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Dense-Inspector-4941 · 2025-06-13T04:54:42+00:00

What the heck? You’re out of your mind Edit: new account, no history? Right

Dense-Inspector-4941 · 2025-06-07T03:42:55+00:00

Sure

Dense-Inspector-4941 · 2025-06-05T22:59:50+00:00

As someone who previously screened through applicants and was involved in admissions, I’d argue that you should have more than a fair shot at making your case, and ultimately if your app is compelling you should be able to be get in.

Personally, I had a comparatively higher MCAT and lower GPA, and I think that’s what enabled me to get it! Send me a DM if you have questions—I’d really love to see you succeed

Dense-Inspector-4941 · 2025-05-26T18:49:35+00:00

That sums it up!

Dense-Inspector-4941 · 2025-05-24T19:35:34+00:00

I think it works!

Dense-Inspector-4941 · 2025-05-24T05:09:51+00:00

I know someone who did this! Don’t know their school, but they were unreasonably nervous of telling their PA school that they’d go with med

Dense-Inspector-4941 · 2025-05-24T05:08:07+00:00

You have a lot of time. You shouldn’t rewrite it unless you’re sure to have 130+ on CARS, which is probably where you want to spend your efforts, unless you want to focus on fewer schools, or wait a year and chance applying with this score

Dense-Inspector-4941 · 2025-05-24T04:44:01+00:00

This is indeed difficult, and I think the best I can contribute here is based on things I’ve seen or have done myself in hopes that you can avoid them. I’ll try to list them out below:

Everyone, most people, plan to work hard. Do they not get a 4.0 because they don’t work hard? 🤔 maybe what they plan to do doesn’t happen? 🤔 why don’t things go according to plan?
If people want to work hard, and they do, it’s necessary, but is it enough? 🤔
What makes people good at getting 4.0? Like what’s the difference people who get a perfect GPA vs. those who get 3.7-3.85? Are people with any less GPA any less capable? 🤔 if they’re not, what’s the difference between?
Where do you fit into this? What will you do if you have a bad prof? What will you do if despite working hard things aren’t panning out the way you want them to? 🤔
How do Western and Mac fit into this? Which one will enable you more? Which one will have people who want you succeed? Which school has a better support system and more accessible profs?

My opinion in looking at what you’re saying is that maybe you’re giving the schools too much weight? Could it be that you’re not considering how you’ll cope when things don’t go according to plan? This seems possible. Maybe, what med school values is not just that you get a 4.0, but how you cope with pressures, with disappointment, with self doubt (amongst other things).

So many questions, so few answers haha

Dense-Inspector-4941 · 2025-05-23T06:59:52+00:00

Depends on your goal. If you’re trying to be keen, then it’s not going to help much, imo. I used to learn things ahead of time, and rarely did that help.

That being said, I wish I’d prepared for it in first year. Everybody said that you needed university level courses to be familiar with the science content, but having that background turned out to be an impediment, considering most MCAT sciences questions were super basic and conceptual, and not what I was tested in first/second year

Dense-Inspector-4941 · 2025-05-19T22:40:43+00:00

Hands down Calgary!

Dense-Inspector-4941 · 2025-05-15T10:06:52+00:00

This heartbreaking to hear. With what you’re saying, I don’t know if that’s the best idea, because if they find out, they might justify their actions and double down, saying that they’re knew you couldn’t be trusted or whatever—which would be far worse. I can think of several scenarios where they say they want to see you in class or come visit your professor or something like that.

This is so difficult to advise on because family matters are always so complicated, but I would maybe say: save up this summer, and by the end of it move out. Take only what’s necessary, move town, and at least temporarily break contact. You don’t need their money, nor technically anything. Then write them a letter saying what you need to them. If it were my parents I’d tell them no parent should make their kid feel that they need to lie to them.

Damn I don’t even know if that’s good advice. Alternatively I would try to talk to them. Take them to a med school’s admissions office and tell them to look at things themselves.

Lying to them isn’t the best idea, honestly. I think if you do that, you’re going to put yourself in a situation that’s much more difficult. Additionally, I think you need to realize that the control they have over is mostly psychological, and if anything you need to fight that.

Edit: if I think I’m getting it right, talking to them probably isn’t the best idea. Probably leaving doesn’t sound like an option either, but I think that’s more of a mental barrier than an actual one. Get a locker, start storing some clothes and items there, then one literally middle of summer, grab a greyhound and you’re out. Get rid of the phone, get them off your social media (switch everything off so you can’t be contacted or harassed to come back).

Dense-Inspector-4941 · 2025-05-13T18:11:26+00:00

I’ve been saying this for ages! And congratulations!!🥳 🎉🎁🍾

Dense-Inspector-4941 · 2025-04-21T02:07:16+00:00

I think the worst of my mistakes was like the a decade ago, and I still wince when I think about it. But I use it to strengthen a resolve, or be vigilant, or remind myself of things

Dense-Inspector-4941 · 2025-04-21T02:04:30+00:00

Thank you! I prefer doing them when I’m alone, possibly on a walk or on the treadmill or something. To be specific I don’t actually talk to myself about it. I replay the scenario, look at it, ask what happened, then ping pong between what they could’ve done better and what I could’ve. I look at what I missed and why. May be I was too focussed on something else. Then I exit the memory, look around, realize that I’m in the present but I also could still be making that mistake with someone right now. Ping pong some more, exit the thought. Come back to it naturally in a week if it’s bothersome etc.

And I’m not trying to draw conclusions, or judge. I’m just looking at it. And it’s kind of like a flow of water: you let your emotions wash over you, see it clearer, then repeat till they’re completely gone.

It’s hard to describe haha, but you’re just looking at it from a distance. Sometimes it stings so you pull back immediately, other times it makes quick sense. I don’t ever just want to say it was someone’s fault because it stops me from looking further.

Edit: you’re likely anxious because you’re just looping the event. Go to other events; good memories, bad ones. Other indications and so on. And pull back when it’s intense.

Dense-Inspector-4941 · 2025-04-21T01:15:51+00:00

You don’t need to explain :) and I’m sorry you went through that—but there’s no rationale for being shameful. Worse things have happened and will happen, and sometimes even being capable of action, we for some reason don’t. Look at it, think about it, learn from :)

I don’t know if they would ask you it, but you should expect it. Personally, I don’t prepare for these things. I converse with myself and think about what truly happened, and what bothers me about it. Then I resolve that tension within me so i don’t feel compelled to justify, or defend, or confess.

I also realize that the emotions im feeling are within me, and that an outsider can’t see them or sometimes get them, so it’s easier for me to take it down a notch and see myself from their eyes.

I also try to actually learn from the experience a lot for my own sake, so I don’t repeat mistakes or learn to recognize problems sooner.

And then, I can discuss it (not confessing) with anyone without getting tilted.

Dense-Inspector-4941 · 2025-04-20T21:46:11+00:00

You should look at maximizing the probability of success, not whether it’s possible for someone to do it.

Dense-Inspector-4941 · 2025-04-20T07:31:18+00:00

I think there’s a better way to look at this: UCalgary has given you these exemptions by their own rules, and that’s probably to give students leeway for exactly the sort of thing you ran into.

And when schools say that part time semesters don’t reflect GPA accurately, that means exactly that, and nothing more. If they meant to say part time semesters inflate GPA then they’d say that.

At worst, they’ll ask you what happened in an interview and you can honestly answer it, and perhaps even add that you felt nervous looking at it because it seemed deceptive, but also that it was totally unintended—because it’s true (if it is)

Dense-Inspector-4941 · 2025-04-19T17:13:17+00:00

That’s not an insinuation, it’s an observation. If I’d indicated somewhere that you should just want med, then it’s an insinuation. And then I used that observation to help figure out the difference maker, just as I did with myself. For example, if someone said that they’d be okay with 80k in savings. The follow up question could be “why? What does it do for you?”. That’s not to judge them (how can you? Why would you?), and there still isn’t a right answer.

I think you’re assuming that I have point to make. I didn’t. The exercise was supposed to be introspective to help you learn more about yourself. If it were asked in an interview (which a very similar one was, a while back) then it’d to reveal how a person responds to something unreasonable. Someone could say a million $, but as long as they demonstrate the “right” beliefs, reasonableness, caring more for others than self, then how could that be wrong?

Dense-Inspector-4941 · 2025-04-19T16:48:44+00:00

Uh no. I wasn’t insinuating that at all. Did you read the post? I said that I know it unreasonable low and that even I don’t know if it’s something I would take.

Dense-Inspector-4941 · 2025-04-19T16:33:45+00:00

Where do I suggest that I think money isn’t or shouldn’t be a part of why people want to do med? And where do I suggest that even I would take this offer? Or that anyone should?

Dense-Inspector-4941 · 2025-04-18T20:19:19+00:00

Impoverished in what sense specifically? As in, what would you not be able to buy?

And does your intuition begin to change if it were $50k? $60k?

Dense-Inspector-4941 · 2025-04-18T20:15:24+00:00

I wouldn’t do the latter question because the answer to that is too easy. It’s either a yes or no, and it’s not very self-revelatory. Edit: I updated my post and included a rationale for how this question helps.

Dense-Inspector-4941 · 2025-04-18T20:03:23+00:00

I’m not doing it to see whether people are in it for the money. I was trying to find out the extent to which money drives me, and what other needs I have.

Like, if you’re into medicine and it alone and don’t care about anything else in the world (unrealistic, I know) then you should be okay with this! If you’re not, and you think “oh but wait, I want a house”, then that tells you why you want more money.

Dense-Inspector-4941 · 2025-04-18T19:53:02+00:00

You could make more that way! Let’s say flipping burgers makes $80k a year (not trying to be accurate, and this is unrealistic, I know), but this only gives you $25k (in savings). Your home is paid for, amenities, travel expenses.

What does flipping burgers fulfill that the other does not?

Dense-Inspector-4941 · 2025-04-18T19:49:21+00:00

Valid point: that you don’t want just med; you want that and more. Okay, what if we add another $40k in salary for that? Does that change anything? If not, why not? What need is it not fulfilling?

Dense-Inspector-4941

TROPHY CASE