How to get ACCEPTED to the University of Ottawa Medical School - UNOFFICIAL STUDENT GUIDE 2019/20

University of Ottawa medical school application (2019-2020)
Nothing that I say in my videos is meant to be taken as an official statement from the university itself. Last year when I was applying to medical school, I really wished that I had a video that could help guide me on what I needed to do to get in. Hopefully these videos can help a few people in similar situations and help reduce some of the anxiety associated with being a premed student. Good luck to everyone applying this year! ALWAYS CHECK DIRECTLY WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF OTTAWA REGARDING OFFICIAL REQUIREMENTS OR INFO ON THEIR MD PROGRAM.
Time Stamps
Intro - 0:00
School Analysis - 2:09
No MCAT Required! - 2:25
Admission Stats - 3:15
Language of Instruction - 4:05
Affiliated Hospitals - 4:39
Application Overview - 5:11
Eligibility - 6:10
wGPA formula - 7:33
Example wGPA calculation - 8:35
Required courses - 10:31
The wGPA cutoff - 12:09
CASPer Test - 13:15
The Autobiographical Sketch (ABS) - 14:22
The interview - 16:02
Post-Interview Scoring -17:54
Offers and Waitlists - 18:30
Three Strikes and You’re Out - 19:28
Channel Update - 20:13
My Complete Guide to the CASPer Test
• COMPLETE CASPer Test G...
University of Ottawa Links
Application Process (wGPA, interviews, etc.): med.uottawa.ca/undergraduate/...
Admission Statistics: med.uottawa.ca/undergraduate/...
FAQs: med.uottawa.ca/undergraduate/...
Special thanks once again to Lakey Inspired for the background music. The track is called - Overjoyed - and can be found here: • LAKEY INSPIRED - Overj...

[@nxtgenmd]

Hey guys, I know this is an older video now but I did want to keep it current for any new applicants :) This year for the 2020 application cycle, it seems like Ottawa has moved away from the 3 year weighted GPA calculation and has now started doing a standard 3 year GPA calculation - where each year is weighted equally. Here's the link to the most recent application criteria: med.uottawa.ca/undergraduate/admissions/application-process/excellence-marks

[@suhelpatel5339]

Once again great video! Good Luck on your medical school journey!

[@nxtgenmd]

Thanks so much Suhel :) Looking forward to hopefully seeing you there one day too!

[@jojomojolazy]

It's fun watching this so many years later and right before this guy graduates

[@nxtgenmd]

My thoughts exactly aha. Crazy that its almost time to graduate 💪

[@malickturenne3969]

Is this minato’s kunai knife in the background? Also nice video! Love the content!

[@nxtgenmd]

Aha you’re actually the first person who’s been able to point it out... but it definitely is Minato’s kunai 🤙 Thanks for watching Malick. Good luck with everything

[@sunnydewett2769]

good luck for med school, it is always good to listen to you and get positive vibes :)

[@nxtgenmd]

Thanks for the support Sunny :) So far its been great and I can't wait to do a video telling everyone about ti!

[@ctman838]

Rip Kobe 🙏🏻🙏🏻 ❤️ ❤️

[@nxtgenmd]

One of the best 🏀❤️

[@ashcoolik4492]

Great video! All your videos are very informative! Would it be possible if you can include an example of an ABS entry? For instance what should we include in it? Thanks in advance :)

[@nxtgenmd]

Thanks so much Ash. I’m glad you’ve been liking them :) and definitely! I want to make a video specifically on it sometime this weekend. But if it doesn’t pan out, ill just reply to this comment with an example. I’m just a little busy with school for the next few days. I’ll get on it ASAP though!

[@nxtgenmd]

Hey Ash, I actually just filmed a video on the abs and then checked OMSAS' policy statements to see if I was allowed to post it. Supposedly, talking about how I formatted my ABS would be a breach of their policy :p I'll call them sometime tomorrow to see what's up. In the mean time. Here's a hypothetical ABS entry that stays within the 150 word limit for let's say... a basketball coach. "I am responsible for coaching a community children's basketball team. I communicate with parents, lead 2 practices per week and manage weekly games." Entries should be spaced out between all of the categories on OMSAS (leave no section totally blank if possible) and try your hardest to have at least 1 entry for each of the CanMEDS roles. Goodluck!

[@jessryannesantos3816]

Thank you for this informative video! Question though: if say I apply after my 2nd year, and get accepted after finishing 3 years of my full-time study, does that mean that I wouldn't have to finish my 4th year? I am currently enrolled in the Health Sciences program at U of O and is really interested in going into Med School eventually, that's why to have watched this video has really helped me be informed with the process of application in U of O. Best of luck in Med School btw!!! Get that MD and save lives :)

[@nxtgenmd]

First of all, good on you for already doing research well in advance of applications :) Now this is actually a really good question - The short answer is that it depends. Some programs will award you a BSc for completing 3 years of a 4 year undergraduate science program. (Completion of the 4th year is necessary for the Hons. Bachelor of Science) Some programs however, may not do this - always check with your university. In any case, an BSc or undergrad degree will not be required by a medical school unless it is specifically stated on their admissions website. Also, as a fun fact - a MD (what you get after you finish medical school) is technically an undergraduate degree, similar to a bachelors of science :)

[@xxDeeo]

Thanks for the awesome video! I'm curious on your opinion regarding those prerequisites! Would there be any benefit to taking those Biochem/ organic chem prerequisites during the fall/winter semester as electives as they're tougher classes if you're already in an anatomy heavy program like nursing . Or would you pick easier electives for that GPA boost, and just complete those harder biochem/ organic chem prerequisites during the summer so they wouldnt influence your GPA but check off all the prereqs?

[@nxtgenmd]

No problem, glad it helped :) Personally, I'd suggest that if your semesters are already filled with very difficult, upper year courses then you'd probably be better off taking orgo and biochem in the summer when you can focus your studying better - this is especially true since U of O heavily weighs GPA in their decisions. But on the other hand, that's just my reasoning from my understanding of how the process works (according to the information on their website). Some students also do very well in these courses and might feel like they'd rather take them during the academic year to boost their GPA - so I'm sure that the argument can be made either way

[@xxDeeo]

@@nxtgenmd awesome thanks for the weigh in!

[@MrCanadianplayer]

Hey brother, thanks for the video! I'm thinking of switching from BComm to Kinesiology (I'm @ McGill) in order to have an easier time pursuing med (no curves for one haha). Do you think that's a good idea? Thanks again ,stay safe!! Matan

[@nxtgenmd]

Hey brother, no worries! Kin is a great program for premed - there's a few people in med that I know who did kin for undergrad. As for advantages over BComm, it'd probably do a lot more to prepare you for the MCAT too (although bio med and life sci are probably the best in terms of preparing you for the MCAT IMO.) I don't have much knowledge of the BComm program itself, but if you're set on med and think that you'll be able to get better grades in Kin (another important factor) then I say go for it 💪 Will do, take care of yourself too, - Gianluca

[@guayx2]

Great video! Do you know when references are considered for uottawa?

[@nxtgenmd]

Thanks John :) and I'm sorry but I don't have clue. I couldn't find mention of it anywhere on their website, which to me would indicate that they probably are not very important to the process. Unfortunately, I can't confirm this since I'm not an official source. But if you find it posted somewhere on their website, feel free to share it here.

[@elyasa123]

Hey, thanks for the video, I was wondering if you took statistics in your undergrad. Thanks,

[@nxtgenmd]

Thanks again Elyas :) and I did take stats in undergrad... not my favourite course and definitely one of the harder ones that i came across - if you want an A anyways.

[@Goodvibeswithmonica]

Hello, I have a question. What major should I study for my master that is suitable for applying to the medical school ? Is master of medical genetics a good option?

[@stefanfernando3647]

Hey, i am in high school and it is my senior year. I want to go the health sciences at uottawa and hopefully I will be able to go to med school there. How hard is it go get A's in university? And also what is the minimum average in percentage you need to get into Uottawa med school?

[@nxtgenmd]

Hey Stefan, thats awesome that you’re already thinking about the process of getting accepted 🤙 getting A’s in university will depend on a few things - especially when you keep in kind that some classes are objectively more challenging than others. I made a video on this channel about tips to get a 4.0, and you should definitely check it out. I talk about the GPA in this video (GPA is how your marks are recorded in university), and traditionally the avg. has been around a 3.9 or above, which is almost like saying 90% or above. Best of luck!

[@Jimpopal]

Man I was just on OMSAS working on my application to uOttawa and saw your video, guess it's a sign. Can you please do a detailed video on the interview at uOttawa and how important abs and references are? Help your pre med brother

[@nxtgenmd]

Aha I would love to help you out more brother, but I didn't interview at U of O so I can't really talk about it more than I already have. I will definitely be making a medical school interview video though (how to prep, what to say, etc.) - probably sometime around November/December. Now for the ABS... its super important. No official numbers listed by U of O but I had friends with 3.95+ GPAs who did not get an interview at U of O. That tells me that their CASPer test and their ABS were lacking in some regard. U of O has a whole section on their application page about the ABS so I would definitely think that the smart assumption is that the ABS at U of O is VERY important - like at Queens. Finally, the references. Nowhere on U of O's website do they even talk about the confidential assessment forms. They still may call your verifiers for ABS activities in some cases, but as far as official selection categories go, confidential assessment forms or "references" appear to have no bearing on the selection process at U of O according to their website. Hope this helps :)

[@Jimpopal]

@@nxtgenmd thank you so much for a thorough reply. So thankful and grateful for the work you are doing. Sorry if I am asking for too much but can you do a video on how to best present yourself in the ABS, is there a certain strategy?

[@nxtgenmd]

Its no problem! I’m just glad that for the most part, people have seemed to be liking the vids so far :) Sorry for the delay. Unfortunately, I checked and I cant really describe too much about the ABS. But what I will say (unofficially) is that following the CANMEDS roles is a strategy that has worked for a lot of people. Try to have something for every entry category and shape your app so that it tells a story about who you are. Best of luck brother

[@Gigi-fj9jv]

Are references not required for uOttawa? It's true they don't mention it on their website

[@amyie9639]

Hi! I was wondering where and what did you study undergrad? And with what high school average did you get into your undergrad program?

[@nxtgenmd]

Hey :) I studied biomedical science at Ryerson for undergrad. My highschool average was around the mid 80’s (say 86ish) I talk about my premed grades more in my “premed journey” video if you want to know more - Best!

[@andrewcampitelli2041]

I am a grade 12 high school student, do any Med schools look at the undergrad school you go to. Would you recommend going to a really known school like mc master for undergrad or a lesser known school with a smaller school size where it’s easier to connect with the prof.

[@nxtgenmd]

Hey Andrew :) Undergraduate school "prestige" is not a heavily weighed factor of admission for medical school. You can see my guide video on all of the 14 schools in Canada as of 2020. You are most likely better off going to a program where you can learn well fro the MCAT and to prepare you for medical school, but also do well in your courses.

[@simplecookingwithrabbiah1385]

Will the BS Nursing good programme to enter Med school ?

[@abhinavbhattarai1466]

Do they grant scholarship for MSc in Biochemistry?

[@rohinn123]

Hey, what's your opinion on taking summer school courses or pass/fail classes if you want to take off a mark that is quite low. Will medical schools take these factors into consideration and will it affect our applications?

[@nxtgenmd]

Hi :) for the majority of medical school (at least here in Ontario), courses taken in the summer do not count towards GPA (it is a great way to check off your course requirements though). Every school is different though and there are some exceptions to this rule. Unfortunately, repeating classes is usually* not able to replace a low grade - but make sure to check with whichever school you're interested in first though!

[@rohinn123]

@@nxtgenmd Alright, thank you so much!!

[@nxtgenmd]

@@rohinn123 Np :)

[@peachesasmr9366]

I would be very interested in what the percentage of that number of applicants are even qualified at all to even be considered. MY best guess is an alarming amount on international students. THe amount of qualified applications is likely in the low hundreds.

[@nxtgenmd]

I'd also be interested to know how many students meet the eligibility criteria. I don't really have a guess one way or the other, but I think it's a safe bet that not everyone who applies is technically eligible 🤙

[@samuelhamilton5245]

You must be a citizen to get accepted into uOttawa's med school

[@mimame5812]

Im in high school in the Ib program and have academic math instead of ib math because I needed the summer prerequisite and it was full. Do universities really want everything Ib. Because I’m taking hl bio and hl chem next year. And I’m worried because I’m taking math studies instead of hl or sl math.

[@nxtgenmd]

Hey Mima :) honestly I wouldn't be too worried. Back when I applied for university (about 6 years ago now though) this was still debated by some of my friends. I think its very dependent on the university program that you want to get into though. Having said that, I still think that the most important factor are your grades themselves and not the whole IB vs. academic factor. So unofficial answer* you should be fine and don't let other students convince you otherwise. Official answer * contact the universities themselves and see what they have to say about it. As a personal example, I applied to 3 programs at 3 universities with only academic courses and no IB. I was accepted everywhere. Best of luck!

[@mimame5812]

NXTgenMD just saw this, thank you so much for a detailed answer:) I’m not as worried anymore.

[@narayanisahu6666]

Sir , I leave in a gcc country and so I have lived there from my childhood and because of requirements of the school there my first language is English so do I need to take elts of toefl exam.

[@narayanisahu6666]

Or **

[@simahakimi4942]

So I did a BA in psych and then a Law degree but it’s considered an undergrad and my grades were harder :/ do you think they will consider my psych undergrad?

[@nxtgenmd]

Hey Sima, sounds like a pretty niche question, but since Law is technically considered an undergrad (like medicine), then my guess would be that the last 3 years of undergrad would be used - your law grades. But I think that in this case, you should probably reach out to them directly or look for the answer on their website. Best of luck with everything though :)

[@tajmano9882]

Say you apply in your 4th year, will the WGPA only include the first 3 years, since you haven't actually completed your 4th year by the time of the application?

[@tajmano9882]

Also just a small confusion... their website states the minimum WGPA is 3.5 out of 4. Is that different from the cutoff you are speaking about?

[@nxtgenmd]

@@tajmano9882 Yes, there is a difference in cutoffs. The cutoff on their website is specifically referring to the absolute minimum. However. because their selection process does not include the MCAT, applicant's GPAs are usually very high. Each of the 2 streams will have a cutoff that varies from year to year depending on the actual number of applications they receive and how competitive the applicants were. In the past, students have called and asked what the cutoff for that particular application cycle was after* the cycle was over - you can look on forums to get a rough idea of what previous GPA cutoffs were from other years

[@nxtgenmd]

To the best of my knowledge, at least for this previous application cycle, that's correct :)

[@RockieAtlas]

I've done 4 courses each semester for all my years except the last. Don't think I stand much of a chance getting into any medical school without the full course load😣

[@nxtgenmd]

Don't be so sure about that! Queen's didn't require the full course load requirement when I applied, and same with McMaster I believe :) Look into it further, but I think you're still good for some schools 💪

[@RockieAtlas]

@@nxtgenmd thank you for the positive reply. My current GPA is 3.9/4.3. If using OMSAS as a conversion method then the maximum possible GPA I can get is 3.83/4.0, but I have seen a lot of average (especially oop) be 3.9+🙈 I'm trying to be positive but seeing the stats on school sites me lose hope.

[@Hitherehealth]

Does ottawa medical college accept GED diploma? please tell me

[@champagnemami28]

I didn’t know UOttawa has med school!! 😳

[@nxtgenmd]

Oddly enough, I hear that a lot from students 😅

[@teknotv5757]

Ur in med school but still don’t know the difference between Staff of Hermes and Rod of Asclepius.

[@nxtgenmd]

At the time I didn’t 😅 read a great article about it this last year though!

[@malikkaur9971]

Sir ..... can we apply for this university to pursue mbbs after doing diploma (2 years )?? Or is it compulsory to do a degree (3years-4years like bachelor's in biology) ????

[@nxtgenmd]

I believe that you will have needed to pursue a bachelor's degree before applying to U of O, but I'm not 100% sure. It should be listed on their website though :)

[@kareem2457]

Everything med school in North America will require you to have 3 years or have graduated a 4 year undergrad in order to be considered, So unfortunately you cannot apply with a diploma in Canada that is.

[@pyrsist9442]

Hi 👋, I'm a French speaking student and I want to join medical faculty of Ottawa. Can u helps me please?

[@jiagilani1756]

Why did you divide by 6 when calculating the wGPA?

[@nxtgenmd]

Because if you are applying after having taken at least 3 years of courses, then your GPA is made of 6 weighted units. (Yr 1 = 1 unit, Yr 2 = 2 units, Yr 3 = 3 units | 6 units total). To find your wGPA (average), you then need to divide by 6 :) here's a link to UofO's page explaining how it works. med.uottawa.ca/undergraduate/admissions/application-process/excellence-marks

[@jiagilani1756]

@@nxtgenmd Oh that makes sense! Thanks! :)

[@lakshmiborra1582]

Sir, Can i know is it ok to study mbbs in ottawa.. I have completed my grade 12

[@nxtgenmd]

Hi, there is no Mbbs in Ottawa. Only MD programs in Canada 🤙

[@Missyamyamyanyan]

Do you know if the science courses taken at college, not in university are acceptable?

[@nxtgenmd]

Hi Lucy, I don't think that college courses taken outside of an undergraduate program are acceptable for med, but I am also not 100% sure. You can check on the school websites directly or just send a message to one of the admins :)

[@Missyamyamyanyan]

@@nxtgenmd thank you for your response!😊

[@nxtgenmd]

@@Missyamyamyanyan No problem!

[@leenaa.9671]

I don’t know whether to take Biomed or Health sciences (I want to eventually apply for medical school). I heard that Biomed is harder and has physics whereas health sciences doesn’t have physics and is a bit easier. Which one would you recommend (I’m still in high school and have a while till I apply for anything lol but I want to plan ahead)

[@nxtgenmd]

Hi Leena, sorry but I don't know which university you are referring to (more than 1 university offers a Biomed program) and also, I'm not an expert on all of the different university undergrad programs 😅 be careful before you rule out an entire undergrad just based off of which one has a physics course - Ottawa doesn't require the MCAT but the other schools do, and physics is definitely on it. Its great that you're already thinking about applying to medical school :) in high school you should be drafting up a list of all the universities that you'd be interested in applying to and then collect as much information about them as possible so that you can choose your favourites. McMaster's Health Science program is a very popular choice for high school students looking into university from what I've heard. I can't speak from experience about it, but it might be worth you looking into it as well. Hope this helps!

[@dreamgirl69577]

I am from Bangladesh.Can i got scholarship faculty of medicine (MBBS)???

[@choco6193]

Im only 13 and I am worried about this stuff 😭

[@nxtgenmd]

Aha dw about it yet! You’ll have plenty of time to do that once you start university. But good for you for starting to look into the process so early 💪

[@hannahkendrick9416]

I'm 14 and doing the same