As you can imagine, one of the most frequently asked questions we get in the Admissions Office is, “what does it take to get into medicine?” If you’ve ever attended an information session you may have seen one of us stammer an answer about getting good grades, completing pre-requisites, and getting involved in school and activities- blah blah blah. But having done a few information sessions myself, I can see by looking at all of the incredulous faces in the room that everyone already knows the answer I am giving. The person asking the question is clearly not asking, “What does it take to get into medicine,” they are asking, “What does it take, step by step, point by point, to ensure that I get that letter of acceptance in the mail at the end of all of my hard work?” This is the hardest and most frustrating question for us to answer, because we can’t tell you. It’s not that we don’t want to tell you. It is literally that we can’t tell you, beyond what we’ve already said on our website. This is because the file review process at UBC is holistic, which by definition means that everything counts. There really is no magic formula or perfect combination of grades/mcat scores/extracurricular activities/references etc that will guarantee your acceptance.
Because we can’t say something specific and concrete like “just get a GPA of X and volunteer in Y capacity at Z and you’ll be in!” we recognize that the myths about what it takes to be accepted run rampant. This is where this project comes in. A group of UBC medical students approached us last year about a website they wanted to create in order to help debunk some myths about the UBC medical school admissions process. They created it to help you (and others who are possibly considering a career in medicine) better understand some facts and fiction about what it takes to be admitted. We strongly encourage you to check it out!
We want you to know that we worked with the students to ensure the facts and fiction were accurate, but you should also know that the content of the site is entirely their own. This is their experience in medical school and their perspective about the program. For any admissions criteria, always check our website as it is the definitive source of information and it will contain the most up-to-date things you need to complete to be considered eligible for the program.
We hope that their site will help you gain better insight into our admissions process and medical school. And we hope you spread the message to anyone in your family, peer group, classes, or social network that would make a good doctor or is considering applying to our medical school. Let’s begin debunking these myths together.
You don’t just have to take our word for it! Enjoy!
http://admissionmyths.med.ubc.ca/
With regards to the AQ section of the application, will there be any changes to the formula or is it going to be the same as the past cycle?
Thanks!
Information about the AQ conversion is confidential, sorry.
Hi,
I am wondering would an applicant with low grades for the science prerequisite courses be at a disadvantage?
It says on the site that admission office only considers overall gpa but when there is always a mention of the prerequisite average in the statistic reports.
Does that mean that science courses are very important in the decision-making? If someone did not do well on the pre-requisite, would you recommend retaking those courses?
We do not reveal exactly how prerequisites are looked at, but apart from making sure they have all been completed or are in progress, prerequisites are not a factor before the interview. Our policy is to evaluate the first prerequisite courses taken, so retaking courses wouldn’t help your prerequisite average. One exception is if you fail a prerequisite course – in that case you should retake it.
You mentioned retaking a failed prerequisite. I was just wondering – if you have to do that and have a failed attempt at a prerequisite, is it still possible to be a competitive candidate? Will my application be crippled permanently by an F on my transcript?
That’s a great question. If you have failed a prerequisite course obviously you will need to retake it again to meet the prerequisite requirement however it does not make you less competitive. Remember only your academic and non-academic experiences are considered for pre-interview. As long as you have satisfy the admissions requirements and have competitive grades you should not be discouraged to apply to our program based on a fail grade on your transcript.
Hi,
How many courses is considered a full course load? I’ve always taken 4 courses each semester, will I be at a disadvantage for applying to medicine at UBC?
While we understand that what constitutes a full course load can vary by institution and/or program, at UBC a full course load is normally 5 courses (30 credits). We ask about part-time course loads because the selection committee likes to see that applicants have taken a full course load at some point during their undergraduate degree, even if not each and every year. However, they are aware that for many applicants this is not possible. We have the section on the application where you can explain why you were unable to take a full course load – “I had to work X hours per week to support myself/I have children or other responsibilities etc”. If the committee has this information it will help them understand why you took less than a full course load and will help to reassure them you will be able to cope with the rigorous MD curriculum.
I submitted my application today. But I can still edit it. How come? Am I allowed to edit later on in order to be considered for early submission?
This year, after you submit your application, you can update the email addresses and/or phone numbers of your verifiers on the Non-Academic Activities page and the Employment History page. If you are able to edit other parts of the application please email us through the online application system.
Son has been accepted to UBC, Applied Biology major. He is an international student, currently studying in Asia. Is a US Citizen. Wants to do medicine.
Questions:
– As a non-canadian (but U.S.) citizen, is he eligible to apply to medical school at UBC
– If so, when does he apply? After graduating (as is in the U.S.) or is there a faster track
– Assume of course his grades are up to the mark
The Faculty of Medicine welcomes applications from qualified individuals who are permanent residents of Canada, either as Canadian citizens or permanent residents. Unfortunately, we do not admit international applicants at this time.