Another lost international applicant!

[MacGruber]

Hi Guys!

I know this must be an extremely stressful time... Waiting in a kind of limbo without a yes or no is terrible... but could you say something about my chances to get in the grad school at Canada or maybe US? I am not so familiar of how competitive a CV must be to get in. I will apply for 2014 entry at pathology/Immunology/Physiology Msc program, so I still have some time...

-I have a MD degree in Brazil + one year as a visiting student at the Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology department of U of Toronto.
-CGPA - 8.6/10 (they say the minimum is 8/10 for a brazilian application, but I know that an 8.6 is something between B+ and A-).
-IELTS - 7.5/9
-Research experience: Three summer research internships ( U of Toronto + McMaster + my home university) + one paper + 2 congress posters
-I  have worked as T.A in 2 courses in my home university + one year of volunteer work
-I also have a the possibility to get a fellowship, so I will pay domestic tuition fees in Canada.

 

What about the GRE? Should I apply for general or subject also? And what are the minimum grades to boost my acceptance chance?

I really appreciate any kind of feedback! I REALLY know how this kind of question is common here but my time is coming and I am getting really anxious =P

Thank you!

Edited March 19, 2013 by MacGruber

[liyixung]

As far as I know, most of the US universities are need GRE scores. 

Your IELTS is good, and your experiences are shinning point, I believe that you have a good chance of being admitted. Insist on it! and good luck!

[an11]

Usually, north american universities tend to stress a lot of importance on research and work experience for international students, more than any other credentials! Your GPA and GRE scores generally serve as filters, so basically having a bad GPA/GRE score, would ensure that your application would not receive due consideration...however, conversely a good GPA/GRE score, doesn't necessarily guarantee an acceptance, but it sure does boost your chances! But extensive research experience, can easily trump other short-comings in your application profile and with my limited knowledge concerning your field, I believe your CV looks strong on the basis of the experiences that you have. It is really easy to get accepted into a non-funded master's program in north american universities...but it's a lot more difficult to get a funded offer, more difficult even than getting an offer for a PhD! But it also depends on the universities you would be applying to...and the most important aspect of applying for grad studies, is to make smart choices for the universities that you would apply to; balancing safe and ambitious schools in the right ratio. 

 

And, the general GRE scores are needed in all universities in the US and Canada. The subject GRE, however, is not as important and you need to check whether the specific universities you are applying to, require it. Any score above 320, is quite good enough on the general GRE. Good luck and wish you all the best! Don't be anxious, things tend to work out just fine in the end !