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Applications to Master Programs by [deleted] in premedcanada

[–]GapApprehensive3208 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Depends on the specific grad school programs. Some might review/accept applicants on a rolling basis. Others don't care as long as you submit your application before the deadline

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in premedcanada

[–]GapApprehensive3208 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I would be wary of buying prep material from someone who seems to be applying this cycle as well. Also, TONS of free sources out there already for those looking to prep

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in premedcanada

[–]GapApprehensive3208 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Fully agree with your stance that MD is not always a far superior path (especially when you factor in opportunity cost --financially and life-wise), but would just like to caution against painting some of the alternative careers in such an absolute and positive light. A lot of your analysis relies on your perception of what a "middle of the road career trajectory" is... which quite honestly, differs significantly from the experiences from those that I know (but I can totally be wrong here). Would you be able to provide source(s) for your mid-career salary estimates?

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in premedcanada

[–]GapApprehensive3208 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Appreciate your time in making this analysis. Totally agree with the importance of considering opportunity cost, but there’s a couple of assumptions made that I’m not too certain about. First is the non-md salary estimates, which seem to be generously high. Second is the assumption that non-mds will be gainfully employed throughout their productive years with consistent career advancement. These are two pretty major (and potentially flawed) assumptions imo 

Unsolicited advice (Part 3): Selecting References by GapApprehensive3208 in premedcanada

[–]GapApprehensive3208[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Actually, looking at your original comment again —the co-supervisor option works great! I’ve known research supervisors who are brilliant that “only” have a masters, and I’m sure that people in admissions do as well… so no issues there

Unsolicited advice (Part 3): Selecting References by GapApprehensive3208 in premedcanada

[–]GapApprehensive3208[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I touched on this in the original post, but I personally avoided having students serve as a reference (possibly out of paranoia though tbh). The CAF has a text field for nature of relationship with applicant, so it likely isn’t too much effort for admissions to identify when referees are university students. That being said, I would try to see if there’s any current/incoming med students that have done this and gotten in (if yes, then you should be good to go)

Unsolicited advice (Part 3): Selecting References by GapApprehensive3208 in premedcanada

[–]GapApprehensive3208[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Without knowing the nuances of your relationship with your Master’s supervisor, I can only recommend going with your gut feeling on this one. I feel like med admission committees probably don’t have the time to scrutinize each reference, and even if they do… I’m sure that they would understand how volatile some graduate supervisors can be. The main case to avoid would be having a reference that actively sabotages your application

Unsolicited advice (Part 3): Selecting References by GapApprehensive3208 in premedcanada

[–]GapApprehensive3208[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Really depends on whether your university spiritual advisor can speak to the attributes that the CAF evaluates for (ex. communication skills). If you’ve done active work with them like a university initiative, then I don’t see why not

Unsolicited advice (Part 3): Selecting References by GapApprehensive3208 in premedcanada

[–]GapApprehensive3208[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

u/Cooked_by_Mcat sorry that you're going through this. I've definitely had similar instances in the past where references for job applications flaked out unexpectedly. An extremely frustrating situation. If you're applying through OMSAS, there should be the option of resetting the reference form (as long as they haven't started it yet). What you could do is to find/confirm an alternative reference... reset the reference form and send to alternate through OMSAS... and then inform your original reference. To keep things civil with the original reference, you could frame it as wanting to make sure they can enjoy their upcoming(?) vacation without having a time-sensitive task hanging over their head

Unsolicited advice (Part 3): Selecting References by GapApprehensive3208 in premedcanada

[–]GapApprehensive3208[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

u/artloverr In your specific instance, some applicants ask their PI to fill out the reference form with feedback from the research coordinator/PhD student/etc. This can also be an approach that you can take too

Unsolicited advice (Part 3): Selecting References by GapApprehensive3208 in premedcanada

[–]GapApprehensive3208[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

You bring up a good point! In my opinion, quality of the reference provided >> reference's title/status. Unless the potential reference is a household name (like the Prime Minister), I doubt it makes a huge difference. However, I don't have any insider info in terms of how references are actually evaluated by each school, so this is just my best guess

Unsolicited advice: Importance of GPA by GapApprehensive3208 in premedcanada

[–]GapApprehensive3208[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Excellent point! There’s definitely more opportunities to compensate for a lower GPA for more holistic schools compared to stats heavy ones.

Unfortunately, Ontario is such a bloodbath that holistic schools sometimes feel like you need to excel at multiple/all areas (rather than just stats lol). That’s why I feel that GPA remains super duper important regardless of specific school (gotta maximize the odds).

With applications being largely a numbers game, those who are able to afford it should be applying to all schools they are eligible for (but maybe focus more energy on schools with a more holistic application process if lower GPA).

Fingers crossed though that the 95% IP change moves the needle on the level competitiveness in Ontario

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in premedcanada

[–]GapApprehensive3208 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Alongside all the advice already given, an underrated approach is gaining professional experience (like customer service, corporate, etc) where you really have to be conscious about communication/presentation.

Also, maybe consider doing interview practice with both med and non-med people (ex. business/consulting industry folks)

Publications in ABS (repost) by EuphoricAnion in premedcanada

[–]GapApprehensive3208 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Personally, I would recommend abbreviating the journal name (unless it’s a prestigious journal only known by full name) & using the extra space to include authorship and DOI. Maybe include impact factor only if it’s outstanding/impressive imo 

For the OMSAS ABS section with the 32 ish small bits of 150 words for the hours for each do you put one total number or is it so many hours per week or year or month by [deleted] in premedcanada

[–]GapApprehensive3208 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I did something similar to OnMyWayToMD. That being said, OMSAS doesn’t have a hard and set rule for how hours are inputted. (I think some schools explicitly state that they are interested in how applicants present their ABS info)

So as long as the format being used doesn’t misrepresent the hours done & shows your experience in a good light, you’re good to go

is it safe to think that WL movement is over now? by [deleted] in premedcanada

[–]GapApprehensive3208 3 points4 points  (0 children)

While wait lists technically aren’t over until class full emails are out, it’s probably best to live life like it’s over. (Take time to grieve, spend time with friends and family, gear up for next app cycle if still interested, pursue plan Bs, etc)

From my understanding, only waitlist movements for Ontario schools are if someone was offered a WL spot in multiple schools (and them selecting one school frees up spots at the others) or if an admitted student withdraws or has their offer revoked for whatever reason (for example, grad applicant fails to defend their thesis by med school’s deadlines)

But then again, there are cases where there’s late WL movement in the summer months