I hate doing this...but what are my chances of admission?

[santa_claus]

I know this has been discussed before, but I got mixed opinions after searching this forum. What are my chances of getting into Flinders, USyd or UQ with the following stats?

MCAT: 11/9/11N

GPA: 3.51/4.

I graduated from UofT last year. I applied to some American schools and I will apply to a few Canadian med schools, even though I know my chances of getting in are slim. For that reason, I also applied to the three Aussie schools mentioned above. I submit my application in the beginning of Aug.

I will appreciate any comments. I am a bit frustrated, because I really want to study medicine, but the doors to so many good schools are already shut for me.

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[Nora]

Hi,

With a 3.51/31N, you are right in the middle of the pack for entering students in the US and probably good enough for MAC and a couple of other schools provided you have at least 2 years above a certain average (thinking of UWO, Queen's, Calgary). Why even consider foreign schools (unless you want the experience, which is a perfectly valid reason)? The risks are high, especially with residency choices and it is a serious issue in Canada when you go elsewhere. Ontario schools are notoriously difficult but why not the US, your stats are decent enough. As a US graduate, you can match in the first iteration of Carms which makes you on par with Canadian students. If you feel like you will have no problems not being able to practice in Canada (not right away), be limited in residency choices, and have to deal with multiple exams, then perhaps the experience may very well be worth it. In the meantime, check out websites for US and Canadian schools with average scores similar to yours.

Best of Luck .

I know this has been discussed before, but I got mixed opinions after searching this forum. What are my chances of getting into Flinders, USyd or UQ with the following stats?

MCAT: 11/9/11N

GPA: 3.51/4.

I graduated from UofT last year. I applied to some American schools and I will apply to a few Canadian med schools, even though I know my chances of getting in are slim. For that reason, I also applied to the three Aussie schools mentioned above. I submit my application in the beginning of Aug.

I will appreciate any comments. I am a bit frustrated, because I really want to study medicine, but the doors to so many good schools are already shut for me.

 

[pitman]

You would get an interview at any of the Aussie schools and would most likely get into any of those you've listed (all else being equal). btw Usyd and UQ would drop your gpa from consideration once you get your interview.

As stated above, you have a *pretty* good shot at getting in to a US school, assuming your extracurriculars are quite good and you do well in the interview.

For an idea for which US schools you have the best shot (based solely on MCAT and gpa):
http://www.studentdoc.com/medfind.html

-pitman

 

[Cziffra]

I know this has been discussed before, but I got mixed opinions after searching this forum. What are my chances of getting into Flinders, USyd or UQ with the following stats?

MCAT: 11/9/11N

GPA: 3.51/4.

I graduated from UofT last year. I applied to some American schools and I will apply to a few Canadian med schools, even though I know my chances of getting in are slim. For that reason, I also applied to the three Aussie schools mentioned above. I submit my application in the beginning of Aug.

I will appreciate any comments. I am a bit frustrated, because I really want to study medicine, but the doors to so many good schools are already shut for me.

Hi!

Hmm...may I ask what you meant by "good schools"? I think there are many good schools all over the world. I think the Canadian schools may seem "better" than the prestigious ones in other countries only for 2 reasons:
1) the tuition fee is heavily subsidized by the government when you study in Canada as a Canadian citizen or PR (i.e. not having to pay full fees if you were to study elsewhere);
2) if you absolutely want to stay in Canada.

Seats in a Canadian med school are outrageously competitive, not due to their superior quality (though I do think most of them are of high quality), but due to supply/demand issues. Other than that, I seriously don't see how some of the lesser known Canadian schools (even the more famous ones) are better than others, say, Oxford, UCL, Edinburgh, ANU, Melbourne, NUS in Singapore, or Heidelberg.

By the way, I'm a Canadian too

 

[seans]

You would get an interview at any of the Aussie schools and would most likely get into any of those you've listed (all else being equal). btw Usyd and UQ would drop your gpa from consideration once you get your interview.

As stated above, you have a *pretty* good shot at getting in to a US school, assuming your extracurriculars are quite good and you do well in the interview.

For an idea for which US schools you have the best shot (based solely on MCAT and gpa):
http://www.studentdoc.com/medfind.html

-pitman

UQ has a GPA requirement of 4.5 before they would consider you for an interview though, and that is the lowest GPA score of any Australian university that will get you through the interview door.

 

[pitman]

yes, that's 4.5/7.0, the OP is far above it.

 

[seans]

yes, that's 4.5/7.0, the OP is far above it.

What's 'OP'?

By the way I had a look at the UQ website, it looks like they've raised the GPA cut-off to 5.0 now.

 

[nlint]

What's 'OP'?

By the way I had a look at the UQ website, it looks like they've raised the GPA cut-off to 5.0 now.

They have raised there cut off for 2007 if you want to go there next year it is still 4.5

 

[pitman]

What's 'OP'?

Original Poster. His/her gpa is out of 4.0, not 7.0, so is far above the cutoff.

It's good that UQ's raising it. Now if they'll just raise the MCAT cutoff.

 

[Winged Scapula]

What's 'OP'?

OP = original poster

 

[markdc]

Things can also be related to how old you are. I had done a few things before deciding to go into med and just didn't want to spend the time getting in back home. (The competition is insane and I wanted to live in a foreign country). If you are just straight out of an undergrad I would advise you to apply this year in Canada and the US and if you don't get in to do a masters in a related medical area such as epidemiology. 2 years is not a big deal at all when you compare the costs of going overseas and difficulties coming back. Some specialties require you to have a bit of research under your belt so this helps you in your career path as well.

However if you hate research and like the idea of living overseas that is a different story. If you are really close with your family and can't picture staying overseas then it is really a sign that you should try harder in NA. If you don't visit much and love to travel, that points the other way. I hadn't lived at home for years and thought I could see myself not coming back. (Still up in the air on that one but can definantly live without our winters.) You definantly have to think about the financial side too unless your parents are willing to chip to help out.

It all seems worth it when you are back home (ie. just to move forward) but once you are here you kind of think damn there are alot of obstacles to face going back to NA! And so far none of us have had any real indication that the Aussies want us to stay. (A serious error on their part since there are shortages here and they should be doing recruitment now.) In QLD it looks like they are going to be graduating more students than interning spots since there are 2 new medical schools (Bond and Griffith) so that is another strange issue.

These issues all add up in the end and I feel that it is definantly worth it to do a masters and keep on applying in Canada/US during that time especially if Canada is where you want to live for the rest of your life.

-Mark

 

[santa_claus]

First of all, thanks everybody for your feedback, you're a very helpful bunch! Well, Mark, I'm 26 years old, and I don't want waste next two years doing a master or re-applying to med schools if I don't make the cut this year. Not to mention I hate research--I just find that spending time in the lab is a waste of time. The issue of getting a PR residency in Australia really bothers me. I am currently working as an x-ray technologist, maybe I have a better chance of getting PR with these qualifications? What do you think guys?

 

[markdc]

First of all, thanks everybody for your feedback, you're a very helpful bunch! Well, Mark, I'm 26 years old, and I don't want waste next two years doing a master or re-applying to med schools if I don't make the cut this year. Not to mention I hate research--I just find that spending time in the lab is a waste of time. The issue of getting a PR residency in Australia really bothers me. I am currently working as an x-ray technologist, maybe I have a better chance of getting PR with these qualifications? What do you think guys?

I looked into PR when I first arrived. I think they have an age requirement of 27 and if you are above that you lose 5 or 10 points. (I was over that age but had 60 points for my previous profession). Go to the Aus migration site and look up the skilled migration scheme since that is what you are talking about. It isn't easy to get the total points required. It can take up to a year to get your profession points assessed so it isn't exactly a quick process for everyone. But if you came over on a work visa and started that process first you could at least possibly qualify for PR while working. I don't really know the specifics.

This doesn't neccessarily garauntee that you would get a HECS spot either. They are making full fee paying spots now for Aus citizens too so you could end up with one of those.

From what I have seen, Aus is pretty exlusionary. I have talked to 2 Canadians that married Australians and had quite an ordeal getting PR. 1 couple had been married for a few years and had been living in Canada first before coming here. It all seems a little weird at times to me.

I guess if you hate research and really want to move forward then Aus may be ok for you. The last hitch would be how hung up you are in going back to Canada. It is possible but if you get really interested in a specialty the odds are stacked against you when going to compete as a foreign grad for any specialty. But if you are fine with the idea of the extra exams for Canada or the US and aren't the type that needs close contact with your family, it all points to the possiblity of coming over.