DE Courses

[nora]

Hi all,

Its my first time browsing around this site, so bear with me if this question has been asked already.. I didn't find it as I was scrolling.

Long story short, I didn't expect to get rejected this summer ( think my interview held me back ) .. I had completed a minor at the UofG but needed 5 more courses to finish bio in order to get my major and minor. Since I couldn't sacrifice the money I thought I would need for tuition, I have been working full time and doing 5 courses online.

My marks suffered a little from not having as much time to concentrate on school.. I know OVC says they don't use semesters of full time online courses, but I'm wondering if the courses will, in any way, create some sort of setback for me during the admissions process for next year?

Thanks, I hope everyone is having a wonderful summer.

[vmurthy]

Hi Nora,

As always, it is best to double check with Admissions, but as far as I can tell, I don't think you can use this semester of online courses towards the OVC, but at the same time, I don't see that setting you back in any way. When you apply in the next year's applicant pool, you would be using the same courses as you did this time.

The interview is one aspect, but try to take this time to also broaden your experiences and get new references if you feel you need to. Make the most of your time, and you'll have an easier time next year- both on your application as well as in the interviews.

Hope that helps.
Cheers!

[nora]

Hey Vmurthy,

Thanks for your response! I was actually already able to improve my semester avg in the winter as well as 2 of my top 8. I also found a job opportunity that allows me weekly exposure to cases at the OVC.. any other suggestions of options I can explore at Guelph?

I left the idea of improving my MCAT out because I sit just on the avg marks for admissions and I can't see myself studying for my MCAT after I'm done exams on Friday and actualy improving by the date of the last test..

[vmurthy]

Yeah, deciding to redo the MCAT is a big deal... If the stats from the Class of 2016 isn't out yet, it will be soon, so you'll have some frame of reference there.

Aside from opportunities at the OVC listed on the Volunteers section of the OVC website, I'm afraid there isn't much. You can always email clinicians and profs and see if there might be research opportunities if that interests you. Other clinics in Guelph (or if you can drive, even the UoG research stations) might be good places to look into as well.

But you mentioned you've got an opportunity to see cases at the OVC-HSC, and thats pretty rare to come by- nice job!

Not much else, I guess. Be sure to look at the admissions stats and try to attend the debriefing they'll hold in Sept for applicants who didn't get in this year.

Good Luck!

[Joel]

Hi Nora, I didn't make it in either.

Your current Distance Ed semester will be 'invisible' on an OVC application; they only look at full-time semesters that a)have 2 or fewer DE courses, b) are full-time semesters, and c) have a 60% course load at 3rd year or higher if you're in 3rd year or higher in your degree. You don't have to worry about this summer's marks affecting your future application.

The only way it could impact your application is if you're taking courses now that could have been taken later in a full-time semester to use on your application (I did that.... oops).

Kudos to working full-time while taking a full-time semester! I don't think I could pull that one off. If anything, I'd argue that it's an example of being able to manage time effectively, even if marks aren't as high.

Good luck on your next application, hopefully we're in the same class next year!