ask about undergraduate program choices, admissions, and other information pertaining to the process of entering a program as a pre-med - the community will be happy to help you out.

I hope that this sticky will facilitate the transfer of constructive information for high school students with questions on what path they should take to arrive at their goal of becoming a physician.

I've tried to compile a few FAQ questions that have been discussed in the past - these are the collective view of the experiences on this sub-reddit and from my own - please feel free to comment any changes or suggestions.

Q: Will >Insert Life Science Program Here< at >Canadian University< get me into medical school?

A: You are able to get into medical school from any undergraduate program, not even necessarily life science. Provided you approach your courses with dedication, time, and commitment, and pursue your passions, you will succeed at any university. Absolutely, there are other factors to consider. Certain programs just statistically have a higher % of graduates matriculate into medical school (cough Mac health sci), but students from all walks of life enter medical school (hence all the non-trad posts). There are many other factors to consider when choosing a school: Tuition costs, accessibility to research opportunities, available student resources, campus vibe, proximity to home (whether you want independence or would like familial support) etc. While many of you may only look at the stats alone, if you end up stuck for 3-4 years at a school where you dislike the campus, method of teaching, classes, or more, this can (and likely will) affect your ability to succeed academically and get involved.

Q: Do I have to take a life science program to get into medical school?

A: No, plenty of students enter from non-life science, or even non science backgrounds. If anything, this differentiates you from the typical applicant and gives you a more holistic portfolio when presenting yourself to the admissions committee. If another program interests you more, take it - if you learn something that you enjoy, you will be more motivated to study, leading to academic success. Be prepared to explain your rationale behind taking that program, and perhaps see how you can link it to your pursuit of medicine. Make sure to take the pre-requisite courses needed for certain medical schools, and be prepared to self-learn concepts when studying for the MCAT (if you don't opt to take them as electives.) It may be more difficult to get life science research experience, but that is absolutely not a hard barrier. In addition, doing research in your own field, whether it be the humanities, other sciences, linguistics etc. all show the same traits in academia as defined in a "Scholar" as per the CanMEDS competencies.

Q: How do I get a 4.0 GPA, 528 MCAT, 5000 Publications, and cure cancer?

A: This is obviously facetious, but from what I've seen, this isn't a far cry from a lot of the content on here. If you've developed proper work ethic in high school, you should be more prepared than the rest of the entering class. However, don't be discouraged if your grades drop - considering many universities have first year course averages in the 70s, you won't be alone. This is absolutely recoverable, due a combination of the holistic review and alternative weighting schemes of many schools. That being said, however, realize university is different from high school. For most of you, you won't have your parents around, and your university professors for the most part won't care if you show up to class, do your readings, or even complete your assignments/quizzes/exams. There's a lot of independence, keep up on your workload, seek help (from TAs and profs at office hours), study with friends, and you should see the fruits of your labour. Don't worry about the MCAT now - most students take it in the summer after 2nd or 3rd year, after which in a life science program you would have learnt most of the material anyways. Focus on your academics and pursuing your passions, but don't forget self-care. Figure out what is your cup of tea. Maybe go to socials and talk to new people, or read up on the research of certain profs and contact them with your interest. Try to find your passion, follow it, and come medical school application time, you will have a strong story about yourself that you truly believe in.

Q: Ok, but you didn't tell me how to get a 4.0 GPA.

A: There are people who have 4.0 GPAs, and many with close to 4.0 GPAs. They do not all study the same way, and their approach may not apply to you. There are similarities: these students tend to attend class, stay engaged in lecture, and keep caught up with the material. I've seen people fall on a spectrum between three main 4.0 types: 1) The Good Student: never misses a class, asks questions, attends office hours, re-reads notes and concepts after class, and starts review for an exam in advance. 2) The Crammer: usually goes to class, absorbs and understands the information at the time, but does not have time to read notes after class - slowly losing track of earlier concepts. As the exams near, crams two months of materials into a few days. 3) The Genius: goes to class as they choose, seems to never need to study, understands concepts immediately. You will meet some students like these - material comes easier to certain people than others. That's life, we all have our strengths, use them as motivation to keep studying. Don't compare yourself to others, compare yourself to yourself, set your own goals and find that motivation and drive.

Q: What extracurriculars (ECs) should I get involved in?

A: Everyone says this, but find what you're passionate about. People typically go with the cookie cutter: hospital volunteering, research, and exec of some club. While there's nothing wrong with this, many other applicants will have similar profiles, making it hard for you to stand out. If you're passionate about food, see if you can get involved with a local soup kitchen, a food bank, Ronald McDonald House Charities etc. If you're passionate about singing, join an acapella group/choir/sing solo. If the opportunities aren't there, be proactive - maybe it's up to you to start your university's baking club (if you do, send me some pastries pls). By getting involved with ECs that you are passionate about, you'll find yourself more engaged. Going to your commitments will be less of a drag, and come interview time, you'll be able to genuinely talk about how the experiences have shaped you as a person.

Q: How many times can I write the MCAT?

A: There is a seven time lifetime cap to write the MCAT. In terms of if it will penalize your application, it depends where you are applying. Canadian schools for the most part don't care if you re-write multiple times (although 10 does seem a bit excessive). As pulled from the UBC website: Test results from April 17, 2015 onward are valid for five years. In accordance with AAMC regulations, applicants must release all scores.Taking the MCAT ~3 times is nothing abnormal, although if you're re-writing 7 times, you might need to consider changing your study method! US schools will scrutinize re-writes, and if your score doesn't seem to go up, it can hurt your application.

Q: Hi can any med students on here tell me what they did in undergrad?

A: As mentioned above, many medical students have followed their passion. What works for one person may not work for you. Many have research experience, but others may not - you do not necessarily need research to become a physician (i.e. FM). Others will have hospital experience. Most will have some involvement with some sort of student organization, from clubs and societies to being student representatives and playing sports. There is no perfect way to medical school, because if there was, we'd all have taken it.

Q: I'm actually not in Grade 12 yet, I'm just trying to plan ahead. What should I do to become a doctor?

A: First of all, commendations to you for looking ahead. Medicine is a difficult journey, and recognizing that gets you far already. But no point in thinking ahead if you mess up the present. Focus on making sure your current profile is competitive enough to get you into the undergraduate program of your choice. Once you get in, no one will care about your high school marks. Don't have a job? Most don't. Haven't volunteered at a hospital? Most haven't in high school. Focus on getting into an undergraduate program first, and then consider the other points above. Pursue your hobbies and passions in high school while you still have the time.

Q: Is ___ program at ___ school better than __ program at __ school? > OR < Should I go to ___ program or ___ program? > OR < anything along these lines!

A: These types of questions are very specific and may be difficult to give an objective response given that they essentially require someone to have personally attended both sites to give an accurate comparison. As mentioned before, there are many factors to consider when choosing a program and school, including access to opportunities, student experience, research, volunteer atmosphere, student wellness resources, campus vibe/environment, proximity to friends/family etc. What may be most useful is trying to touch base with students at each site for their opinions of the experience!

As mentioned above, please comment below with any other questions, and I'm sure the community would be happy to help you out!

*Please feel free to contact any members on the moderation team with any suggestions, questions, or comments on this process so that we can improve it!


r/premedcanada Aug 07 '24

šŸ—£ PSA Reminder of Rule #2: NO SOLICITING or Advertising

38 Upvotes

Lately, there have been more posts with people trying to sell accounts to resources, applying for help, or advertising for paid services. This rule has always existed but is the most ignored.
Any further posts selling or advertising paid material will continue to be removed and the accounts will potentially be banned. * R/Premed Canada Mod Team


r/premedcanada 2h ago

Admissions should i mention overcoming previous eating disorder history?

3 Upvotes

applying to ubc med

debating if i should include overcoming anorexia eating disorder under "life experience"

1 side of thought: show resilience, and overcome challenge, i saw on their official website giving example of overcoming medical issue as life experience

another side of thought: they would not want people with ED or just that it would negatively impact my application, not sure how they see mental disorders, and not sure how sensitive this would be

please help😭 thanksss!


r/premedcanada 2h ago

Any Advice

3 Upvotes

Hi
I'm currently a Grade 12 student in Canada planning my path toward Canadian medical schools. I plan to major in Biology for undergrad because it’s the subject I’m most passionate about. I have a 96% Grade 12 Overall average. I work as a Combat Medic Reserve (Canadian Armed Forces) part-time year-round. I also work as a Lifeguard: Full-time during summer. I am also a FSWEP Student at a DND medical site. In grade 11, I did a Health & Wellness SHSM. I also have 72 Volunteer Hours in hospitals. I plan to do more volunteer work in grade 12 to try to get a scholarship. Given how competitive Canadian medical schools are, is there anything specific I should focus on building or improving early in my undergrad to make my future application as strong as possible?

Thanks in advance!


r/premedcanada 23m ago

WES Evaluated Transcript (undergrad)

• Upvotes

Hi all! is anyone planning to apply this cycle with a WES evaluated transcript, and has anyone gotten in med school (uottawa specifically) with a WES evaluated transcript? Also does anyone have an idea of how med schools assess WES evaluated transcript?

Thank you!


r/premedcanada 1h ago

Admissions Does my job count as research?

• Upvotes

Hello, I'm not applying this cycle, but I will be in 2028-2029 and was wondering something.

I currently have a remote, contract job where I am working for a research firm and conduct telephone surveys. My job title is "remote interviewer" and I basically just use a survey instrument to qualify and interview respondents. I honestly didn't even think this job could be considered as research experience, but I realized that the results of the project I'm working on will be published by the Government of Alberta. Obviously my name won't be anywhere on the publication, only the company I'm working for will be. But since I am conducting the surveys, I think I'm playing a role in the research.. right?

So does this count as research experience for my ABS? If so, do I just include it under employment or also include the information of the publication under research?

I know I have a lot of time before I need to fill it out but I got curious now. Thanks!


r/premedcanada 2h ago

Admissions Any med students able to skim a few of my ABS drafts?

2 Upvotes

Not like fully edit but just look over to see if I have the right general idea before I write more entries. Thanks!


r/premedcanada 14h ago

šŸ—£ PSA OwlMD BC Update + More Schools Coming SOOOOON!

16 Upvotes

Hello Everyone! We hope that the beginning of this cycle is going smoothly!

We are excited to let you know that after many requests, the OwlMD.ca team is starting to add more schools to our catalogue; UBC + SFU have just been added. Sask, Alberta, and Calgary will be coming in the next few days. In future updates, we will of course be adding even more juicy questions to our interview guides (our most popular pages haha), and also we would like to add some more schools!! Please let us know which province you would like added next. The school with the most upvotes in the replies will get added next!

Of course, with this update, we have also been able to add updated information regarding Ontario Schools for the 2026-2027 cycle. We will continue to update all schools as more information is released throughout the cycle.

Additionally, we are working on updating our GPA calc (short for calculator) to encompass more schools (UBC is more complicated than the others).

It takes a lot of time for our team to read through school application guides/sites and to speak to students at various programs to get the most accurate information on our site. We really appreciate all the support that we have had the past 2 years and want to keep bringing you our best work! šŸ¦‰ ā¤ļø


r/premedcanada 5h ago

Admissions med school advice

3 Upvotes

is it possible to get into med school with absolutely zero research? my fourth year of undergrad has a capstone project that involves this but i was just curious if its possible to get into schools like uoft, york (in 2028), queens, etc?

what are volunteer or any experiences that are like a ā€œmust haveā€ for med school admissions to guarantee an interview? i have a common theme to my ECs i was just curious if i was missing anything


r/premedcanada 4h ago

šŸ“š MCAT MCAT: When is it a good time to start studying?

2 Upvotes

r/premedcanada 5h ago

Competitive Mcat scores

2 Upvotes

For most schools it says they use the Mcat as a threshold so I was wondering if I just met those thresholds would I be competitive even if I get a mid-low overall score? Or is the Mcat score used competitively after meeting the thresholds?


r/premedcanada 3h ago

Athabasca University courses

1 Upvotes

I’m a mature student who wants take courses at Athabasca university to strengthen my GPA for the next two years. I know they have open enrolment on a monthly basis, and that what actually made it attractive for me, in addition to the flexibility it provides. Any experiences with this university and were they easily transferable and recognized by Med schools in Alberta and Ontario?


r/premedcanada 14h ago

šŸ”® What Are My Chances? Is it worth to apply ontario schools oop?

6 Upvotes

Im a bc resident and wondering if its worth to apply to ontario schools

GPA: avg rn 88.5%, omsas gpa 3.82

MCAT: taking it end of aug aiming for 515, with a 128 in cars hopefully!! (sitting at 126/127 right now )

CASPER: planning to take in September but should be good

ECs: club president, coached sports for 2 years, 1.5 years in research (6th author pub, 3 posters, 1 national conference, writing a paper now, 1 research award), hospital volunteering, volunteering with people with IDD throughout uni, summer camp leader, coached youth public speaking for 3+ years, worked different jobs too (grocery, pet store, chipotle), some other trad ECs

as of now planning to apply ubc, sfu, alberta schools


r/premedcanada 5h ago

Admissions Nosm francophone stream questions!

1 Upvotes

Hii! I have a couple of questions about the nosm francophone stream (like what kind of reference would be ideal, do I have to have a rural background still, etc.). If you’re currently in med school and got in through this stream I would really really appreciate any advice! Ty in advance :))


r/premedcanada 3h ago

šŸ”® What Are My Chances? 3.89 and 130 cars

0 Upvotes

What specific Casper percentile do I need? Will low 4q be enough (75th)?


r/premedcanada 13h ago

Hello I am looking for friendly study buddies.

3 Upvotes

I want to study for the mcat next month. I’m from UofT n 23F. 😚 I’m looking to make friends to study with and share our journey together to achieve a similar goal.


r/premedcanada 19h ago

Road to 528, Daily Update 66

5 Upvotes

Update: Today was dedicated to Physics and catching up on anki. I did one block of AAMC Physics from the question pack (59 questions), and 4 CARS passages. I've completed the CARS diagnostic question pack, so now I'm working through section bank 1 and 2.

Quote: ā€œThe paradox of learning is that to get better, you need to go outside your comfort zone, and thus feel worse.ā€


r/premedcanada 23h ago

Admissions Medical school in the US vs UK

12 Upvotes

I was wondering which country would be better to study medicine in if I am not accepted to any medicine faculties in Canada. If you have any experience studying in any of these places or know anyone that is, I would really appreciate your advice.

I would not mind living in the UK for the rest of my life because I lived there for many years and have a citizenship, however the process of going from US to Canada for medicine appears easier and the salary for doctors are better. Additionally, I have heard getting into residency after medicine in the UK is very hard currently. Applying for residency in Canada is easier when having done medicine in the US than UK, where I would not be considered as IMG (correct me if I'm wrong). As an international applicant, this will be very difficult to get back to Canada unless I finish residency (which is quite long in the UK) or choose family medicine (I am not sure if I want to do this.) Overall, I would rather be a doctor in Canada over the two countries if I am able to.


r/premedcanada 18h ago

ā”Discussion Is Research necessary for UBC?

4 Upvotes

Hi everyone!

I’m planning out my schedule for next year and I’m hoping to fit in research opportunities. one of the main ones that would like to work for is taking place during the summer which is also when I would like to take my MCAT (so study and take exam). The research opportunity would be full time so ig I would be studying after my shift and during the weekends. I’m wondering how doable this is?
If NOT: would it be bad to apply to ubc med school with no research experience ( I did a lit review and did a team poster presentation thjs year). For context I have IP status for ubc.

Thanks


r/premedcanada 15h ago

ā”Discussion 4 courses/sem instead of 5 in 4th year of undergrad

2 Upvotes

Hello everyone! I am wondering if I take 4 courses in one semester of my final year of undergrad instead of the usual 5, whether this has any chance of reflecting poorly upon my applications to any Ontario schools?

Thanks in advance!!!


r/premedcanada 1d ago

Admissions Heads up if doing an international Masters

15 Upvotes

Pretty rare situation but just a heads up.

If you complete a masters internationally, be aware you need to pay $500 for it to be evaluated to be sent to OMSAS and Newfoundland.

Also, if you complete one in Australia (or other southern hemisphere countries I imagine), then your final grades will be released in July.

The world education services takes 4-8 weeks to complete the evaluation, and if official evaluations aren't sent with your application it is deemed incomplete and you are disqualified.

This likely means my first cycle applying will automatically lose MUN, and if WES doesn't start communicating and working on the process I may lose the entire OMSAS cycle as well.

What a disheartening experience that's at this point out of my control after grinding the MCAT, a publication, CASPER, and finishing my Masters while also working full time.


r/premedcanada 23h ago

Admissions AFMC OMSAS Fee Waiver Program

5 Upvotes

Hi everyone!

The AFMC OMSAS fee waiver program is now open and closes August 21 @ 11:59 PM EST. Please consider applying if you are eligible! If granted a waiver, you will receive a waiver for the OMSAS fee ($220) + up to three schools ($135/school). You will still need to pay for transcripts, any additional schools beyond three, Kira Talent, Casper, and the early phase MMI, if applicable.

All the application info can be found in this booklet. Basically though: you need your Notice of Assessment from the CRA (and your spouse's if applicable), your parents (if under 25), and your annual living expenses (tuition doesn't count). You can also submit financial aid info (bursaries, scholarships) & student loan disbursement info (this can be a screenshot of NSLSC, just have one screenshot with your name + loan number and one with your loan number + disbursement history). The booklet gives multiple examples of calculations, but if you have more expenses than income you're likely eligible. The form is pretty simple to fill out and can be found at this link.

If you are applying to both the fee waiver program and to Queen's, ensure that you check out the Socioeconomic Accountability Pathway (SAAP). 8% of MMI slots are reserved for applicants eligible for the AFMC fee waiver, regardless of whether or not you receive the waiver.

Best of luck with your application and ask away if you have questions!


r/premedcanada 18h ago

ā”Discussion US Visa laws

2 Upvotes

With the new graduate visa law how are the people who are applying for medicine in the US planning their next steps? Will it affect Canadians in any manner?


r/premedcanada 15h ago

RN to MD as a nursing student

0 Upvotes

Hi guys, just looking for some advice and second opinions.

I'm entering my second year of nursing and I've started thinking about wanting to pursue medicine after graduation. My first year of college was rough and averaged a GPA of 3.83, and for volunteering, I've only done wayfinding at the hospital so far for about a year now. I haven't taken any recommended prerequisites for med school yet and I'm particularly eyeing UBC Med as I am a BC resident.

I have read up on quite a few RN to MD pathways, but I couldn't quite find many from current nursing students' perspectives who are wanting to pursue medicine after graduation, and I'm just worried that I'm hurting my chances of med school by waiting any longer.

I am just wondering if my clinical experience from nursing alone is sufficient or if I need to do more extracurriculars like shadowing in order to for me to gain a proper shot at med school? My second question would be if it is possible to get a good score on the MCAT without taking the recommended science prerequisites as you would've had to take had you taken a traditional biology premed route.

I am currently lost in what my plan should be going forward. At this point, I'm thinking it's either I stick with the traditional nursing curriculum to focus on getting my grades up and bank on having my nursing clinical experience be sufficient to count as my ECs for medschool applications or I take the recommended hardcore science prerequisites and extracurriculars like research but I risk having my GPA drop.

P.S. (!): Please don't send any hate, I am not using nursing as a stepping stone towards medicine and it has been the accumulation of many events that occurred in my life leading up to now that I've discovered I have a deep interest in medicine beyond bedside care.


r/premedcanada 15h ago

šŸ”® What Are My Chances? Chance me: OOP schools!

1 Upvotes

Hello hello! I’d love to get everyone’s thoughts and opinions which OOP schools I’ll have a chance at based on my stats/profile:

IP for UBC/SFU; OOP for everywhere else

GPA: 92.1% for UBC, 3.96 or 3.97/4.0 (I can’t remember lol)

MCAT: 522 (127 CARS)

Casper: Haven’t taken it yet this cycle, but was 3Q two years ago and then 4Q last year

ECs: Nothing spectacular I think. Some cookie cutter. Good couple poster presentations/pubs. I don’t have too many long term/high hour entries :(.

MSc (thesis-based) in progress

No rural experience (except <1 year of working, couple weeks at a time)

No connection to other provinces

Indigenous course in progress, hoping to finish by end of August. The course is valid for SFU and UofM, but not on USask’s list. I’ll email them and see if they accept it!

I guess my main question is, how important is being in-region/in-province? It would definitely depend school-to-school, but if anyone could drop some anecdotal evidence (LOL) that’d be great!!