r/premedcanada Jan 02 '21

Highschool High School Student Thread v3: Undergraduate programs, what to expect, how to prepare etc.

230 Upvotes

Another 6 months have passed, meaning v2 of the highschool thread has been archived! Welcome to v3 of this thread - I believe this has been quite helpful to highschool students who are interested in medicine and has funnelled all highschool related information here for both convenience and accessibility.

As with the previous thread, please recognize that, given the current COVID-19 health crisis as well as a national push against BIPOC racism, the medical admissions process is volatile and likely to change. We may not have all the answers - please verify any concerns with medical school admissions personnel.

Previous post and questions can be found below. Prior to posting, please search through these threads and the comments to look for similar thoughts!

Thread 1: https://www.reddit.com/r/premedcanada/comments/bm2ima/high_school_student_thread_undergraduate_programs/

Thread 2: https://www.reddit.com/r/premedcanada/comments/hm2r0n/high_school_student_thread_v2_undergraduate/

Post Copied Below:

For all you high school students (or maybe even younger) considering medicine as a career in the future, this thread is dedicated to you.

Feel free to use this thread to ask about undergraduate program choices, admissions, and other information pertaining to the process of entering a program as a pre-med - the community will be happy to help you out.

I hope that this sticky will facilitate the transfer of constructive information for high school students with questions on what path they should take to arrive at their goal of becoming a physician.

I've tried to compile a few FAQ questions that have been discussed in the past - these are the collective view of the experiences on this sub-reddit and from my own - please feel free to comment any changes or suggestions.

Q: Will >Insert Life Science Program Here< at >Canadian University< get me into medical school?

A: You are able to get into medical school from any undergraduate program, not even necessarily life science. Provided you approach your courses with dedication, time, and commitment, and pursue your passions, you will succeed at any university. Absolutely, there are other factors to consider. Certain programs just statistically have a higher % of graduates matriculate into medical school (cough Mac health sci), but students from all walks of life enter medical school (hence all the non-trad posts). There are many other factors to consider when choosing a school: Tuition costs, accessibility to research opportunities, available student resources, campus vibe, proximity to home (whether you want independence or would like familial support) etc. While many of you may only look at the stats alone, if you end up stuck for 3-4 years at a school where you dislike the campus, method of teaching, classes, or more, this can (and likely will) affect your ability to succeed academically and get involved.

Q: Do I have to take a life science program to get into medical school?

A: No, plenty of students enter from non-life science, or even non science backgrounds. If anything, this differentiates you from the typical applicant and gives you a more holistic portfolio when presenting yourself to the admissions committee. If another program interests you more, take it - if you learn something that you enjoy, you will be more motivated to study, leading to academic success. Be prepared to explain your rationale behind taking that program, and perhaps see how you can link it to your pursuit of medicine. Make sure to take the pre-requisite courses needed for certain medical schools, and be prepared to self-learn concepts when studying for the MCAT (if you don't opt to take them as electives.) It may be more difficult to get life science research experience, but that is absolutely not a hard barrier. In addition, doing research in your own field, whether it be the humanities, other sciences, linguistics etc. all show the same traits in academia as defined in a "Scholar" as per the CanMEDS competencies.

Q: How do I get a 4.0 GPA, 528 MCAT, 5000 Publications, and cure cancer?

A: This is obviously facetious, but from what I've seen, this isn't a far cry from a lot of the content on here. If you've developed proper work ethic in high school, you should be more prepared than the rest of the entering class. However, don't be discouraged if your grades drop - considering many universities have first year course averages in the 70s, you won't be alone. This is absolutely recoverable, due a combination of the holistic review and alternative weighting schemes of many schools. That being said, however, realize university is different from high school. For most of you, you won't have your parents around, and your university professors for the most part won't care if you show up to class, do your readings, or even complete your assignments/quizzes/exams. There's a lot of independence, keep up on your workload, seek help (from TAs and profs at office hours), study with friends, and you should see the fruits of your labour. Don't worry about the MCAT now - most students take it in the summer after 2nd or 3rd year, after which in a life science program you would have learnt most of the material anyways. Focus on your academics and pursuing your passions, but don't forget self-care. Figure out what is your cup of tea. Maybe go to socials and talk to new people, or read up on the research of certain profs and contact them with your interest. Try to find your passion, follow it, and come medical school application time, you will have a strong story about yourself that you truly believe in.

Q: Ok, but you didn't tell me how to get a 4.0 GPA.

A: There are people who have 4.0 GPAs, and many with close to 4.0 GPAs. They do not all study the same way, and their approach may not apply to you. There are similarities: these students tend to attend class, stay engaged in lecture, and keep caught up with the material. I've seen people fall on a spectrum between three main 4.0 types: 1) The Good Student: never misses a class, asks questions, attends office hours, re-reads notes and concepts after class, and starts review for an exam in advance. 2) The Crammer: usually goes to class, absorbs and understands the information at the time, but does not have time to read notes after class - slowly losing track of earlier concepts. As the exams near, crams two months of materials into a few days. 3) The Genius: goes to class as they choose, seems to never need to study, understands concepts immediately. You will meet some students like these - material comes easier to certain people than others. That's life, we all have our strengths, use them as motivation to keep studying. Don't compare yourself to others, compare yourself to yourself, set your own goals and find that motivation and drive.

Q: What extracurriculars (ECs) should I get involved in?

A: Everyone says this, but find what you're passionate about. People typically go with the cookie cutter: hospital volunteering, research, and exec of some club. While there's nothing wrong with this, many other applicants will have similar profiles, making it hard for you to stand out. If you're passionate about food, see if you can get involved with a local soup kitchen, a food bank, Ronald McDonald House Charities etc. If you're passionate about singing, join an acapella group/choir/sing solo. If the opportunities aren't there, be proactive - maybe it's up to you to start your university's baking club (if you do, send me some pastries pls). By getting involved with ECs that you are passionate about, you'll find yourself more engaged. Going to your commitments will be less of a drag, and come interview time, you'll be able to genuinely talk about how the experiences have shaped you as a person.

Q: How many times can I write the MCAT?

A: There is a seven time lifetime cap to write the MCAT. In terms of if it will penalize your application, it depends where you are applying. Canadian schools for the most part don't care if you re-write multiple times (although 10 does seem a bit excessive). As pulled from the UBC website: Test results from April 17, 2015 onward are valid for five years. In accordance with AAMC regulations, applicants must release all scores.Taking the MCAT ~3 times is nothing abnormal, although if you're re-writing 7 times, you might need to consider changing your study method! US schools will scrutinize re-writes, and if your score doesn't seem to go up, it can hurt your application.

Q: Hi can any med students on here tell me what they did in undergrad?

A: As mentioned above, many medical students have followed their passion. What works for one person may not work for you. Many have research experience, but others may not - you do not necessarily need research to become a physician (i.e. FM). Others will have hospital experience. Most will have some involvement with some sort of student organization, from clubs and societies to being student representatives and playing sports. There is no perfect way to medical school, because if there was, we'd all have taken it.

Q: I'm actually not in Grade 12 yet, I'm just trying to plan ahead. What should I do to become a doctor?

A: First of all, commendations to you for looking ahead. Medicine is a difficult journey, and recognizing that gets you far already. But no point in thinking ahead if you mess up the present. Focus on making sure your current profile is competitive enough to get you into the undergraduate program of your choice. Once you get in, no one will care about your high school marks. Don't have a job? Most don't. Haven't volunteered at a hospital? Most haven't in high school. Focus on getting into an undergraduate program first, and then consider the other points above. Pursue your hobbies and passions in high school while you still have the time.

Q: Is ___ program at ___ school better than __ program at __ school? > OR < Should I go to ___ program or ___ program? > OR < anything along these lines!

A: These types of questions are very specific and may be difficult to give an objective response given that they essentially require someone to have personally attended both sites to give an accurate comparison. As mentioned before, there are many factors to consider when choosing a program and school, including access to opportunities, student experience, research, volunteer atmosphere, student wellness resources, campus vibe/environment, proximity to friends/family etc. What may be most useful is trying to touch base with students at each site for their opinions of the experience!

As mentioned above, please comment below with any other questions, and I'm sure the community would be happy to help you out!

*Please feel free to contact any members on the moderation team with any suggestions, questions, or comments on this process so that we can improve it!


r/premedcanada Aug 07 '24

🗣 PSA Reminder of Rule #2: NO SOLICITING or Advertising

38 Upvotes

Lately, there have been more posts with people trying to sell accounts to resources, applying for help, or advertising for paid services. This rule has always existed but is the most ignored.
Any further posts selling or advertising paid material will continue to be removed and the accounts will potentially be banned. * R/Premed Canada Mod Team


r/premedcanada 2h ago

Admissions Reapplying and looking for general advice/opinions

4 Upvotes

Context: 2026 entry was my first application cycle, I applied to only one school (strong GPA, strong EC’s, q2 Casper) and was lucky enough to get an interview. Proceeded to flop my interview, decision was WL, ended up getting offered a seat but I was not able to get my degree conferred before the deadline date due to some unfortunate circumstances. I was able to finish my degree over the summer but am now taking a gap year. This gets to my question, I am reapplying this year again only to one school. Is it frowned upon to reuse a significant portion of your application from a prior cycle? I think my application was strong and don’t see there being a huge benefit to spending more time on it, as I doubt they will recognize that it is reused unless they keep my old application on file and the person is looking at both at the same time.

TL;DR Should I just copy paste my application from last cycle that got me an interview or is this a terrible idea?


r/premedcanada 9h ago

Can you get a 75-100 NAQ without awards and publications (UBC)

13 Upvotes

GPA is around 88% so I'd need a higher NAQ to get an interview. Feel like nothing about my application really stands out when I'm missing out on these sections.


r/premedcanada 4h ago

can i drop out of a 2-yr course-based masters and apply to med (when in year 1 of 2 for the masters)?

4 Upvotes

I read I can apply to tmu, queens, and mac (confirmation/ more advice would be helpful thanks!)


r/premedcanada 4h ago

MSc timing question, worried course based won't count as grad applicant status for UofT MD

5 Upvotes

Long time lurker, rare poster (who remembers the Shedeur Sanders Analogy last spring ??). Bit of an unconventional path so bear with me. Background: I am quite literally the one COVID health sci who wanted med and didn’t get it, ended up going into strategy consulting after undergrad instead of straight to med school apps. Been working on the healthcare strategy consulting for about two years now. Always had med in the back of my mind and decided to go back for a master's before applying, partly to strengthen the app and mostly because I got laid off in the spring nobody wants a health sci with tech consulting background in a cooked job market (Btw my employment was in U.S too so that fucked me harder) .

I'm planning on heading into the MSc in Digital Management at Western Ivey this fall. Course based program, not research based.https://www.ivey.uwo.ca/msc/program-overview/digital-management/ Here's my concern. I went through a long email thread with UofT MD admissions about graduate applicant status and eligibility, and based on the FAQ on their site, there's a distinction that's tripping me up: "We will assess applicants enrolled in a course based master's that is in progress as undergraduate applicants." And separately, on the Oct 1 documentation deadline: "No, we will evaluate your application, including graduation status, as per the official documentation received by the October 1st deadline. You will be assessed as a master's degree applicant whose degree was in progress." So my Ivey MSc would be conferred in December, after the Oct 1 documentation deadline but still well within the same application cycle and before matriculation the following September. Based on my read, since the degree is still in progress as of Oct 1, I'd get bucketed as an undergraduate applicant regardless of the fact that it's fully conferred a couple months later. The course based conferred category only seems to help if it's already done by Oct 1.

If that's right, it's a bit of a gut punch, since the whole point of doing the MSc alongside consulting was partly to strengthen the file as a graduate applicant, and it sounds like a course based program essentially can't get you there unless you finish before you even submit. Would it help my UofT application in any way to have this masters on it applying during the final year ? Is there anything Ivey or my program contact can do, like say the degree is conferred conditionally to help me out that’s ethical and not illegal ? Would I actually get credit as a graduate applicant if I were to apply in September for my final year Masters for UofT, being that it ends in December ? Has anyone actually navigated this with UofT, or done a course based master's like an MBA, MSc, MPH type program and gotten confirmation either way. Trying to figure out if I should just apply as undergrad status and lean on the work experience and MSc as file strength instead of chasing the graduate applicant category.

Also I'm the classic can't do MCAT low CARS GTA applicant so UofT, UBC, and TMU are my only choices (I failed uOttawa Panel 3 times in 2022, 2023, and 2025 cycles).


r/premedcanada 30m ago

❔Discussion First year next week!

Upvotes

Hey ya'll. i'm an incoming first year at utsc and school starts next weak. just wondering if anyone has tips, words of encouragement, resources etc for me as i start this terrifying journey


r/premedcanada 9h ago

Admissions UOttawa OOR GPA

4 Upvotes

Hi! Quick question. I have a 3.845 GPA for UOttawa (my best year I had a reduced courseload one semester due to personal family things (3 graded, 1 pass fail), and second semester took 6 courses, but this year doesn't count in GPA for them as they don't consider it full time). I'm OOR, and debating if I have any chance at all. I have really unique, strong ECs, and am currently in an MSc program.

The reason I'm debating, is because id have to go do 2 pre-reqs at athabasca this year to apply, which I don't want to spend the money and time, if I have 0 chance at all, but am willing to even if I have a 2% chance at an interview.

Thanks!


r/premedcanada 6h ago

Dentistry-related activities on OMSAS?

3 Upvotes

I'd previously explored dentistry as a potential career path, so I have a couple of relevant volunteering and club experiences. Would it be harmful to include these in my OMSAS activities, or could having dentistry-related activities raise any concerns?


r/premedcanada 5h ago

❔Discussion Is it a red flag if all of my references are from my masters degree?

2 Upvotes

Basically the title, but would it be bad/looked down on if two were my lecturers/supervisors, and one was the head of one of my extracurricular activities > they’re all from a university outside of Canada if that matters at all? They’ve known me about two years 

Applying to TMU, and hopefully Western, Queens, UofT and Mac depending on my mcat score


r/premedcanada 6h ago

🔮 What Are My Chances? Chances for UBC and Ontario

2 Upvotes

Hi everyone, I was hoping to get an idea about my chances as an OOP for UBC and the Ontario schools.

For context, I'm a chemical engineering student who will graduate next year.

I took the MCAT recently, and I expect a score between 510 and 516 (largely dependent on CARS and luck...). I haven't taken the CASPER exam

I have three summers of research experience, with one first-author review article (high impact), with 2-3 more articles hopefully coming along (most likely after this application cycle).

My GPA is as follows:

Year 1: 90.4% (37 credits)

Year 2: 94.2% (42 credits)

Year 3: 94.8% (37 credits)

For UBC, my AGPA would be in the high 94s. However, my current ECs might hold me back (no exec position, 100 hours of hospital volunteering, and active involvement in one club).

I would appreciate any insight on my chances and how I can improve my profile! Thanks in advance!


r/premedcanada 4h ago

Do I need to transfer credits to my home institution

1 Upvotes

If I decide to take a prerequisite course at a different uni, do I have to transfer this credit to my home institution or would submitting both transcripts be enough?


r/premedcanada 5h ago

TMU indigenous stream

1 Upvotes

Anyone have any tips or advice for the Indigenous stream essays/potentially willing to review mine?


r/premedcanada 9h ago

❔Discussion Putting URNST publication on applications?

2 Upvotes

It is a good idea to put URNST journal publications on my med apps? I don't have any other significant publications in major journals, but I'm not sure if it'll weaken my applications. The publication itself is an abstract from a case competition my friends and I competed in.


r/premedcanada 5h ago

OMSAS research entry

1 Upvotes

This summer I completed a research project and patient case review, as a part of a broader student hospital job. It was presented to clinical and non clinical staff at the hospital and is used in ongoing staff education. While not published, would this count as a research entry?


r/premedcanada 5h ago

For those who took the Kaplan prep course

1 Upvotes

Was it worth the money?


r/premedcanada 6h ago

❔Discussion how do i get ECs

1 Upvotes

first year neuroscience student and i am unable to get ECs or just a job in general. is there any advice? any ECs to try?


r/premedcanada 6h ago

❔Discussion Should I jump straight into a VP position for my club or work my way up

1 Upvotes

I have the opportunity to become a vp for my club right away or spend a year as a lower responsibility role and then become VP next year. Which one do you guys think would be more favourable. Ik that med schools value growth and seeing a story of progression but also having a VP position sustained for 2 years could be good too (however it can also give serious nepo baby vibes which I want to avoid). Any advice is appreciated :)


r/premedcanada 9h ago

Is it worth applying to UBC?

1 Upvotes

Out of province student for starters.

Looked at the NAQ and what the hell. First of all, I don't have any full text publications. I have two papers under review but a lot of conference, presentation, awards, etc. But that doesn't count so. I guess I'll have to leave that section blank.

Also 10 slots for employment and only 5 for volunteering? I don't have employment experience (that I think is worth putting on an application) and I only have volunteering, research, extracurricular, etc experience. Also what the hell is life experience? How are you supposed to calculate total hours and find a verifier for something like that?

I'm extremely put off and now I'm wondering if it's even worth applying if this is what my application is going to look like?


r/premedcanada 22h ago

Admissions How to make this process financially possible?

9 Upvotes

Anyone coming from a single parent household? How do you make it? I live with my mom and she works overtime to pay rent, I work full time too and literally cannot proceed after undergad. Due to commute and work there were a couple courses that ruined my GPA but my main question is how to study for the MCAT and prep if I have to work to make ends meet?

I recently got terminated from work so before looking for something else and get dragged into that, I'm thinking of how to proceed so that I can work on my application (I already have 2 gap years after undergrad so far)

I might be able to work part time maybe but after a day of work my brain literally stops working + there always so much going on at home that I have to be involved in (I'm the eldest and I feel bad that my mom has to deal with all of this and this is already taking a huge physical and mental toll on her).

Any advice is appreciated!


r/premedcanada 1d ago

🔮 What Are My Chances? Chances for Med School

26 Upvotes

GPA on a scale of 4.33

Year 1: 2.98
Year 2: 3.33
Year 3: 4.0
Year 4 :4.2

My GPA is very low in the first two years because I was working 3 jobs to support my education and my family as my dad had a stroke and couldn’t work anymore

My AGPA (I am trying to get into UBC’s SMP program because I work and volunteer in a rural area ) : 91%

My EC’s

7 years of experience working with At risk youth (Saved 3 of them after they overdosed)

500 hours of Volunteering at the Hospital (Surgical Day Care and Mammo Clinic)

2 years of research experience

5 Awards ( Total of 30,000$) from UBC

Deans list ( Last two years )

MCAT :521


r/premedcanada 20h ago

🔮 What Are My Chances? What are my Chances for SFU MED? Lack of ECs?

4 Upvotes

Hey guys,

I just graduated nursing school this past year and was thinking of potentially applying to SFU at some point.

Some Info:

-25yr. (M)

-Bilingual in English and Punjabi

-4.23 aGPA

-Employed Student Nurse (ESN) Positions on a Medical floor and regional ICU

-Currently working as a RN at a regional ER

-Have plans to do my critical care certificate in the coming months with hopes of working in an ICU

-Dean's List for the entire degree, graduated in the top 10% of my nursing class (Great Distinction)

The thing is I don't have any spectacular ECs or research. I have some volunteering at a care home prior to nursing school. A lot of my time in Uni was spent getting by financially as my Dad has been out of work for more than a decade and my mom has been the sole breadwinner. I used to work night shifts as a customer service agent for WestJet and do car repairs for random people along with my ESN positions. This was all while I was taking care of my younger brother with autism. I was never a peer tutor, but I always tutored people for free throughout nursing school.

I'm hoping I can maybe get some research experience in even as an assistant or volunteer through some of my old professors. I'm also thinking of reaching out to a local Indigenous Center to get some community work in.

Just want to know if I have a chance. Seems like everyone is better than me. I didn't even realize that medicine would be something that I would like until my 3rd year of nursing.


r/premedcanada 19h ago

Admissions Does taking a course outside of my university count towards a full course load?

3 Upvotes

If I take 4 courses at my university and 1 at a different one for transfer credits, does it still get counted as a full course load. Also, the transfer credit will just show up as a transfer in my home university transcript so will OMSAS need the grade from the uni where I actually took the class?


r/premedcanada 13h ago

Admissions non-academic reference - can I use my PI?

1 Upvotes

Hi guys! I volunteered in a research lab last summer, where I was involved in research under the supervision of a PI. My work included protocol development, making posters, and recruiting participants for studies, among other tasks. I would really like to include my PI as a reference.

Would this be considered a non-academic reference, given that my PI did not formally grade my work and the experience was not completed for course credit?


r/premedcanada 21h ago

TMU essays

3 Upvotes

Struggling a bit with the TMU essays, are there any current TMU students providing review services??