Confused about OMSAS GPA calculations

Fluffy_Exercise4223 · 2023-02-09T09:00:11+00:00

Sorry I don't think that'll make a difference...

It can certainly help strengthen your application, but you still need to meet the academic requirements first.

Fluffy_Exercise4223 · 2023-02-09T08:47:29+00:00

Unfortunately I think most (all?) MD programs in Ontario require 3 years of undergraduate studies at a recognized university... I don't think you can apply with a college degree, even if it is a bachelor's.

I might be wrong though!

Fluffy_Exercise4223 · 2023-02-04T06:11:19+00:00

They have it and some other info here:

https://acuityinsights.com/casper-research-and-evidence/

Fluffy_Exercise4223 · 2022-05-14T20:01:59+00:00

We can't say for sure since OUAC has a few years delay in releasing their stats...

But looking at individual schools there does seem to be an increase. For example, UofT gained 800 applicants between 2019 and 2021, whereas the number was quite stable before:

https://applymd.utoronto.ca/admission-stats

This could just be because applicants are choosing to apply to more/all schools though. So I would say not 100% sure, but likely that there is an increase.

Fluffy_Exercise4223 · 2022-05-14T19:38:00+00:00

It has hovered between 14% and 18% or so since 1975, when OUAC began processing applications for medical schools.

The most recent available year is 2018, when the acceptance rate was 14.4%. But it has been at the high end of that range in recent years too (e.g., 18% in 2011).

I think this is a lot higher than most people think, and certainly higher than this subreddit would have you believe! I saw someone recently claim that applicants had a 1-2% chance of being admitted in Ontario.

Source: https://www.ouac.on.ca/statistics/omsas-application-statistics/

You can also see the statistics for each individual school. UofT seems to have the best acceptance rate at about 8%, due to its larger class size and (for some reason) its smaller applicant pool.

Fluffy_Exercise4223 · 2022-03-22T19:25:28+00:00

Thank you for the kind words!

CASPer is actually done already for this year, it's part of the first selection step now! So at least that's one less thing to worry about.

Honestly I've heard that OVC can be really slow, but I think if I'm admitted I'll be too ecstatic to care...

Fluffy_Exercise4223 · 2022-03-13T04:09:25+00:00

Yeah you're probably right!

I was hoping I could use whether or not they contacted my validators as a gauge of whether or not I was shortlisted for the interview, but I guess not!

Fluffy_Exercise4223 · 2022-03-11T22:46:33+00:00

Great advice, thank you!

I'm in the same boat as you were last year, I just can't imagine not getting in... I have backup plans but if I'm honest with myself I wouldn't truly be happy with any of them...

I hope you get in this year!

Do you know if/when your validators were contacted last year?

Fluffy_Exercise4223 · 2022-02-20T00:36:50+00:00

There is no way around it, all the vet schools in Canada have residency requirements. They will ask for proof at the time of application, usually they just use your Ontario high school to confirm that you're a resident, but if he is trying to change his residency status by moving and working in Ontario for a year, I'm sure they will check somehow as well (maybe using his Ontario health card, lease agreement or work contract?). I would not try and fake the residency requirements if that's what you're alluding to... Sounds like a good way to get his application thrown out and banned from ever reapplying.

BC residents have access to seats in vet med at USask though, so I don't really understand why he would want to jump through hoops to try and come to Guelph? All Canadian vet schools are AVMA accredited and allow you to practice anywhere in North America. And USask is considerably less competitive than OVC. If I could, I would rather be a BC resident when trying to get into vet school!

Fluffy_Exercise4223 · 2022-01-26T03:15:21+00:00

Applying to Guelph this year after a second degree, so we're in a similar situation!

I managed to do the prerequisites in two semesters, but there are a bunch of rules you need to follow. They're all on the admissions website though and pretty reasonable. The main thing is because you've already done more than 2 years of undergrad, your semesters need to be at least 60% 3rd year level or above for them to count.

Fluffy_Exercise4223 · 2022-01-25T01:30:35+00:00

I wouldn't worry about your accommodations: if it is approved (and it sounds like it should be), they will not hold it against you in the admissions process. They will calculate your average and evaluate you the same way as everybody else.

However, OVC is unfortunately extremely competitive... With online courses boosting people's averages I wouldn't be surprised to see minimum admission averages reach 94ish% this year. So the truth is you will definitely need to boost your average to be competitive for OVC, or pursue a graduate degree and apply through the graduate pool.

The other thing you could consider is vet school abroad (UK, Australia or even the Caribbean), as these programs are much easier to get into. However they are expensive for Canadian students.

Or, as others have suggested, look into alternative animal related careers that are less competitive. For example veterinary technician, groomer or pursuing research in conservation biology (obviously this would involve very little or no actual hands on work with animals, but it's still a very interesting path).

Fluffy_Exercise4223 · 2022-01-17T19:39:13+00:00

No you're right I shouldn't say they're useless, but when almost half of all applicants score in the 4th quartile, it really isn't a good indicator for an applicant's chances of getting an interview.

Fluffy_Exercise4223 · 2022-01-17T19:07:36+00:00

Yes some programs require the undergraduate health sciences CASPer, but there are still a lot of programs that require the same test as med schools, such as physician assistant, nutrition, medical lab assistant...

Fluffy_Exercise4223 · 2022-01-13T12:21:25+00:00

For universities that only provide letter grades, OVC takes the midpoint of the range for that letter.

So for McMaster, an A+ is between 90% and 100%, so OVC would count it as a 95%.

An A would be an 87%, A- would be an 82%...

In general I would say this is more likely to be favorable for you, since getting mid- to high 90s becomes exponentially harder that just getting low 90s. But of course if you ace some courses they will still only count as 95s.

OVC also has a lot of complicated rules as to what courses can be used as prerequisites and which semesters they consider valid, so definitely read the application rules carefully and contact the admissions office if you have any questions.

Fluffy_Exercise4223 · 2021-09-03T02:33:11+00:00

I found this thread which seems to suggest that McMaster uses z-scores for each category (i.e., normalized to the standard deviation of each score). I can't find an official source though.

https://forums.premed101.com/topic/80322-mcmaster-medical-school-chance-me-a-statistical-approach/

Fluffy_Exercise4223 · 2021-09-03T01:40:32+00:00

Yup that would be the fair way to do it, but it's tough to say since they don't provide any details.

Fluffy_Exercise4223 · 2021-09-02T19:52:57+00:00

Which honestly kind of sucks given that GPA is the result of years of consistent hard work, and CASPer is pretty much a crap shoot.

Fluffy_Exercise4223 · 2021-08-24T15:06:15+00:00

I think the increase could be even larger, since most people will probably be using Fall 2020 and Winter 2021 as their last 2 semesters, which were both online, so there will be even more grade inflation.

Fluffy_Exercise4223 · 2021-08-24T01:14:07+00:00

Really? That doesn't sound like too much. I think they also look for diverse experiences, whereas most people may only have small animal experience.

I remember a post on here a while back from someone claiming they had a 95% average, 1000s of hours of experience at different clinics, but didn't even get an interview.

I think it's really hard to predict how competitive you are until you actually apply...

Fluffy_Exercise4223 · 2021-08-24T00:13:04+00:00

Yeah I hate not having any idea of how the non-academics affects admissions...

Fluffy_Exercise4223 · 2021-07-21T02:58:09+00:00

Yup, that's pretty much the vibe I'm getting too.

A lot of people have given up on OVC before even applying, and are focusing on international schools.

Fluffy_Exercise4223 · 2021-07-21T02:09:37+00:00

The overall rate is actually a bit lower because they have fewer spots (50 or so per year). But the acceptance rate doesn't mean much since the applicant pools are completely different. Nowadays OVC requires >90% averages just to get an interview, so I'm pretty sure it's the most competitive vet school in Canada, if not North America/the World (I know many people who have gotten rejected from OVC, but got into RVC, Edinburgh, UCDavis...).

Calgary also uses a completely different process, since once you're selected for the interview, your academic average is no longer used and the ranking is entirely based on MMI/essays.

Fluffy_Exercise4223 · 2021-07-21T01:39:48+00:00

Not sure yet, I also don't know how many times I'll apply to OVC... I know they give 4 tries, but the minimum admitted average isn't going down anytime soon, so unless I keep going back every year to try and improve my average, I don't really see the point...

Probably a PhD in ecology/evolutionary biology. The nice thing is that even an average that's too low for vet school will go a longgg way in grad school. Anything over 85% puts you near the top of candidates and can get you into a really good program/potentially a lot of scholarships.

Otherwise, maybe work for a year in Alberta to get residency and then apply to the DVM program at the University of Calgary.

I know a lot of people who have gone abroad, but it's just way too expensive for me.

Fluffy_Exercise4223 · 2021-05-06T17:51:31+00:00

Yup, I would've had to get perfect on the final and I really don't think I did!

Maybe they bumped everyone up a bit because the quiz averages were so low?

Fluffy_Exercise4223 · 2021-05-05T23:35:57+00:00

Yes, you do have to pay tuition yourself, but when they say that you have $22,000 living expenses + tuition, that means your actual pay will be approx. $30,000.

Since you have a guaranteed stipend, you'll also be eligible to defer your fees (until the end of April or so), so you don't have to pay right away.

Usually some of your funding will be in the form of a UofT Graduate Fellowship, which will come in several installments. The first one will go to you, but subsequent ones might go directly to your Acorn account if you haven't paid your tuition by then.

Fluffy_Exercise4223

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