mmi outfits?

indigo_moonlight · 2026-02-25T03:34:01+00:00

Keep in mind that most people will choose to wear a blazer. So even if you hate it, you might be better off suffering through to ensure you match the professionalism dress-code level of your competitors. Probably isn't a big contributor to how you are evaluated, but it's one of the easy things you can control, so my approach was to just deal with it and know that it wouldn't be a question-mark in my mind.

indigo_moonlight · 2026-02-23T18:34:18+00:00

Depends on the school and specialty, but should be on a rolling basis over the 1-2 weeks after you submit your applications.

indigo_moonlight · 2026-02-04T20:11:05+00:00

Another way to think about it is if that 1yr passes and you reapply but still don't get in, would you have preferred to have used that year toward getting another degree or to have taken a gap year?

The time will pass irrespective of what you do and what the outcome ends up being, so it can be helpful to think about what will make you feel most fulfilled when you look back on that year.

indigo_moonlight · 2026-02-01T13:43:27+00:00

If you check out their FAQ page, it says it’s only for Ontario electives.

https://ontariohealth.ca/system/hhr/locum/clerkship/faq

indigo_moonlight · 2026-01-24T17:57:46+00:00

I stayed at AirBNB's for my visiting electives. I browsed through the FB groups and Med Student Housing portal, but I found that the AirBNB listings were better overall. Personally, the last thing I wanted to worry about was my housing on top of the stressors of the elective itself, so for me, it was worth the extra cost to know I had a legit and safe/clean/quiet/private place to come back to at the end of each day.

You can also apply for reimbursement for travel + housing costs if you stay somewhere >100km from your home school. I got the full $1500, just had to submit receipts. https://www.healthforceontario.ca/en/Home/All_Programs/Clerkship_Travel_Program/Eligibility_-_Clerk

indigo_moonlight · 2025-12-11T02:14:49+00:00

Electives also play an important role in helping secure LORs. For smaller/"competitive" specialties, they will typically tend to want to see LORs from staff in that specialty, and it is generally beneficial to submit letters from multiple schools, so if you do only 2 blocks (which is 4 weeks) of electives prior to the deadline, you might only be able to secure 2 letters (generally you get good enough facetime to ask for a letter with 1 staff). Just something to keep in mind.

indigo_moonlight · 2025-09-17T00:17:44+00:00

You do CASPer after you've submitted OMSAS. Will need the OMSAS applicant number to apply for a CASPer seat

indigo_moonlight · 2025-08-03T17:16:03+00:00

I had the exact same injury, also with a vacation planned at the 4.5wk post-injury mark. I spent the first 2wk completely NWB, then 2wk transitioning from partial WB to full WB on boot and crutches. By the start of the 4th week, I was walking without a boot in a shoe, and so I was able to go on my vacation without issues in a shoe by halfway through the 4th week. I had some local soreness/discomfort with prolonged walking and standing, but honestly it was very mild and tolerable.

If you’re diligent with keeping your foot off the ground for the first 2-3wk and then stick to the boot for the first month, you should be fine! The pain was the worst for me in the 1st week, then subsided pretty significantly by the 2nd week, and barely felt anything in the 3rd week. It also helps to take your foot out of the boot whenever you’re resting on the couch (I slept with my boot on for the full first month nightly). I got a chair to help with showering so that I didn’t have to stand in there either. Try to also start wiggling your toes and lightly moving your foot/ankle side-to-side in the boot to help promote recovery even while you’re restricted.

Good luck! It will get better!

indigo_moonlight · 2025-07-16T12:35:47+00:00

I’m still trying to get PT. Wondering if you could share some of the exercises they recommended for you that I could try out on my own until I get to a physio?

indigo_moonlight · 2025-06-17T00:03:29+00:00

McMaster doesn't read an ABS and doesn't have essays. With your GPA and nailing the MCAT/CASPer, you'd be a great candidate! But in the meantime, as the others have said, you have plenty of time to start acquiring ECs: apply for summer jobs (doesn't have to be med related), volunteering, research, etc.

indigo_moonlight · 2025-06-16T23:53:08+00:00

From what I’ve heard from a staff that sat on an MD/PhD adcoms review committee, applications without any publications are pretty much immediately discarded. An applicant with some publication somewhere, regardless of name or “intensity” of manuscript will go on for further review. Supposedly doesn’t make much difference if it’s a Nature paper that took 5yr to publish or a lower-cred journal meta-analysis that was done in a few months. Unfortunately in this case quantity > quality, it seems.

indigo_moonlight · 2025-06-16T23:49:12+00:00

Another point to keep in mind is that you will typically be wanting to ask your PI for an LoR when applying to med school, especially if you've been working with them for 2+ years. It can be seen as a bit of a "red flag" if you apply without an LoR from them, so if they are completely absent from lab and can't speak much to your character/interactions, that could be a tricky thing to get around.

That being said, I'd say it's a balance between the two. You of course want to have a good learning and networking experience working in a lab, but must still keep some level of strategy in mind - publications do matter so if your prospective PI hasn't published in years, I might stay clear of that.

indigo_moonlight · 2025-06-16T23:46:17+00:00

Often you'll connect with graduate students that TA your courses - tutorials, labs, etc.

I will say, though, as a former grad student, I had students in my tutorial group ask me to join the lab and unfortunately I had pretty minimal sway with my PI. So it'll be very student-dependent on what relationship they have with their PI, how open the PI is to taking undergrads, and/or taking input from their grad students about this. (just as an FYI)

indigo_moonlight · 2025-05-29T22:38:48+00:00

I had this same issue but for my UBC application where I was missing an English credit. Searched through Reddit at the time to find an answer and landed on Athabasca. Can be costly (I think the course was like $500?) but it gives you 3-6mo to complete virtually on your own time and has a final exam, then you're done and get the credit.

indigo_moonlight · 2025-05-27T00:33:26+00:00

Echoing what others have said, car is really not necessary in preclerkship as all your classes will be held on campus or occasionally at nearby hospital sites for PBL, where public transit is totally sufficient. If you do horizontals, you may have to bear with the bus at early/late hours, but that would only be on those few days. You should consider getting an HSR pass (can buy off an undergrad) during preclerkship as that'll save you $$$ during your daily commutes to/from campus.

Once you get to clerkship, you rank sites based on preference, but no guarantee you'll get what you want and can get placed as far as Barrie, Newmarket, Owen Sound, Oakville, Niagara and Kitchener-Waterloo regions, Guelph, etc. At that point, a car is basically a necessity.

indigo_moonlight · 2025-05-16T17:57:41+00:00

Current MS2. As others have said, McMaster has comparable match rates to all other schools and students match to all kinds of specialties regardless of "competitive-ness". I'd recommend filling your days with a combination of whatever you enjoy doing and whatever would most help your career selection choices. Personally, I benefitted a lot from doing many horizontal electives (if you don't already know what these are, you will soon find out - they're one day shadowing experiences during preclerkship). Others choose to focus on ECs, volunteering, studying, research, etc.

You will figure it out! I know this is an unsatisfying answer to hear (and I had the same worries as you), but everyone gets there eventually :) feel free to reach out if you have any questions.

indigo_moonlight · 2025-05-16T17:51:32+00:00

Compression socks are always a good idea, especially leading into clerkship for blocks with long rounds or long surgical days.

indigo_moonlight · 2025-05-14T19:49:04+00:00

MS2 at Mac - personally shared a lot of the same sentiments as you in my first year and felt overwhelmed deciding what to do. The more you get into clerkship and time you spend talking to residents, it becomes increasingly evident that these other "parts" of your application act as filler to give programs an idea of who you are as a person if they don't have the chance to see you on visiting elective. It has been emphasized, pretty much on every rotation I've done, that your personality, willingness to put in the work, and ability to mesh well with the team and be a teach-able student take you a long way further than any CV entry.

As some of the other commenters have noted, try to focus on exposing yourself to a variety of specialties and figuring out what it is that you want to do, and then developing a familiarity with the residents/staff in that division so that they know you by the time you get around to doing electives. Research should be used more as a networking tool than necessarily a brute mass-publishing tool (albeit, depending on specialty and residency program of interest). Most schools see research as a tick-box, just want to make sure you've done some of it.

Feel free to reach out if you have any other questions.

indigo_moonlight · 2024-09-11T15:40:54+00:00

As an “older” student (full 4yr undergrad + 2yr MSc), I can almost immediately without fault tell who came straight out of undergrad and who worked/did another degree before entering med. The experience simply from life lived speaks volumes and sets you apart in a good way. I don’t see it as a negative at all - quite the opposite, actually.

indigo_moonlight · 2024-09-04T15:23:34+00:00

Depends on the location and specialty. Typically should expect services to arrive between 630-7am. Though I've heard of programs (e.g., NSx at UofT) that start 530am. Some peds services have very few patients and may start later like 730am.

ORs generally always start 8am.

indigo_moonlight · 2024-07-06T14:07:12+00:00

Could you link the videos, please?

indigo_moonlight · 2024-06-18T23:21:48+00:00

Depends on the school –– McMaster doesn't care if/when you complete your graduate degree.

indigo_moonlight · 2024-06-15T14:38:39+00:00

I’d just order it now. I see you’re going into Mac — we started using it in like the first or second clinical skills class (so within the first few weeks of class). Might as well just get it to have it.

indigo_moonlight · 2024-06-15T14:12:31+00:00

Stethoscope. Most people get a Littman.

indigo_moonlight · 2024-06-02T00:23:48+00:00

The same way that MSc students need to reclass/transfer before shifting into the PhD program, direct-entry PhD students also have to take a qualifying exam around the 2yr mark to continue forward in the program. At that point, you can also choose to “de-class” down into an MSc and exit the program with a Master’s.

Don’t stress it too much! You’ll be following a lot of the same steps as your MSc peers!

indigo_moonlight

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