The latest updates from the MD Admissions team.
(Mostly) Non-Academic Questions
By Admissions on Jul 21, 2015 We are excited to see that a number of people have started (and even submitted) their applications! With people working on their applications, some questions have come up, especially around the non-academic sections of the application. We hope these answers will help. 1. For the Research Publications and Presentations section, the Help Guide says I should only include publications on which I was a first or second author. What should I do about publications on which I was third, fourth, fifth, etc. author? We suggest integrating a note about your involvement in these publications into the description of your research work or research volunteer experiences. That way we will be aware of your work and you will not have to put something in the Research Publications and Presentations section that doesn’t meet the guidelines. 2. I’ve never presented my research work at a conference, but I have done a presentation or two about it more informally (like in a lab group or as a guest presenter in a class). Should I include this kind of presentation in the Research Publications and Presentations section? The Research Publications and Presentations section is intended for more formal presentations at conferences. If you have room in the description of the related research activity, you could mention the presentations there. 3. Should I include abstracts in the Research Publications and Presentations section? Abstracts should not be included in the Research Publications and Presentations section. If there was an oral presentation or poster presentation associated with the abstract you can put the presentation in the Research Publications and Presentations section, but we do not have a separate category for abstracts anymore. If you think the abstract is important to mention, we recommend including it in the description of the relevant research activity. 4. I received an award that allowed me to receive a salary while doing research. Should I list it both in Awards and Employment History? This one is a bit tricky – we consider this type of award to be more of a stipend than a traditional award, so we would say it’s not really necessary to put it in the Awards section (although you won’t be penalized if you do). The research experience should be included in the Employment History section for sure and you can mention the award in the title or description. 5. I can’t find a website for my award. Please put the website of the awarding organization, department or office instead. 6. I’ve completed the MCAT page of the application but don’t see my MCAT scores. All applicants must release their scores to UBC using the THx system. After you release your scores, we manually upload them into the application system. We are currently uploading scores twice per week. 7. Is the AGPA based on the credits with grades I have now or will have at the end of April? It’s based on the credits with grades you have now (excluding summer 2015 courses). There are definitely exceptions, but in general people are eligible for the AGPA after they have completed 120 credits. For most people this means you would be eligible when you apply after finishing your fourth year of university. 8. If I have attended, am attending or will be starting medical school at a different institution can I still apply? You can apply as long as you did not withdraw from the medical school due to academic reasons. Please write a short paragraph about the details of your attendance in the appropriate box on the application. Note that applying to our program means you will start over in Year 1 if accepted. Permalink | 2 Comments
Southern Medical Program Expands Rural Positions
By Admissions on Jun 25, 2015
The Southern Medical Program (SMP) is expanding the number of positions available for students interested in rural, remote, or northern rural medicine. Beginning with the 2015/16 admissions cycle, up to 10 of the 32 annual positions within the SMP will be designated for students with rural, remote, or northern backgrounds.
These changes are being implemented in an effort to help address the need for more doctors practicing in rural, remote, or northern communities, in particular within the BC Interior.
The Remote and Rural Suitability Score (RRSS) currently used in selection of students for the Northern Medical Program (NMP) will now also be used to help identify suitable students for these 10 SMP positions.
All students with rural, remote, or northern backgrounds are encouraged to complete the RRSS section as part of the online application.
Applicants who do not complete the RRSS section will still be able to rank the SMP as one of their potential site options (site preference completed post multiple-mini interview) as in previous admission cycles. However, they will be considered for the non-rural positions only.
Permalink | No CommentsWaitlist Shortened
By Admissions on Jun 19, 2015
We shortened the waitlist today. To those of you who received disappointing news, we are sorry there was not a position for you in our program this year. We hope you are proud of the hard work and accomplishments that brought you so far. To waitlisted applicants who did not hear from us today, you are still on the waitlist, but our recommendation to start thinking about your next application or other plans still stands.
Permalink | No CommentsAll Positions Filled in MED 2019 Class
By Admissions on Jun 16, 2015
All of the position in the MED 2019 class have been filled, at least for now. Historically speaking, there is a chance that one or two positions might open up due to students who withdraw their acceptances, but it is impossible to say how many spots will become available, if any. We therefore recommend starting to think about your application for 2015/2016 if you plan to re-apply to the program.
Permalink | No CommentsThe 2015/2016 Application Is Open
By Admissions on Jun 15, 2015
The 2015/2016 application is now open! Over the past year we have tried to be especially attentive to applicant feedback regarding the application and Help Guide, and have made several revisions to the Help Guide that we think will make completing the application a more straightforward process. For example, the Research Publication section always generates a lot of questions, so we took a careful look at that section and made some changes to the application and Help Guide that will hopefully clarify where to enter certain things. The non-academic activities section is another part we particularly focused on. We hope you will find the revisions and new additions helpful!
The Help Guide is long, we know, but since it contains so much important information it should be your constant companion as you complete the application. On the off-chance you run into something the Help Guide doesn’t cover, we are always here to help by phone or by email through the application system. For general questions or comments not specific to your particular situation, commenting on the 2015/2016 General Questions post is another option.
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