MHTherapy

Really needed to hear this right now given that my sGPA is only 3.43. I wasn't holding out too much hope on McMaster for this exact reason, but no amount of preparation will prepare you for that discouraged feeling. Nonetheless, thank you for this post during this time - I'm sure there's lots of us out there who appreciate hearing it! Keep positive guys. Sending everyone good vibes

The human physiology requirement is also the reason I did not apply! I took one half course in human physiology and managed to finish with an A-, but uoft requires one full credit in physiology (2 half courses) but the university I attend requires you to take biochemistry as a prerequisite in order to take the second half course of human physiology. Unfortunately, I've always struggled with chemistry and had actually failed my two introductory chemistry courses in first and second year. It didn't make sense to me to take biochemistry and likely fail (the courses is notorious for less than half the class failing) or get an extremely bad grade, JUST to be able to apply to uoft. I didn't want to risk causing further damage to my sGPA and lessen my chances of getting into other schools. Other than that, I would've loved to apply to uoft and possibly be accepted there!!

Hi all! Eagerly waiting for April 1st! In the meantime, I will also be happy to share my stats. Degree: I will be finishing my honours bachelors of science in psychology and neuroscience with a minor in biology. GPA: My ORPAS sGPA is only 3.43 and cGPA is 2.7. I am extremelyyyy nervous about my GPAs, especially my cGPA because I spent my second year of uni on academic probation. I worked really hard to get out of it and maintained pretty much straight As the past couple of semesters, however I know that my few mishaps from second/third year have been included in my sGPA calculation. Good news is I am only applying to Western and McMaster, both of which claim to focus solely on sGPA, but seeing my cGPA on ORPAS lets me down every time. Experience/Volunteering: 1. SLP student assistant - 130 hours 2. Direct support professional working with dual diagnostic adults and seniors in residential homes - 680 hours 3. Inclusion facilitator working with dual diagnostic children supporting them in day camps - 400 hours 4. Child and youth worker assistant/mental health therapist assistant working in day milieu program for autistic children and a youth mental health walk-in clinic - 480 hours 5. Executive member on two university clubs promoting and raising awareness for autism and childhood cancer 6. Volunteering in cognitive neuroscience research labs investigating human communication References: I was lucky enough to have a the SLP that I volunteered with to provide me a good clinical reference letter (although this specific requirement has been waived this year), but my two academic references were from profs I took courses with during the past fall semester or last year. I am not sure if these will be strong references, however given that my university has switched to being completely online, finding professors to write reference letters this year was especially challenging. I am extremely nervous about this whole process. I have already been rejected from one program (non-SLP) where I felt extremely confident in my application. After receiving that news, it's been a little tough to not feel discouraged. I'm not holding out too much hope on McMaster as I know their selection process begins with sGPA ranking, however I am hoping (by God's good grace) that I get into Western. Good luck to everyone! Remember to keep your mind healthy during these times

Hi guys! Hope everyone is staying safe I just checked my official subGPA on ORPAS and it came out to be 3.43. I don’t have much hope of getting into McMaster with this sGPA since they rank you based on your sGPA and only the top 125 applicants get called for an interview. However, I do really want to go to Western and listed it as my first choice. I’m just a little bit worried and feeling a little bit discouraged with my sGPA. It doesn’t seem like I’ll be competitive enough based solely on my sGPA, but I do have a lotttt of volunteering (SLP and non-SLP) that I’ve completed over the past four years or so (over 1000 hours in total), so I’m hoping that might help my application but I’m not too sure. Feeling a little bit lost. If anyone knows of applicants making it into Western with a 3.4 sGPA I would love to hear from them! Wishing everyone lots of good luck with applications!

Hi, does anyone know how/when we can see our ORPAS sGPA?

Hi, just wondering if anyone else’s ORPAS application says payment pending. I paid the fee the night of Jan 7th and I know it says it takes a few business days but I just want to make sure there’s not a problem with my banking!

Hi everyone, just letting you know the OUAC system is back up and running!

Quick question: when inputting your prerequisite courses in ORPAS, what are you putting down as a grade for those courses that you’re taking next semester? It doesn’t let me submit it unless a grade is inputted but I haven’t taken the course yet. I tentatively put down “NA” and have “Winter 2021” for the grade and semester boxes. I just want to know what everyone else is inputting. Cheers!

Hey! I’m also applying for the the first time this year to Mac and Western as well!! I’m going in with a similar sGPA assuming my classes go well this term. I think there will definitely be a lot more applicants for Western, but the averages might vary due to remote learning (it seems universally accepted to be harder this year). I completed around 100 hours of clinical slp volunteering before COVID hit and I’m still planning on submitting my hours and clinical reference! I’m hoping that it’ll make some sort of impact for Western. Good luck!

Hi everyone! Super excited to be applying this year. I’m in my fourth year of Psychology and Neuroscience (BSc Honours) and I’ve started my applications for Western and McMaster. I’m hopeful that my sub-GPA will be around 3.7 by the end of this semester, and hopefully that’ll be competitive enough to enter the MMI stage. Good luck to everyone! ☀️