2021 Canadian SLP Thread

[coco_SLP]

6 minutes ago, SunshineSpeechie said:

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

No need to thank me! We're all in this phase of stressful anticipation, and especially COVID hasn't been easy on anyone. Feel free to send me a message if you ever want someone to talk or vent to about these stresses, or anything else for that matter!  

[Loki_Odinson]

Hey guys,

First off, I want to congratulate all those who have been offered Interviews for Mac! For those who did not there is still time so do not lose hope just yet. Also, we have yet to hear from all the other schools as well. I know its easier said then done because I too am feeling the anxiety and stress of the verdicts to my application get to me. But despite what the verdict is I need everyone here to remember that this does not define who you are. I know we get caught up in finishing school in a timely fashion and all these other things, but school is just one facet of our lives. So, if you do not get in this year please do not feel upset. This gives us more time to figure ourselves out and become better for the following year, I know its hard not to feel upset and defeated but I truly believe that we all have our own paths that we need to follow to get where we need to be. I know I am rambling on, but I know for a very long time I struggled with the uncertainty of where my life was heading and that I know a lot of you must be feeling the same way and it sucks. The constant worrying and nervous breakdowns all suck but worrying only means we suffer twice. So, try and relax and don’t forget to destress every now and then! I believe in us and we have got this!  

[Indianslp]

1 hour ago, coco_SLP said:

Also, for those of you who didn't receive an email from McMaster yet (or who might not receive one at all), I just want to say please don't let this discourage you from your chances with your other applications!

I think it's really important to keep in mind that McMaster is the school that values grades more than anything else, seeing as they don't require the GRE, CASPer, letters of intent, references, clinical experience, or any way to demonstrate skills outside of academia. So with that being said, if you're someone who might not have the highest GPA but do have good supplemental experience, letters, referees, etc. then you definitely still have a strong chance at some of the other schools who value those aspects!

Basically, don't let McMaster using one number (GPA) for this part of their selection lessen your confidence in your applications for other schools. We all have different skills sets, and I wish you the best of luck with any of the schools you may have applied to!

 

Oh god! Really needed to hear this. I didn’t receive an email either.

 

Congratulations to everyone who received their invitations!

[Indianslp]

49 minutes ago, Loki_Odinson said:

Hey guys,

First off, I want to congratulate all those who have been offered Interviews for Mac! For those who did not there is still time so do not lose hope just yet. Also, we have yet to hear from all the other schools as well. I know its easier said then done because I too am feeling the anxiety and stress of the verdicts to my application get to me. But despite what the verdict is I need everyone here to remember that this does not define who you are. I know we get caught up in finishing school in a timely fashion and all these other things, but school is just one facet of our lives. So, if you do not get in this year please do not feel upset. This gives us more time to figure ourselves out and become better for the following year, I know its hard not to feel upset and defeated but I truly believe that we all have our own paths that we need to follow to get where we need to be. I know I am rambling on, but I know for a very long time I struggled with the uncertainty of where my life was heading and that I know a lot of you must be feeling the same way and it sucks. The constant worrying and nervous breakdowns all suck but worrying only means we suffer twice. So, try and relax and don’t forget to destress every now and then! I believe in us and we have got this!  

I love how kind and supportive everyone here is! You’re right. Need to find some way to detoxify and just chill..

[jec]

On 2/18/2021 at 5:07 PM, coco_SLP said:

Were you assigned a number or letter grade for the exchange, or is the grade given to you using a pass/fail system?

The reason I ask is my school uses pass/fail grades when people go on exchange, and this bit on OUAC says that they don't count pass/fail grades. (https://www.ouac.on.ca/guide/orpas-gpa-calculations/)

Additionally, ORPAS needs transcripts from all schools, so as long as the school you did your exchange on also sent a transcript then I believe they'd just use those grades the same way they would other grades, in terms of 20 half-credits/60 credit hours in terms of recency. (This link here answers a question about needing transcripts from all schools, even if exchange grades show up on your home university's transcript -> https://www.ouac.on.ca/faq/transcript-from-exchange-institution/)

Does this help? 

 

Hi there, Thank you for the reply!  My uni lists exchange as just a pass, but I know I need to include all transcripts, and I want to include my exchange year anyway because I did very well, and the courses taken during the exchange year were credited towards my major, and are important for my sGPA. There is pertinent information on page 6 of https://www.ouac.on.ca/guide/orpas-transcript/#assessment Here it says, "Whether you are a Canadian or non-Canadian applicant, you must have your international transcript assessed by WES if: 

* you have not met the minimum course number criteria using your Canadian data

* you require inclusion of your international education data

I would be very interested in hearing from anyone who used WES for assessing some courses done on an exchange year. 

[SpeechieAlly]

7 hours ago, slp2020ab said:

 I obsessively went back to check and those who got the invitation and that shared their subGPA have a 3.90, 3.88, 3.84.

I have a 3.67 and haven't received anything, so I guess I didn't make the cut ?

Interesting...I wonder if they send MMI invitations in order of sGPA?

[HOPEFUL13]

Does anyone know if the waitlist for Mac been sent out yet? Or if they will be sending out more invitations? 

[onaspeechcrayz]

53 minutes ago, HOPEFUL13 said:

Does anyone know if the waitlist for Mac been sent out yet? Or if they will be sending out more invitations? 

Hi, Im thinking it will be send out once everyone had a chance to reply to the offer by the set deadline (Feb 26th). Or once people decline the offer. 

Stay hopeful and positive!! 

[SpeechieWannaB]

I saw this today and it really resonated with me. Hoping it gives someone else some solace ❤ 

Always bet on yourself. Don't be discouraged. It "ain't over" until YOU decide it is... 

Good luck, all! Sending positive vibes! 

[onaspeechcrayz]

You guys should check out the SLP hashtag on Tik Tok!! It so fun to watch and see what they're up to!!

[Indianslp]

22 hours ago, jec said:

Hi there, Thank you for the reply!  My uni lists exchange as just a pass, but I know I need to include all transcripts, and I want to include my exchange year anyway because I did very well, and the courses taken during the exchange year were credited towards my major, and are important for my sGPA. There is pertinent information on page 6 of https://www.ouac.on.ca/guide/orpas-transcript/#assessment Here it says, "Whether you are a Canadian or non-Canadian applicant, you must have your international transcript assessed by WES if: 

* you have not met the minimum course number criteria using your Canadian data

* you require inclusion of your international education data

I would be very interested in hearing from anyone who used WES for assessing some courses done on an exchange year. 

Hi,

I got a WES evaluation for my international transcript. It was time consuming, however, I was satisfied with the result until I went through this forum and found that it might not be enough..

[jec]

22 minutes ago, Indianslp said:

Hi,

I got a WES evaluation for my international transcript. It was time consuming, however, I was satisfied with the result until I went through this forum and found that it might not be enough..

Thank you for that. Was your WES evaluation for a credential, i.e. a degree or was it just for some courses taken over the course of one year, for example?

[Speecheewannabee]

On 2/22/2021 at 10:13 AM, slp2020ab said:

 I obsessively went back to check and those who got the invitation and that shared their subGPA have a 3.90, 3.88, 3.84.

I have a 3.67 and haven't received anything, so I guess I didn't make the cut ?

I have a 3.70 and did not make the cut either  

[SLP2020!!]

Hello! 

I have a 3.55 sub gpa out of 4 and was wondering if anyone knows how to calculate that out of a 4.3 scale for Dal? Thanks :)

[neuroling]

1 hour ago, SLP2020!! said:

Hello! 

I have a 3.55 sub gpa out of 4 and was wondering if anyone knows how to calculate that out of a 4.3 scale for Dal? Thanks

https://www.dal.ca/faculty/gradstudies/faculty/coordinators/gpa-calculation.html 

I would refer to this!

[Owl.on.a.Slide]

3 hours ago, Speecheewannabee said:

I have a 3.70 and did not make the cut either  

How do you know that you've been rejected though? Until I see it for sure, I naively keep on hoping for some kind of miracle ?

Hopefully the universities that look at us more holistically will see past our subGPA. Can't help but feel super frustrated and inadequate though. I really wish that McMaster would disclose some kind of minimum subGPA needed to come close to the top 125 rather than telling us the 3.3 crap and setting us up for disappointment. I mean, has anyone with a 3.3 ever gotten in? I highly doubt that...

Edited February 24, 2021 by slp2020ab

[coco_SLP]

14 minutes ago, slp2020ab said:

How do you know that you've been rejected though? Until I see it for sure, I naively keep on hoping for some kind of miracle ?

Hopefully the universities that look at us more holistically will see past our subGPA. Can't help but feel super frustrated and inadequate though. I really wish that universities would tell us some kind of minimum subGPA needed to come close to the top 125 rather than telling us the 3.3 crap and setting us up for disappointment. I mean, has anyone with a 3.3 ever gotten in? I highly doubt that...

Hey! It's mainly just McMaster that does it like this, where they rank a top 125 by GPA. They have their selection process outlined on their website, and I can't find it right this minute but somewhere it has said 3.7 is the typical cutoff in recent years. Additionally, on the ORPAS site it tells you how many people applied to their program at each of the schools in 2020, and how many spots there are this year, so that should give you a rough idea of an acceptance rate.

However, other schools use different systems. I know for Western, they say anything from 3.3-3.5 can be considered a competitive application, so yes, I imagine some people have gotten in with a 3.3 before, if they had good experiences, references, etc.. I believe UAlberta is also similar where the minimum GPA listed on their site is more simply an application requirement, but don't quote me 100% on that (you can look at their site or ask them if you want). However, of course other schools are different, such as McGill who lists theirs and they say the average GPA for students admitted in recent years has been around 3.85 or 3.88 (around a 10% acceptance rate) if I recall correctly.

Also, there are threads for this program from 2020, 2019, etc. so if you go look for those you can typically see the stats of some people who have and have not made the cut in recent years. 

Hope this helps, and best of luck!

Edited February 24, 2021 by coco_SLP
added info about another school

[abcdefh]

Hi guys, sorry this is not quite on topic but did anyone in this group also apply for occupational therapy? I haven't been able to find any forums so thought that maybe a few of you had also applied

[MiaSLP]

1 hour ago, abcdefh said:

Hi guys, sorry this is not quite on topic but did anyone in this group also apply for occupational therapy? I haven't been able to find any forums so thought that maybe a few of you had also applied

I did!

[Indianslp]

7 hours ago, jec said:

Thank you for that. Was your WES evaluation for a credential, i.e. a degree or was it just for some courses taken over the course of one year, for example?

It was a course by course evaluation for my Undergraduate program. Although the result of last two semesters was pending then so they could only evaluate the first three years of my degree. If or when I get admitted for my postgrad, I will have to get the rest of the courses evaluated, as well! But that would just be an add on.

The first thing they do is ask you for the credentials that you want to get evaluated, and then you got to choose a plan for the same.

You can always make an account and see if it would work for you, considering they ask for payment at the very last stage. You will get a better idea that way! Hope that helps!

[HOPEFUL13]

 

2 hours ago, abcdefh said:

Hi guys, sorry this is not quite on topic but did anyone in this group also apply for occupational therapy? I haven't been able to find any forums so thought that maybe a few of you had also applied

I also applied to OT! Theres a forum called OT/PT accepted/waitlist/decline forum - 2021 cycle on Premed 101 Forums

[Amy251]

10 hours ago, Speecheewannabee said:

I have a 3.70 and did not make the cut either  

I have a 3.82 and I didn’t either ?.. I thought I’d at least get an interview. I am just wondering how the waitlist works..why would anyone cancel an interview considering acceptances for other unis  are sent out in April. Has anyone contacted them regarding a waitlist? 

Edited February 24, 2021 by Amy251

[Wugs]

2 hours ago, Amy251 said:

I have a 3.82 and I didn’t either ?.. I thought I’d at least get an interview. I am just wondering how the waitlist works..why would anyone cancel an interview considering acceptances for other unis  are sent out in April. Has anyone contacted them regarding a waitlist? 

I think this was more relevant when MMIs were strictly in-person in Hamilton, I’d assume having to make the trek over there for some people gave room for last minute cold feet

[speechncookies]

6 hours ago, Amy251 said:

I have a 3.82 and I didn’t either ?.. I thought I’d at least get an interview. I am just wondering how the waitlist works..why would anyone cancel an interview considering acceptances for other unis  are sent out in April. Has anyone contacted them regarding a waitlist? 

I have a 3.81 and didn’t either! Also thought I’d get an interview... all we can do is wait and see for now! ?

Edited February 24, 2021 by speechncookies

[onaspeechcrayz]

2 minutes ago, speechncookies said:

I have a 3.81 and didn’t either! Also thought I’d get an interview... all we can do is wait and see for now! 

Do you guys remember what the website said the GPA cut off was last year? They had it on their website before but I cant find it anymore.

Also maybe they look at the perquisite grades too? Im not sure, just thinking.