Admissions Blog

Offers 2020 – Round 2 Sent

By Admissions on May 27, 2020 We sent the second round of offers today; congratulations to everyone who received an offer! The deadline for this round is Monday, June 1 at 12:00 p.m. (noon) PDT, and we will send the next round sometime after this deadline. Permalink | No Comments

Waitlist Questions 2020

By Admissions on May 13, 2020

Many applicants have questions about the waitlist and how it works. UBC’s waitlist is a bit complicated, so we hope these FAQs will help. Most of the questions are the same as in an earlier post – there have not been any changes to how we handle the waitlist this year.

Waitlist questions: applicants who have an application status of Waitlisted

1. Can you tell me where I am on the waitlist? How long is the waitlist? How quickly is the waitlist moving?

We can’t tell you, sorry. Our waitlist is more complicated than most due to the four sites, and we do not reveal where applicants are on the waitlist, how long it is, how quickly it’s moving, etc.

2. When will you send the next round of offers?

It will be after the deadline for this round (Monday, May 25). We will try to send them on Wednesday the 27^th or Thursday the 28^th and will update the blog when the next round has gone out.

3. I am on the waitlist but received an offer from another Canadian medical school. Can I accept the offer at the other institution but still remain on the waitlist for UBC?

Yes, that’s fine. If you get an offer from UBC and want to accept it, you will need to withdraw your acceptance from the other school.

4. How long will I be on the waitlist?

That really depends on how many people decline their offers. We do not give estimates or chances to applicants because we have no way of knowing how many people will ultimately decline. We usually try to shorten the waitlist at some point during the summer, but unfortunately it is possible to stay on the waitlist until late August.

5. Can I change my site preferences? My circumstances have changed and a different first choice would work better for me.

Sorry, site preference selections are final and cannot be changed. If you receive an offer to the site you want to go to, however, you can accept the offer and stay at that site (see question 3 below).

Waitlist questions: applicants who have received an offer

1. I received an offer, but it wasn’t to my first choice site. What are my options?

1. You can accept the offer and most likely stay on the waitlist for your first choice site (and second choice and third choice sites, if applicable). There are a couple of rare exceptions, which is why we say you will “most likely” stay on the waitlist – applicants who selected the NMP but did not complete the Rural Training section of the application will not be waitlisted for the NMP, for example. However, the majority of applicants will be on the waitlist for their preferred site(s). This happens automatically so you do not need to contact us about it. Please note that if you accept the offer, you are agreeing to go to the site listed on your Response to Offer form. You will not be able to change sites unless you get another offer.
2. You can decline the offer to that site and most likely stay on the waitlist for your more preferred site(s). Same as above – the vast majority of applicants will be waitlisted for their preferred site(s), and this will happen automatically. The difference is that you are declining the offer and the site. This is taking a risk since you may not get an offer to a more preferred site, but sometimes you know a particular site won’t work for you, and in this case it’s better to free up the spot for someone else. Please note that accepting or declining the offer will not make a difference in terms of your position on the waitlist for your preferred site(s) – your waitlist position will be the same either way.
3. You could decline UBC completely. This would remove you from the waitlist and you would not get any further offers from us.
4. You could not submit the Response to Offer form at all (although we would prefer you did!). Not submitting the form removes you from the waitlist for your preferred site(s) and prevents you from receiving any other offers from UBC.

2. Is my position on the waitlist of my preferred site(s) affected by accepting or declining an offer to a less-preferred site?

No, your position is the same whether you accept or decline the offer.

3. What if I have accepted an offer to my second (or third or fourth) choice and have decided I want to stay there? Do I have to accept an offer to my first choice site if I receive one?

You can stay at a less-preferred site if you would like to. We will take you off the waitlist for your preferred site(s). Please message us to let us know, and be aware that this decision is final. You will not be put back on the waitlist for your first (or second, etc) choice site.

4. What if I have received an offer to my first choice site but I want to go to my second (or third or fourth) choice? 

If you receive an offer to your first choice site, you must remain at that site. You will not be given any other offers. This assumes you have not already accepted an offer to your second (or third or fourth) choice site – if you have, please see #3 above.

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COVID-19 and Your Application

By Admissions on Apr 17, 2020

At MD Admissions, we recognize that the past month has been a stressful time for current and prospective applicants. In addition to dramatically changing everyday life, the COVID-19 pandemic has affected things like transcript requests and grading policies at many institutions, and has also caused some MCAT sittings to be cancelled. Applicants are understandably anxious to know how these changes will impact their applications. Although we are sorry we cannot give you definitive answers at this moment, we acknowledge that these changes are outside of your control, and are working hard in conjunction with our selection committee to develop ways to accommodate these changes while still ensuring the integrity of our process. We hope to have more answers in early May and will post an update as soon as we can.

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Telephone Inquiry Line Closed

By Admissions on Mar 17, 2020

In light of UBC’s evolving COVID-19 response, the Admissions Office is closing its telephone inquiry line until further notice. Please contact us through the online application system (current applicants) or at admissions.md@ubc.ca (prospective applicants). We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and look forward to answering your questions in writing.

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In-Person Information Session Cancellation

By Admissions on Mar 13, 2020

In light of the COVID-19 outbreak, and following the recommendation of social distancing, we are cancelling the upcoming March and April in-person information sessions at the UBC Vancouver campus. Sorry for any inconvenience. Please feel free to contact us by email or phone. Our email and phone number are posted on the Contact Us page of the website.

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