With the new application cycle starting soon we are making a change to our blog comments. Starting in late summer, comments will be enabled only for the current application cycle’s posts. This will help to avoid confusion with potentially outdated information and should make relevant comments a little easier to find. Please feel free to post your general questions for 2014/2015 here if they don’t fit anywhere else.
Hi,
Does UBC med school application happen on a rolling basis? That is, should I try to send in my application as early as possible, or does it not matter?
Thanks!
We don’t do rolling admissions so your chances of being accepted are the same whether you submit your application early or right before the deadline. However, it can be to your advantage in other ways to submit earlier rather than later. For example, applicants who submit the application and all required documents and fees by August 15 will be allowed to book their interview slot a day early if they are invited to interview. Regardless of how early you submit your application, we strongly encourage applicants to submit their transcripts early to avoid any problems with late or missing transcript deliveries.
Hello,
I have a research publication that was submitted in 2013 but only accepted for publication in late June 2014, just after the June 1 cut-off date. Will I be penalized if I choose to include this in my application anyways? I understand that it may be unfair for applicants to disregard the strict cut-off date, but I am wondering if there is any way to include this in my application. Thanks!
Only publications that have been published or accepted for publication on or before June 1 should be included on the application; the submission date doesn’t matter. You will actually get an error message if you try to enter dates later than June 1, 2014 on this section, so unfortunately there is no way to enter your publication on this cycle’s application.
Hi,
Thank you for the blog and the helpful information provided. I have a question regarding Research/Non-academic activities.
I presented at several conferences, some with poster format, and some with oral presentation format. I wonder where the oral presentation (and is there a place where I can indicated invited oral presentation vs. oral presentation) would go under my application.
Thanks so much again
The Research Publications section is for research publications only, so presentations should go in the Non-Academic Activities section. You can indicate which presentations were invited in the description box.
I am wondering why you have got rid of the 10 year exclusion rule? I was hoping to apply to UBC, however with the elimination of this rule (which I saw you had a couple years ago) this really hurts my chances. I took additional courses with the purpose of applying here and invoking that rule. How are grades earned from 10-12 years ago even reflective of an applicant? Do you think this is something you will consider implementing in future years? I know it may not affect a large number of applicants, but the ones it does it helps tremendously and is a better reflection of their skills. Calgary explained that they have this rule because otherwise it may take an applicant 5 years of extra courses to improve a GPA minimally.
We eliminated the 10 Year Rule in 2011/2012 in favour of removing the academic year with the lowest average, which we felt would benefit a greater number of applicants. Unfortunately, as with every change, some people were advantaged while others were disadvantaged. As of now we have no plans to reinstate the rule, but we advise prospective applicants to check our website, particularly the Notes for Applicants page, in order to keep abreast of policy and requirement changes.
Dear,
I completed my MSc and am doing PhD work at the moment. I received NSERC scholarship for my MSc degree and am now holding NSERC scholarship for my PhD degree. Should I list these 2 scholarships separately or should I combine them into one award category?
Thanks so much
It’s probably best to list them separately since one was for your MSc and one is for your PhD, and the amounts are different. Listing them separately will also clarify when each was received.
Hello,
I was just wondering how long it typically takes you to update the “received” status for transcripts. I only ask because other schools to which I’ve applied have already stated that they’ve received the transcript, whereas UBC hasn’t (so I want to ensure that it didn’t get lost in the mail).
Thanks.
There is a one-day delay between our mailing address and our physical location, but once the transcript arrives at our physical location we normally update it within 24 hours. As of today (July 8) we have updated the statuses of all of the transcripts we have received, so if the transcript status says “Not Received” it means we have not yet received it. If you are worried about your transcript being lost in the mail it’s probably safest to order another copy, especially if you are hoping to meet the early deadline. Please note that in order to meet the deadline, transcripts just have to arrive at the mailing address (not the physical location) to be considered on time.
Hi,
I’m wondering about whether or not diploma program courses taken at an accredited post-secondary institution are counted towards the OGPA, even if they are not all university transferable (ie: psychiatric nurse diploma courses). On the FAQ page it says that LPN diploma courses are not considered in the OGPA, or the 90 credit accumulation, but elsewhere it says all post secondary courses count for the OGPA. I just wanted to clarify that part. Thank you.
Sorry for the confusion – I think you might be referring to our Evaluation Criteria page, where we say the OGPA is based on all university-level courses (not all post-secondary courses). Diploma courses are not included in the OGPA or 90 credit minimum. Courses must be university transferrable to be included in the OGPA and/or 90 credits.
Okay, so if a course is taken while a student is technically registered in a diploma program, but the course can be transferred for credit to a university, it counts towards OGPA?
We assess these courses on a case-by-case basis. Please email us at admissions.md@ubc.ca.
Hi there,
I just had a quick question about verifiers. Over the years, I’ve devoted a huge amount of time to a particular activity (woodworking). Obviously, I’d like to list this as a non-academic activity, but the person with whom I’ve always woodworked is my father. I can’t think of another person who could verify this activity. I realize that the manual states not to use a family member as a verifier, but would it be alright to in this case?
Thanks,
Ryan
Yes, family members can verify solo hobbies.
I have a similar problem. I have invested a lot of time in playing tennis over the years, but I have mainly been playing with my mother or my brother, the former of whom taught me how to play. What is the best option in this case?
I was also wondering how far back we should list activities. Should they only include activities we have done after high school? I did a lot of volunteer work when I was in high school.
Family members are fine for solo hobbies. In terms of how far back activities should go, we do not have a limit. Please include the activities you feel are the most significant.
I have been participating in a particular non-academic activity for 15 years, and can’t possibly estimate the number of hours spent during that time. It’s also a bit blurry because some of the time I have spent on the activity overlaps with employment and volunteer work. Would it be okay to provide a number of hours for a recent period of time, and clarify in the text box?
Thanks!
We expect hours and dates to be as accurate as possible. In addition, since we are interested in your commitment to the activity, it is to your advantage to include the actual start date of the activity. Maybe the verifier you are using for this activity could help you pinpoint the total number of hours.
I have another two questions. If we have “multiple” prerequisite courses that fulfill the same category, is the core GPA calculated using the best courses or taking all of them? E.g., If one has taken CHEM 233, 235, 213, and 205, are only the first three taken to calculate the core GPA? And the prerequisite chart outlines that 6 biology credits are required, but how would the additional 3 credits be chosen if the student has taken additional biology courses (that is, in addition to BIOL 121)?
For the prerequisite GPA we include the earliest attempt at each applicable prerequisite course (failures are an exception). From your example above we would include CHEM 233 & 235 and either 213 or 205, depending on which one was taken first.
For UBC students, BIOL 121 satisfies the entire biology prerequisite so it is not necessary to take an additional biology course. We will include BIOL 140 in the prerequisite GPA if it has been taken but it is not a required course.
That was super helpful – thank you! 😀 I’m glad to know BIOL 140 gets included in the prereq GPA. I was wondering how only BIOL 121 could satisfy the requirement since *5 biology credits (not 6 – that was my mistake) are listed as required on the application, but that makes sense.
Thanks again!
Glad to help! From this cycle forward BIOL 121 does actually satisfy the requirement by itself, but since at this point most applicants will have taken BIOL 140 as well, we are including it in the prerequisite average if it has been taken.
If the individual who could verify your activities (from 8 years ago) is no longer with the organization, can you still use them and their personal contact details? And if so, do you put in their title at the time your worked for them or their current title at their new place of employment.
The same with current mentors, is their title mentor or their actual job title e.g. Manager?
Yes, you can use them. Please enter what their title was when you worked for them and maybe add a short note in the clarifications section to explain that they are no longer with the organization so you are using their personal phone number and email. Alternatively, if there is an HR representative or someone else with the organization who can confirm the details of your activity, you could list that person instead, even if you haven’t worked with them.
For mentors you can use the title Mentor.
I submitted my application, but just realized that the hours I put for one of my activities was incorrect (typo). How can I fix this error?
Please send us an email through the online application system to let us know about the typo.
Hello,
I am wondering if I worked for my family’s small business for several years, may I list my parent as the verifier? There is no one else whom I can think of to list as a verifier.
Thanks.
We normally discourage applicants from listing family members except where appropriate (for example, solo travel or hobbies). Did you have any other supervisors or even co-workers who were not family members? If not, if there truly is no one else who can verify your employment details, it is acceptable to list your parent. In this case it would probably be a good idea to write a short note in the clarifications box so we understand why you needed to list a family member as the verifier.
Hi I have a few questions!
1) If we take more than 15 credits in a semester (i.e. an overload) how will this effect our application (in the GPA or another section)?
2) If we have not completed all of the prereqs before applying how does this effect our application?
3) If multiple courses can count as a pre-req (for example at my institution, multiple biochem courses at the 3000 level) and we take 2 at the same time, which is used in the pre-req GPA, or will both?
4) Does UBC have a bursary or provide financial aid for travel required to attend the interviews?
Thank you!
Hi there,
1) The additional credits will be treated the same as other credits. The grades will be included in the overall GPA, adjusted GPA and prerequisite GPA as applicable.
2) It’s ok to have some prerequisite courses in progress, as long as you complete all of them by the end of April (April 2016 for the upcoming 2015/2016 application cycle). If you are invited to interview you will be asked to provide proof of enrollment for all prerequisite courses that were not listed on your transcript when you applied.
3) We normally include one of the course combinations listed in our chart of acceptable biochemistry courses. If you have taken courses that could be used in two different course combinations, we would look at which courses you took first, and then at the courses with the highest grades if you took the courses during the same semester.
4) Unfortunately, no.
im doing a research project and in need to know about the medical program there and if you guys have any neonatal programs, also what requirements need to be met to ensure the best chance of getting into BSN, thanks!
Please check out the Program Information page for more info on the MD Undergraduate Program and the School of Nursing’s BSN page for help with your question about the BSN.
Hello there!
I understand that the admissions team does not consider diploma courses when calculating the OGPA, however, I wants to inquire about its weight- do diplomas and diploma courses carry any witght or impact in an applicants application. I happen to have taken a diploma in alternative medicine at one point, that I performed extremely poorly at and failed. I want to know if that will make a significant difference in my application or chances of getting into UBC medicine.
Also, in my undergraduate degree I am planning to take some courses in the summer session, is that acceptable?
Thank you for taking the time to address these questions. I really appreciate it.
Sincerely,
HK
Generally, diploma courses do not count towards the 90 credit minimum requirement and are not included in the GPA calculation which means it should not impact your application. Summer courses can be taken however, summer courses from the year of application are not included in the academic evaluation.